My Zoo Concept
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Sphenisciologist
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Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Complete Zoo Catalog
Geographic Range - Central America to South America, in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and few other countries.
Habitat - Tropical rainforests dwelling in the canopies.
Class - Mammalia
Order - Pilosa
Family - Choloepopidae
Genus - Choloepus
Height - 72 cm
Weight - Around 13 lbs
Lifespan - Up to 40 years.
IUCN Conservation Status - Least Concern
Captive Requirements
Feeding: Sloths are herbivorous mammals, eating a wide variety of fresh browse, foliage, fruits and vegetables. At the zoo, they will be fed fruits and vegetables daily such as apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and lettuce. High vegetable diets help them get all the nutrients and water they need to survive since sloths have very low metabolisms.
Enrichment: Sloths spend a lot of their time looking for new branches or new areas to climb and rest. Adding new climbing maneuvers will be motivating to keep the sloths exploring and not getting bored of the same one place. Also, using hammocks within the trees can be a great place for the sloths to find new areas to rest in.
Cleaning: Since our sloths live in an outdoor exhibit with lots of plant life, sprinklers are used to keep the exhibit intact. Hand scrubbing everything, checking the water and quality of the exhibit is also very important. It’s also crucial to make sure our sloths do not get dirty, as this will help them stay in their best health possible.
Health: Speaking of health, daily inspections are done by veterinarians to ensure that our sloths are in the best care, they are reaching all nutritional needs, they are free of disease and infection and they have good physical and mental health. However, daily inspections need to be done with precaution. Those claws are not to be messed with!
Choloepus hoffmanni
Complete Zoo Catalog
Geographic Range - Central America to South America, in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and few other countries.
Habitat - Tropical rainforests dwelling in the canopies.
Class - Mammalia
Order - Pilosa
Family - Choloepopidae
Genus - Choloepus
Height - 72 cm
Weight - Around 13 lbs
Lifespan - Up to 40 years.
IUCN Conservation Status - Least Concern
Captive Requirements
Feeding: Sloths are herbivorous mammals, eating a wide variety of fresh browse, foliage, fruits and vegetables. At the zoo, they will be fed fruits and vegetables daily such as apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and lettuce. High vegetable diets help them get all the nutrients and water they need to survive since sloths have very low metabolisms.
Enrichment: Sloths spend a lot of their time looking for new branches or new areas to climb and rest. Adding new climbing maneuvers will be motivating to keep the sloths exploring and not getting bored of the same one place. Also, using hammocks within the trees can be a great place for the sloths to find new areas to rest in.
Cleaning: Since our sloths live in an outdoor exhibit with lots of plant life, sprinklers are used to keep the exhibit intact. Hand scrubbing everything, checking the water and quality of the exhibit is also very important. It’s also crucial to make sure our sloths do not get dirty, as this will help them stay in their best health possible.
Health: Speaking of health, daily inspections are done by veterinarians to ensure that our sloths are in the best care, they are reaching all nutritional needs, they are free of disease and infection and they have good physical and mental health. However, daily inspections need to be done with precaution. Those claws are not to be messed with!
Just my 2 cents:
Unless you have a very small zoo with a very limited number of specimens (which then can't afford a designated zoo vet. Or gigantic zoo buildings), zoo vets are not throughoutly checking each and every individual specimen in a zoo on a daily basis.
Your admission prices are economically irrealistic, in particular given the very high maintenance costs of subantarctic penguins and rainforest greenhouses.
Your zoo concept is missing more revenues and more charismatic crowd pleasers that will draw in visitors.
I agree. Unfortunately, this whole zoo concept is wrong from the get go.
Short summary - 13 acres new zoo with 2 expensive large climatized halls located somehere in rural Michigan, with 178 employees and admission price usd 8/5 for adults/children. The single crowd pleaser - Indian rhinos.
Lets get started. Average annual salary in Michigan is usd 63k (thanks google). Salaries alone would need 11 mio usd. Personal costs make around 1/2 to 1/3 of total running costs of a typical zoo in Europe (no idea about the US but let assume its the same). You thus need around 22 - 33 mio usd revenues to break even (this ignores initial investment). If children make 40% of visitors, you get average revenue of 6,80 usd per head from ticket sale and maybe 2 usd netto from sale of food and merch. What attendance you need? Between 2.5 - 3.75 million annually. While traditional large Detroit zoo, located in suburbs of a huge city and filled with crowd pleasers, reaches barely 1.5 mio.
