Exploring the Factors That Influence Zoo Visitors’ Perceptions of the Well-Being of Gorillas: Implications for Zoo Exhibit Interpretation

Modern zoos face increasing pressures to maintain and demonstrate both the physical and psychological well-being of animals in their care. However, the informal judgments that zoo visitors make about animal well-being may be based on criteria that are inappropriate or misleading. In this research, two self-administered questionnaires were used to explore the indicators that zoo visitors use, consciously or unconsciously, to judge the well-being of gorillas in a naturalistic zoo exhibit. One questionnaire was completed by 105 adult visitors as they exited a gorilla exhibit; another questionnaire was completed by a separate sample of 166 adult visitors while they were observing the gorillas in the exhibit. The results demonstrate that visitors are willing to make judgments of animal welfare, are able to articulate the reasons underlying their judgments, use different indicators when judging health and happiness, and are influenced by environmental aspects of the exhibit. Visitors’ assessments of animal well-being were positively related to their emotional connections with the gorillas and their satisfaction with the visit. Suggestions are provided regarding interpretive information that zoos might provide to better inform visitors’ perceptions of animal well-being.