There have been many post making assertions about what the "average zoo visitor" or "most zoo visitors" want, feel, or know. Here is some info from a survey of visitors to AZA member institutions. Is the average zoo visitor what you expected? (Of course, "average" leaves out a great majority of visitors who are not in the middle!) Zoos - Releasing Wild Success: PGAV Destinations Latest Research
Thanks very much for posting this. It looks like the big future growth opportunity for expanding the pool of zoo visitors is finding ways to attract adults without children. It seems that people also want to see and experience more about how the zoo works and how the animals live behind the scenes. The new Steinhart Aquarium seems to have been built on this model where people can see the "guts" of the aquariums and interact with the aquarists to some degree. I wonder what this says about immersion exhibits? Much of the hate for San Diego's Elephant Odyssey seems to be directed at the "guts" of the elephant barn being out in the open. Maybe something like Disney's African savanna complex offers a model mix, where you can have an immersive experience and the see the "guts" when you go visit the Conservation Station? Of course almost no zoos can afford to do this on Disney scale. Fascinating food for thought.
Interesting stuff. It confirms my feeling that visitors would like more interaction with more animals. Feeding sessions etc. I feel that old-fashioned zoos, where visitors could feed elephants, bears etc. made people more interested in wildlife. About seeing inside zoo, Grzimek house in Frankfurt zoo and Pheasantry in Berlin zoo since decades have glassed view into building's kitchen. Amsterdam has free visits to animal houses every Sunday, run by volunterrs. Seeing food storage, kitchen and back entry of animal house, talking about plans of zoo etc.
