Rethinking Zoo Tourism: Multiple-Case

Study on Tourism Recovery Strategies of

Research submitted to the

SAN PEDRO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

LACSAMANA, Alejandria
ANGUSTIA, Coleen Joi
PELIGRO, Jezreel

December 2022

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 Table of Contents
Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Chapter 1 3-8

Introduction 3-4

Statement of the Problem 4

Objectives 5

Theoretical Framework 5-6

Operational Framework 6-7

Significance of the Study 8

Scope and Delimitations of the Study 8

Chapter 2 9-18

Foreign Study 9-13

Local Study 14

Foreign Literature 15-16

Local Literature 17-18

Synthesis 19

Chapter 3 19-22

Research Design 19

Population and Respondents 20

Data Gathering Procedures 21-22

List of Figures 6

Figure 1.1 6

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Introduction

Zoo Tourism is a popular tourist attraction known worldwide where plants and

animals are taken care of, thoroughly studied and observed by professionals in order

to inform visitors of their behavior and species. People visit zoo parks for multiple

reasons such as educational purposes, entertainment and family bonding. However, it

was also one of the sectors that was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several facilities are experiencing plunging revenues, scarcity and wildlife suffering

from starvation.

In this light, the United Nations World Tourism Organization initiated a global

advocacy by launching their first 2022 World Tourism Day Report on September 27,

entitled “Rethinking Tourism: From Crisis to Transformation.” Tourism has a massive

potential and everyone is responsible to take part in ensuring that it is entirely fulfilled.

And that UNWTO calls on everyone on World Tourism Day 2022 to “Reflect and

Rethink what we do and how we do it.” (Zurab, 2022)

The theme for World Tourism Day 2022 is significant as it is the best time to bounce

back and improve old ways to be prepared in the near future, not only that, it also shows

great relevance to the crisis that struck the world in 2020 which left a powerful impact on

everyone, especially on the Tourism Industry. Therefore, Zoo Tourism is no exception.

Meanwhile, the current state of the Philippines was ranked among the world’s most

vulnerable to the impact of environmental disasters. (USAID, 2022) Another factor that

contributes to the questions on the conservation of Zoological Parks.

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 Zoo tourism in the Philippines began way back 1959 when the first Zoological Park

was established and according to Inspirock, there’s a total of 15 Zoological Parks in the

Philippines - all of them which are featured in their website where some experienced the

lack of maintenance which resulted in several conflicts. They faced different challenges

especially during the pandemic caused by Covid-19. “The Welfare of Zoo Animals -

PANDEMIC EFFECTS.” An article where they highlighted not only the deterioration of

care and animal welfare but also the facilities who experienced being understaffed due to

lack of funds or illness. Simon Marsh, the Operations Manager in the organization - added

that they knew the problem was far more complicated after having a conversation with

the facilities they supported. (Marsh, 2021)

That being said, considering the aforementioned facts, the researchers come up

with the idea of exploring the challenges and coping strategies employed by the

Zoological Parks in Metro Manila

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to explore the tourism recovery strategies employed by Zoological

Parks in Metro Manila in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it seeks to

answer the following questions:

1. How does the pandemic challenge the tourism of Zoological Parks in Metro

Manila?

2. How do the Zoological Parks in Metro Manila respond from these

challenges?

3. Based on the findings of the study, what Zoo Tourism recovery program can

be proposed?

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Objectives:

1. To explore the challenges encountered by zoological parks in Manila amidst

pandemic.

2. To determine the efforts employed towards the recovery of zoological parks in

Manila.

3. Based on the findings of the study, what recovery strategies can be adopted by

the developing and existing zoological parks may be proposed.

Theoretical Framework

“Build Back Better.”

According to a partial chapter of the book “Resilient Post Disaster Recovery through

Building Back Better” shared by Taylor and Francis Group's website, the abstract

contains the study of Sandeeka Mannakkara, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa

that stated the impact of Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in economic

recovery. These three phases are crucial in the study of the book’s Building Back Better

framework. Since the message they want to convey has been successfully relayed, the

United Nations, World Bank, and international researchers and authors including

William J. Clinton, Monday, Khasalamwa, and Kennedy considered Build Back Better as

an inspiration in Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that prioritizes global

action for both pre- and post- disaster planning for the next 15 years.

