Signage in zoos on individual animals

Signage for "Bokito" the silverback gorilla at Rotterdam zoo:



Signage for "Bente" the lionness (Asiatic ?) at Rotterdam zoo:



Asiatic lion signage at Chessington zoo, UK :




Photo credit to @vogelcommando and @Crowthorne.

 

Signage for "Professor Wu" the (now deceased) Chinese giant salamander at ZSL London zoo , UK:



Photo credit to @LaughingDove.

 

Ocelot signage at Amazon World Zoo Park, UK:





Photo credit to @Nanook and @Devi.

 

Signage on individual animals from the Cincinnati zoo, USA:


Bonobo ID ipad function / app:



Gorilla ID signage for "Jomo's" group:



Gorilla ID signage for "M'shindis group"



Signage for infant hippo "Fiona":



Signage detailing stereotypical behaviour shown by "Anana" the polar bear:



Signage detailing the wellbeing of an elderly and solitary sealion "Duke":



Photo credits to @Moebelle.

 

Signage for "Rigo" the Persian leopard at Dahlholzli zoo, Switzerland:



Signage for newly born takin at Liberec zoo, Czech Republic:



Photo credits to @Animal and @Arek.

 

Some very good ID signage on individual animals at Belfast zoo, UK / Ireland:

Moloch gibbon signage:



"Gugas" the silverback gorilla:



White tailed sea eagle signage:



Chimp signage:



Photo credits to @Paradoxurus, @Stefka and @zoogiraffe.

 

I love signs that talk about the individual animals! It's really interesting to hear about where zoo animals come from. And I think it adds to the whole "animal ambassador" aspect of zoos, maybe it gets people to care more about the species as a whole if they can get attached to the individual. If nothing else, I think it's good to inform people about how zoos work, and these signs add an aspect of that.

 

I agree with you and I do personally think that this kind of signage is effective for creating "animal ambassadors" and augmenting empathy and awareness of the plight of species.

I've often thought that on a zoo level formenting a connection with the individual animal could in some cases and in environmental education terms be more effective then discussions about the wider species. I think this would be the case particularly with younger visitors / children (they are the next generation of environmental stewards / conservationists afterall).

For many people a species or an ecosystem are merely abstractions whereas they can engage far more with the "story" / "narrative" of the life of an individual animal.

This is actually why so many conservation NGO's create children books about their focal species because it is a great way of educating an audience about wider conservation issues through the narrative of the individual.

 

I always liked that subgenre of books. (there are a few written for adult readers too!) Last of the Curlews is on my reading list, though it's pretty far down since I have a lot of books on my reading list and I haven't been reading much the past couple months lol. (though it seems like a short book so maybe I'll bump it up) But I did finally get a copy of the animated adaptation so I'm checking that out in the meantime.

I figure that this kind of signage is especially effective when the animals are rescued. (whether it's from the wild or from a bad captive situation) It doesn't just tell the visitor about the issue that effects animals, it SHOWS the impact. Like, hey, this turtle lost his flipper from a discarded net and now he can't survive in the wild. Don't throw your discarded net in the ocean. Or, hey, this monkey was taken from the wild as a baby so she could be sold as a pet and now she can't survive in the wild. Don't support the exotic pet trade.

 

I think they are great books for raising awareness indeed !

In fact, you know what ?

If I'm honest with you, these kind of illustrated books for kids do far more in a meaningful real world sense for conservation than any jargon filled journal paper published by some pretentious academic.

This is because they educate and they instill an awareness and empathy for a species and its plight in the next generation.

If we are to effectively conserve biodiversity then essentially it all comes down to educating the next generation who will have to take on the responsibility of conservation at such a critical time.

 

Signs for the Cincinnati Zoos Mexican Wolves

 

Thanks for sharing these @Mai Thai !

Beautiful lobos and quite nice signage about them too !