Hunt or Be Hunted
This would be part of the standard “local” area found in many zoos: in this case, the zoo is located in western Canada, so the fauna of the exhibit in turn hail from this region. This exhibit would only display injured animals or ones that cannot otherwise be returned to the wild. It also serves as a rehabilitation center for animals that can be released.
The idea for this exhibit is the relationships between predator animals and prey animals. As such, the exhibits are often structured in a way to enable the viewing of both predators and their would-be prey. This includes the use of elevation, trenches/moats, and disguised boundaries to make it appear as if animals are sharing the same space. The adaptations of predators and prey are also focused on, as well as the impact humans can have on this balance.
Guests walk through a wooden trail until they come to a large vantage point overlooking a 30,0000 square foot exhibit that is the centerpiece of the area. This exhibit is longer than it is wide, so guests can clearly see the exhibits behind it; at any given point, the enclosure is 200 feet of solid ground across. This exhibit has varying elevation types including small valleys and some hills and mounds. The paddock has some large pools the animals can near fully submerge in, connected by shallow streams and channels. The substrate of the paddock is mostly dirt, and as it was built in an existing forest not much work needed to be done to modify the area. There are some open grassy meadows planted with small shrubs and conifers as well as both open and dense coniferous and mixed woodland. Also in the exhibit are stumps of various trees (representing deforestation), and a mock road runs through part of the exhibit, with large yellow and orange warning signs with silhouettes of bison, moose, and elk on them (representing vehicle collisions) and a hunting blind in the trees and on the ground (representing hunting, primarily for the wood bison). The waterways are lined with reeds and have some inlets with pondweeds. Logs serving as scratching posts and wooden, covered shelters are present within the exhibit as well, with feeding racks. This exhibit is home to the main “prey” species of the exhibit, and has some more obscure, but still very well known, species. Herds of 1.5 Rocky Mountain Elk, 1.4 Boreal Woodland Caribou, 1.2 Western Moose, and 1.4 Wood Bison inhabit this exhibit. Guests are separated from the animals by a height difference of 15 feet and a 20-foot water moat, which granted the animals can still access. Guests view this exhibit from a number of wooden viewing platforms, some of which extend over the moat partway. Signs on these viewing platforms tell about the eradication of the predators of elk in some areas and their subsequent population explosion, and how to some extent hunting or culling by humans is now necessary until reintroduction attempts are successful.
The path forks as a T here, with one path going to the left and the other to the right, but they both meet back up at the other side.
Located behind this exhibit are 3 other, roughly 10,000 – 15,000 square foot exhibits. These showcase the predators of the prey species seen in front of them. Sight lines and the width of the fairly narrow prey exhibit allow guests to easily see across and into the exhibits behind. All of these exhibits have dry moats (a barrier of rocks forms the barriers of the prey exhibit water moat), and their distance to the prey exhibit varies. One of the islands is 15 feet from the prey exhibit, another is 20 feet, and the last is just 10 feet away. This is to prevent the predators from simply jumping into the exhibit. Two of these paddocks are open with no mesh, while the third is mesh-enclosed. Those without mesh have no trees near the border of the exhibit, though neither of those species are known to climb as adults anyway. Guests see these exhibits from the front as well as from behind (viewing from the sides, which would reveal the trenches, is prevented by stands of thick coniferous trees bordering the visitor pathway). As such all four exhibits combine to make up a large area surrounded by visitor pathway.
