ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Conserv. Sci.
Sec. Conservation Social Sciences
Beyond success stories: Learning from behavioral interventions in zoo conservation fundraising
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zoomarine Algarve, Albufeira, Portugal
- 2IUCN SSC Center for Species Survival Behaviour Change, Albufeira, Portugal
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Abstract Background: Efforts to stem the species extinction crisis have been hampered by lack of funding. While public investment is key, private donations play an important role in wildlife conservation. Objective: This study investigated whether persuasion techniques in bird show scripts could increase pro-conservation behavior at Zoomarine Algarve. Methods: An initial exploratory study compared control and modified tropical bird show scripts using three persuasion strategies ("identifiable victim", "anchoring effect", and "bandwagon effect"), measured by conservation bracelet sales. The main study then focused on the "identifiable victim" effect, involving 116 sampling days in two conditions during summer 2023, with 148,545 visitors. Results: The exploratory study showed the modified script unexpectedly decreased sales. The main study found no significant difference in bracelet sales between conditions (Z = -.60, p = .55). Conclusions: This research suggests complexities of applying persuasion techniques in field experiments and underscores the need for proper evaluation for informed decisions. The study provides insights into communication barriers and factors influencing conservation engagement in zoos, underlining the importance of communicating null results for advancing scientific understanding.
Keywords: Identifiable victim, donation, conservation, Zoo, Persuasion techniques, bird shows
Received: 09 Sep 2025; Accepted: 24 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Neves, Leong and Correia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Joao Neves
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