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Comparing Zoos and the Media as Conservation Educators

ABSTRACT This article attempts to answer two questions: What are the education roles of zoos, and whether other media sources of information made zoos educationally redundant? The approach taken is to evaluate visitor learning in an Australian zoo and determine if, as a result of a bus tour of the zoo, visitors had learned and were able to recall any information on one topic—threats to animals and/or their habitats. Visitors who could recall such information were also asked if they had previously known the information and if so, where they had seen or heard it before. Results reveal that the commentary on the bus tour is performing an educational or information-enhancing role for 40% of visitors, and although the remaining 60% of visitors did not learn any new information, the authors argue that the zoo may still play an educational role through reinforcement or induced learning. The findings of this study support the literature that suggests that media and, in particular, television and documentaries are an important source of information on threats to animals and/or their habitats. However, the authors suggest that media and zoos provide complementary information and should consider joining forces to more effectively reinforce each other's messages.