Mixed species enclosures and other changes for Burgers Zoo

[Mr Gharial]

good points for all but what about the slow loris, my only worry for them would be stress. Here are some more options: Southern Brown Tortoise, Indian Star Tortoise, Lion-Tailed Macaque, Northern Treeshrew, Tufted Deer, Reeves Muntjac, and Giant cloud rat

Well, now we have the similar problem of the animals having to be small enough (Tufted deer and Muntjacs would be way too big), Ground based (Giant cloud rat and northern treeshrew would climb out and escape), not repetitive (Star tortoise and Brown tortoise would be too similar to the South American tortoise enclosure down the path), and also day active (Slow lorises are nocturnal and wouldn't be seen, along with being arboreal)

 

[Lemur02]

By the way, this is the current map for Burger's Congo, does anyone know of anything to go together with the pouched rats or the drills?

View attachment 460915

I'm sorry for interrupting but I want to suggest that you keep Hamlyn's guenons (aka owl-faced monkey) together with the okapis instead of the colobuses, this is also done in Bioparc Doue la Fontaine. They are native to the Congo rainforests, threatened, and I believe that this EEP desperately needs more holders.

 

[Mr Gharial]

I'm sorry for interrupting but I want to suggest that you keep Hamlyn's guenons (aka owl-faced monkey) together with the okapis instead of the colobuses, this is also done in Bioparc Doue la Fontaine. They are native to the Congo rainforests, threatened, and I believe that this EEP desperately needs more holders.

That could be possible, could they go together with the colobuses as well, or is it a choice? Since I do think the Colobuses are very pretty

 

[Mr Gharial]

Also, for the New Guinea house I was planning on free-roaming Tree kangaroos and Ground Cuscus', but would that be safe with the cassowaries? Otherwise I'll make the glass viewing to the cassowaries go all the way to the roof

 

[Lemur02]

That could be possible, could they go together with the colobuses as well, or is it a choice? Since I do think the Colobuses are very pretty

I'm not sure, maybe the guenons can better go with the gorillas and mangabeys. I have seen a similar combination before (gorilla, red-crowned mangabey, lhoest Guenon in Apenheul for example)

 

[Mr Gharial]

I'm not sure, maybe the guenons can better go with the gorillas and mangabeys. I have seen a similar combination before (gorilla, red-crowned mangabey, lhoest Guenon in Apenheul for example)

Could they maybe go together with the chimps? To give their enclosure a bit more colour as well. The gorillas and mangabeys give each other some nice contrast but the chimps alone are sorta one-coloured

 

[Lemur02]

Well, now we have the similar problem of the animals having to be small enough (Tufted deer and Muntjacs would be way too big), Ground based (Giant cloud rat and northern treeshrew would climb out and escape), not repetitive (Star tortoise and Brown tortoise would be too similar to the South American tortoise enclosure down the path), and also day active (Slow lorises are nocturnal and wouldn't be seen, along with being arboreal)

Maybe chevrotain? They are crepuscular, so could be visible in the Bush.

Could they maybe go together with the chimps? To give their enclosure a bit more colour as well. The gorillas and mangabeys give each other some nice contrast but the chimps alone are sorta one-coloured

Chimps are known to eat smaller monkeys so I don't think that that is a good idea

 

[Mr Gharial]

Maybe chevrotain? They are crepuscular, so could be visible in the Bush.

Only half the size of the aardvark, so visible yet small enough for the enclosure. Mouse deers basically have no chance of escape, and indeed they are both night and day active, so the visibility are increased compared to the Aardvarks. We have choice between the Java mouse deer and the Balabac chevrotain, these are the only ones in Europe, though there is also the option of bringing them in from zoos in Asia

Chimps are known to eat smaller monkeys so I don't think that that is a good idea

Mixing with chimps is definitely a bad idea then, gorillas it is!

 

[Lemur02]

Only half the size of the aardvark, so visible yet small enough for the enclosure. Mouse deers basically have no chance of escape, and indeed they are both night and day active, so the visibility are increased compared to the Aardvarks. We have choice between the Java mouse deer and the Balabac chevrotain, these are the only ones in Europe, though there is also the option of bringing them in from zoos in Asia



Mixing with chimps is definitely a bad idea then, gorillas it is!