A new zoo located in rural Michigan will probably earn 80% of its revenues during 3-4 summer months, take this into account. Think harder about crowd pleasers and different summer time attractions (open air). Prefer species from temperate/montanous/savanna/desert enviroment to save on costs during harsh winters. And try again.
Edit: just wanted to add I absolutely dont want to discourage you from creating new zoos in your fantasy, you clearly invested a lot of time into this one and it has some nice touches. I´m sure you also did a lot of researching and learnt a lot about animal species and their requirements in the process.
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I think the question at hand revolves around how realistic the zoo is intended to be. I assume it is intended to be as realistic as possible, from various statements made thus far by the creator. However there are several major problems in realism with the current setup, laid out by multiple members now. One other thing I will add - a 13 acre zoo with only 10 species does not require 178 staff. As far as the animals here are concerned, a team of three or four people would likely be sufficient as many of the species here are very low maintenance. My local facility maintains around 80 species on about 10 acres total with 3-4 animal staff on a day plus a volunteer or two - and that's including educational programs and a lorikeet feeding aviary. There is no vet on hand, all animals are inspected daily by keepers morning and evening.
The random generator method for species I think also did not contribute to realism here - it dealt an extremely low key hand. While it increases challenge of building, it doesn't really work for realism. An all weather major draw needed in there. Several, honestly in terms of attracting people.
My advice to @Galapagos Penguin would be to consider what route you want for this zoo - whether to leave it as a challenge zoo working with what you're dealt or if you want to take it the realistic route. Either one can be interesting, and it's fully up to you which one you choose. However make it clear which one you choose and why so we can adjust our comments and criticism accordingly.
The random generator method for species I think also did not contribute to realism here - it dealt an extremely low key hand. While it increases challenge of building, it doesn't really work for realism. An all weather major draw needed in there. Several, honestly in terms of attracting people.
My advice to @Galapagos Penguin would be to consider what route you want for this zoo - whether to leave it as a challenge zoo working with what you're dealt or if you want to take it the realistic route. Either one can be interesting, and it's fully up to you which one you choose. However make it clear which one you choose and why so we can adjust our comments and criticism accordingly.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Zoo Overhaul
Thanks guys, I’ll take this realism into account and change aspects of the overall layout.
I want this zoo to be realistic but also free for me to choose my species, and I’ve never really done anything like this before so this is all really just a learning process for me. Any advice I can get, I will take.
- Location: I am instead changing the location of my zoo to Charlotte, NC due to its much better, subtropical weather conditions which will help boost attendance considering that any zoo located in a city is bound to attract both locals and tourists alike. It’s not the perfect option, but the city currently does not have a zoo and it has very nice weather for the animals.
- Zoo Size: The zoo size has been cut down to just 7 acres. 13 acres is not going to spark attendance due to the small number of species. I intend to have my species list keep growing, but for now the zoo will be smaller.
- Staff: The total staff has been cut down to just 66. Daily inspections are done by keepers in mornings and evenings, with vets only there in case of an emergency.
- Special Events: Special events will help boost ticket sales, and these will include events like birthday parties, weddings and seasonal, holiday events.
- Educational Programs: Educational programs are aimed more towards younger audience, but there are some for everyone. The education team makes up about seven staff, and together participate in daily educational programs such as summer camps, classroom style teaching, singular days at the zoo, and even some volunteering.
- Volunteering: Volunteering can help spark attendance and encourage visitors to return, allowing people to make a one on one interaction with animals without using money from the zoo.
- Prices: Admission prices are going to be very different and raised higher. People above eighteen will be charged 21$, people below eighteen will be charged 12$ and anyone below the age of two won’t be charged anything.
I hope this is a step in the right direction. I’m aware I still have progress to make, but I think that this helped.
Thanks guys, I’ll take this realism into account and change aspects of the overall layout.
I want this zoo to be realistic but also free for me to choose my species, and I’ve never really done anything like this before so this is all really just a learning process for me. Any advice I can get, I will take.
- Location: I am instead changing the location of my zoo to Charlotte, NC due to its much better, subtropical weather conditions which will help boost attendance considering that any zoo located in a city is bound to attract both locals and tourists alike. It’s not the perfect option, but the city currently does not have a zoo and it has very nice weather for the animals.
- Zoo Size: The zoo size has been cut down to just 7 acres. 13 acres is not going to spark attendance due to the small number of species. I intend to have my species list keep growing, but for now the zoo will be smaller.
- Staff: The total staff has been cut down to just 66. Daily inspections are done by keepers in mornings and evenings, with vets only there in case of an emergency.
