Where the Wild Things Aren't: Exhibiting Nature in American Zoos

Abstract

In this article I explore the problems and tensions inherent in staging naturalistic zoo exhibits. Exhibit staging requires zoos to negotiate among a variety of competing aesthetic and organizational demands, including the cultural expectations of audiences, the educational mission of zoos, and the practicalities of managing live animal species. The negotiation of these demands gives rise to a particular set of strategies of impression management in zoos that I call nature making. I discuss a number of dilemmas encountered when creating naturalistic zoo exhibits, as well as three specific strategies of nature making: the spatial control of sight lines; the simulation of nature through plant simulators, synthetic materials, and live animal handling practices; and the censorship of certain animal behaviors and husbandry practices from public view. These strategic practices guide how zoos perform the craft of nature making as both expressive and utilitarian work.

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