Faculty of Technology and Environment, Prince of Songkla University, Phuket, Thailand.
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Zoo Biol. 2023 Jan;42(1):67-74. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21695. Epub 2022 May 24.
Technology has routinely been used in zoos to enhance the visitor experience, for public education and for conservation awareness. However, studies into technology-aided exhibits in zoos have thus far been limited to zoos in western society. This article reports on an Indonesian zoo deploying new technology in its exhibits and how visitors interacted with these exhibits. A case study guided both an investigation of the visitors' technology usage of zoo exhibits and zoo implementation of technological processes. Interviews with visitors, zoo staff, and managers were conducted and analyzed and these were supplemented with on-site observations. The results indicated that the majority of zoo visitors did not use the technological applications provided by the zoo. In addition, there was found to be a significant lack of staff engagement in the consultation, design, implementation, and maintenance of the technology. Correlations were found between visitors' level of technology usage, their reading of signage, their day-to-day technology usage, and their conservation knowledge. The findings suggest that an understanding of visitor' behavior, active staff engagement in the development and implementation of new technology, in addition to emotion-inducing interpretation, and purposefully guided interactions, could increase the use of technology at a zoo and thus enhance positive visitor engagement, ultimately resulting in heightened educational as well as conservational outcomes.
科技已广泛应用于动物园，以提升游客体验、开展公众教育和增强保护意识。然而，迄今为止，关于动物园应用科技辅助展品的研究仅限于西方社会的动物园。本文报告了印度尼西亚一家动物园在其展品中部署新技术的情况，以及游客如何与这些展品互动。一项案例研究既调查了游客对动物园展品的科技使用情况，也调查了动物园对科技流程的应用情况。研究人员对游客、动物园工作人员和管理人员进行了访谈和分析，并辅以现场观察。结果表明，大多数动物园游客没有使用动物园提供的科技应用。此外，工作人员在咨询、设计、实施和维护技术方面的参与度明显不足。游客的科技使用程度、对标识的阅读、日常科技使用情况以及他们的保护知识之间存在相关性。研究结果表明，了解游客的行为、工作人员积极参与新技术的开发和实施，以及情感诱导式的解说和有针对性的引导互动，可以增加动物园对科技的使用，从而增强游客的积极参与度，最终带来更高的教育和保护效果。