Furthermore, based on the article published on February 3, 2016, the annual

International Recovery Forum focused around the Priority Four of Sendai Framework.

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They stated that the Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction phases are a

“critical opportunity to ‘Build back better.’” This framework was endorsed in March,2015

at the third UN World Conference on Disaster risk reduction in Sendai, Japan.

Therefore, using this information, the researchers seek to gather data using the Sendai

Framework three phases since the scope of this study is amidst the pandemic.

Operational Framework

The chart below is the operational framework presenting the process and methods

used in this study.

Figure 1.1 Operational Framework Process

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 To fully understand the process of data collection and analysis, this organized and

constructed scheme will attain the final conclusion in this study.

As shown in the figure, the operation is divided into different phases in which the

Zoological Park is the foremost source of all the requirements needed in this research

that will lead to the first phase of the process which is Data Collection, where there are

three methods used to gather reliable pieces of information. Direct Observation and

Social Media Assessment can help to perceive the data needed based on experience,

first impression, situation, condition, reviews and challenges in the environment of the

Zoological Park. Aside from conducting that, the Semi-structured Interview will support

the information gathered from the other two methods. This helps accumulate more

detailed information from the Tourism Officers and Zookeepers who are more

knowledgeable about the encountered situations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eventually, after enough data collection, analysis is needed leading to the second phase

of operation. Thematic Analysis is where all the gathered information is being processed

to be analyzed through the guide of Sendai Framework and the predetermined categories

of recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.And finally, the last phase of the operation

which is the presentation of the findings to conclude this research.

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Significance of the Study

 To the Community. This study will serve as an educational source of information.

 To the DENR. This study will help the Department of Environment and Natural

Resources to adapt and innovate recovery strategies not only for the Zoological

Parks but the country's environmental state.

 To the Future Researchers. This study will serve as the future researcher's guide

and source of information for their related literature.

 To the aspiring Tourism Officers. This study will serve as a lesson for the future

zoological challenges they may encounter.

 To the Zoo Owners and Tourism Officers. This study will serve as a reference and

encouragement in improving the Zoological Parks.

Scopes and Delimitations

This research focuses on the study of recovery strategies used by the zoological

parks in Metro Manila which covers from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, year 2020

up to the present. The scope of this study is limited to tourism related factors and the 5

active zoological parks naming Manila Zoo, Avilon Zoo, Manila Ocean Park, Malabon

Zoo and Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife. Furthermore, this includes the methods used

for data gathering through direct observation, social media assessment/website and

personal interviews with the tourism officers and zookeepers.

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Review of Related Studies and Literature

Foreign Study

(Hunton et al., 2022) Over 700 million people visited zoos annually before the

COVID-19 pandemic, in all countries. Zoos were subjected to a range of restrictions as a

result of COVID-19 restrictions, including frequent temporary closures and a cap on the

number of visitors allowed during peak hours. This had substantial financial ramifications

that affected zoos' earnings in the short term as well as their future conservation efforts

in the long term. One zoo recently named the COVID-19 pandemic's decreased zoo

attendance as one of their top three conservation issues. Additionally, they also stated

that Zoos have experienced effects from COVID-19 that go beyond financial ones. The

surroundings of the animals include the general people when they are present. Since the

1980s, the idea of "human-animal partnerships" and "human-animal interactions" has

been extensively discussed in the literature, with an increase in recent years. It has been

determined that visitors can benefit certain species, negatively stress out others, or have

no effect on others.

