The thread on best animal shows and keeper talks made me think of something else - zoo movies and slide shows. I am not talking about special evening lectures that most zoos occasionally do. I mean something short that plays regularly for all visitors during zoo hours. It could be just a short looping film (such as the elephant tunnel in San Diego) or it could be a narrated slide show (such as the monthly cat talk I do in Tucson). So how many zoos have something like this?
San Diego Zoo - looping short film of elephants in a tunnel in Elephant Odyssey. Philadelphia Zoo - looping short film of wild cats in a hallway in Big Cat Falls. Reid Park Zoo - fifteen minute talk and slide show on wild cats in the Conservation Learning Center. Bronx Zoo - short film on gorillas in Congo Gorilla Forest. Memphis Zoo - film on pandas in building in China (though it was not playing during my visit a few years ago).
The new elephant exhibit at the LA Zoo has a looping film on elephant conservation in Cambodia. The Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest has a film on the Congo rain forest and its conservation in a large theater. At the end of the film the screen raises and reveals the large gorilla exhibit. Quite spectacular showcraft. The koala exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo used to have a video monitor that showed films about koalas and other Aussie mammals, but not sure if it still does.
Auckland Zoo (NZ) has looping videos on Cheetah and Tiger conservation by their respective exhibits (and I think looping audio by the otters). I think these are great tools, as they specifically highlight one aspect of conservation, and people defintiely watch them. Healesville Sanctuary (Australia) has a video that plays very short clips (encouraging donations) whenever someone enters a room displaying endangered skinks, this seems effective.
