The Night Safari is much more than a description of its parts or a collection of exhibits. Visitors speak of the Night Safari as a holistic ‘experience’ in a tropical forest at night, unlike the linked but separate experiences of a typical zoo. Note that it was conceived of as a journey, to be experienced in full and not piecemeal. However, despite being an undoubted success, we felt that after four years of operations and six years of planning and development before that, not all visitors appreciated the magic. In our analysis, this appears to be largely a problem of communication, even of incorrect marketing if you like. However, whether or not the basic product contains any flaws, redevelopment and additions can help to overcome such misperceptions.
The Night Safari is a success in terms of visitor numbers, increasing the total visitation to the zoo’s two parks from 1.5 million to over two millions in the first year, or a fifty percent increase. However, the novelty for Singaporeans is inevitably beginning to wear off. This much was expected but regional economic conditions are also hitting our tourist numbers badly and feeding local anxieties, thus damping ‘discretionary spending’.
The Zoo management decided to undertake a major review earlier this year to take stock and map out the future, as well as to stay ahead of the curve: to advance our concepts beyond the fundamental innovation. We assembled much of the original development team for a week. The Zoo has found that the use of external peers and consultants particularly makes such reviews extremely useful. These are individuals who know and understand the organisation and yet are not too close that they lose their outsider’s perspective.
Over several days, we brainstormed, analysed, argued and at last came to two seemingly contradictory conclusions: that a) the Night Safari is still conceptually sound and a wonderful experience, and b) quite a lot can be done to enhance the experience.
Criticisms of the Night Safari are that there are ‘too many deer’ and the initial excitement is not sustained for the full 45-minute journey. The zones are too undifferentiated - the so-called grasslands of South America look suspiciously like the forests of Indo-Malaya. The live commentary on the tram journey is too dull and the quality of the presenters is generally poor. And there is too little for children to do - we had assumed that children would not be the prime motivator for visits by locals as it is for the zoo because it is a night venue. (Forbes)
The Zoo has resolved to address these various ‘deficient’ areas and they can be tackled in a systematic way. For example, a nocturnal animal show is planned that will interpret for visitors the meaning of nocturnality and how animals adapt to the night. We hope this will also help visitors understand and appreciate the exhibits better. Because, at the heart of these criticisms, there appears to be a mismatch between expectations and what the Night Safari delivers. The tram ride adds value to the experience, however the Night Safari is arguably best experienced on the walking trails where small, more active and truly nocturnal animals can be seen in close, intimate situations and at visitors’ leisure. We felt that too many visitors were missing out and being disappointed.
Two strategies are therefore suggested for future development. One, to develop and increase visitors’ appreciation of the trails. One measure in respect this of is the setting up of a ‘Ranger Station’ along the trail system where keepers will be on hand to talk to visitors. Two, to enhance the tram experience so that it better meets visitor expectations.
Among measures under consideration for the tram journey are: better training of the tram presenters, augmenting the live commentary with recorded sound through either spoken voice or animal calls, and staged events. The last would be almost theatrical such as a forced detour due to the ‘usual’ route being blocked (by a fallen tree, wash out, etc). A dramatic event could be triggered to make this obvious and thrilling. Ethnographic elements or traces of other civilisations and societies will be considered along with replanting or hardscaping if they help to place animals in context and differentiate the zones.
Some of these devices could risk straying from the basic concept and mission of the Night Safari but we have to distinguish between visitors as international tourists on one hand and locals and regional tourist on the other. The former, mostly from Europe, USA and Australia, but also those from Japan, tend to understand and appreciate the intent of the Night Safari much more than the latter. Asians generally look upon attractions as diverting rather than enriching experiences and have higher expectations of being entertained. Even international tourists, however, are not seeking the intellectual stimulation they might look for in a zoo or museum.
In the Night Safari generally then, and this is applicable to almost any public amenity that relies, at least in part, on satisfying its visitors’ needs for survival, improving the experience comprises three main efforts:
It is important to realise that these are not purely addressing perceived faults, if any, in the Night Safari. It is also aimed at locals to give them more reason to return by always having something new. The difference between the second and third, between new and improved exhibits, is largely their drawing power.
Apart from the need to maintain exhibits as they wear out, what makes one exhibit better than another? In the brief life of the Night Safari, what innovations can have arisen? It can be as simple as having the luxury of taking one exhibit at a time, of taking time to consider each carefully. Once a new facility is opened, the management should avoid falling into a purely maintenance mode of operation. With no push from the top, the quality of exhibits can gradually decline from the burden of ad hoc and low cost fixes carried out with little consideration of the overall effect. Periodically, zoos need to undertake co-ordinated reviews involving all parties having any degree of jurisdiction over exhibits. In the Night Safari such ad hoc fixes classically are called for when animals can’t be seen. The solution may be to re-focus (or in extremity, shift) the lights, to prune some trees or to adjust the management of the animals. The solution should consider all possibilities and involve all parties but often is decided by just one according to his or her area of responsibility.