(Torrico, , “Environmental and Earth Law Journal” 2020) In the United States, many

zoos, animal sanctuaries, shelters, and rescue organizations were contacted and asked

to discuss their COVID-19 pandemic experiences. They all stated that the government-

imposed restrictions caused them to lose revenue and resources, and that they were

forced to lay off or furlough the majority of their non-essential personnel. Although the

COVID-19 pandemic has stretched these organizations to their breaking point, animals

still need aid, and conservation efforts must persevere. The coronavirus pandemic has

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both positive and negative impacts on animals, according to one study. Depression,

worry, nervousness, and closeness were some of the unpleasant emotions. On the

positive note, Americans seeking companionship created a spike in demand for shelters

and rescues, and several organizations claimed that they had increased their community

support.

Moreover, the lone study from Africa that involved genomic One Health

investigations and found that COVID-19 Delta mutations were passed from people to

animals with the title “ ‘SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Zoonoses to Pumas and Lions, South Africa

“ led by (Prof. Venter et al, 2022) was published to report the risks of the virus to animals

kept in captivity. The scientists emphasize the need for zoos to take safeguards including

immunizing workers, requiring them to wear masks when accessing cages and preparing

food, using disinfectants to prevent infection, and putting up barriers between the public

and animals “to protect potentially endangered species from getting infected and dying

“and to be aware of the possibility of the virus being established in animal reservoirs

leading to new variants emerging and being transmitted back to humans.

Despite the risks and challenges stated at the studies above, Erika Leckington,

director of Tallahassee Animal Services in Florida (2020), provided a thorough

explanation of what it takes for the agency to maintain safety and operation. They have

altered their practices in a number of ways such as, only providing operations by

appointment, extending their business hours and opened daily rather than 6 days a week

pre-pandemic, temperature checks and screening of all visitors, approval of adoption

questionnaires is required prior to booking an appointment to meet an animal, arranging

owner returns to control intake, transferring all animal lost-and-found reports to an online

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portal, keeping the number of volunteers per shift to a minimum, non-altered animals are

allowed to return home after being altered and return for needed altering, grouping all

workers and volunteers into A and B teams to ensure safety, requiring wearing

mask inside the facility, disinfecting more regularly, plexiglass on the front desk are

installed, preventing visitors from entering the shelter to meet the animals, converting to

curbside visits for all foster parents, executing telemedicine and telehealth for foster

animals, administer drop off surgery and heartworm treatment animals to curbside, all

events are discontinued including monthly clinics, administration positions are working

from home, all meetings are held through zoom, replacing desktops with laptops,

employees are required to stay on their specific positions and restricted from moving

around the facility to minimize risks of exposure, mailing spray/neuter vouchers rather

than giving them in-person and contacting animal owners via mail rather than in-person

to provide notices of nuisance complaints. (Torrico, “Environmental and Earth Law

Journal” 2020)

In addition to this, the electronic format of Perth Zoo’s annual report was published

in accordance with State Government regulations. A foreword from Chairperson Alex

Lamond and Executive Director Wendy Attenborough (2021) provided detailed Recovery

plans and strategies that they took to ensure Perth Zoo’s survival despite two Covid-19

pandemic lockdowns and periods with capacity restrictions calling it “Perth Zoo Master

Plan 2040”. The Master Plan was developed over three years with a mission of ensuring

that the Zoo will continue to be a world-class, important community asset and

conservation tourism icon. It is driven by the ideals of superior animal welfare and

unmatched opportunities for visitor involvement to urge the neighborhood to join them in

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their mission to save wildlife. The first stage of the Master Plan is now being implemented,

and construction of a new café and function center is well under way which represents a

significant investment in the commercial future of the zoo and improved facilities for the

visitors. Aside from the Master Plan, they also had other strategies including: continued

education about conservation of wildlife and habitats to children and adults via on-site

and online. They boosted their online offers for “virtual visitors” like delivering online

versions of their education programs and giving them behind the scenes Keeper talks

and messages via online streaming. Other than improving the virtual experience of their

visitors, they bred 200 native animals and released 200 excess animals into the wild to

support populations of threatened native species and arranged events to encourage more

visits on-site. By planting back-of-house areas and collaborating with local governments

and private citizens to collect feed from parks and residential properties, they increased

Perth Zoo's capacity to satisfy the demands of its animals. Lastly, the organization

continues their support to their partners doing conservation works in the wild. Non-

government conservation organizations in Australia and overseas received funding from

