Point Defiance Zoo Enhanced Guest Safety with Coram’s Video Search

Customer Snapshot
Customer: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Industry: Public Attractions / Zoos
Use Case: AI video search for public safety and lost-person response
Segment: Municipal Park & Recreation System

The Challenge: Enhancing Guest Safety in Real Time

Located in Tacoma, WA, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium hosts thousands of guests every year across its sprawling campus. With over 250 security cameras already in place, the zoo relied on a confusing network of Ubiquiti systems to monitor exhibits and visitor spaces. But when a child or guest went missing, the response was manual and time-intensive, relying on verbal descriptions and radio dispatches, with slow, manual staff coordination across wide spaces.

“We’d get a call on the radio that someone was missing,” said Nick Belswick, AV Systems Coordinator. “Our team would jump in to look, but it was all manual. We had no way to instantly search footage and know where someone was last seen.”

The Zoo needed a smarter, faster way to respond that would enhance their existing camera network without disrupting current operations or requiring extensive retraining.

The Solution: AI-Powered Search with Minimal Disruption

Coram offered a compelling approach: bring intelligent video search to the Zoo’s existing security footprint with minimal complexity or infrastructure overhaul. After reviewing options, Point Defiance found Coram’s streamlined deployment and intuitive interface to be a strong match.

“We didn’t have to replace our Ubiquiti system,” said Nick. “We just piped our existing feeds into Coram. Setup was straightforward – a plug-and-play experience – and the tech support was incredibly responsive.”

Today, Coram’s platform analyzes more than 50 key camera feeds across two sites, enabling staff to locate individuals in seconds, using natural-language search like “child in red hat and blue jeans”.

Unexpected Wins: From Guest Protection to Threat Prevention

Beyond locating missing guests, Coram delivered bonus value with its Person of Interest and license plate tracking features.

“We had a situation with a known individual who raised safety concerns,” Nick shared. “We uploaded his photo into Coram, and every time one of our staff walked by a camera, it confirmed the alert system worked. If that person returned, we’d know instantly.”

Nick also sees potential for Coram in animal care, using AI to track animal movement and behavior over time.

“It could help log how often animals visit a water source or lie down, potentially supporting husbandry and health insights.”

Why Coram?

✅ AI Search That Works: Quickly locate missing people with descriptive search
✅ Easy Integration: Works seamlessly with existing Ubiquiti infrastructure
✅ Responsive Support: Hands-on, helpful onboarding from day one
✅ Dual-Purpose Value: Supports both public safety and animal care exploration
✅ Budget-Friendly: Powerful capabilities without a massive price tag

What’s Next?

With more than 50 cameras already integrated and more possibilities on the horizon, Point Defiance is entering a multi-year evaluation phase. Their goal: train more staff on Coram, expand its use in animal care, and potentially scale to cover more of the park.

“If we can demonstrate more value, especially for animal care teams, we’ll add more cameras and upgrade our servers to handle the load,” said Nick.

Would They Recommend It?

“Absolutely,” said Nick. “If you’re looking for fast, intelligent video search, Coram is right on the leading edge. It’s been very helpful, and definitely worth exploring.”