Page 290 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

262 10 Making Training Educational for Zoo Visitors

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Figure 10.7 Formal education class at Bristol Zoo Gardens (UK) using a live snake for demonstration purposes.
Source: K. Whitehouse‐Tedd.

animal presentation compared to those that or conservation (Bulbeck 2004). Research on
hadn’t (Price et al. 2015). the 2016–2017 sea lion show at Flamingo
An important point here is that none of Land demonstrated that whilst some facts
these studies tested learning in these con- were recalled from the sea lion shows, visi-
texts and therefore rely on the visitors’ per- tors left the performance with a weaker
ceived learning. Moreover, where presented, understanding of the natural uses for a sea
it appears that only superficial learning was lion’s whiskers and an increased recall of
occurring (i.e. based on the recall of facts unnatural behaviours such as balancing
without the ability to apply or evaluate con- objects (Spooner 2017). This suggested that
cepts) (Bloom et al. 1956; Crowe et al. 2008), using artificial examples of natural behav-
such that the true educational value of ani- iours may have been misleading to visitors.
mal training presentations remains to be In response to research findings, the show
determined. Similarly, whilst zoo visitors adapted the objects used for balancing to
often desire animal interactions and view appear more natural. For example, instead of
them as enabling a more holistic learning using balls and bowling pins, the show uses a
experience, the actual encounters are often model fish (APAB Ltd, pers. comm.) which
recalled in terms of the pleasure experienced the sea lions balance to demonstrate how
from petting and feeding animals, with only they would hunt under water, in order to
occasional recall of education, preservation move away from misconceptions that sea