Visitors and Staff of Urban Zoos: A Sociogeographic Approach of the Links Between Conception of Nature and Actions
This article emanates from a multidisciplinary work about the relationships that the human being and its institutions maintain with animal world: from the example of three urban zoos, geography and sociology converse on how zoos’ actions influence the conception of the nature of its visitors and its professionals. The treatment and analysis of twenty interviews and observations demonstrate the ambivalence of the impact of zoos’ actions on the public. While maintaining a function of distraction and leisure, the Zoo defends its place as an actor engaged in the conservation of animal species, however, the permanence of its existence nuances its effectiveness to protect sustainably the nature of the perverse effects of human activities.