4th Workshop : Wildlife, Empathy and Environmental Behaviour

The growing proximity of the increasingly mediated ‘wild’; through the reinvention of zoos as both sanctuaries for endangered animals and educational centres as well as the explosion of wildlife programmes on the television, all impact upon human attitudes to ‘nature’. How do portrayals, representations and interactions with ‘wild’ animals impact upon environmental attitudes and ecological behaviour ? These are the themes of this particular workshop which features papers by the following: Piran White: 'Contrasting attitudes towards native and invasive species'; Angela Cassidy: 'Badgers, cows and us; shifting conflicts'; Garry Marvin: 'Challenging Animals: An exploration of the practices and performances of modern hunting'; Chris Wilbert: 'Questioning ‘wild’ animal mediations in Art, Zoos, Nature Documentaries and Leisure/Tourism practices'; Christoph Schwitzer and Simon Garrett: 'Zoos, education and the public: a perspective from Bristol Zoo'; and Stephen Moss: 'Wildlife on screen'. The workshop is being held on Tuesday 15th December 2009 at the Bristol Veterinary School, Langford.