Mini Study

Mini Study

Haonan Wang

Arizona State University

TEL 430: Learning outside of school

Dr. J

Mini study

2018/4/24
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Introduction

The topic and area of mini study will focus on zoo. Due to complexity of this learning

environment, many controversial issues stand up. Those issues belong to social justice issue;

animal protecting issue and social debate. The factors of those issue could be the limitation of

animal protection laws; economic influence and visitor’s education level. For an example, the

issue will be discussed on this article is “what is an appropriate zoo for animal?” during the

discussion of this issue, the information we can get are laws of animal protection; Children’s

emotional development; The connection between pet and children’s emotion activities at zoo;

How social media provide us information of wildlife.

On the other word, the reason why the zoo issues are valuable is because they have so

much connections with different area, for an example, if a zoo needs to keep alive, it needs

customers, stuffs and animals. The profile that they made depends on their quality, which means

zoo needs variety of animals, they have different options, they could buy a huge place for their

animals’ habitats and provide them high quality food. Yet, they could keep animal into a narrow

cage and provide them food with low energy. As for the customers, they could just ignore

animals’ emotion and their health situation. Or they could stand out and speak, we know what is

going to happen when some people stand up and talk- a revolution.

The place that I choose is Wildlife World Zoo. Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari

Park has Arizona’s largest collection of exotic and endangered animals, with more than 600

separate species, rides, a petting zoo and daily shows. I designed a survey with my group mates,

the questions contain personal information, life style and their personal thought, and the survey

was by anonymous, the survey is seeking some circumstances. They based on the relationship

between visitor and animals, education and animals.

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Brief Literature review

As humans, our current and historical relationships with zoos and zoo animals are

remarkably complex and have inspired much fiction and nonfiction writings, as well as research

across numerous academic disciplines such as education, psychology, zoology, history,

philosophy, biology, architecture, and sociology. The rich, multi-disciplinary nature of research

focusing on zoos is reflected in the literature reviewed for this study.

Modern zoos are required to fulfill a growing number of responsibilities including

scientific research, wildlife conservation, public recreation, and education. With so many roles

and responsibilities and limited funds, zoos have to prioritize their activities in relation to their

own specified goals, objectives, and mission statements. (Roe, Katie; McConney,

Andrew; Mansfield, Caroline F. (Dec 2014)

Whether there should be a zoo is a worthy of our discussion, there are more and more

social animal protection activists, in fact, no matter what point of view, is it's standard to

think, just the two sides for the protection of differences of opinion. Since this is standard, the

simplest and direct way is how humans to gain maximum profits, how to save a species gene

pool and covered with behavior and their environment as well as the relationship with other

species, this is the most important thing. The best way to learn about animals is the zoo. Many

teachers would support the contention that visits to zoos or wildlife parks offer more direct, and

therefore more powerful, learning experiences than do surrogates such as books, films, or

models. (Greaves, Stanisstreet, Boyes, & Williams, 1993, p. 58-59)

The majority of participants rarely go to circuses or entertainment shows with animals.

Watching animal TV shows, animal documentaries, and reading educational books are regular

activities in participants’ lives. Slightly more than half of children have pets at home. The
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majority is sensitive to animal’s emotions, but only half showed interest in their environmental

context. These results suggest that children’s identification of animal emotions might be

influenced by maturation and relevant informative experience - features that are common to the

identification of human emotions. (Sílvia Rocha; Augusta Gaspar & Francisco Esteves,

2016.P59). That is really important due to our topic, learning and study in between us and

audience. We need to know what they thought and their behaviors, according to the article, their

emotion changes just because of their life style. That really give me an idea on providing a new

way of learning system. Younger kids love simulation environment; you really can not imagine

what is going to happen. According to an early childhood program which is called “At the zoo:

Kindergartners Reinvent a Dramatic Play Area”. They let children play their own role as a zoo

manager. The result is interesting. It Increasing the children’s opportunities for literacy during

play was initially the main focus of this research project. During their work on the SDSU Zoo,

the children expanded their literacy and language development in several ways. They utilized

fiction and nonfiction books to support their questions about animals and zoos. They also used

verbal and nonverbal language techniques to ask questions, to communicate their ideas, and to

act as certain animals. The children also demonstrated writing skills as they communicated their

ideas about different aspects of their investigation to others. They also utilized computer

technology, such as the San Diego Zoo Web site, to further their knowledge of certain animals.

