Exhibitry Themes/Styles You Wish Were More Common In Zoos

I don't think there's a term for it, but I wish more zoos would exhibit animals that are related to each other but do not look like each other at first glance are exhibited next to each other (potentially even mixed together if they are compatible). I say that because one of my favorite points of exhibitry at the Saint Louis Zoo is the the giraffes and okapi are adjacent to each other. At first glance, these species do not look much alike, but there's something about being able to watch them exist in the same space that really helps me draw that connection between the two. Its like a real life side-by-side comparison. I would like to see zoos do things like this more often.
 
Neil chace said:
The catch here is balancing adherence to a theme with species that can reasonably be acquired, and ideally are part of a greater managed population. Sure, it'd be great to instead of an Africa section a zoo does an exhibit dedicated to the Ethiopian Highlands, but no amount of wishful thinking will allow them to display mountain nyala or Ethiopian wolf, so species need to be chosen carefully that either fit a theme, or to stand in for other species. Granted, a zoo could still build an Ethiopian Highlands exhibit, featuring geladas, rock hyrax, blue-winged goose, white-cheeked turaco, etc., but the story-telling and Interpretive messaging of this exhibit wouldn't work if it relied upon having wolves or mountain nyala (I'm not saying it'd have to). Most zoos it seems take the easy route of picking broad, catch-all themes that typically have a wide range of available species.
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That is the thing, though. There are already the available species for the example you've mentioned, along with more bird and herps that are present. With enough effort, this story can still be told without some species present. If Houston was able to make 'Galapagos' happen, then other zoos can showcase an ecosystem while missing a couple species (Compared to Houston which is missing almost all the actual species and instead uses placeholders)
 
cloudedleopard611 said:
I don't think there's a term for it, but I wish more zoos would exhibit animals that are related to each other but do not look like each other at first glance are exhibited next to each other (potentially even mixed together if they are compatible). I say that because one of my favorite points of exhibitry at the Saint Louis Zoo is the the giraffes and okapi are adjacent to each other. At first glance, these species do not look much alike, but there's something about being able to watch them exist in the same space that really helps me draw that connection between the two. Its like a real life side-by-side comparison. I would like to see zoos do things like this more often.
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I agree, more comparative biology exhibits, like the divergent evolution setup you mentioned, or others focusing on speciation and evolutionary processes would be quite nice to see.

An exhibit highlighting convergent evolution is something I think could be done quite well. Falcons and Accipiters, New and Old World Vultures, 'False' and 'True' Chameleons, Echidnas and Hedgehogs or Tenrecs, there are many exciting possibilities. There are already some exhibits with such pairings, like Penguins and Puffins, and with a good educational component such an exhibit could be quite compelling.
 
My personal favorite exhibit style is one that allows uninterrupted viewing between habitats - Caldwell Zoo’s African Savannah does a great job of this, to the point where even indoor exhibits look out onto the “endless” habitats. This kind of viewing can be done at any scale, and adds so much to immersion.
 
CMP said:
That is the thing, though. There are already the available species for the example you've mentioned, along with more bird and herps that are present. With enough effort, this story can still be told without some species present. If Houston was able to make 'Galapagos' happen, then other zoos can showcase an ecosystem while missing a couple species (Compared to Houston which is missing almost all the actual species and instead uses placeholders)
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Agreed. My main point is that zoos would need to put more thought into collection planning if adhering to a more specific theme. It's more difficult to design a collection plan for Ethiopia than for a generic Africa, as there are a lot less species to choose from, but that does not mean that zoos shouldn't put the extra effort into designing an Ethiopian area.

cloudedleopard611 said:
I don't think there's a term for it, but I wish more zoos would exhibit animals that are related to each other but do not look like each other at first glance are exhibited next to each other (potentially even mixed together if they are compatible). I say that because one of my favorite points of exhibitry at the Saint Louis Zoo is the the giraffes and okapi are adjacent to each other. At first glance, these species do not look much alike, but there's something about being able to watch them exist in the same space that really helps me draw that connection between the two. Its like a real life side-by-side comparison. I would like to see zoos do things like this more often.
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Yeah, it could be neat to, say, have Saint Louis Zoo somehow incorporate a beluga whale habitat into Red Rocks due to the close phylogenetic relationship with ungulates :D. In all seriousness, the more I learn about the evolutionary relationships between species, the more it amazes me the ways evolution worked and what their relationships truly are, so I completely agree that, when the needs of the animals allow it, highlighting evolutionary relationships would be a great choice.
 
