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Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Wild Child Survey Shows Children Need to See Live Animals
London, UK - Getting up close and personal with animals is the best way of inspiring children to protect the world’s wildlife, a new survey has revealed. Hundreds of schoolchildren from across the UK took part in the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Wild Child survey, which quizzed them on their attitudes to the natural world. When asked what would most inspire them to look after the world’s wildlife, more than half said ‘seeing animals in real life’ (52%). Only 18% of kids said ‘more lessons about animals at school’, 13% said ‘more wildlife programmes on TV’, 11% said ‘understanding animal behaviour’ and just 5% said ‘looking at wildlife websites’. And the major nationwide survey, which follows on from a similar 1996 ZSL survey, shows how kids are not just passionate about the natural world – they are also surprisingly clued-up when it comes to identifying vulnerable species. While children in the ‘90s believed cows and deer were heading towards extinction, the top 10 animals listed by today’s kids are all classed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The animals listed were tigers, pandas, whales, elephants, polar bears, rhinos, gorillas, lions, dolphins and orangutans. Also in stark contrast to findings from the ‘90s, when kids believed putting their litter in bins was the most important change they could make to improve the world, today’s children have a more global outlook. Almost one third of the seven to 15-year-olds quizzed rated ‘protecting the environment’ (31%) as their top priority. ‘Making the world greener and less polluted’ was the next most popular answer (28%). When it comes to solving world problems, Gordon Brown will be relieved to hear that children have faith in his leadership skills. Over one third (35%) of youngsters believe the prime minister or the government can help find the solutions to world problems, compared to only 7% who opted for U.S president Barack Obama. Rich Storton, ZSL Director of Communications and Marketing, said: “The results of the Wild Child survey are testament to how passionate today’s children are about the natural world. At ZSL we are determined to encourage their passion and help future generations continue the work underway to protect the environment.” The Wild Child survey was carried out by BMRB Omnibus for ZSL between 19 March and 29 April 2009. A total of 531 children (272 boys and 259 girls) from across England, Wales and Scotland were interviewed. The Wild Child survey is a repeat of the ZSL survey Animals make the world go round, which was carried out by BMRB Omnibus in 1996. As part of the survey over 200 young people were interviewed and over 70 young people took part in nine focus groups The data has been weighted by BMRB Omnibus to ensure that demographic profiles match those for all young people in Great Britain aged 7-15. A rim weighting technique is used in which target profiles are set for eight separate demographic variables. The computer system then allocates a weight to each individual such that the overall composition of the sample is balanced in terms of the targets set. Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. The Society runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org To view London Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-709-ZSL_London_Zoo |
By Amy Harris
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Unusual to have three snow leopard cubs
Congratulations to ABQ BioPark and the proud cat parents on the birth of three snow leopard cubs. That's fantastic news and we look forward to these three playing an important role in snow leopard survival breeding and also helping educate people about their endangered cousins in the wild.
Snow leopards live in some of the most extreme environments on earth - in high altitudes and freezing temperatures. If we don't do a lot of work with communities and governments in snow leopards 12 range countries, these beautiful cats may be extinct in the wild in our life time.
Sibylle Noras
Founder and Publisher
“Saving Snow Leopards” website. See how conservationists and zoos are working to help these rare and elusive cats avoid extinction.
http://www.snowleopardblog.com
Love penguin fluffballs.
I especially liked if you go to the zoo's homepage and click on the info about naming the baby, the winner says she'd like to be able to tell her dad that a penguin was named after him for his birthday. Adorable!
If you have any interest in reading a new blog, featuring conservation of adorable animals and their habitats, please check out my website...
Conservation:Cute
http://conservationcute.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
World Oceans Day
For more information about World Oceans Day and a list of other events in your area you can visit www.WorldOceansDay.org
Elephants
Asome news on the new baby! I agree with everyone here on the fact that animals should not be in captivation. If you want to check out a really cool place in Thailand where you can care for elephants check out http://www.elephantstay.com this place is a sanctuary for retired working elephants, it's an amazing place and they do so much good for the animals who live there. I went a few months ago and it was amazing.
Kimberly Juchnowski
Publisher, http://www.tikikiki.com
zoo animal diet's
It's ridiculous to try extrapolate zoo animals diet to human beings, and it flies in the face of all science of the last 30 years that looked into nutrition and health research. Maybe Rudy Socha was being sarcastic? I hope so.
response to starseed
I fully agree with you when it comes to the captivity of orcas. These animals live considerably shorter, unhealthier lives than they normally would have in the wild. I am disgusted by what I have seen at Sea World. They claim to be trying to educate people on the animals when really it is all nothing but a circus with the animals being made to perform to attract customers. I am a little more on the fence however when it comes to some other species of dolphins, such as the ones they keep at Vancouver Aquarium. While I do not support the capture of wild dolphins, I do recognize the fact that there are species that actually live longer and perhaps healthier lives in captivity than in the wild. One of the neat things at the Vancouver Aquarium is that none of the dolphins were captured for the purpose of entertainment: they were all animals that were rescued after getting caught and injured in fishing nets and are unable to return to the wild due to their injuries. I have seen the shows and the aquarium are truly focused more on educating visitors than trying to entertain them at the animals' expense.
Christian's Award
I know that Christian is dedicated to her aquarium job and to the rehab of sea turtles. I am proud of her.
Dry Tortugas National Park
The seashore, our accredited Summer Learning Adventure Camps merge scientific exploration Dry Tortugas National Park with hands-on fun and learning. Campers investigate marine habitats, create ocean art projects, learn about careers in oceanography, and combine the science and sports of surfing and snorkeling, all while making new friends and memories.
hey
http://www.deafmatching.com is an online community for deaf, ASL and hearing-impaired friends and singles!
Have fun with photos, message boards, chat, blog and more.
Don't support it anymore
I think we should move on from having dolphins in captivity now - we all know this isn't good for them.
diabetes
diabetes
pacaya samiria national reserve
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is a magical place. The flora, fauna, remoteness and beauty are exquisite. Another interesting aspect is how the indigenous people there live. To learn more and see photos taken by indigenous children in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, you can visit ninosdelaamazonia.org
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