The first exhibit is 15,000 square feet and uncovered, and is furthest to the right from a visitor perspective. The exhibit has varied terrain, with a medium-sized rocky ridge present in the middle of the enclosure, grassy clearings, scrubby areas with small conifers and evergreen shrubs, and patches of open and dense coniferous forest. A pond at the top of the rocky ridge empties as a waterfall into a large pool below, which in turn feeds a stream emptying via small waterfalls into a large pool bordering a large glass window. There are a few fallen trees, some seemingly chopped or sawed down, some boulders and flat-topped rocks (some of which are heated). The bears can also sit in a rock cave behind their waterfall to cool down (water is filtered and cycled back up to the top of the pool). Substrate is mostly dirt and mulch, and trees are protected at the roots from digging. Both pools are quite large, enough for the bears to submerge. The viewing platform at the back of the exhibit has an upper level viewed from 20 feet above the bears as well as an area accessed by a stairwell and ramp where guests can see the bears play in their larger pool that borders the viewing platform, which has some logs jutting over it the bears can jump off of. Also in the exhibit are some geysers that spout up water every now and then for enrichment. Items and toys made of natural, resistant materials are placed in the exhibit regularly, and sometimes a fake carcass is put in as well. This exhibit is home to 2.2 Grizzly Bears (the males are brothers, hoped to mate with the unrelated females, who are sisters), and the males and females are swapped into and out of the enclosure. The bears were eventually put into captivity after raiding campsites on multiple occasions, and were going to be put down before the zoo opened up space to take them in.
The second exhibit is located in the middle of the other two enclosures, and is around 15,000 square feet as well. The layout of this enclosure is similar to the grizzly exhibit, with a large rocky ridge in the center of their enclosure with some logs, some open meadows, scrublands with small evergreens, and coniferous woodland in varying degrees of density. Heated, flat-topped rocks and fallen trees allow the animals to elevate themselves above their surroundings. This enclosure lacks a large waterfall, but does have a pool at a bit higher elevation, which empties in small waterfalls as a stream into another shallow pool at the front. The substrate is dirt and mulch, and the trees are protected but to a lesser extent. There are some rock overhangs and caves near the ridges as well that the animals can enter for shade and to cool off. This exhibit lacks any glass window underneath, and guests view it from atop the stone viewing platforms. A hunting blind is present in the enclosure to simulate the eradication of the wolves in some areas. Enrichment items made of natural materials are present in the enclosure, as well as a fake carcass filled with meat, and a zip line like structure that can hold a piece of meat and send it through the enclosure so the wolves can chase after it. This exhibit is home to a pack of 2.5 Grey Wolves. The two original wolves were confiscated from an irresponsible owner and unable to be returned to the wild. The rest of the pack is their offspring.
The last enclosure, furthest to the left as guests see the prey exhibit, is the smallest at 10,000 square feet, and is also the only mesh-enclosed exhibit. While this breaks the illusion of the animals sharing the same space and being able to access each other, it is necessary due to the sheer jumping ability of the species within. This enclosure is much denser than the others, with large rock ridges, cliffs, boulders, and some trenches (ones the animals can simply jump out of). There is also open and dense coniferous forest with heavy ground cover of blueberries, salal, and ferns. There are also some smaller conifers on the rocky ridges. This enclosure has a waterfall cascading down into a pool near the middle of the enclosure, which is deep enough for the cats to swim in it as well. Logs propped up against the rocky ridges afford the animals some elevation, and the cats can also climb the trees in the exhibit, as it is covered. A forest road runs through the exhibit, with fences (but ones the cougars can easily jump over), and sawed down trees, representing the threats these cats face. Mock carcasses, meat hanging from ropes placed in the trees, a food zip line, and scattered food allow for some feeding enrichment, and items made of resistant materials are routinely placed in as well. This exhibit rotates between 1.1 Cougars, animals that due to injuries could not be returned to the wild.
The other exhibits are located not within the visitor pathway loop but outside of it, on the right of the path. There are four exhibits, two located on the left branch of the path and two on the right. One on each side represents prey, and the one bordering it represents the predator. The left path has two enclosures guests view from across a moat. The first enclosure is fairly wooded, with some open grassy clearings for grass growth. The substrate is soil and mulch. Ground cover is made up of salal, ferns, blueberries, raspberries, salmonberries, and rhododendron. Trees are composed of Douglas firs, Sitka spruce, cedars, alders, vine maple, and willows. This exhibit has a wide pool separating it from guests. Logs and flat rocks dot the exhibit. This exhibit has some rock walls making up the boundaries, but in these walls are small holes as well as large glass panes. This main exhibit is home to 1.2 Snowshoe Hares. The hares are not in fact injured and are healthy animals that could theoretically live in the wild.