(Mary Bowne & Sue Brokmeier. 2007). The influence on students' interest in learning. They will

increase students' interest. At the same time, they will allow students to experience new ways of

learning skill. Interest is the biggest motivation for students to learn. We have aroused their

interest. This means that we provide them with enough motivation. Then, what we need to do is

guide them. In addition to their literacy learning, the children’s academic skills were
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strengthened through authentic tasks such as sorting, classifying, and counting the different

animals. The children also utilized research techniques and knowledge of how to use secondary

sources to find information about animal life, including habitats, lifestyles, and environmental

needs. They created “masterpieces of art”: using clay to create animals, drawing pictures of

animals, creating costumes and masks to resemble specific animals, and creating representations

of habitats from everyday materials, showing their awareness of the needs of each animal. (Mary

Bowne & Sue Brokmeier. At the Zoo: Kindergartners Reinvent a Dramatic Play Area.2007)

Zoos in the United States attract over 175 million people per year (aza.org, 2011) and

zoos are dependent on these visitors to financially support the zoo (Cain and Merritt, 1998).

Therefore, visitor satisfaction and return visits are important for the financial viability of the zoo

and the zoos ability to accomplish their mission statements. Zoo mission statements typically cite

animal conservation and education as their main goals (Turley, 2001), but visitors typically cite

entertainment and social reasons for visiting zoos (Tomas et al., 2003). A lack of entertainment,

including being able to see the animals, may decrease a zoo visitors’ desire to return to the zoo.

Zoo visitors emotionally connect to the animals they see and a lack of animals can lead to

dissatisfaction. Zoo visitor satisfaction with animal visibility(Couch, Ashley.2013). Visitors on

the one hand reflect the number of local tourists, but also determine whether people are willing

to come to the zoo to study, this relationship is related to family income and education. It also

reflects one-sidedly whether local residents are willing to invest more time and money in

educational activities.

Although zoo is so important to society, but nothing is perfect. "Things like a kangaroo

who was emaciated," Madeline Taylor, campaigns officer for CAPS, told The Dodo. "A lemur

that had a sore on its side. A mongoose who had a visible skin condition with missing fur."
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(Elizabeth C. ALBERTS 03/04/2017). According to the article, we can easily notice that animals

living environments’ quality is a huge problem. A PETA investigation of numerous zoos across

the country found several bear species exhibiting neurotic, stereotypic behaviors. These

frustrated animals spend much of their time pacing, walking in tight circles, swaying or rolling

their heads, and showing other signs of psychological distress. In some bear enclosures, paths

worn by the bears’ constant pacing could be seen; in others, there were actual paw impressions in

the soil where bears had repeatedly stepped in the exact same spot. This behavior is symptomatic

of not just boredom but also profound despondency. For an example, we can find a lot of animals

that give up running away or come back again. In one example, a chimp cage door was unlocked,

and the door opened. As the chimp became more and more anxious, he began to scream and slam

the door again and again. Every time there was a deafening noise. At last the breeder was alerted

by a visitor and hurried to take remedial action.

A reasonable zoo is the equivalent of an animal's house (note that there are no stoves or

similar things in every human habitation). Animals found here have all the local observatory, it

needs to rest, eat, drink, bathe, combing, and so on - and found that don't have to go hunting, one

day there will be food on Saturday, it will be like in the wild in a new place for your own account

it in the zoo. (Fernandez, E.J., Tamborski. 2009)

It’s important to start by acknowledging that zoos are far from an ideal home for most

animals. If it were as simple as a choice between an animal living wild or living in captivity, then

the zoo would be as much of an anachronism as lions jumping through flaming hoops in a circus

tent. But that is not the choice we face. No reputable zoo would now snatch an animal from the

wild to display for public amusement – and certainly no zoo I would wish to defend. The modern

zoo should act as a place for the preservation of endangered species, a safe house for rescued

animals snatched from their habitat by those with malicious intent, and a breeding ground for
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those that can safely be kept in captivity to help spread a sense of wonder about the natural

world to those who would otherwise not have the chance to see anything more interesting than

a local Labrador.

