Lately, I have been working on a fantasy zoo project, designing what I'd consider my ideal large zoo. This zoo will contain over 200 species, and while I don't have a set acreage in mind, it'd certainly end up being 100 acres, minimum. Inside this zoo, there will be a wide array of species, including both traditional, charismatic megafauna (including four pachyderm species, giraffes, three bear species, and five big cat species) along with a plethora of smaller species, including some rarities. This zoo was made with a consideration of what can be acquired relatively easy within the AZA, so the species list is largely based on what could be readily available. It will be located somewhere in the Northeastern United States (specific city doesn't matter), and this was a major consideration when designing areas for warm-weather species, many of which will be included in this zoo. I will be posting my plans for this zoo in a series of posts over the next week or so, with posts going in order of how I'd expect visitors to see the zoo. This zoo will be designed in a loop format, as I really like this set-up as it allows visitors to easily see every part of the zoo without getting lost or accidentally back-tracking/missing sections. One major focus of this zoo will be on creating modern, innovative zoo exhibits, very much focusing on what I expect the future of zoos to be, from both visitor and animal perspectives. Without further ado, here is Part 1 of My Ideal Large Zoo:
One biome I am surprised gets as little inclusion in zoos as it does is the Desert. In the United States, there's only five zoos featuring Deserts Buildings, Omaha, Indianapolis, North Carolina, Brookfield, and Zoo America. It's a real shame these exhibits are not more common, as there are many unique educational opportunities relating to desert wildlife/conservation/adaptations, and also many unique and fascinating species native to desert regions of the world that would make great exhibit animals in this sort of building. As a result, the first building upon entering the zoo will be the Deserts of the World building, featuring the flora and fauna of three different deserts from across three continents. As a whole, this building would be approximately two acres large, although close to half of this will be designated to a single species (perhaps a surprise inclusion to this dome). Today, I will be describing the habitats in the first of three sections to the dome, which is the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert, one of the most biodiverse deserts in the world, is home to a wide array of unique species that could create a great first impression to zoo visitors. Upon entering the dome, the first habitat seen will be a 10,000 gallon aquarium, featuring Desert Pupfish. Yes, I am building a desert-themed exhibit in which the first habitat contains fish. The reason for this is that, since many don't associate fish with deserts, this will provide a nice surprise factor that allows for some unique educational displays. On both sides of this aquarium, educational displays will be focusing on the importance of water to desert ecosystems, and how important water conservation is to the conservation of deserts as a whole. This messaging around water will carry throughout the entire dome, with many exhibits featuring signage on the unique ways that animals obtain, store, or conserve water. After the pupfish aquarium, the path will turn around a bend into a rocky cave, with various terrariums nestled inside the cave walls for species more traditionally associated with the desert. The first of these terrariums is home to Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions, followed by terrariums for three other invertebrate species: Tailless Whip Scorpions, Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula, and Blue Death-Feigning Beetles. While these may not be the most exciting animals for the average visitor, one major goal of this zoo is highlighting the world's biodiversity, which means in addition to the standard mammals, birds, and reptiles, also incorporating exhibits for various amphibians, fish, and both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. After these terrariums, the cave widens into a large atrium, featuring some larger species that call this desert home. Most notably, the center of the atrium is a large, 5,000 square-foot habitat for Chacoan Peccaries. Rather than feature collared peccaries, the species native to the Sonoran Desert, I opted to display this species instead because of its conservation status and due to the recommendations made by the AZA's Ungulates TAG, which suggests exhibiting this more endangered species instead. The zoo will feature a 1.2 breeding trio of this awesome species, which will live in a habitat designed to simulate the Sonoran Desert as best a possible. Sharing the habitat with the chacoan peccaries is a large saguaro cactus, along with other plants native to the Sonoran Desert- strategically placed in ways that the peccaries can't destroy them. As the visitor pathway loops around the peccary habitat (picture a semi-circular habitat, with visitor path on the curved part), a number of smaller habitats will adorn the left side of the path (with peccaries on the right). The first of these habitats will be a 1,500 square foot aviary home to Burrowing Owls, Greater Roadrunner, Masked Bobwhites, and Desert Tortoises. This will be another habitat filled with various small cactuses and other plants native to this desert, and will be built on two levels, allowing the tortoises access to only the lower level and allowing the birds access to both levels. While the burrowing owls are a breeding pair, the other species would all be non-breeding groups, as necessary by their respective AZA programs. Both the owls and the bobwhites allow for interesting conservation education opportunities, and are species that the zoo would be able to cooperate with on in-situ and ex-situ conservation. Next to this aviary, will be a burrow for the owls in which visitors can look into through a glass viewing window. Signage will explain how the burrowing owl steals old burrows from the dome's next inhabitants, the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. This habitat will be