Giving Compass' Take:

• As reported by GeekWire, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo plans to roll out two new tech initiatives that will allow visitors to learn more about rhinos and get a behind-the-scenes look at their lives at the zoo.

• Will this new interactive tech encourage more activism in animal conservation? How does this heighten the traditional zoo experience?

• Read more about the Woodland Park Zoo and it's conservation plan.

For all of the excitement that goes on in some of the award-winning exhibits at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, a good amount of intrigue takes place behind the scenes, where the animals are often fed and cared for.

In an effort to shed more light on animal behavior, their welfare and more, the zoo is testing two new technological initiatives in the new Assam Rhino Reserve — home to two greater one-horned rhinos named Taj and Glenn.

The first tech undertaking involves a virtual reality experience in partnership with Oculus and its team based in Seattle. A first-of-its-kind project, the experience features a 360-degree video showcasing a day in the life of the rhinos. From the viewpoint of a caretaker, users will get an exclusive look at everything from the rhino’s dietary needs to what it looks like in the “rain room” where it showers.

Taj and Glenn have taken over an area which previously housed elephants. Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Alejandro Grajal said the resources which would have been spent building or re-adapting such an exhibit have gone into tech.

That second tech feature, called Rhino Lookout, involves the use of Bluetooth beacons placed strategically and discreetly around the area where the rhinos are living. In partnership with Bellevue, Wash.-based Footmarks, the zoo is using the beacons to help push expanded digital content to the smartphones of visitors already using the zoo’s mobile application.

Rebecca Whitham, director of content and creative strategy for the zoo, is used to bringing as much information as possible to the zoo’s website. She’s excited about utilizing that workflow and technology in the outdoor space — where people are maybe accustomed to seeing only limited signage and information — and putting videos, quizzes, facts and action tips right at people’s fingertips for a richer experience.

Read the full article about new innovations at the Woodland Park Zoo by Kurt Schlosser at GeekWire.