The Social Value of Zoos

John Fraser is a conservation psychologist, architect, and educator with over thirty years working with zoos and aquariums, and studying how they function in society. He is the President and CEO of Knology, a research institute in the USA, serves as Editor-in-Chief of Curator: The Museum Journal, and is a Past-President of the Society for Environment, Population and Conservation Psychology. Tawnya Switzer is a collaborative writer, who supports thought leaders at Knology, Open Society Foundations, Union Congregational Church, and the Transformative Justice in Education Center at UC Davis. A patterns-thinker, Tawnya focuses on dynamics, strategies, and high-impact communications that advance well-being, equity, justice, and sustainability.

1. Context; 2. Ontology – animal exhibits and conservation goals; 3. Learning – social experiences and captive animals; 4. Morality – zoos as moral actors; 5. Pleasure – the educational leisure value proposition; 6. Meaning – constructing knowledge through discourse, dialogue, and metaphor; 7. Bonding – a socio-biological human need with important zoo mission implications; 8. Connectedness – animals, continuity, and belonging; 9. Identity – discovering self; 10. Activation – pro-environmental behavior; 11. Impact – collective conservation action; 12. Integration – the socially valuable zoo.