Published in Zoo Biology

In “Connecting Workplace Attachment and Pro-Environmental Behaviors in Zoo and Aquarium Professionals” Global Field Program graduate Brittany Murphy MA ’21 and Dragonfly instructor Lily Maynard explored the validity of a pilot survey based in previous literature to determine whether a relationship between the positive attachment to a workplace and the performance of pro-environmental behaviors by employees at work exists among zoo and aquarium professionals. The survey was distributed to employees of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s city zoos—Prospect Park, Central Park, and Queens Zoos—during the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Research highlights include:

• A validated pilot survey of zoo employees showed a weak, positive correlation between workplace attachment (WPA) and pro-environmental behavior (PEB) at work.
• Operations staff showed a stronger correlation between WPA and PEB and reported lower frequencies of PEB than other departments.

Murphy earned a Master of Arts (MA) in the biological sciences from Miami University through Project Dragonfly‘s Global Field Program while working full-time as a wild animal keeper at Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. In addition to being a Dragonfly instructor, Maynard also serves as the Director of Global Conservation at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.