set up such that visitors can see both the ground-level viewing of these popular rodents, and underground viewing into a subsection of prairie dog tunnel. There will also be, as typical for prairie dog exhibits, a tunnel under the exhibit for human children, allowing them to "pop" their heads into the tunnel. While one side of this prairie dog habitat featured the owls, who will use prairie dog tunnels as homes, the other side will feature another species from the desert grasslands which prairie dogs interact with- or in this case are predated on by. This species, of course, is the critically endangered Black-footed Ferret. This is another species that allows some great conservation initiatives on the part of the zoo, and are a unique species only kept by a handful of zoos in the US. Likewise to the owl and prairie dogs, the black-footed ferret habitat will also incorporate underground viewing. After these three habitats featuring underground viewing, the next habitat will be across the path- overlooking the peccary habitat. That habitat will provide an interesting predator-prey display alongside the peccaries, and is a species in which there are very few left in the United States, with that being the Jaguar. This 3,000 square foot indoor habitat will be designed to replicate the Sonoran Desert home of these incredible cats, but is not the only habitat these cats have access to. Rather, the jaguars will be given the choice between utilizing this indoor habitat, or an outdoor habitat which will be described in a later section (despite being connected, these two habitats are in very different sections of the zoo- as part of the looping design). The zoo will have a breeding pair of these majestic cats, and in the case of cubs, the cubs would be raised in this indoor habitat, with the male on display outdoors. When there aren't cubs, the jaguars will ideally share access to both exhibits, but may be rotated between the two if necessary (as they are solitary cats in the wild). After this indoor jaguar habitat, the path will move around another bend, around an aviary across from the jaguars, featuring a pair of Thick-Billed Parrots. This is another endangered species, which can be a part of the zoo's desert conservation programs, providing in-situ and ex-situ support for a number of desert species. After the aviary, the path will return to another cave, this time featuring three different habitats for rattlesnake species, specifically the Western Diamondback, Sidewinder, and Banded Rock Rattlesnakes. These will be fairly standard rattlesnake exhibits, but certainly on the large side. After this cave, visitors will be greeted by a pair of 1,000 square foot harp wire cages, the first of which features a pair of Swift Fox, and the second being home to Ocelot. Both of these unique carnivores will have spacious habitats, allowing various opportunities to climb and/or hide in the exhibits. While there will be hiding opportunities in these exhibits making the animals potentially difficult to spot, various feeding and enrichment opportunities would be considered in the design of these habitats to encourage, but not require, animal visibility. Opposite these two habitats will be a terrarium for a Desert Rosy Boa and a series of larger, open-air reptile displays for Chuckwallas and Gila Monsters. After passing these two lizard habitats, the path will bend again as visitors are transported across the world into Desert number two, which may not be a desert you'd expect to see in this dome. To be continued...
If you have any guesses as to what this surprising desert is, or have any critiques/suggestions of the zoo thus far, feel free to comment or let me know.
Species Count in this section: 22
Mammals- 6
Birds- 4
Reptiles- 7
Amphibians- 0
Fish- 1
Invertebrates- 4
Cumulative Species Count: 22
Mammals- 6
Birds- 4
Reptiles- 7
Amphibians- 0
Fish- 1
Invertebrates- 4
One biome I am surprised gets as little inclusion in zoos as it does is the Desert. In the United States, there's only five zoos featuring Deserts Buildings, Omaha, Indianapolis, North Carolina, Brookfield, and Zoo America. It's a real shame these exhibits are not more common, as there are many unique educational opportunities relating to desert wildlife/conservation/adaptations, and also many unique and fascinating species native to desert regions of the world that would make great exhibit animals in this sort of building. As a result, the first building upon entering the zoo will be the Deserts of the World building, featuring the flora and fauna of three different deserts from across three continents. As a whole, this building would be approximately two acres large, although close to half of this will be designated to a single species (perhaps a surprise inclusion to this dome). Today, I will be describing the habitats in the first of three sections to the dome, which is the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert, one of the most biodiverse deserts in the world, is home to a wide array of unique species that could create a great first impression to zoo visitors. Upon entering the dome, the first habitat seen will be a 10,000 gallon aquarium, featuring Desert Pupfish. Yes, I am building a desert-themed exhibit in which the first habitat contains fish. The reason for this is that, since many don't associate fish with deserts, this will provide a nice surprise factor that allows for some unique educational displays. On both sides of this aquarium, educational displays will be focusing on the importance of water to desert ecosystems, and how important water conservation is to the conservation of deserts as a whole. This messaging around water will carry throughout the entire dome, with many exhibits featuring signage on the unique ways that animals obtain, store, or conserve water. After the pupfish aquarium, the path will turn around a bend into a rocky cave, with various terrariums nestled inside the cave walls for species more traditionally associated with the desert. The first of these terrariums is home to Giant Desert Hairy Scorpions, followed by terrariums for three other invertebrate species: Tailless Whip Scorpions, Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula, and Blue Death-Feigning Beetles. While these may not be the