EAZA Tiger Campaign 2002/4
Campaign efforts in Stapely Water Gardens
Staff at The Palms Tropical Oasis at Stapeley Water Gardens, a relatively new EAZA member, intend to put their all into the EAZA Tiger Campaign. Stapeley Water Gardens welcomes about 1.5 million visitors every year, of whom more than 100,000 pay an admission charge to visit The Palms. This means that our audience is more diverse than that of most zoos.
We regularly host the BG Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition, so our visitors already associate The Palms with the very best in wildlife photography. This meant that as soon as we saw Andy Rouse's magnificent leaping tiger in the last EAZA News, we just knew he (the tiger or Andy Rouse?) had to be the centrepiece of an impressive display in our entrance in 2003. Featuring the campaign in the entrance hall will ensure that even visitors who just come for a quick drink in the café will be aware of the plight of the tiger and will hopefully be encouraged to discover more about the vital work undertaken by zoos.
We used the ‘eye' catching 21st Century Tiger's logo to create a superb, eye catching revolving collection box with the help of a local firm. This collection box will accentuate an existing display inside The Palms, creating a second focal point for fundraising. A larger, more robust version will be present at the entrance. Because our zoo is totally under cover, the boxes are constructed from foamex, are entirely sealed (so no padlocks to tempt thieves!), and will be broken open at the end of the campaign. Our gift shop buyers have located some fantastic tiger merchandise, including the most incredibly realistic cuddly tigers. We intend to donate a proportion of profits from sales to the campaign.
