Resource Library

Learn how zoos incorporate empathy practices into their animal ambassador programs, outreach opportunities, and keeper talks.

After hearing from Stacey Luhring at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium about how they incorporate empathy into their volunteer department, this event focused on collaborative discussion.

Learning group that parses apart drivers of the exotic pet trade and how zoos and aquariums can promote responsible pet ownership.

This learning group discusses early childhood programs that employ empathy practices – helping children and their caretakers connect with animals and nature.

A learning group that shares processes of creation and learnings from the use of empathy-infused animal fact sheets at their organization.

Evaluators across our Network discuss different approaches to evaluation empathy practices and more

Across the ACE for Wildlife Network, individuals and organizations are conducting empathy focused or empathy informed evaluation on a variety of programs and guest experiences. In this event, hear about the experiences and lessons learned from individuals who were a part of evaluation projects that looked at everything from the perceptions associated with an animal's name, to conservation calls to action, and collaboratively designed signage. 

Staff from Lake Superior Zoo, Racine Zoo, and ZooMontana share how they incorporate effective empathy practices into their social media posts, the challenges they face, and the questions they have.

Network Members from the International Crane Foundation, Racine Zoo, and ZooMontana share out their successes and struggles with infusing empathy practices into their social media pages.

This event focuses on programs and strategies that foster empathy for species that are involved in human-wildlife conflict.

This learning group examines how to determine which stories to tell in our organizations

Take a deep dive into how to have productive conversations about the ethics of zoos, regardless of where people are coming into the conversation.

This learning group dives into differences between conservation actions and caring actions, including defining characteristics and how empathy-based programming can influence these types of behavior change.

This practitioners’ guide explores the most current research on the relationship between empathy and conservation action. 

Empathy evaluation protocols and instruments developed during the Measuring Empathy Collaborative Assessment Project.

The following resources from the Milwaukee County Zoo guides participants through an activity where they learn about bears and how examining their fecal matter can help them learn about parasites and how they can affect bears.

This paper suggests those that attribute a mind to nature tend to empathize with nature more and act in a more pro-environmental manner than those that don't.

Recordings from the 4-part webinar series with the Native Governance Center

The ACE for Wildlife Network is committed to providing and fostering a safe, collaborative, and welcoming environment for all those involved.

this empathy observation guide is a tool for zoos, aquariums, and related organizations interested in observing the variety of empathy-related behaviors their audiences engage in during exhibit visits or facilitated programs.

In this session, attendees help identify Network progress markers and data sources to understand our Network’s progress towards our desired outcomes.

This toolkit offers the Network messaging and suggested actions to promote conservation actions to benefit pollinators.

In this event, attendees shared pollinator initiatives, programs, and messaging they promote at their organizations.

This article featured in AZA's Connect magazine defines critical anthropomorphism and showcases examples of it being done across the ACE for Wildlife Network. 

This event is designed for Members and Affiliates who joined the Advancing Conservation through Empathy for Wildlife (ACE for Wildlife) Network between January-April 2024.

1. 2. 3. There will also be opportunities for attendees to connect with each other in small breakout rooms.

An intro to the Network to help you understand our definition of empathy, the three types of empathy, and why empathy is an emotion worth fostering in a zoo or aquarium setting.

This document provides examples and advice from ACE participants to those who wish to begin DEAI committees.

This resource highlights several studies that point to the potential role empathy may play in relation to conservation behavior.

Paper on: The Impact of Interpretive Messaging and Animal Handling on Visitors’ Perceptions of Animal Welfare and Empathic Reactions

This resource, created with guidance from the Network’s DEAI Committee, highlights the relationship between effective empathy practices and DEAI initiatives by showcasing different projects from across the Network that embody that relationship.