Signage in zoos on individual animals

I don't have any but I may be able to take some next time I go and I go all the time!

 

Great that would be awesome post them here once you have them.

 

Bonobo ID signage at Frankfurt zoo, Germany:


Photo credits to @zoogiraffe.

 

I was honestly surprised while looking through this thread at the diversity of animals that are looked at individually on signs. I usually assign these signs to species of apes and monkeys, but I'm glad that this is also happening to other species as well. I believe individual signs can really help in creating an appreciation for the animals exhibited. It may encourage conservational action because of that appreciation.

 

Tasmanian devil signage for "Conrad" at San Diego zoo:


Photo credit to @betsy.

 

Thank you for the comment @OstrichMania !

I totally agree, I think that its great when zoos do this not only for megafauna but all kinds of species.

 

ID signage for spectacled bears at Salisbury zoo, USA:


Photo credit to @TinoPup.

 

The Sacramento Zoo has a couple signs throughout the zoo with profiles on individual animals (mainly large mammals). The signs don't provide too much information (just the animals' name, DOB, POB, and a little blurb about their personality), but it's a nice addition that was added in the last couple years. In addition the zoo, and its zookeepers, often mention individual animal names on their social medias.

I just visited and these are the signs I recall seeing:

• Common chimpanzees - Amelia, Doug, Joey, Maria, Pablo
• Giant anteater - Beata
• Giraffes - Amirah, Chifu, Shani, Skye (the zoos youngest and newest giraffe, Glory doesn't appear to have a sign yet)
• Jaguars - Sasha, Tikal
• Lions - Cleo, Kamau
• Okapis - Forest, Mo
• Snow leopards - Blizzard, Mischia
• Sumatran orangutans - Cheli, Indah, Makan

The zoo also had temporary signs up for animal ambassadors that were hanging out in exhibits:

• Great horned owl - Charlie/Charley
• Moluccan eclectus parrot - Robbie
  
• Thick-billed parrot - Julia

And finally the zoo also has "keeper notes" situated throughout the zoo, which are just little white boards for the staff to write on. The two animals I saw named on keeper notes were:

• American alligator - Patrick
• White-faced saki - Aurora

I don't have any pictures of any of the permanent signs but fortunately @Anteaterman uploaded one to the gallery of Beata's sign. The rest of the individual animal sings look quite similar.

 

Thanks for sharing this @Hipporex !

It seems like Sacramento zoo pretty much excell in this kind of signage and trying to form an emotional connection / identification between the visitors and the animals and thats great in my opinion.

Especially considering that they do this with not just the usual charismatics but also some of the more unusual choices like the alligator, giant anteater, saki monkey, okapi , owls and parrots.

I could only find these two pictures in the gallery of two of the signs one of which for an owl (taken by you) and the other for jaguars (taken by @Arizona Docent ) that can just be seen but not very clearly:

 

Houston zoo in the USA have some great signage for their gorillas evidently with names and info on individual quirks of the animals:





Photo credits to @snowleopard.

 

An information sign on the elderly male spider monkey named "Granpa" at Staten Island zoo, USA:


Photo credit to @TinoPup.

 

Signage for "Billy" the snapping turtle at Denver zoo, USA:


Photo credit @ThatOneZooGuy.

 

Hartley's Crocodile Adventures has individual signage for some of their Saltwater Crocodiles.
For context for some of the signs, many of Hartley's Saltwater Crocodiles were removed from local waterways and brought to the zoo for being a potential threat to people.

 

Thanks for sharing these @DaLilFishie ! Much appreciated !

These are really interesting signs and particularly the ones about the stories of "problem crocs" as they speak to the wider issue of human-crocodile conflict in Australia.

 

I found another picture I took of the signage for specific crododiles, I thought this one was pretty funny.

 

Lol, by the sounds of it I wouldn't want to meet either the croc Greg or his human namesake.

 

Quite a minimalistic information sign for Western lowland gorillas "Mike" and "Nyuki" at Zoo La Palmyre, France:



Photo credit to @Maisie.

 

Horrible ugly sign. I think it says 'two of the many(?) gorillas born at La Palmyre'. They were halfbrothers, surplus to their needs really, that lived together for many years, first in a nasty cage and later in an open grotto-type enclosure. Mike is dead and Nyuki is now the group male- though he appears not to breed...

 

Agreed, not a very impressive sign indeed.

I didn't know much about these animals or indeed that La Palmyre had gorillas.

 

Gorilla ID signage at the Calgary zoo, Canada:




Photo credit to @snowleopard.