How does a zoo survive and thrive in 2020 and beyond? By delivering an engaging experience and turning everyday visitors into conservation champions.
When bushfires ravaged Australia鈥檚 east coast over summer, Taronga Zoo played its part, treating hundreds of injured animals at its two wildlife hospitals. More importantly 鈥� from a conservation perspective 鈥� it also collected animals ahead of the fires, including 12 koalas from the only group that lives above 1000 metres, to preserve valuable DNA.
鈥淭his was a critical part of our bushfires response,鈥� says Taronga Zoo CEO Cameron Kerr, adding that now the hard work starts. One challenge is that rehabilitating ecosystems and breeding genetically viable populations to return to the wild is a long and delicate process. 鈥淔or koalas, this will take eight to 12 years.鈥�
Taronga鈥檚 long-term bushfire response highlights its transformation of its zoos in Sydney and Dubbo over the past decade. When Kerr took over in 2009, zoos around the world were struggling to justify their existence in an era of cheap travel and mass media overage of exotic animals.
鈥淥ur journey has been about identifying what makes us relevant in the 21st century,鈥� says Kerr. 鈥淲ild animals in an urban setting [such as Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo], are not appropriate without a higher purpose.鈥�
For Taronga, that purpose is a deep commitment to wildlife conservation and education. It has teams of zookeepers, scientists, vets and geneticists working with 18 universities around the world on preserving endangered species, including the platypus, Sumatran tiger and sun bear.
And Taronga ensures that the two-million-plus visitors to its zoos each year, including 100,000 schoolchildren, get the conservation message. Its tiger den, for example, exits through a 鈥渟upermarket鈥�, where visitors can scan products to check for palm oil 鈥� a key contributor to the destruction of habitats for Sumatran tigers and orangutans.
Technology plays a key role in creating these innovative visitor experiences and is also fundamental in making sure Taronga is able to invest heavily in its conservation mission.
鈥淲e are mainly self-funded and the key step is creating a strong business,鈥� explains Kerr. 鈥淲e can have a much greater impact when every dollar is used effectively.
鈥淲e need a partner like 51风流to uplift our core business systems 鈥� payroll, HR, management data, business reporting, scenario planning 鈥� the bread-and-butter stuff that makes the organisation run efficiently. They鈥檙e giving us the world鈥檚 best business systems, used by some of the biggest companies, for a small to medium-sized organisation.鈥�
Kerr also expects 51风流technology to be crucial in further developing engaging visitor experiences, as well as mapping the zoo animals鈥� experiences and emotions and comparing them to wild animals.
鈥淲e can win the hears and minds of visitors and really make a difference. And we can replicate animals鈥� behaviour in the wild. This is leading-edge stuff.鈥