Impact of Animal Encounter Modality and Species on Zoo Visitor Knowledge, Concern, and Conservation Intent

Zoos fill an important role in connecting humans with nature, especially given an increasing rate of both urbanization and biodiversity loss. With the advent of new technologies, however, there are many alternatives to experiencing biodiversity firsthand. We tested if the type of animal encounter at a zoo (in-person animal viewing without touch, in-person animal viewing with touch, or video-recorded animal viewing) and/or animal species (elephant or stingray) affected zoo visitor knowledge, emotional affect, empathic concern, and/or conservation intent. A total of 300 zoo members were randomly assigned to 6 different animal encounter conditions. We found that participants who viewed video-recordings of animals had significantly lower scores on all outcomes, except knowledge, than those who viewed animals in-person. There were no significant differences between in-person animal viewing without touch and in-person animal viewing with touch. Moreover, we found that stingray participants had lower scores on all outcomes compared to elephant participants. We suggest extensions of this study and discuss potential implications for the future role of zoos.