National park is a perfect example of nice habitat for animals, National parks are the

reserved places used to protect flora and fauna of an area. National parks are large and diverse

reserves which help in protection of different ecosystems. These can protect flora, fauna and

many other aspects of the ecosystem. Different wild animals like snow leopard, clouded leopard,

marbled cat, panda, black bear, sheep, wild ass, toucan, musk deer etc. They are protected from

getting extinct.
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Interview

Thomas Verlly from Wild Life World Zoo

1. What is the Wildlife World’s goal?

Our goal is to publicize our animals, environmental protection and what our guests can
do to help many endangered species around the world. These are usually displayed through
different activities and experiences we found in the park. Such as our wildlife encounter
programs, animal feed and tour guides. By linking nature to our guests, we hope that they
will get to know more about their time when they leave the park when they leave the park.

2. Could you please tell me something about the annual budget?

I can only tell you that our budget is adequate, but I am afraid I can not tell you the exact
amount of funds. We will allocate funds reasonably so that we can make full use of our
budget.

3. What measures do you use to enhance educational significance?

We use a lot of methods to let tourists get information to the maximum extent, just like
the information screen in front of animals. They can get information from animals. We also
provide links with animals so that they can enhance their understanding of animals.

4. Do you think you are satisfied with the animal's living environment?
We are very confident in the living environment of animals because we have provided
them with enough space and time for activities. Our breeders always observe our animals.
We also have emergency measures for animals. This allows us to get along better with
animals.

5. Are you satisfied with the current number of tourists?

Compared with the peak tourist season, the current number of tourists is indeed
relatively small, but such people flow is still sufficient. I certainly hope that more tourists can
come to the zoo to visit and learn knowledge. This is our goal.

6. What do you think about the viewpoint of opposing zoos in social topics?
In my opinion, perhaps the zoo they are targeting is a bad zoo with poor animal life. As
I said, I am very confident in the animal environment of our zoo.
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Summarizing Data

For the number of survey people is 53. And I will pick some important questions to

explain the evidence.

Question 1: “What is your highest level of completed education?” High school accounted

for 34%; Undergraduate degree accounted for 32.1%; Other accounted for 20.8%; Master Degree

accounted for 7.5% and Doctorate Degree accounted for 5.7%.

Question 2: “Do you have pet at home?” Yes accounted for 62.3%; No accounted for

37.7%.

Question 3: “Did you notice animal’s living environment in zoo?” Yes accounted for

77.4%; No accounted for 22.6%.

Question 4: “Do we need zoo to learn?” Yes accounted for 37.7%; No accounted for

30.2%; Not Sure accounted for 32.1%.

Question 5: “Do you think zoo is the best way to learn about Animals?” Yes accounted

for 49.1%; No accounted for 20.8%; Not Sure accounted for 30.2%

From the first question, we can see that the people who study or visit the zoo are not

affected by the education level. There is no obvious prominent group in the distribution of

academic records of the audience. Another survey indicated that most people have learned new

knowledge. Combined with this investigation, we can see that people are more willing to try this

new type of learning. And we can see that their definition of education has changed. This is the

transformation of people's learning methods. In more detail, the way people learn knowledge is

changed from simple teaching to education. Interestingly, the difference between teaching and

education is that: teaching started very late, and it ended very early. However, there is no time
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limit for education, and the place where it occurs is not fixed. Its place can be in the zoo or at

home.

For the second stand out part, when people discuss whether or not they need to learn at a

zoo, the three options and the preparation of either party have overwhelming advantages.

However, only 30.2% think we do not need a zoo. Of the rest of the people, half think we really

need the zoo to learn about wildlife, and half do not know if they need a zoo. This group of

people cannot determine why their thinking may be because they know about certain illegal zoo

practices and those animals. They began to reflect on these behaviors and practices, and even

began to reflect on whether we need a zoo during our learning process. This phenomenon may be

positive. Because people started to pay attention to some issues that had not been noticed.

For the third part, we also found that more than 60% of people own pets, but in another

survey, more than 70% said they observed the animal's living environment. There may be a

connection between the two. Based on the data collected, I suspect that people who own pets

may be more concerned about the living environment of the animals in the zoo. They may not be

able to observe the animal's living environment and assess their living conditions. These living

conditions may include whether the animal has a mental illness and whether the animal has a

balanced diet.
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Discussion

During the data and article that I read, really lead ne into a new stand of level.