- Special Events: Special events will help boost ticket sales, and these will include events like birthday parties, weddings and seasonal, holiday events.
- Educational Programs: Educational programs are aimed more towards younger audience, but there are some for everyone. The education team makes up about seven staff, and together participate in daily educational programs such as summer camps, classroom style teaching, singular days at the zoo, and even some volunteering.
- Volunteering: Volunteering can help spark attendance and encourage visitors to return, allowing people to make a one on one interaction with animals without using money from the zoo.
- Prices: Admission prices are going to be very different and raised higher. People above eighteen will be charged 21$, people below eighteen will be charged 12$ and anyone below the age of two won’t be charged anything.
I hope this is a step in the right direction. I’m aware I still have progress to make, but I think that this helped.
So you're charging more for less?
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Considering that adults have more responsibility than children, and there will likely be more children than adults on most zoo trips, I would say the price is pretty balanced.So you're charging more for less?
Attendance is important, but if it’s overpriced too much, no one is gonna come!
Yes, but I think some further illustration is needed to show Batto's point.
So there's your size and cost, with 10 species.
A handful of zoos in California, one of the most expensive states in the US for comparison:
Sacramento (AZA, Sacramento)
- 14 acres
- Approximately 120 species, 500 individuals
- Adults - $18.25 - 24 (use plan ahead)
- Kids - $13.75 - 16 (use plan ahead)
- Approximately 10 acres in the paid park (website says 300 but there's a lot of no fee areas)
- Approximately 80 species, 200 individuals (plus non-living museum areas)
- Adults (16+) - $18
- Kids - $14
- Approximately 5 acres
- Approximately 40 species
- Adults (13+) - $14.95 for Humboldt co residents, 24.95 non residents
- Kids - $10.95 residents, 12.95 non residents
- Approximately 39 acres
- Approximately 240 species
- Adults - $14.95 (heavily supported by the local population through tax measure)
- Kids - $8.95
- 5 acres
- Approximately 60 species
- Adults - $10
- Kids - $8
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
This was a very helpful comparison, thanks!
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
I think now is a good time to add several other species to help balance out zoo size and the total price. They will be smaller species, easy to manage and species that are common in facilities.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Species Updates
I am introducing 6 new species into my zoo. All of them will be put in an exhibit that is currently displayed or in their own habitat.
- 1.1 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Found in the Indian Reserve in the female Indian rhinoceros habitat. They also have an indoor exhibit next to the little bustards.
- 1.1 Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
Found in the Main Entrance Building with a viewing area for their indoor and outdoor exhibits.
- 1.1 Barn Owl Tyto alba
Found in an indoor exhibit near the peafowls.
- 1.2 Chital Axis axis
Found in the Indian rhino habitat, and they also have a private yard.
- 2.2 Yellow-spotted River Turtle Podocnemis unifilis
Found in a small pond in the Colombian Boardwalk.
- 1.1 Red-legged Seriema Cariama cristata
Aviary complex in the Colombian Boardwalk.
- Instead of Insular Flying Foxes, I will be using Indian Flying Foxes since I can’t find any facility that holds Insulars.
- Barn Owl
- Chinstrap Penguin (c)
- Chital
- Guinea Chick Lobster (c)
- Hartlaub’s Turaco (c)
- Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (c)
- Indian Flying Fox
- Indian Peafowl
- Indian Rhinoceros
- Milky Stork
- Red-legged Seriema
- Red Panda
- Suckermouth Catfish
- Sunbittern
- White-bellied Go-away Bird
- Yellow-spotted River Turtle
I am introducing 6 new species into my zoo. All of them will be put in an exhibit that is currently displayed or in their own habitat.
- 1.1 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Found in the Indian Reserve in the female Indian rhinoceros habitat. They also have an indoor exhibit next to the little bustards.
- 1.1 Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
Found in the Main Entrance Building with a viewing area for their indoor and outdoor exhibits.
- 1.1 Barn Owl Tyto alba
Found in an indoor exhibit near the peafowls.
- 1.2 Chital Axis axis
Found in the Indian rhino habitat, and they also have a private yard.
- 2.2 Yellow-spotted River Turtle Podocnemis unifilis
Found in a small pond in the Colombian Boardwalk.
- 1.1 Red-legged Seriema Cariama cristata
Aviary complex in the Colombian Boardwalk.
- Instead of Insular Flying Foxes, I will be using Indian Flying Foxes since I can’t find any facility that holds Insulars.