Javans are definitely easier to obtain than Balabac, I believe there is only 1 male Balabac chevrotain left in Europe. If you decide on an import maybe yellow-striped chevrotain or greater mouse deer from Singapore Zoo.

EDIT: You could also import Balabac chevrotain from the Philippines (Avilon Zoo) to boost the diversity in Europe

 

[Mr Gharial]

Alright then, here's the Tasmania and Papua New Guinea houses.
You enter into the New guinea region after seeing the outside enclosure of the Southern Cassowaries. There are logs going from the floor to the ceiling with glass in between them, going only halfway. In the front, there is lower vegitation. And thicker vegitation in the back. New guinea ground cuscus' and Goodfellow tree kangaroos roam freely throughout the New guinea region of the hall.
New guinea short beaked echidnas live in a rock-enclosed enclosure similar to the aardvark's, and New guinea snapping turtles live in a back enclosure with a small waterfall. On your way to the Tasmania region of the hall, you meet the Indonesion forest dragon (FRST DRG) in a small, netted terrarium.
The Tasmanian hall is more foresty instead of tropical like the new guinea hall. Tasmanian long-nosed potoroos live together with common brush-tailed possums in a half-aviary, Two tasmanian devil exhibits have an inside and an outside region, both a mix of rocky and grassy. In the outside region, you can go underground for a viewing dome often used in Penguin and meerkat enclosures. Like the ones in Tasmanian devil Unzoo.
I'll post the rest of the updated outback later

 

[Mr Gharial]

There is one more problem though, what will be the colour for Burgers Congo?
I already kinda drained the whole colour spectrum for the new regions. Red for park, Dark gold for Outback, Light orange for Safari, Yellow for Desert, Light green for Rimba, Dark green for Bush, Turquoise for Mangrove, Light blue for Ocean, Magenta for Island Light grey for Arctic, Black for Night, and Brown for Woods. Only dark purple remains but that doesn't exactly fit Congo, does it?

Along with that, I'll also need another animal for the space in the old reindeer enclosure, since the nights are both moving.

Finally, does anyone know what birds would be safe to freely roam in the congo dome? I was planning on Congo peafowl, Crested guineafowl, Great blue turacos, and maybe some of the African birds of the bush.

 

[Lemur02]

There is one more problem though, what will be the colour for Burgers Congo?
I already kinda drained the whole colour spectrum for the new regions. Red for park, Dark gold for Outback, Light orange for Safari, Yellow for Desert, Light green for Rimba, Dark green for Bush, Turquoise for Mangrove, Light blue for Ocean, Magenta for Island Light grey for Arctic, Black for Night, and Brown for Woods. Only dark purple remains but that doesn't exactly fit Congo, does it?

Along with that, I'll also need another animal for the space in the old reindeer enclosure, since the nights are both moving.

Finally, does anyone know what birds would be safe to freely roam in the congo dome? I was planning on Congo peafowl, Crested guineafowl, Great blue turacos, and maybe some of the African birds of the bush.

I have some suggestions for the Congo region:
first I had some ideas for a different name: Burgers Swamp/Bog/Marsh, as the Congolese rainforests are ofter very swampy. I would give this region the color that the mangrove currently has, the almost brownish green, and give the mangrove a more teal/turquoise color.

The birds you suggested sound good to me. Maybe the Rodrigues fruit bats can move here from the Bush?
My suggestions for other birds:
Already present in the zoo:
- Whistling ducks (white-faced from Bush or fulvous from the Mangrove)
- Speckled mousebird (from the Bush)
- Snowy-crowned robin chat (from the Bush)

Not yet present in the zoo:
- African pygmy goose
- Knob-billed duck
- African swamphen
- African jacana
- Hadada ibis
- Lemon dove

 

[Mr Gharial]

And unrelated, you made a big map of your ideas for the Burgers Zoo, how did you did that ? I would like to do something like that with my "totally objective" opinions

How did this go, by the way? Very curious on your notes

 

[Mr Gharial]

I have some suggestions for the Congo region:
first I had some ideas for a different name: Burgers Swamp/Bog/Marsh, as the Congolese rainforests are ofter very swampy. I would give this region the color that the mangrove currently has, the almost brownish green, and give the mangrove a more teal/turquoise color.

