Evaluating the Impacts of Theatre-Based Wildlife and Conservation Education at the Zoo

The experience of visiting a zoo as a child can be remembered decades later and potentially influences future environmental attitudes. In light of steadily growing criticism of the ethics and value of live animal shows, some zoos are seeking alternative means of delivering 'edutainment' to a broad audience. One such alternative is through theatre. We examine whether a family-orientated zoo theatre performance achieved animal knowledge and conservation awareness impacts. Impact was demonstrated if individuals correctly stated more animal and conservation facts post-performance compared to pre-performance. The theatre production was seen to have a very strong positive effect on both children's (pre-performance s.d.=1.69, post-performance s.d.=1.79 effect size (d)=0.70, w = 4403.5, p = 0.001) and adults' (pre-performance s.d.=1.88, post-performance s.d.=2.14, effect size (d)=0.71, w = 1931.5, p = 0.001) learning. Significantly more correct answers were given post-performance compared to pre-performance. We conclude that educational, family theatre can effectively deliver animal information and raise awareness of conservation efforts within a leisure setting. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of theatre on conservation actions. Comparative studies between live animal shows and theatre could establish the best methods for conveying conservation information to zoo visitors.