Over the past few years, a number of studies have been carried out on the use of ambassador animals for education, and of most interest to Susan is that pupils retain information better when there isn’t an animal present. “When we used to visit schools with the birds, the feedback would be “the children loved seeing the owl”, whereas feedback now tends to concentrate on what activities the children did, or what facts they learned.”
Research into this is still very sparse, with very few studies concentrating on formal education (pre-booked workshops delivered to schools and groups) and utilising control groups. This is something that many agree needs to be addressed, and it is hoped that as a result of recent publications, it may lead to more research into this field.
If you are a student with an interest in carrying out research such as this, please contact our Education Team on education@owlhelp.org.uk
We would like to thank Tarryn Basden for supplying us with her Literature Review on this topic, which led us to the following references for further information:
Baird, B. A. (2018). Ambassador Animal Welfare: Using Behavioral and Physiological Indicators to Assess the Well-Being of Animals Used for Education Programs in Zoos [Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2427501023/abstract/2D47E9A606474E9APQ/1
Clifford-Clarke, M. M., Whitehouse-Tedd, K., & Ellis, C. F. (2021). Conservation Education Impacts of Animal Ambassadors in Zoos. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, 3(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg3010001
Mori, B. de, Ferrante, L., Florio, D., Macchi, E., Pollastri, I., & Normando, S. (2019). A Protocol for the Ethical Assessment of Wild Animal-Visitor Interactions (AVIP) Evaluating Animal Welfare, Education, and Conservation Outcomes. Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI, 9(8), E487. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9080487
Moss, A., & Esson, M. (2013). The Educational Claims of Zoos: Where Do We Go from Here? Zoo Biology, 32(1), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21025
Priestley, C., Jaensch, S., & McLeod, E. M. (2023). Evaluating the effectiveness of welfare-focused animal encounters to deliver education programs. International Zoo Educators Association Journal, 59, 69–76.
Spooner, S. L., Farnworth, M. J., Ward, S. J., & Whitehouse-Tedd, K. M. (2021). Conservation Education: Are Zoo Animals Effective Ambassadors and Is There Any Cost to Their Welfare? Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, 2(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2010004