most exciting animals for the average visitor, one major goal of this zoo is highlighting the world's biodiversity, which means in addition to the standard mammals, birds, and reptiles, also incorporating exhibits for various amphibians, fish, and both terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. After these terrariums, the cave widens into a large atrium, featuring some larger species that call this desert home. Most notably, the center of the atrium is a large, 5,000 square-foot habitat for Chacoan Peccaries. Rather than feature collared peccaries, the species native to the Sonoran Desert, I opted to display this species instead because of its conservation status and due to the recommendations made by the AZA's Ungulates TAG, which suggests exhibiting this more endangered species instead. The zoo will feature a 1.2 breeding trio of this awesome species, which will live in a habitat designed to simulate the Sonoran Desert as best a possible. Sharing the habitat with the chacoan peccaries is a large saguaro cactus, along with other plants native to the Sonoran Desert- strategically placed in ways that the peccaries can't destroy them. As the visitor pathway loops around the peccary habitat (picture a semi-circular habitat, with visitor path on the curved part), a number of smaller habitats will adorn the left side of the path (with peccaries on the right). The first of these habitats will be a 1,500 square foot aviary home to Burrowing Owls, Greater Roadrunner, Masked Bobwhites, and Desert Tortoises. This will be another habitat filled with various small cactuses and other plants native to this desert, and will be built on two levels, allowing the tortoises access to only the lower level and allowing the birds access to both levels. While the burrowing owls are a breeding pair, the other species would all be non-breeding groups, as necessary by their respective AZA programs. Both the owls and the bobwhites allow for interesting conservation education opportunities, and are species that the zoo would be able to cooperate with on in-situ and ex-situ conservation. Next to this aviary, will be a burrow for the owls in which visitors can look into through a glass viewing window. Signage will explain how the burrowing owl steals old burrows from the dome's next inhabitants, the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. This habitat will be set up such that visitors can see both the ground-level viewing of these popular rodents, and underground viewing into a subsection of prairie dog tunnel. There will also be, as typical for prairie dog exhibits, a tunnel under the exhibit for human children, allowing them to "pop" their heads into the tunnel. While one side of this prairie dog habitat featured the owls, who will use prairie dog tunnels as homes, the other side will feature another species from the desert grasslands which prairie dogs interact with- or in this case are predated on by. This species, of course, is the critically endangered Black-footed Ferret. This is another species that allows some great conservation initiatives on the part of the zoo, and are a unique species only kept by a handful of zoos in the US. Likewise to the owl and prairie dogs, the black-footed ferret habitat will also incorporate underground viewing. After these three habitats featuring underground viewing, the next habitat will be across the path- overlooking the peccary habitat. That habitat will provide an interesting predator-prey display alongside the peccaries, and is a species in which there are very few left in the United States, with that being the Jaguar. This 3,000 square foot indoor habitat will be designed to replicate the Sonoran Desert home of these incredible cats, but is not the only habitat these cats have access to. Rather, the jaguars will be given the choice between utilizing this indoor habitat, or an outdoor habitat which will be described in a later section (despite being connected, these two habitats are in very different sections of the zoo- as part of the looping design). The zoo will have a breeding pair of these majestic cats, and in the case of cubs, the cubs would be raised in this indoor habitat, with the male on display outdoors. When there aren't cubs, the jaguars will ideally share access to both exhibits, but may be rotated between the two if necessary (as they are solitary cats in the wild). After this indoor jaguar habitat, the path will move around another bend, around an aviary across from the jaguars, featuring a pair of Thick-Billed Parrots. This is another endangered species, which can be a part of the zoo's desert conservation programs, providing in-situ and ex-situ support for a number of desert species. After the aviary, the path will return to another cave, this time featuring three different habitats for rattlesnake species, specifically the Western Diamondback, Sidewinder, and Banded Rock Rattlesnakes. These will be fairly standard rattlesnake exhibits, but certainly on the large side. After this cave, visitors will be greeted by a pair of 1,000 square foot harp wire cages, the first of which features a pair of Swift Fox, and the second being home to Ocelot. Both of these unique carnivores will have spacious habitats, allowing various opportunities to climb and/or hide in the exhibits. While there will be hiding opportunities in these exhibits making the animals potentially difficult to spot, various feeding and enrichment opportunities would be considered in the design of these habitats to encourage, but not require, animal visibility. Opposite these two habitats will be a terrarium for a Desert Rosy Boa and a series of larger, open-air reptile displays for Chuckwallas and Gila Monsters. After passing these two lizard habitats, the path will bend again as visitors are transported across the world into Desert number two, which may not be a desert you'd expect to see in this dome. To be continued...
If you have any guesses as to what this surprising desert is, or have any critiques/suggestions of the zoo thus far, feel free to comment or let me know.
Species Count in this section: 22
Mammals- 6
Birds- 4
Reptiles- 7
Amphibians- 0
Fish- 1
Invertebrates- 4
Cumulative Species Count: 22
Mammals- 6
Birds- 4
Reptiles- 7
Amphibians- 0
Fish- 1
Invertebrates- 4