The Perth Zoo Wildlife Conservation Action Program Fund. (Perth Zoo, 2021)

In the case of the World theme “Rethinking tourism”, the researchers found zero

studies regarding Zoos adopting this theme. To further support this gap in the World of

literature, the study with the title “Rethinking Tourism Industry in Pandemic COVID-19

Period” proved that research about the tourism industry has been a challenge because

of insufficient data. This is based on cited articles by other authors like Nicola (2020) Due

to a lack of data, research on the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on tourism, resilience in

the industry, and recovery policies and initiatives is still in its conceptual and empirical

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stages because the pandemic has not yet been contained even though vaccination

programs are incredibly effective. Additionally, the SARS-CoV-2 virus (from South Africa,

Brazil, and India) has undergone mutations that make the pandemic more unpredictable,

making research essential to facilitating the recovery of tourism and its related industries.

However, International and supranational organizations, particularly the European Union,

responded quickly and, to some measure, stopped the collapse of the tourism sector. By

creating a resilience and recovery plan within its area of influence, the European Union

has become more actively engaged in restoring economic activity than ever before. To

address the effects of the crisis, all EU member states have made an effort to implement

the best labor market, financial, and fiscal policies. Because of this tourism activity in the

European Union, it enabled the said researchers to perform a transversal and even a

partial qualitative research analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scarcity of

research papers regarding tourism industries recovery plan’s effectivity is still a challenge

because pandemic has not yet ended resulting them to advise future studies to take a

long-term perspective on how the pandemic has affected the tourism sector and to

contemplate reactive and most especially proactive measure to control such calamities

and direct tourism towards more ethical and sustainable business models. (Vărzaru et al,

2021)

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Local Study

In another perspective, which animals figured that pandemic is a way of ‘Nature’s

revenge’ or a healing planet. Early months of pandemic lockdown, Zoos Park’s revenue

and funds dropped causing their animals to be exposed to both hunger and the virus of

COVID-19 (Wang et al. 2020). Lasco (2021) studied that many Filipinos sighted a poor

lion who’s not in a healthy look like the other animals who are greatly affected by the

pandemics in Malabon Zoo (p. 435). In general, a common challenge faced by zoo parks

based on the studies is lack of funds affecting the maintenance of both environment and

animals.

The owner of the Malabon Zoo requested help through cash donations to support

the zoo for which he felt ashamed for he should be helping people, but the idea caught

the attention of many Filipinos and received help from them (Lasco, 2021, p. 435). This

way, they use it as an opportunity to recover from the challenges due to the COVID-19

pandemic. And after the temporary closure of the zoo, they managed to continue the

operation in a good and fully recovered condition.

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Foreign Literature

To further elaborate the challenges experienced by Zoo Tourism during the Covid-

19 pandemic, wildlife were equally affected as the pandemic caused a continuous

absence of crowd which was proven by a study that primates showed a sudden change

of behaviour during this shift - The Impact of Covid-19 Zoo Closures on Behavioral and

Physiological Parameters of Welfare in Primates, (Fontani et al., 2022) “Primates are

some of the most cognitively advanced species in zoos and their interactions with visitors

are complex.” (Ward, 2022) Observations were conducted before and after visitors

returned to the United Kingdom in Twycross Zoo and Knowsley Safari. Changes of

manners differed from species to species which unfolded over several amounts of time

after a series of closures and openings. Visitors' interaction with captive wildlife is

considered crucial for their welfare; however, it may potentially be both positive and

negative. (Nield, 2022)

Meanwhile, as the lockdown began, zoo closures had a great impact on revenue

that quickly resulted in plummeting funds. Additionally, Animal welfare shifted its focus on

starving animals and lack of basic needs but as they communicated with other facilities

they have supported, the complications they encountered were much more serious. Some

had experienced a declining level of staff either due to illnesses or insufficient salaries.

According to Wild Welfare, a report shows an analysis of how it affected captive wildlife

facilities, focusing on what actions should be done and improving care standards for

captive animals. “But whatever the issue, many times the outcome was the same - a

deterioration in care and welfare for animals - and that is something we must address.”

