Resource Library

In this session, International Crane Foundation shares hands-on programs designed to engage young learners, while Point Defiance Zoo presents Wildlife Champions, a school partnership program fostering empathy in underserved students.

Projects from Seattle Aquarium, Minnesota Zoo, and Idaho Falls Zoo showcase the use of biofacts, field programs, and interactive learning to build empathy and inspire conservation.

Henry Vilas Zoo’s presents their conservation action grant project to enhance conservation messaging for front-line staff and volunteers.

This session highlights the role of engaging spaces, interpretive storytelling, and interactive experiences in fostering empathy for wildlife.

In this session, Como Park Zoo shares its Strategic ROADMAP framework for aligning education with empathy goals, while the Zoological Society of Milwaukee presents Kohl’s Wild Theater, which uses the arts to inspire empathy and conservation action.

Resources from the Woodland Park Zoo Animal Ambassador program, including Animal Ambassador curricula for on- and off-site visits and evaluation of the program's key findings.

This decision tree was developed based on research conducted regarding animal names.

This literature review explores the role of anthropomorphism and perceptions of animals in motivating conservation action

This toolkit can be used as a framework or guide for individuals and organizations looking to create more robust, empathy-informed, wildlife trafficking and exotic pet ownership educational messaging.

This session explains engaging ways to help students’ academic and social development while also motivating them to take caring action towards animals and nature.

This discussion provides an overview and examples of some of the best practices for integrating empathy messaging into live animal encounters

Pre, post, and interest survey tools to measure effectiveness of and interest in biography signs.

This paper discusses the role of anthropomorphism in interpretation in Zoo Victoria’s Lunar Secret Forest exhibit and its impact on guest behavioral intentions.

This study explores how tourists connect to wildlife, and researches the differences of these experiences from a zoo versus a safari

This conversation explores how Network Members have adapted their educational programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This conversation explores how Network Members are continuing to adapt their educational programming.

Current Network participants share their experiences on advanced degrees and share advice for those who are interested in pursuing higher education

This review and practitioner guide includes a summary of the research landscape on variable empathetic responses for different animal taxa, the factors that influence those differences, and translates the findings into actionable strategies for zoo and aquarium professionals.

This paper re-evaluates what zoo and aquarium species can serve as effective ambassadors for conservation messaging to guests.

This report reflects an initial step to understand what the 20 ACE for Wildlife Network Partners were doing as of 2022 to address promoting conservation missions and motivating visitors to take conservation action.

This toolkit shares resources, tools, and ideas to make it easier to consistently encourage guests to take conservation action.

This study developed a scale to measure guest connection to species and investigated the relationship between those feelings of connection and pro-conservation behaviors.

Creature Feature explains how to strengthen children's comfort around animals and encourage best safety and engagement practices for caregivers to use with their children.

The dispositional empathy with nature (DEN) construct was found to predict individuals' conservation behaviors.

This document captures known efforts to foster empathy that are being carried out by stakeholders in the broader zoo and aquarium field and other relevant fields.

This rubric is a tool organizations can use to reflect on the progress of empathy infusion into their organizations.

A variety of books for adults and children that touch on empathy for wildlife and nature.

This paper "reports on an evaluation of an empathy-focused Community of Practice (CoP) that engaged 15 regional early childhood professionals (including four zoo preschool staff) in the co-creation of empathy practices that are deepened through a ‘Two-Worlds’ (Indigenous and Western) approach.

This toolkit was created in 2024 to support empathy evaluation capacity-building among ACE for Wildlife Members and Affiliates.

This review examines empathy in relation with non-human animals, offers a multi-species definition for empathy, and identifies key components for empathy development.