Today, JeffCorwinConnect Inc (JCC) co-founder and Emmy Award-winning TV host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin introduced his pioneering interactive audio tours, “Jeff Corwin’s Wild Adventures” at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and Stone Zoo in Stoneham.
More than 650,000 visitors of all ages will now have the opportunity to go on a “Wild Adventure” with Jeff Corwin as their personal guide and to learn about the different animals residing at the zoos. The audio tours also touch upon the challenges these species face today, and encourage visitors to get involved with conservation programs at the zoos.
“As someone who grew up just south of Boston in Norwell, Mass., I spent many afternoons at the Franklin Park Zoo. That experience helped fuel my passion for nature, wildlife, and conservation,” said Jeff Corwin, who has spent more than 20 years in the field working with many of the animals the visitors will experience. “As a Zoo New England Board member and Bostonian, it is very special for me to launch this exciting new program in my hometown.”
JeffCorwinConnect has partnered with the French company Orpheo Group to develop and provide the latest cutting edge technology for this program. The audio tours are offered devices that have an interactive custom app, which allows visitors to plot their own trails, while tracking the exhibits they have already seen. The guests of the zoos will be able to see close-up images and hear the calls of the animals they are learning about. This feature becomes particularly invaluable with species that may be more difficult to see due to their coloring and markings, which enable them to easily blend in to their surroundings. In addition, the eco-friendly nature of the app greatly reduces the need for using paper maps.
Anurag Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of JeffCorwinConnect Inc adds that, “Annually, 175 million people visit zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. We wanted to enrich their experience and to transform it into pure edutainment.”
“Jeff Corwin’s Wild Adventures” is a unique partnership model between a for-profit social enterprise, like JeffCorwinConnect, and a not-for-profit organization, like Zoo New England. “This is a true WIN-WIN-WIN situation. The visitors enjoy an enhanced and interactive experience, the zoo gets increased visitor attendance, while generating income from the audio tour’s revenues, and JCC fulfills its mission of connecting people to the species, with whom we share our planet, in a fun and engaging way,” says Agarwal, who plans to roll out this program across zoos and aquariums throughout the country and the world.
“We are delighted to host ‘Jeff Corwin’s Wild Adventures’ audio tours at both our Zoos. This engaging new opportunity will greatly complement and enhance the visitor experience in a truly memorable way, and we are so proud to be the first institution in the world to work with JeffCorwinConnect on a program like this,” said John Linehan, President and CEO of Zoo New England.
