Guo Yulei, Fennell David
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China.
Geography and Tourism Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Dec 17;14(24):3647. doi: 10.3390/ani14243647.
Zoos worldwide use codes of conduct to regulate visitor behavior. Despite their global popularity, the ethical management of zoo visitors remains an underexplored area of research. This study analyzes 899 statements from 27 Chinese zoos and 22 zoos in predominantly English-speaking countries, uncovering significant cross-cultural similarities in the structure and content of these codes. The findings reveal that a deontological approach currently dominates, emphasizing the rule-based regulation of visitor behavior. However, this study highlights the potential to expand the scope of these codes by integrating animal welfare principles and conservation education to foster greater awareness and engagement. Furthermore, adopting teleological and context-sensitive approaches in designing these codes could enhance visitor involvement and support more effective zoo management.
全球各地的动物园都使用行为准则来规范游客行为。尽管动物园在全球广受欢迎，但对动物园游客的道德管理仍是一个未得到充分探索的研究领域。本研究分析了来自27家中国动物园和22家主要英语国家动物园的899条声明，发现这些准则在结构和内容上存在显著的跨文化相似性。研究结果表明，目前一种义务论方法占主导地位，强调对游客行为进行基于规则的规范。然而，本研究强调了通过整合动物福利原则和保护教育来扩大这些准则范围的潜力，以提高人们的意识和参与度。此外，在设计这些准则时采用目的论和因地制宜的方法可以增强游客的参与度，并支持更有效的动物园管理。
