Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Biodiversity and zoo conservation biology
- 2 Protecting species and habitats
- 3 Zoos in focus – public exhibition or conservation
- 4 Keeping animals in captivity
- 5 Viable captive populations – the numbers game
- 6 Captive breeding and zoos
- 7 Returning animals to the wild
- 8 Educating the public
- 9 Turning zoos into conservation centres
- Appendix 1 Commonly used abbreviations
- Appendix 2 Scientific names of species mentioned in the text
- Appendix 3 Inbreeding
- Appendix 4 Population sizes – definitions and implications
- Appendix 5 Captive breeding and genetics – definitions
- References
- Index
- Plate section
8 - Educating the public
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Biodiversity and zoo conservation biology
- 2 Protecting species and habitats
- 3 Zoos in focus – public exhibition or conservation
- 4 Keeping animals in captivity
- 5 Viable captive populations – the numbers game
- 6 Captive breeding and zoos
- 7 Returning animals to the wild
- 8 Educating the public
- 9 Turning zoos into conservation centres
- Appendix 1 Commonly used abbreviations
- Appendix 2 Scientific names of species mentioned in the text
- Appendix 3 Inbreeding
- Appendix 4 Population sizes – definitions and implications
- Appendix 5 Captive breeding and genetics – definitions
- References
- Index
- Plate section
Summary
‘If we wish to save the giant pandas in the wild, what effect will it have to educate American or European children about the possible solutions to the recovery of that species?’
(Michael Hutchins)Introduction
Educating the public is not a new role for zoos. Long established zoological institutions, such as the ZSL in London and the NYZS (now WCS) in New York, have considered public education as important since their inception in the 1800s (Sterling et al., 2007). These and many other zoos have always had a profound influence on how people regard animals. Many people still receive their first exposure to live wild animals in zoos.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Zoo Conservation Biology , pp. 220 - 249Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011