(Marsh, 2021)

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 Nevertheless, some zoological parks exerted their efforts as much as they can

despite loss of funds. Gonzalez (2020) Cheka Heinn a keeper in Houston Zoo engaged

in an online activity of live streaming with their animals which they consider the newest

and safest way to update their fans or visitors about how their wild is doing on a daily

basis - The concept of “Bringing the Zoo to You.” They took extra safety precautions not

only for their visitors but also for their animals and staff. Some activities were still carried

on given that keepers will be wearing face masks and gloves all the time to avoid health

risks. Social-Distancing protocol is also implemented though it was challenging for the

zoo to keep their staff and animals away from each other as they require more attention

after the short notice closure. Rules are strictly enforced due to an incident in NYC Bronx

Zoo reporting a total of eight mixed lions and tiger tested positive in Corona Virus believed

to be caused by an infected zookeeper which also led facilities to regularly monitor their

primates. To survive the prolonged lockdown and stagnant revenue, the zoo set up

emergency funds to help with their costs. Funds which came from their supporters'

donations to help them sustain their facility and daily living costs. Aside from that, their

team is already planning an efficient and safe way to start once the zoo is waiting to open

once again. (Watkins, 2020)

Several zoological parks also stepped up and took advantage of using online

technology to keep their lives going despite the drastic changes brought by the virus.

Adapting to the new normal, live streams, photographs and virtual fundraising became

their way to cope up. Extra safety precautions are well maintained and implemented. As

a preventive measure, fire and rescue departments are seen spraying disinfectants at

some zoo during the height of the pandemic. (Thompson & Tormes, 2020)

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Local Literature

Throughout the pandemic, even Zoo Tourism cannot escape from the challenges

brought by the COVID-19 and been taken under the modified enhanced community

quarantine (MECQ) where Zoo Parks is temporarily closed, giving owners problems on

providing the basic needs of the zoo. According to a report on Stand for Truth in an

interview with Atom Araullo, Malabon zoo owner Manny Tangco stated that keeping

animals healthy, with no income, they’re finding it hard to maintain the operations of the

park and keep the animals fed (GMA News Online, 2022). Tangco even admitted that

they faced the struggle where animals might die from sickness and hunger although

almost other zoos face the same thing (Baluyot, “Yahoo Philippines”, 2021). Due to the

loss of revenue from the drop in tourists and trips, maintenance is particularly difficult at

this COVID-19 pandemic time. Additionally, difficulty in regular deliveries of food and

supplies are faced because of quarantine travel restrictions. Being able to maintain high

standards of care is currently threatened by personnel concerns, since several

zookeepers and animal care professionals are either unable to physically report for duty

(Gandalf, “Getaway”, 2020).

In the article of GMA News Online (2022), Tangco said that even in the long run of

being temporarily not allowed to operate for months, the animals are still healthy and have

been provided well through the help and solutions they come up with and that is to seek

help for donations from people. The Avilon Zoo in Rizal has also called for help in

providing food and veterinary services for its animals. According to Gandalf’s article

(2020) in Getaway, the first two months operation under the temporary closure due to the

pandemic, the financial strategy was by Tangco’s personal savings and some of his

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friend’s loan. The Malabon zoo’s two months operations since the start of the quarantine

were financed by Tangco’s savings and loans from friends. Both Malabon and Avilon Zoo

did the same way to recover despite the challenges they were facing. Plead help to public

people calling for their assistance regarding their situation. A Simple call for support

announcement stated in the official Facebook page of the Avilon Zoo inviting people to

buy tickets (600 Php each) for needs and future quarantine restrictions. Furthermore,

based on Mr. Cayabyab (2020), in his article the Manila Zoo’s response from the

challenges brought by pandemic, especially for the herbivore animals, called project bore

fruit meaning to set an urban garden to feed animals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It

is actually a self-sustainable idea to provide foods for herbivore or plant-eating animals

which they planted both fruits and vegetable plants.

