n-gage.io and zoolife announce technology partnership to bring zoos to the home.

n-gage.io and zoolife have announced a world-first technology partnership aimed at bringing zoos directly into people's homes. This collaboration integrates attraction management software and mobile visitor apps with zoolife’s online platform, providing unique 24/7 insights into animal behaviour within zoos and wildlife parks, thereby expanding global conservation efforts.

The partnership, between UK-based n-gage.io and Canadian-headquartered zoolife, the world’s first online zoo, enables free access to live, 24/7 user-controlled zoo cameras directly through the n-gage.io mobile visitor app. This integration is set to become a leading visitor experience solution for zoos and wildlife parks across the UK and internationally.

Strengthening Conservation and Engagement

Bryan Hoare, CEO of Fame Media Tech, the developers behind the n-gage.io software, emphasised the alignment of goals in conservation. He highlighted the unique combination of n-gage.io and zoolife, which will offer the public, zoos, wildlife establishments, conservationists, and educators exceptional insights into animal behaviour.

The direct access to wildlife animals, 24/7, through the app allows audiences to control their observations, fostering non-curated, real experiences that promote active participation rather than passive observance. This is particularly relevant as the app gains traction across the wildlife sector.

Enhancing Zoo Operations and Visitor Experience

n-gage.io launched its pioneering cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) attraction management software and mobile app in late 2021, designed to digitally transform and enhance experiences for the global attractions industry. Since its launch, it has attracted clients across various sectors, including numerous zoos and wildlife parks.

Northumberland Zoo's Success Story

Northumberland Zoo (NZ) in the North East of England, under Maxine Bradley’s curatorship, was among the first zoos to pilot and adopt the n-gage.io software and app. The app saw over 5,000 downloads in its initial months, extending beyond local users. Bradley noted that the engagement platform is revolutionising their approach to marketing, operations, and conservation education.

According to Bradley, the app enables visitors to interact with content at their convenience, while also allowing the zoo direct engagement with its audience. Beyond direct communications, the platform empowers operators like Northumberland Zoo to deliver enriched content, which is ideal for conservation and educational initiatives. The intuitive software, powering the customisable mobile app, can also track audience behaviour and provide valuable insights, enabling the zoo to segment and target personalised communications more effectively.

Bringing the Zoo Home with zoolife

For app users, the zoolife integration augments the physical experience by encouraging visitors to get to know and observe animals live, both before and after their visit. This allows them to continue following animals from anywhere, essentially bringing the zoo home. On days when animals might not be visible on-site, the technology helps visitors remain observant and gain unique insights into animal behaviour. Users can also record footage and capture live camera shots for later study or to share with an online community, further promoting conservation education.

Northumberland Zoo is the first UK zoo to join zoolife, installing sophisticated technology that allows cameras to tilt, pan, and record, all controlled by users of the Northumberland Zoo app deployed by n-gage.io.

Anna Hu, CEO of zoolife, highlighted the mission to remove barriers for animal lovers, fostering a deeper connection between humankind and the world's animals. Zoolife provides 4 billion animal lovers with access to wildlife animals up-close through live 24/7 user-controlled cameras. Furthermore, zoolife donates 50% of any subscription to conservation and animal care, granting access to watch hundreds of animals from over 12 ethical zoos worldwide. Subscribers also benefit from daily live talk shows with zookeepers and animal experts, where they can interact and ask questions.

Pioneering Live Streams

Zoolife boasts the world's first cameras to record live interactions of raccoons and initially captured activities of snow leopards, though Toronto Zoo has since joined with its own snow leopard stream. Notably, Northumberland Zoo will soon become the first in the world to feature an in-app controllable zoolife webcam of the extremely rare Livingstone Fruit Bat; NZ is home to 13 of the approximately 100 remaining on the planet.