Engagement Observation Proposal – Effects of Zoos and Aquariums in a City
Kuan-Ting Chen
Seattle University
June 4, 2023
ENGAGEMENT OBSERVATION PROPOSAL
Introduction
I have always loved animals since I was young because I grew up with 14 dogs on a
mountain. As I moved into cities, I started to visit zoos, aquariums, and farms to interact with
and learn more about animals. After all the years of visiting zoos and aquariums, I started to
wonder what impacts zoos and aquariums have on me. In a boarder term, what impacts do zoos
and aquariums have on the people living in the cities?
Many great zoos and aquariums are in the cities’ prime locations, using a lot of land.
Using the land space for other developments, such as social housing, will also be very beneficial.
So what makes a city decide to offer so much land and space for zoos and aquariums? Is it
related to the impacts of zoos and aquariums on people?
With all these questions in mind, I have developed this paper to focus on the effects of
zoos and aquariums. I specifically focus on accredited modern zoos and aquariums (modern
zoo). Thus, in this paper, I will first introduce what a modern zoo is and what the role of a
modern zoo is in terms of conservation and environmental protection.
Then, I will review relevant literature related to the effects of zoos and aquariums. I will also use
Seattle’s zoo and aquarium and my personal experience as an example.
Then, I will explore ways that Copenhagen Aquarium, Berlin Zoo and Aquarium, and
Amsterdam Zoo engage with the people living there and how they promote conservation and
environmental protection. Ultimately, I will develop a proposal and show what I will be looking
for when I go to Berlin, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen.
Modern Zoo and Its Role
Zoos have evolved a lot since it was first introduced. The old-fashioned zoos were zoos
that aimed to show as many animals as possible (“The Modern Zoo,” 2013, p. 9). Further, those
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zoos were built to show wealthy people’s power (Evers, 2022). Those zoos did not care about
animals’ welfare, and they were profit-driven (“The Modern Zoo,” 2013, p. 9). However, modern
zoos are completely the opposite of old-fashioned zoos. Modern zoos focus on educating visitors
about ecosystems, promoting nature conservation, and helping visitors develop a sense of respect
towards the environment and animals (“The Modern Zoo,” 2013, p. 9). In addition, modern zoos
also focus on research in order to understand more about animals, such as ecology studies and
animal behavior studies (“The Modern Zoo,” 2013, p. 86).
Further, modern zoos aim to provide the best environment to the animals to ensure the
welfare of animals. An important measure of a zoo's success in providing the best environment is
accreditation from recognized organizations. In the United States, zoo and aquarium
accreditation is given by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In Europe and Western Asia,
accreditation is given by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. These organizations
ensure that the zoos and aquariums provide the best care to the animals (“Accreditation Basics”;
(“The Modern Zoo,” 2013, p. 7). In short, the primary role of modern zoos is to promote
conservation, educate the public, and conduct research.
Literature Review
The modern accredited zoos and aquariums are an essential part of a more significant
movement of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which has a vision of “By 2050, biodiversity
is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a
healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people” (Rose & Riley, 2022, p. 2). In
achieving this goal, zoos and aquariums focus on their education programs and have developed
various ways to increase people's conservation and environmental protection awareness. The
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following research shows that visiting zoos and aquariums can indeed increase people’s
awareness.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums conducted a series of quantitative research at the
beginning of the 2000s. In this study, 1,862 visitors were randomly selected to complete pre- and
post-surveys in different zoos and aquariums throughout the U.S. (Falk et al., 2007, p. 8).
Further, 356 visitors agreed to have an interview on why they went to the zoo or aquarium (Falk
et al., 2007, p. 8). Among them, 83 people were followed up in three years via phone or online
survey (Falk et al., 2007, p. 8).
This research found that visiting zoos and aquariums reinforces conservation values and
attitudes (Falk et al., 2007, p. 11). Further, more than half of visitors reported that visiting zoos
and aquariums affected them to rethink their role in environmental and conservation problems
(Falk et al., 2007, p. 10).
Another paper also has a similar conclusion. This paper was published in 2019, and it is a
literature review of many other studies. For instance, this paper found that visitors are usually
more aware of human impacts on conservation (Godinez & Fernandez, 2019, p. 4). Further, this
paper found that having close-up interactions with animals positively affects visitors'
conservation actions after the visit (Godinez & Fernandez, 2019, p. 5). In addition, the research
indicates that repeat visitors exhibit an even stronger inclination towards seeking out and
supporting conservation efforts compared to first-time visitors (Godinez & Fernandez, 2019, p.
1).
Seattle Zoo and Aquarium
Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium are two examples of accredited modern zoos
as they both focus on promoting conservation, educating the public, and conducting research,
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which is also reflected in their mission statement (“Woodland Park Zoo”; “Who We Are”).
Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium have different programs to engage the public about
conservation. Through all these programs, they are working towards the vision of the Global
Biodiversity Framework.