Extending into the pool is a strip of land connected to the other exhibit, with salal planted on it and a few small logs. This strip of land is not connected to the hare exhibit but is rather part of the exhibit bordering it. It is too far away from the hare exhibit to jump, and is prevented from swimming by large rocks in the water; however, the animals can still see between the gaps in these and over them as well.
The exhibit with the peninsula extending into the hare exhibit is located right next to it, and has mock rock barriers. This exhibit is nearly identical to the one before it, but has no trees bordering the edges of the exhibit, which instead have dense ground cover of ferns and berries. There are logs and boulders, and the trees are not hot wired so the animals can climb them. There are some clean cut tree stumps and cut down trees as well, to reference deforestation. The animals can see into the hare enclosure thanks to the strip of land, the holes in the rocks, and the glass panes. Small carcasses and toys made of natural materials are routinely placed into this exhibit for further enrichment. This enclosure rotates between 1.0 and 0.1 Canada Lynx, rescued animals from private owners. Signs tell about the predator prey relationship lynx have with snowshoe hares, and how when hare populations dip or rise, the lynx populations do the same.
The right path has a large 1,000 square foot irregularly shaped enclosure which guests can look down into, and an aviary looking down into it, which extends both to the side and behind the exhibit. The enclosure has a soil substrate with patches of mulch, and has no trees at the immediate edges of the enclosure, though it does have pines, spruces, firs, alders, and small cedars. The corners of the exhibit are planted with tall grass, brush such as berries and ferns, and various weeds. Logs and a rocky ridge also dot the exhibit, as does a mock porch with tin trashcans and a wooden overhang. A faux doghouse is also present. The trees have some forks and hollows in them for the animals to hide out in, and provide enough shade to make the enclosure suitable for their generally nocturnal habits. A small pool is also present, deep enough at its center for swimming but shallow mostly throughout. The enclosure has some dens covered with grass as well. The exhibit is home to 0.3 Raccoons and 1.2 Striped Skunks.
Extending behind this exhibit and to the side of it is a P-shaped enclosure, with the thin part of the P behind the area behind the raccoon and skunk exhibit. This exhibit is fairly densely wooded and planted, but is tall and still has lots of space; it is around 1,000 feet in total size. Salal, ferns, berry bushes, and shrubs make up ground cover, while the aforementioned tree species make up the understory and canopy. A small pool is present, mostly for drinking. Wooden nest boxes, shelters, and platforms are present, but nest-making supplies are placed within as well. There are logs and boulders as well. A mock road is present through some of the exhibit, and fallen barbed wire can also be seen, representing some of the threats the inhabitants face from humans. The enclosure is home to 1.1 Great Horned Owls, one of which is able to fly and is missing an eye, the other of which cannot fly. The owls can look down directly at the raccoons and skunks below them thanks to how the exhibits are structured.
All the animals have large indoor structures, with the mixed species pairings having areas certain species can access due to climbing capabilities or distance between wooden posts that the other animals cannot reach. These usually have soil and or mulch substrate, often have resistant or fast growing plants thanks to glass skylights, large pools, logs or boulders, some rocky ridges for elevation, solitary pens animals can sleep in, and different isolation paddocks for calving or aggressive animals.
Species:
1. Rocky Mountain Elk (1.5)
2. Boreal Woodland Caribou (1.4)
3. Western Moose (1.2)
4. Wood Bison (1.4)
5. Grizzly Bear (2.2) (ABC Species #1)
6. Grey Wolf (2.5) (ABC Species #2)
7. Cougar (1.1)
8. Snowshoe Hare (1.2)
9. Canada Lynx (1.1)
10. Raccoon (0.3)
11. Striped Skunk (1.2)
12. Great Horned Owl (1.1)
Near all of these species are somewhat recognizable, save for maybe the hares. Kids and adults alike would be kept interested in the illusion of predators and prey being able to access each other and sharing space.
I'll take another theme, please.
) and pitch the designs to me as if they are being pitched to a zoo. If you are up for the challenge just comment on the thread and I will get to you as soon as possible. Hopefully this will be a fun distraction with everything going on in the world right now. Happy brainstorming!
Whether the people who undertake the challenge do so fulfilling the criteria is subjective and up to you, but that is the objective of this thread if I am not mistaken.