Published in Animal Keeper’s Forum

Chicago Zoological Society–Brookfield Zoo AIP student Brande Redfield surveyed zoo guests at the Crosley Zoo in Wheaton, Illinois, on the question: Has the zoo-going public been better educated to the conservation needs and efforts of large wild cat species or small wild cat species? Survey results in Wild Cat Conservation Needs: An Examination of Public Perception showed that zoo guests not only displayed a greater knowledge of large wild cats than small wild cats, but that they were also more familiar with non-native wild cats that they were with the wild cat species that could be found in the their own backyards.