Woodland Park Zoo Programs
Woodland Park Zoo has many different programs to promote conservation. One program
is animal keeper talks. Animal keeper talks are daily, and the keepers will educate the public
about different animals or plants and threats they are facing (“Woodland Park Zoo”). Further,
behind the scenes, Woodland Park Zoo partners with state agencies, government agencies,
conservation organizations, and local communities to protect the wildlife in different countries
(“Woodland Park Zoo”).
In terms of education, Woodland Park Zoo hosts field trips, which are tailored to not just
students but also senior groups. Further, Woodland Park Zoo hosts summer day camps as well. In
addition, for people who want to learn more about ecological and social change, Woodland Park
Zoo partners with Miami University to offer a master's degree (“Master's Degree”).
Woodland Park Zoo also cooperates with various organizations and schools to conduct
research. For instance, Woodland Park Zoo works with organizations in Papua New Guinea to
determine the status of tree kangaroos, including understanding local ecology and tree kangaroo
genetics (“Tree Kangaroo”). Woodland Park Zoo also has many different research programs in
Washington state. For example, Woodland Park Zoo partners with Seattle University to explore
how mammalian carnivores live and interact with people in the greater Seattle region
(“Carnivore Spotter”).
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In the end, Woodland Park Zoo has many interaction programs, such as giraffe feeding,
penguin feeding, and rhino encounter. All these experience features up-close interactions, which
can positively affect visitors’ conservation actions after the visit, as discussed above.
Seattle Aquarium
Similar to Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium also has animal keeper talks that help
visitors understand the animals and the environment. Further, Seattle Aquarium also has summer
camps for children and teenagers (“Marine Summer Camp”). However, compared to Woodland
Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium is much smaller and has fewer exhibits. Thus, a lot of education
happens outside of the aquarium.
For example, Seattle Aquarium’s Beach Naturalist program gathers volunteers to go to
different beaches, and the volunteers can help visitors learn more about marine life there (“Beach
Naturalist Program”). Cedar River Salmon Journey is another program that helps people
understand the life cycle of salmon (“Cedar River Salmon Journey”). In this program, naturalists
will be in different locations along the Cedar River, answering people’s questions about salmons
and introducing the role of salmon in the environment and Washington (“Cedar River Salmon
Journey”).
In terms of conservation and research, Seattle Aquarium had Sea Otter Conservation
Program. The Sea Otter program helps scientists conduct field research on the population trend
of sea otters ("Seattle Aquarium Sea Otter"). This project also included implications for public
policy (“Seattle Aquarium Sea Otter”). Further, Seattle Aquarium has had a Sea Turtle
Rehabilitation program for over 30 years (“Sea Turtle Rehabilitation”). This program helps sea
turtles stranding along the coastline to get back to health and be released to nature (“Sea Turtle
Rehabilitation”). In addition, Seattle Aquarium is also involved regularly in ocean policy
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advocacy. Seattle Aquarium’s advocacy is involved at local, state, and federal levels to help
conservation and ocean protection (“Ocean Policy”).
My experience with Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo
I have been a Woodland Park Zoo member for four years and a Seattle Aquarium member
for three years. Thinking back on my experiences, I have learned a lot about animals and
environmental issues through the keeper talks and other exhibitions. By interacting with animals
at the zoo and aquarium, I find myself caring about animals more and more, which is reflected in
many of my actions. For instance, when I see animal-related news, I will read about it. Also, I
now tend to purchase sustainable seafood. In addition, I enjoy seeing wildlife and animals around
me.
Compared to many other U.S. cities, Seattle is also very friendly to animals and wildlife
conservation. While it is not just because of the efforts of the zoos and aquariums here, zoos and
aquariums play an essential role in achieving this result because they work closely with the local
governments and are involved in policy change. Although these experiences are just my own
observation, I am hoping to use these experiences as a base to observe how zoos and aquariums
in other cities impact the people there. In the following sections, I will introduce the programs at
Copenhagen Aquarium, Berlin Zoo, and Amsterdam Zoo. Then, I will describe things I could
potentially observe.
Copenhagen Aquarium – National Aquarium Denmark
National Aquarium Denmark is located in Copenhagen, and it is the largest aquarium in
Northern Europe. Like a modern zoo, it focuses on conservation, education, and research.
Some notable projects at the National Aquarium Denmark include the study of sharks and
invasive species affecting Danish waters. For instance, The Greenland Shark project focuses on
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studying Greenland Shark’s population, gaining more understanding about them and how
commercial fishing could affect them (“The Greenland Shark”).
Another project is to count Denmark’s fish. Every year, snorkelers from the National
Aquarium Denmark will register fishes, which gives an estimate of the number of all fish
species, and the result of this project will help to gain insight into the effects of climate change
and Denmark’s natural environment management (“Counting Denmark's Fish”).
