Parks, Gardens and Zoos • Nature • For Kids
Te Nukuao - Snow Leopards habitat interpretation
Client
Location
Completed
Wellington Zoo
Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
2023
The Project
Story Inc was engaged by Wellington Zoo to create an exciting, interactive visitor experience to teach visitors all about the zoo’s newest stars: young snow leopard sisters Asha and Manju.
The zoo wanted to engage visitors through play while also educating them on the environmental issues facing snow leopards in the wild.
The Process
As an experience predominantly meant for younger visitors, it was important that the educational content of the exhibit was presented in as fun a way as possible. We came up with a variety of engaging interactives:
A larger than life snow leopard statue, for children to climb and play on...
A ‘jumping scale’, where visitors can try to match a snow leopard’s vertical leap...
An ‘audio cubby’, in which they can listen to stories told by Nepali people about snow leopards in myth and legend...
Interactive walls, which make use of flaps and mini-games containing information about snow leopard habitats and threats facing the animals...
A ‘pledge wheel’, which visitors can spin to receive advice on things they can do to help preserve the environment...
A touchscreen with fun facts about snow leopards, and video feeds of the secluded areas of their enclosure, allowing visitors to watch them while they rest...
“Where’s Wally?” style mini images of snow leopards, directly engraved onto the large concrete panels alongside the habitat...
The Result
The snow leopard exhibit is an engaging interactive and educational experience. It teaches visitors of all ages about these incredible animals, but it also highlights their cultural importance and the urgent need to protect them and their habitats.
Credits
Scale Studios LTD
Built Model
Toulouse LTD
Tech Hardware & Installation
Human Dynamo LTD
Fabrication & Installation
Anderson Design LTD
Spencer Levine