As the role of zoos shifts from entertainment to environmental stewardship, many facilities are embracing new methods of achieving their goals. Recent studies indicate that people who feel empathy toward animals are more likely to engage in conservation actions, leading some zoos, aquariums, and nature centers to incorporate empathy-building messaging into their programming. This discussion provides an overview and examples of some of the best practices for integrating empathy messaging into live animal encounters including: individualization, perspective-taking, modeling, anthropomorphism, and transparency of intent.