5. Plants: Why use them?

“A lot of plants in the visitor area can compensate for few plants in the animal area.” “Formal annual beds in front of exhibits are good because they appeal to elderly people.” “Plants in the exhibit serve merely for aesthetics for the visitor.” “A few plants that are placed out of reach of the animals can help in portraying a natural habitat.” “Plantings must not distract from the animal.”

All of the above statements have been written about the use of plants in zoo exhibits and show the lack of importance that has so far been placed on naturalistic plantings in the realm of animal display. I disagree with all of the above. The plant and animal worlds cannot be easily separated, in terms of education or conservation. Since most endangered animals are suffering in the wild due to habitat loss, saving habitats, rather than single animal species, should be at the core of zoos’ educational messages. When appropriate plants are used, the visitor experience becomes more real, more exciting, and the reality of an interconnected nature more evident. Plants will be the force that will help bring zoos the next step closer to becoming “Bioparks” (Robinson).

Plants can contribute so many critical elements to a successful exhibit that they should no longer be thought of as purely decorative. Plants provide animals with enrichment, physical comfort, and even fresh food. They help direct views and control lighting and atmosphere, as well as aid in habitat immersion, screen buildings, and support education about habitats. Plants can aid in drainage and help control soil erosion, as well as create desirable animal spaces near visitor viewpoints. Plants are the key to mixed-species exhibits, as they create niches and provide cover.

Far from worrying about plants possibly distracting from the animals, animal exhibits can serve as a mechanism for raising awareness of the plant world in visitors. Exhibits should contain one or two focal plants, which help establish a sense of place, as well as catch the eye of the visitor. When animals are in view, they will certainly steal the show. However, when animals are not active, visitors will still have something to catch their interest. Beautiful or interesting plants will add to the total aesthetic impact of the exhibit, an important element of memorable experiences (Coe, 1985).

As mentioned previously, it is important to enrich the animal environment with as much variety and change as possible. Plants are an ideal way to do this, because they naturally undergo change seasonally and yearly. The more textures, scents, flowers, and fruit that can be incorporated into the exhibit space, the better (fig 40). In the rainforest in which gorillas live in the wild, there is at least one species of plant in flower at any given time (Weigel). The animals, even if they cannot come in physical contact with the plants in their surroundings, will benefit from complex and changing stimulation.

Visitors will benefit from plant seasonality as well, as people tend to learn better when more than one of their senses are stimulated (Polakowski). A visit to the zoo is primarily a visual experience. However, appealing to the senses of touch (even the touch of handles and handrails) and smell can enhance the pleasure and enlightenment of the experience. A variety of textures, colors, and forms of plants, especially when somewhat exotic for the area and especially when they extend into the visitor space, will immerse the visitor in a more complex and exciting experience – the kind of experience visitors come to the zoo for. It will also support education, as animals cannot be understood when separated from the context of their habitats. Studies have shown that visitor attitudes towards animals are heavily based on the environment in which the animals are presented (Hoff & Maple). Naturalistic, immersive environments that encompass both the visitors’ and animals’ space will promote positive behavior in both users. When people enter a world that is foreign to them, but comfortable for the animals, they tend to be more respectful, quieter, and more open to learning and reflection (Maple & Hoff).

Indoor spaces can achieve this sense of entering a foreign habitat as well, when lushly planted. Visitors at the Cologne Zoo find themselves surrounded in greenery inside the primate house, with glass windows also offering views of the nature outside. Plants fill every corner of the building, obscuring building beams and de-emphasizing the rectangular shape of the building (fig 41). Animal areas here, as well as at the Zurich Zoo, are covered by mesh below the ceiling, creating a space for plants to grow as a sort of canopy (fig 42). Dense plantings along visitor pathways are so effective in keeping people on the path, that a rope balustrade was removed.

The indoor primate exhibits at Munich Zoo obscure the glass panels at the front of the exhibits with plantings on the floor and hanging from above, in addition to surrounding the animals in green by means of plantings between double-paned glass walls (fig 43). The animal spaces themselves have a natural ground surface, beneficial to the animals as well as more natural in appearance for visitors. An evergreen grass native to Spain was planted on the natural ground, in the natural light provided by the transparent ceiling. Raised areas offer comfort when the ground becomes cold. To improve further on this, the natural substrate could even continue out into the visitor space, rather than contrasting harshly with the concrete substrate on which visitors stand (fig 44).

Fig. 40: Plants are an ever-changing exhibit feature. Chester Zoo, England
© Carlyn Worstell, 2003

Fig. 41: Immersion indoors at Cologne Zoo. Germany
© Carlyn Worstell, 2003

Fig. 42: A mesh-protected "canopy" of vegetation indoors at Zurich Zoo, Switzerland
© Carlyn Worstell, 2003

Fig. 43: Large plantings between glass panes create a green backdrop at the Munich Zoo, German
© Carlyn Worstell, 2003

Fig. 44: Natural substrate indoors at Munich Zoo, Germany
© Carlyn Worstell, 2003