Wild Encounters: Analyzing Human–Animal Interactions in British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Facilities

Human-animal interactions (HAIs) are commonplace in zoos and aquariums, with a large proportion of these being animal-visitor interactions (AVIs). These AVIs range from visual contact through a barrier to direct physical contact in animal handling sessions. Due to the popularity of AVIs with a range of species, there is a need to understand what AVIs are occurring and to direct future animal welfare and visitor-based research. The present study investigated the quantity and diversity of AVIs that occur in BIAZA-accredited zoos and aquariums through a website review. The websites of full BIAZA members (n = 118) were assessed for opportunities where visitors interact with animals in an additional capacity, outside of interactions that form part of a traditional zoo visit. In total, 86% (n = 101) of members offered additional AVIs, with "meet and greet" (n = 389), "keeper for a day" (n = 137), and "walkthrough" (n = 96) being the most offered AVIs. Meet and greets were offered with 56 taxonomic families, and the mean cost and mean individual animals per organization were positively related to the number of meet and greets offered. Individual organization management style also had an impact on the model and should be an area for future study. Finally, a taxonomic bias was identified for meet and greets, as 71% (n = 41) of families were reported to be from the Mammalia class. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the quantity and quality of AVIs occurring in BIAZA organizations and highlights diversity in both species and types of interactions available to visitors. There is a need for further research on specific categories of AVIs most commonly seen: meet and greet, keeper for a day experiences, and walkthrough exhibits, as well as the impact of participating in the AVI from both animal welfare and visitor outcome perspectives.