The birds you suggested sound good to me. Maybe the Rodrigues fruit bats can move here from the Bush?
My suggestions for other birds:
Already present in the zoo:
- Whistling ducks (white-faced from Bush or fulvous from the Mangrove)
- Speckled mousebird (from the Bush)
- Snowy-crowned robin chat (from the Bush)

Not yet present in the zoo:
- African pygmy goose
- Knob-billed duck
- African swamphen
- African jacana
- Hadada ibis
- Lemon dove

Well, I think Burgers swamp would be a better name for a North American swamp, which I was planning on making at first but decided on not doing it. The teal idea for mangrove was already planned, but that would mean there'd be four green variations in the logo.

This is the current logo, by the way (I'm going to fix the colours once I've added Congo)

 

[FBBird]

Could they maybe go together with the chimps? To give their enclosure a bit more colour as well. The gorillas and mangabeys give each other some nice contrast but the chimps alone are sorta one-coloured

Come on, chimpanzees eat monkeys! Gorillas don’t.

 

[Westcoastperson]

So for the outback house, I wouldn't suggest having tree kangaroos be a walkthrough exhibit as they are prone to stress the cuscus should be fine maybe you could add a dusky pademelon.
For the colors, you could make congo purple as even though it doesn't fit I doubt anybody will question it.

 

[GiratinaIsGod]

good points for all but what about the slow loris, my only worry for them would be stress. Here are some more options: Southern Brown Tortoise, Indian Star Tortoise, Lion-Tailed Macaque, Northern Treeshrew, Tufted Deer, Reeves Muntjac, and Giant cloud rat

It would realy help, if you saw the Burgers Bush in rl. It is a gaint hall, but filled with with rainforrst trees and living birds. there are beside of it some smaler enclosures, (aardvaark, smal clawed otter, capybara,( in the river inside, it does not have much land area) and the caimans. all relativly smal. It would be impseble to keep any animals on a decent size. It is not build like for example Godwanaland in Leipzig, which was build to keep larger animals aswell. The only animal you said of these who would make a reseanble choice would be the treeshrew. Most animals would be either in dnager from the visitors, a danger to the other animals, or have not enough space left.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Come on, chimpanzees eat monkeys! Gorillas don’t.

Well, you don't have to be an ass about it

So for the outback house, I wouldn't suggest having tree kangaroos be a walkthrough exhibit as they are prone to stress the cuscus should be fine maybe you could add a dusky pademelon.
For the colors, you could make congo purple as even though it doesn't fit I doubt anybody will question it.

Doesn't Tierpark Berlin have Free roaming tree kangaroos in the new Alfred-Brehm house?

Edit: looked it up, they have a seperate enclosure indeed, what other free-roaming animals could we do? As I think it would be too small and too vegetated for wallabies.
And what else could go with the tree kangaroos? Preferably something ground based

 

[Westcoastperson]

Well, you don't have to be an ass about it



Doesn't Tierpark Berlin have Free roaming tree kangaroos in the new Alfred-Brehm house?

Edit: looked it up, they have a seperate enclosure indeed, what other free-roaming animals could we do? As I think it would be too small and too vegetated for wallabies.
And what else could go with the tree kangaroos? Preferably something ground based

Maybe a wholly rat species like Rothschilds or subalpine (They aren't listed on Zootierliste so I don't know they're European distribution. The only other animal I could find was another species of ground cuscus.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Maybe a wholly rat species like Rothschilds or subalpine (They aren't listed on Zootierliste so I don't know they're European distribution. The only other animal I could find was another species of ground cuscus.

Indeed, zootierliste is sadly lacking of New guinean and Tasmanian animals. They can be alone then, since they are very pretty on their own as well. Any more ideas on free-roamers?