As part of a collaborative project with Kleve Zoo, students have once again designed ten new information signs featuring various animals. The project has been running since the 2014/15 winter semester as part of the first semester of the Bio Science and Health degree programme.
Newly designed information signs have been placed in front of the enclosures housing the Poitou donkeys, desert buzzards, meerkats and seven other animals. As well as information on the animals’ distribution, way of life and a general description, these signs also highlight special characteristics and interesting facts about the animal inhabitants, which the students researched and compiled as part of the project. For example, visitors learn that North American fox squirrels regularly cause power cuts in the United States because they use overhead power lines to get around.
The group is supported by Dietmar Cornelissen and Christine Oster, who run Kleve Zoo. As a result of the project with the university, a total of 19 signs in the new design have already been installed. All the information boards designed by the students feature a QR code that links to a dedicated webpage for the zoo. Here, alongside further information about the animals, an audio version of the sign is also available. This audio recording was produced in collaboration with Lukas Baumann from Antenne Niederrhein for the blind and young children. The photographs of the animals on the signs were taken by the photographer Lisa Hanke. A total of 350 animals from over 50 different species and breeds can be seen at the zoo.