It would be really cool to have a Himalayan-themed area. Some zoos have these, but they’re too often labeled “generic Asian”, and species like Pallas Cats and Indian Rhinos are kept with rainforest species such as Komodo Dragons and Orangutans. I think a lot of zoos assume visitors think “Asia is all one place, right?”
 
AndyJ08 said:
It would be really cool to have a Himalayan-themed area. Some zoos have these, but they’re too often labeled “generic Asian”, and species like Pallas Cats and Indian Rhinos are kept with rainforest species such as Komodo Dragons and Orangutans. I think a lot of zoos assume visitors think “Asia is all one place, right?”
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Hogle Zoo and Henry Doorly Zoo both have really great, heavily themed Himalayan/temperate Asia-focused areas.
 
CMP said:
I agree, more comparative biology exhibits, like the divergent evolution setup you mentioned, or others focusing on speciation and evolutionary processes would be quite nice to see.

An exhibit highlighting convergent evolution is something I think could be done quite well. Falcons and Accipiters, New and Old World Vultures, 'False' and 'True' Chameleons, Echidnas and Hedgehogs or Tenrecs, there are many exciting possibilities. There are already some exhibits with such pairings, like Penguins and Puffins, and with a good educational component such an exhibit could be quite compelling.
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I totally agree about the convergent evolution as well. I almost mentioned that in the warmer months, the Saint Louis Zoo keeps king vultures next to the cinereous vultures. Unfortunately, the signage has nothing to say about the convergent evolution aspect, and its something I wish they highlighted more, but it is really cool to see them side by side knowing the convergent evolution of it all. Of course, that's not to mention that Saint Louis also has a well known exhibit complex exhibiting both penguins and puffins.
 
AndyJ08 said:
It would be really cool to have a Himalayan-themed area. Some zoos have these, but they’re too often labeled “generic Asian”, and species like Pallas Cats and Indian Rhinos are kept with rainforest species such as Komodo Dragons and Orangutans. I think a lot of zoos assume visitors think “Asia is all one place, right?”
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Tierpark Berlin has what must be in the running for the best Himalayan area in any zoo, complete with its own mountain.

Well, hill. But compared to the rest of Berlin which is flat as a board, and to my thighs, it may as well be a mountain.
 
Would love to see more zoos and aquariums make dedicated Caribbean wildlife sections. Flamingos, Cyclura, various anoles, manatees, rays, and other saltwater goodies are already staples or semi-staples, just put all of those together in one area and top it off with some Cuban or American crocs and you're golden.
 
Neil chace said:
Lemurs in Spiny Forest themed exhibits (ring-tailed lemurs are not from the Rainforest, and yet zoos continue to consider it naturalistic to display them as such!)
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I do consider the Spiny Forest as the potential theme of my fantasy zoo, but the problem is most Lemurs that occur in Spiny Forest are not or rarely kept in the facilities (for example, Verreaux's Sifaka), while the Ring-tailed and Common Brown Lemurs are easily obtainable. So that it is best used for small zoos that generally don't make huge collections
Acutus said:
Would love to see more zoos and aquariums make dedicated Caribbean wildlife sections. Flamingos, Cyclura, various anoles, manatees, rays, and other saltwater goodies are already staples or semi-staples, just put all of those together in one area and top it off with some Cuban or American crocs and you're golden.
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Cuban Hutia is also an interesting and overlooked species that endemic to Cuba, but it is absent in AZA facilities.
 
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Many years ago, 1975 infact we visited Bird World in Surrey and came across an exhibit called Sea Shore a .walk through enclosure. It had a machine which created gentle waves and because there were few visitors was very relaxing .Unfortunately I can't remember what species were there. I believe that there is a more modern Sea Shore Walk there now. I would like to see more of these sort of exhibits.
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