National Aquarium Denmark is also a big advocator of reducing plastic use. It encourages
people to reduce the use of plastic by changing small behaviors, such as bringing their own
shopping bags and avoiding buying products that have polyethylene (“An Ocean of Plastic”).
Berlin Zoo and Aquarium
Berlin Zoo is the oldest zoo in Germany, and it is also a modern zoo that focuses on
education, conservation, and research. Similar to National Aquarium Denmark, Berlin Zoo and
Aquarium emphasize many of their programs on advocating changing behaviors. For instance,
Berlin Zoo and Aquarium encourage visitors to eat sustainable food, be aware of water usage,
and create an ecosystem for native species around them, such as putting nest boxes on their
balconies ("Species Conservation”).
In addition, Berlin Zoo and Aquarium also help restore European hamsters, a keystone
native species facing extinction in Germany (“UN Decade on Ecosystem”). To do so, Berlin Zoo
releases the hamsters born at the Zoo to hamster-friendly habitats around the country (“UN
Decade on Ecosystem”).
In the end, Berlin Zoo and Aquarium encourage students of all grades to brainstorm ways
to create diverse species in Berlin that they can do in their daily life, such as putting bat boxes in
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the school building (“Zurück Zur Natur”). As an incentive, the winning students can get up to
five thousand Euros at the end of June (“Zurück Zur Natur”).
Amsterdam Zoo
Artis in Amsterdam has three parts, the Artis Zoo, Microbe Museum, and Groote
Museum (“About Artis”). All of them feature different parts of the world, from animals we can
see to microbes we cannot see. It is worth noting that the Microbe Museum is the only one in the
world, which is very remarkable (Rodríguez Fernández, 2018).
Artis Zoo has very similar programs to the Berlin Zoo. For instance, Artis Zoo releases
animals back into the wild when the natural habitat is safe for the animals (“Breeding
Programmes”). In the past, the Zoo had released garlic toads, Polynesian tree snails, and griffon
vultures back to nature (“Breeding Programmes”).
Further, just like Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo, Artis Zoo works with local
governments and organizations around the world to restore natural habitats ("Breeding
Programmes”). Besides having museums and the zoo that people can visit, Microbe Museum
also offers Artis Academy, which offers online classes about microbes ("Academie Online”).
Engagement Proposal
I have introduced different programs at National Aquarium Denmark, Berlin Zoo, and
Artis. In this section, I will describe what I might be able to observe when I go to Copenhagen,
Berlin, and Amsterdam.
Suppose all these zoos are working towards the Global Biodiversity Framework, which
aims to conserve and restore the ecosystem and biodiversity. In that case, we should be able to
see that (1) the ecosystem and biodiversity in Copenhagen, Berlin, and Amsterdam have
improved over time, and (2) the ecosystem and biodiversity in Copenhagen, Berlin, and
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Amsterdam are better compared to places that do not have zoos or aquariums working towards
the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Some of the indicators of a better ecosystem and biodiversity include the proportion of
permeable urban areas, protected areas, and green areas (Ruf et al., 2018, p. 8). Thus, in
Copenhagen, Berlin, and Amsterdam, I could expect more green and protected areas, such as
parks, national parks, and protected green lands.
Further, other indicators include species richness, habitat richness, and the number of
native species (Ruf et al., 2018, p. 8). Thus, I should be able to see more different types of
animals and insects in Copenhagen, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Specifically, in Berlin, I can try to
see if European hamsters are observable, as one of the projects of the Berlin Zoo is to restore the
European hamsters’ population.
In addition to observing, I could talk to people as well. Similar to how the Association of
Zoos and Aquariums conducted their survey, I can also ask people who visit the zoo or aquarium.
I can ask them whether they think visiting a zoo or aquarium changes their behavior. Asking
people's thoughts and opinions will be the best way to see the effects of zoos and aquariums, as
the effects are usually hard to measure quantitively.
Further, I can also talk to people I meet in the cities, asking their general opinion about
zoos, aquariums, and environmental protection. I can also ask locals whether they observe
changes in the cities, such as the city having more green lands over time or more animals over
time. In addition, I can also talk to volunteers at the zoos or aquariums, asking what type of
impact they want to see, whether they have seen the impact and whether I can observe the
impact.
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In the end, as the zoos and aquariums are working on advocating using less water and
promoting using sustainable products, one effect of the advocation should be that people in the
cities use less water and less unsustainable products. For instance, people in the cities might
bring their own water bottles and shopping bags, and they might prefer to buy sustainable foods
and products.
It is important to keep in mind that those changes are not solely the result and effect of
zoos and aquariums, even if I can observe the things I mentioned above. There are a lot of factors
that could produce the same results. For instance, the area of green lands might increase because
people want to have more parks for the kids in their neighborhoods, which is unrelated to the
effect of zoos but produces the same result. Thus, further studies are still needed to connect the
observations and effects of zoos and aquariums.
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