Visitors’ Experience of Congo Gorilla Forest 15 Years After Opening at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo

This analysis of visitors’ experience of the "Congo Gorilla Forest" exhibition at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo was commissioned to investigate how this 15 year old exhibition is perceived by visitors, and if things have changed since an original summative evaluation in 1999-2000. Questions of particular interest were: 1. Have the characteristics of visitors seeing this exhibition changed? Has awareness or interest in environmental concepts changed? 2. Is the exhibition still appealing to visitors? 3. Are exhibit components such as the film and Conservation Choices Computers still used to the same extent? (or do people expect more modern, high-tech components?) 4. Is the exhibition still having positive impacts on people’s awareness of rain forest conservation issues? 5. How much interest do visitors have in some potential new interactive exhibits? The larger impetus for performing this comparative study was to look at the long-term impact of a wildlife conservation-themed exhibition in relation to an IMLS grant we received to explore the design and development of a new family exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, "Safari Adventure." Our aim with this exhibit is to provide better connections to nature for families in our community and foster a life-long sense of environmental stewardship, given the great need to connect people to nature than ever before.

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