TY - JOUR
T1 - A note on the relationships between visitor interest and characteristics of the mammal exhibits in Recife Zoo, Brazil
AU - da Silva, Maria Alice Mendes
AU - da Silva, José Maria Cardoso
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Tom Brooks, João Paulo Coimbra and an anonymous referee for comments on previous version of this paper as well as Carlos Alberto Mergulhão for helping in the data collection. Maria Alice was supported by a scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brasília. José Maria Silva was supported by grants and fellowships from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brasília.
Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - There are few quantitative studies on visitor's behaviour towards animal exhibits in zoos. We evaluated the popularity of mammal exhibits of a small tropical zoo at Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, and correlated it with some characteristics of the exhibits (number of individuals within the exhibit, species body mass, annual maintenance costs, exhibit frontage, and distance between the exhibit and the zoo entrance). We also compared popularity, body mass and annual maintenance costs between native and non-native species. A total of 27 exhibits were studied from December 2000 to May 2001. There was not any correlation between popularity and exhibit features. Although exotic species are heavier and have higher annual maintenance costs than native species, no difference in popularity between exotic and native species was found. Small zoos in tropical countries may redirect at least part of their exhibits from larger-bodied, exotic and more expensive towards smaller, native and cheaper mammal species without compromise to visitor's interest.
AB - There are few quantitative studies on visitor's behaviour towards animal exhibits in zoos. We evaluated the popularity of mammal exhibits of a small tropical zoo at Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, and correlated it with some characteristics of the exhibits (number of individuals within the exhibit, species body mass, annual maintenance costs, exhibit frontage, and distance between the exhibit and the zoo entrance). We also compared popularity, body mass and annual maintenance costs between native and non-native species. A total of 27 exhibits were studied from December 2000 to May 2001. There was not any correlation between popularity and exhibit features. Although exotic species are heavier and have higher annual maintenance costs than native species, no difference in popularity between exotic and native species was found. Small zoos in tropical countries may redirect at least part of their exhibits from larger-bodied, exotic and more expensive towards smaller, native and cheaper mammal species without compromise to visitor's interest.
KW - Biodiversity
KW - Exhibits
KW - Mammals
KW - Tropical
KW - Visitor interest
KW - Zoo
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34247596055&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34247596055&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.06.007
DO - 10.1016/j.applanim.2006.06.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:34247596055
VL - 105
SP - 223
EP - 226
JO - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
JF - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
SN - 0168-1591
IS - 1-3
ER -