New VR experience comes to Phoenix Zoo

The Phoenix Zoo is offering a 360º VR journey that transports you across continents and habitats, immersing you in thrilling safaris and extraordinary up-close animal moments using cutting-edge conservation technology from Wildlife Protection Solutions, in WILD XR VR.

Slip on a VR headset and journey from the Sonoran Desert to places like Africa, to see creatures like elephants, lions, and meerkats, to the Northern Wilds, to come nose-to-nose with gray wolves and bison, and to South America to see jaguars, capybaras, and penguins.

Linda Hardwick, the Vice President of Marketing at The Phoenix Zoo, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the benefits of this experience for zoogoers.

“…while we want people to come and see the live animals in their amazing habitats. We’re always looking for ways to inspire, and get people to care about the natural world,” Hardwick said, “…sometimes we have to go a little bit techno so we can maybe get different audiences, and that’s what we’re doing.”

The virtual reality adventure sits right around the corner from the Carousel, and includes a series of 12 different headsets. There are four different continents to focus on, allowing individuals to see animals specifically from those areas.

“That’s what virtual reality is, it’s an immersive experience,” Hardwick discussed, “…you’ve got lions that are nose to nose with you. You’ve got elephants that are spraying…so it’s just a really new and unique, fun way to get people excited about nature, and to care about the natural world.”

The Phoenix Zoo obtained the videos from a non-profit International organization called Wildlife Protection Solutions. Based in Colorado, they have hundreds of cameras capturing these images all around the world. The organization also alerts the authorities if they detect any poachers in the area.

“They are an amazing organization that is doing good conservation-wise,” Hardwick said, “…but in order for them to get the word out so more people can be on board with their mission, they’re looking to zoos, and other institutions that we can show this footage.”