Graveyard

@blospz and whoever else has an opinion: do you find this to be an effective conservation exhibit? It looks well done, but I find it rather creepy and off-putting rather than effective in delivering its message. Was this part of a Halloween celebration or is it a permanent exhibit?

I've seen other zoos do this idea and from the ones I've seen, Philadelphia had the best looking gravestones. I think it's a little effective, especially the biggest one being for the Wild Orangutan. It has a predicted extinct date and I think that opens people's eyes like, wow that's so soon, we have to do something to prevent this.

I believe it was just for Halloween. I went the day after so I don't think they took it down yet.

I see your point about its effectiveness in showing people the orang situation (the "ghost of conservation failure yet to come").

Predictions have the danger of being counterproductive if they are way off. I remember in the late 1990's Jack Hanna (and likely others) quoted the popular saying that tigers could be extinct by the year 2000. That of course did not happen and it gives anti-conservation people more ammunition to claim that we are just alarmists and things are not as bad as they seem.

That is interesting and sends a good message. However, I do agree with Arizona Docent that it does give anti-conservation people more ammo if the prediction doesn't come true. I came across one of my old Zoobooks from when I was a kid and it predicted cheetahs would be extinct in the wild by 2000, so the predictions are not always accurate. Maybe have a big question mark on the orangutan grave instead.

Perhaps, but it cuts both ways. These animals did not "fail" to go extinct because the problem was over stated but rather because the very statement led to conservation action.
These false predictions are proof of success not failure.

(Oh and if you enlarge the photo you can see that there IS a question mark)

Yah...the orang one may be out of place, but the already extinct ones are good. They give people that sad guilty feeling that encourages them to change their ways.