Meanwhile, there’s a huge gap in the literature world regarding the adaptation of

the world theme “Rethinking Tourism” for the researchers found that there are no articles

and studies about Zoos in the Philippines adapting or relating to the topic. With this limited

data, this will give an opportunity to provide more information and to encourage the

tourism industry to reconsider their strategies on recovering.

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Synthesis

Everything presented was thoroughly filtered and chosen by the researchers to

give adequate information regarding the topic. Overall, the above studies and literature

mentioned, leads to several top challenges that need to be resolved in order to have

reference for the future problems all tourism sectors may encounter including Zoo

tourism. Research about recovery plans is essential not only on Tourism industry but also

for the economy's survival. Despite the fact that the pandemic is still ongoing,

implementing reconstructing and reconceptualizing plans will have a big impact and can

lead tourism to a more resilient and sustainable industry.

Research Design

The researchers used a qualitative multiple-case study for an efficient data

collecting methodology for the selected zoological parks in Metro Manila. This type of

research design requires on-site observation and personal interaction with reliable

sources to carefully assess the unifying factors from the chosen participants. After

gathering adequate data, the researchers will proceed with analyzing them to point out

the similarities and differences.

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Population and Respondents

Before the data collection, the researchers determined the population that

will benefit from this study and respondents that can help to further understand the

impacts of this pandemic regarding Zoo tourism and effects of their recovery plans.

Considering the fact that this study is only limited to the 6 zoological parks in Metro Manila,

the target population of the researchers will be Animal welfare organizations outside

Metro Manila, Aspiring Zoo handlers and keepers, our government and even the majority

of our population that is handling animals as pets. This study aims to encourage them to

implement effective recovery and rehabilitation plans and consider having precautionary

measures in case a crisis of this magnitude may arise. This will not only benefit the said

population but also the animals they are handling.

Furthermore, the researchers will be using purposive sampling to gather data from

the 6 Zoological Parks in Metro Manila. Interviews will be held at Manila Zoo, Manila

Ocean Park, Avilon Zoo, Malabon Zoo, Ark Avilon Zoo, and Ninoy Aquino Parks and

Wildlife Center. Since this paper is a multiple case study about tourism recovery

strategies, the respondents will be the Zoo keepers and Zoo tourism officers. They can

give the researchers a different perspective on the obstacles they faced when COVID-19

pandemic began and what strategies they used to ensure the Zoological park’s survival.

Additionally, the researchers will also give an informal interview on the visitors not to ask

about strategies but to further understand the impact of having a well-maintained facility

and how beneficial this study will be.

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Data Gathering Procedures

The researchers prepared a letter of request to conduct a study to all six Zoological

Parks in Metro Manila. This study used three methods to collect data distributed to our

selected respondents explaining the importance of their response to the study, clarifying

some terms so that the respondents can answer the interview with full comprehension of

their influence as the subject of this study and requires the respondents to answer with

honesty. After collecting all the data needed in this study, the researchers hopefully will

understand the recovery strategies of Zoo Parks in Metro Manila amidst the COVID-19

pandemic.

Direct observations were the prime method of data gathering for this study.

Researchers determined essential details and organized a social media assessment to

collect information online. Moreover, a set of questions are constructed to perform semi-

structured interviews designated to the respondents. This method requires personal

interaction to fully understand and confirm the answers through their emotions. This way,

respondents have much more freedom and flexibility when providing answers.

 What are the basic needs of the zoo?

 How did the situation of the zoo differ, before the pandemic and during pandemic?

 What are the factors and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the

environment and condition of the zoos?

 How did the zoo comply with the restrictions of COVID-19 pandemic?

 How did the zoo recover from the temporary closure of operations?

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  What are the strategies to prepare for future pandemic events?

Furthermore, with all the honest information provided by the respondents, all data

will be gathered by the researchers to compile and understand through thematic analysis.

This procedure will be guided by the Sendai framework and predetermined categories of

recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruct. With this enough data, together with analyzing

and predetermining, hopefully the researchers will have their understanding with this

study.

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