The early zoo was driven by the fact that it was purely commercial, and when people went to the

zoo there was only one purpose -- curiosity. Most zoos today are out of this pure low demand.

The concept of the zoo is evolving. South African wildlife park, the largest area of the Malay

peninsula, is actually in the wild animals live in the grounds, and work as usual, such as research,

conservation, when visitors to see the animals, they have to restrict their freedom, and they also

need to watch the car along a certain line of.

From my research, visitors also began to reflect on the pros and cons of the zoo. They

began to commit whether we needed to limit the freedom of animals in order to satisfy their

curiosity.

But from the point of view of children, do we need to think in a different way? This is a

question worth pondering. The significance of education in the zoo is reflected in the animal

itself, or the children's understanding of the natural environment.

We also saw the effect of simulating the zoo’s interest in children’s learning. Students are

also more willing to generate new insights through real interactions with animals. They want a

new way of learning, and I believe zoo is a good choice. And compared with the data that I

sheared, we can see that for various reasons, people have begun to reflect on whether the zoo is

humane. This is a good phenomenon because it will put zoos under pressure and improve

animal’s life quality.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, I found Wildlife zoo is a nice place to study, work and chill out. I think everyone

can relax there, just as the employees interviewed said. Their purpose is to make everyone aware of the

living environment of wild animals and let them protect wild animals. Their rich interactions have

brought everyone close to wildlife, making learning fun and easy. At the same time, I am very grateful to

the tourists and staff who helped me obtain the survey information. Our common goal is to let the society

learn more and make the animal's living environment more comfortable.

Through the data I have collected, I am very gratified because I not only obtained what I

wish to see, but I also received information that I did not anticipate. The local residents’

investment in education is very generous. They are willing to spend more time and energy on

their children’s education. This is an expression of people's satisfaction with their living

conditions. And a lot of people begin to think about the animal's living environment. It may be

unwise for us to apply our thinking to animals, but their starting point is very gratifying. They

think from the perspective of animals and make critical suggestions to the zoo.

Throughout the semester, I have experienced different learning environments. This

process has allowed me to redefine the learning environment. The place of learning may begin in

the classroom, but they really come from various fields. From museums to art galleries, from

extracurricular activities to small fairs, I can get different information every time. This is very

interesting. I also like this process.

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Reference

1. (Sílvia Rocha; Augusta Gaspar & Francisco Esteves, 2016.P59)

2. (Mary Bowne & Sue Brokmeier. At the Zoo: Kindergartners Reinvent a Dramatic Play
Area.2007)

3. (Roe, Katie; McConney, Andrew; Mansfield, Caroline F.. Anthrozoös Vol. 27, Iss. 4, (Dec
2014): 529-541.)

4. Almost 500 Animals Have Died At This Zoo In Just Four Years. Elizabeth C. ALBERTS
03/04/2017)

5. Zoo visitor satisfaction with animal visibility

(Couch, Ashley S.. Michigan State University, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2013.
1540826.)

6. Saayman, M., and Slabbert, E. (2004). A Market Analysis of Visitors to the Pretoria National
Zoo. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation. 26:
89-96.

7. Fernandez, E.J., Tamborski, M.A., Pickens, S.R., and Timberlake, W. (2009). Animal-Visitor
Interactions in the Modern Zoo: Conflicts and Interventions. Applied Animal Behaviour
Science. 120: 1-8.

8. Skinner-Winslow, Jennifer Anastasia. University of Toronto (Canada), ProQuest

Dissertations Publishing, 2016. 10140722.

9. Patricia Yollin et al., “S.F. Zoo Visitor Saw 2 Victims of Tiger Attack Teasing Lions,” San
Francisco Chronicle 1 Jan. 2008.

10. World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) & Zoocheck Canada. (n.d.). Wild
neighbours: The Safety and Security of Ontario's Wildlife in Captivity Facilities. Retrieved

11. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). (2005). Building a Future for Wildlife
– The World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy. Bern, Switzerland: WAZA
Executive Office
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