- Barn Owl
- Chinstrap Penguin (c)
- Chital
- Guinea Chick Lobster (c)
- Hartlaub’s Turaco (c)
- Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (c)
- Indian Flying Fox
- Indian Peafowl
- Indian Rhinoceros
- Milky Stork
- Red-legged Seriema
- Red Panda
- Suckermouth Catfish
- Sunbittern
- White-bellied Go-away Bird
- Yellow-spotted River Turtle
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Definitely a good step in the right direction, but I do think another major draw species or two would be beneficial to realism (large cat, large canid, otter, Red Panda, Meerkat, zebra, giraffe, maybe one of the smaller bears) as the zoo is still basically riding on the rhinos and maybe the penguins.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Ok, I’ll phase out the bustards and replace it with an indoor exhibit with 1.1 Red Panda Ailurus fulgens and outdoor viewing.
Also a question, do the educational programs include live animal presentations? That's typically expected to be the case for zoo education programs but only the Barn Owls and turaco are considered program-usable normally. Neither is listed in an outreach friendly set up so I was wondering.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Only for the barn owls. I intend to keep the turacos in their natural space as much as possible. The owls would show up to the zoos classrooms and events for kids part of schools or summer camps, where keepers would do animal presentations on the species.
That's a start. However two barn owls does not an education program make. It is a bad species to solely rely on. I have worked with the species, they tend to be temperamental and unreliable. Often flighty indoors and in overly noisy situations. They are familiar and carry a good conservation message, but you'd be risking having a poor program or even none at all just trying to use the owl pair. Additionally they cannot be touched or closely approached by the public, which is one of the best features for kids programs especially.
A calm, easily handled reptile and an easy going mammal are definitely helpful to any education program. I know you're trying to keep the zoo small but I'm continuing to offer advice since you have also stated you want things to be fairly realistic. You're always free to take or leave my suggestions.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Oh no, I thought you meant between the barn owls and turacos only! Turacos won’t be used but barn owls will is what I meant. Sorry about the confusion lol!
And I do appreciate your suggestions! They are very helpful.
So maybe a snake of some species would be a good choice, or maybe macaws or small parrots.
No I understood what you meant. My original statement re ambassador animals was that the owls and turacos are the only species on your list usually used for outreach. Sometimes sloths too but you've settled with those on display.
Okay, I'll keep them coming then.
Kingsnake, Ball Python, Bearded Dragon, box turtle, smaller tortoise species are generally all great options with proper acclimation to handling.
Macaws, cockatoos, amazons, and the African Gray are very common choices for birds. Corvids and Harris's Hawk are also popular; worth bearing in mind birds are more susceptible to loud noises and sudden movements.
Hedgehogs, armadillos, porcupines, and skunks are generally tractable and easy travelers (though the scent glands of the latter need to be considered). Foxes, raccoons, and small cats are very popular as well and great for on-site programs but taking them off grounds is not so easy.
There's a wide variety of species that are regularly used, all of which have positives and negatives. For additional information check out this site, not all the species listed have profiles but many of them do.
Ambassador Animal Resource and Information Center
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
Species Update
Education Program
- Close-up animal presentations is key for education programs, especially for younger audience. So I am importing two new species.
- 1.1 African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus
- 1.1 Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
During off time, you can find African Grey’s in the African Aviary in their own exhibit, and you can find the radiated tortoises in their own exhibit inside the aviary.
- African Grey Parrot
- Barn Owl
- Chinstrap Penguin (c)
- Chital
- Guinea Chick Lobster (c)
- Hartlaub’s Turaco (c)
- Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (c)
- Indian Flying Fox
- Indian Peafowl
- Indian Rhinoceros
- Milky Stork
- Radiated Tortoise
- Red-legged Seriema
- Red Panda
- Suckermouth Catfish
- Sunbittern
- White-bellied Go-away Bird
- Yellow-spotted River Turtle
Education Program
- Close-up animal presentations is key for education programs, especially for younger audience. So I am importing two new species.
- 1.1 African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus
- 1.1 Radiated Tortoise Astrochelys radiata
During off time, you can find African Grey’s in the African Aviary in their own exhibit, and you can find the radiated tortoises in their own exhibit inside the aviary.
- African Grey Parrot
- Barn Owl
- Chinstrap Penguin (c)
- Chital
- Guinea Chick Lobster (c)
- Hartlaub’s Turaco (c)
- Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth (c)
- Indian Flying Fox
- Indian Peafowl
- Indian Rhinoceros
- Milky Stork
- Radiated Tortoise
- Red-legged Seriema
- Red Panda
- Suckermouth Catfish
- Sunbittern
- White-bellied Go-away Bird
- Yellow-spotted River Turtle