Zoo Santo Inácio Launches Augmented Reality Educational Experience
In partnership with the University of Aveiro
Flamingo mascot guides visitors on an immersive journey through the park’s habitats, combining technology, science, and conservation.
Zoo Santo Inácio innovates by presenting, in collaboration with the University of Aveiro, a new augmented reality game integrated into the EduCITY platform, transforming a visit to the park into an immersive educational experience. The Flamingo mascot, symbol of EduCITY, guides visitors through the zoo’s habitats and species, using augmented reality, videos, and exclusive images to foster learning, empathy, and awareness for conservation.
This initiative arises within the scope of a partnership that aims to show how technology can leverage the mission of biodiversity preservation and allows visitors to install – at no cost – the EduCITY app via a QR code distributed at the entrance and on the zoo map, and embark on a visit where entertainment is combined with environmental education and conservation.
“With this new augmented reality experience, we want to go far beyond simply showing animals to our visitors. Our commitment is to inspire, engage, and activate individual responsibility towards nature. Through technology, we can transform each visit into an opportunity for learning, awareness, and empathy with the species and habitats we protect,” highlights Teresa Guedes, director of Zoo Santo Inácio.
This launch not only reinforces Zoo Santo Inácio’s role as a space for leisure and learning, but also positions it as an innovation laboratory in the area of environmental education, a true model of the future for zoological parks that intend to transform visitors into ambassadors of their great mission: the conservation of nature and endangered species.
EduCITY is a project involving several research units of the University of Aveiro and was funded by National Funds through the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under project PTDC/CED-EDG/0197/2021.
ABOUT SANTO INÁCIO ZOO:
In 2000, it opened its doors with the aim of bringing the community closer to Nature and Wildlife, raising awareness of the growing importance of the Conservation of Fauna and Flora species worldwide.
In 2004 it became a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), in 2006 it founded the Portuguese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (APZA) and is one of the few national zoos that, in partnership with EAZA, participates in European Endangered Species Preservation Programmes (EEP). From 2022 onwards, the WOW Group (Worlds of Wild) – owner of Santo Inácio Zoo – came under the control of the Kartesia investment group.
Zoo Santo Inácio is home to approximately 700 animals of 150 species, having already facilitated the birth of more than 275 offspring integrated into the EEP Preservation programs.
The protection of wildlife and the well-being of animals are the main concerns of Zoo Santo Inácio. All species housed by the Zoo inhabit green and spacious environments, designed to recreate their original habitats, providing them with the best comfort conditions so that they can remain healthy and maintain their animal instincts.
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