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BIAZA works hard through its Council
and Education and Training Committee
to support zoo educators in meeting
the needs of zoo visitors, school
children and teachers. Annual zoo
education awards encourage the
sharing of good practice between
member zoos. Organising training for
zoo staff and encouraging attendance
at national and international zoo
education conferences are other ways
in which BIAZA fulfils its
commitment to high quality education
in support of worldwide conservation
Education is now a legal requirement
of British and European zoo
licensing laws. BIAZA demands a
commitment to education from its 70
members and most now employ full or
part-time education staff, many of
whom are qualified and experienced
teachers. Education staff are
increasingly involved in the
planning of animal collections and
shaping the future development of
zoos to fulfil their local and
global role, as set out in the
“World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation
Strategy” (WAZA, 2005). Zoo
education programmes are now
recognized as “one of the primary
tools of conservation.”
For a Zoo or Aquarium to have a
successful program for education,
the animals or fish have to be
exhibited in the best conditions in
enclosures that enable them lead as
near natural lives and to allow them
to replicate natural behaviour where
possible.
Good modern zoos provide enclosures
that the animals find suitably
stimulating and the environment for
the animal to safely express a wide
range of natural behaviour, whether
this is feeding, exploring, breeding
or sometimes just resting. A
sleeping lion in a zoo is probably
showing natural behaviour, not
boredom. |
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