YPA guidelines for taking photos in zoos
YPA guidelines for taking photos in zoos
- Before you go: If you know the type of animal you want to photograph, do some research and learn about the sort of behaviours the animal should display and the type of habitat it should be living in. This way you'll know what to expect for your photo and you'll be able to spot good enclosures.
- Good enclosures: Animals should be kept in groups they'd form naturally in the wild and in surroundings that allow them to perform most of their natural behaviours. For instance, meerkats live in large groups in the wild and so you should expect to see lots of them living together in the same enclosure. Otters love to swim, so you may want to snap them swimming underwater. Mongooses often dig to find their food in the wild, so their meals may be buried to encourage this natural behaviour.
- Out of sight:It's really important that animals can escape from view if they want to, especially animals that may get eaten in the wild, as they may see you, the visitor, as a predator!
- Time alone: Animals that share an enclosure should have room and/or cage furniture that allows them to get away from each other if they want to. They need structures such as dens, dense bushes and hollow logs, and access to their indoor housing, so they have the choice to escape from each other if they are not getting on.
- Strange, unnatural behaviours: Sometimes animals in zoos carry out strange behaviours like repetitive pacing back and forth along the same route, which can be a sign that the environment isn't providing the animals with everything they need. Other odd behaviours to watch out for include: cats and dogs (e.g. tigers, ocelots, wolves) walking around and around the edge of their enclosure and wearing a path in the floor; giraffes rolling their tongues or licking walls; elephants swaying from side to side; and parrots plucking their feathers out.