Mixed species exhibit ideas

I suppose it depends on how large the respective exhibit will be, and what specific duiker you want to display. Personally, I’ve found that mixing Yellow-Backed Duikers with Bongos seems to work well, and that mixing the latter with primates have worked in some places before. Really, the most problematic animal would be the Red River Hogs; but even they could feasibly work if you are willing to take the risks that they bring.
 
How about an enclosure with a Matschie's tree kangaroo, Müller’s gibbons, Malayan tapirs, Burmese brown tortoises, and a greater Malay chevrotain? There would be multiple separate climbing frames and one of the two tapirs would be on-exhibit in a second enclosure, which is where their pool would be. The enclosure would be inside.
 
wild boar said:
How about an enclosure with a Matschie's tree kangaroo, Müller’s gibbons, Malayan tapirs, Burmese brown tortoises, and a greater Malay chevrotain? There would be multiple separate climbing frames and one of the two tapirs would be on-exhibit in a second enclosure, which is where their pool would be. The enclosure would be inside.
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I don't think tree kangaroos and gibbons would work together.
 
One potential mix I have thought about - I wondered whether it would be possible to mix Siamese crocodile and false gharial?
For this exhibit, both species would be kept as non-breeding adult specimens. I have seen or heard of exhibits that mix similarly-sized crocodilians elsewhere. The two species also co-occur in Mesangat Lake in Borneo.
 
Could a mix of Pygmy Hippopotamus with Barramundi and African cichlids work? I know it sounds odd, but the barras would be there to represent the closely related Nile Perch, which isn't available in Australia. The exhibit would also be able to be accessed by rotating primate species (Eastern Black-and-White Colobus, De Brazza Monkey and Red Ruffed Lemur). Also, could Pygmy hippo work in an aviary with Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret and African parrots?
 
Osedax said:
Could a mix of Pygmy Hippopotamus with Barramundi and African cichlids work? I know it sounds odd, but the barras would be there to represent the closely related Nile Perch, which isn't available in Australia. The exhibit would also be able to be accessed by rotating primate species (Eastern Black-and-White Colobus, De Brazza Monkey and Red Ruffed Lemur). Also, could Pygmy hippo work in an aviary with Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret and African parrots?
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I don't think I'd want to rotate lemurs with Old World monkeys. I know a lot of zoos try to keep everything as isolated as possible between lemurs and Old World monkeys due to lemurs being overly susceptible to a lot of diseases common in the catarrhines.
 
Osedax said:
Could a mix of Pygmy Hippopotamus with Barramundi and African cichlids work? I know it sounds odd, but the barras would be there to represent the closely related Nile Perch, which isn't available in Australia. The exhibit would also be able to be accessed by rotating primate species (Eastern Black-and-White Colobus, De Brazza Monkey and Red Ruffed Lemur). Also, could Pygmy hippo work in an aviary with Glossy Ibis, Cattle Egret and African parrots?
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Hippos and birds should work just fine, it's been done quite often.

Barramundi should be fine with African cichlids.

I'm pretty sure you can have the Colobuses and DeBrazza monkeys in with the hippos at the same time if the enclosure is big enough, this mix has been done before (without the hippos, but it shouldn't make a difference).
 
1. Northern plains grey langur, Axis deer and Indian peafowl. These animals are often living side-by-side in Indian forests and act as a forest alarm system to warn others as well as each other of nearby predators.

2. Banded mongoose/meerkat, warthog, dik-dik

3. Kenya impala, black wildebeest, marabou stork, grey-crowned crane and patas monkey

4. Mantled guereza and cherry-crowned mangabey (both of them are very athletic and it would be amazing to see them showcase their dexterity together)
 
Chapman'szebra said:
1. Northern plains grey langur, Axis deer and Indian peafowl. These animals are often living side-by-side in Indian forests and act as a forest alarm system to warn others as well as each other of nearby predators.

2. Banded mongoose/meerkat, warthog, dik-dik

3. Kenya impala, black wildebeest, marabou stork, grey-crowned crane and patas monkey

4. Mantled guereza and cherry-crowned mangabey (both of them are very athletic and it would be amazing to see them showcase their dexterity together)
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1. I fear the Peafowl would be in trampling risk of the deer, and even predation risk of the Langurs

2. The Dik-Dik would absolutely get eaten by the Meerkats and Mongoose (Mongeese?) in this scenario

3 and 4 should be fine
 
Mr Gharial said:
Hippos and birds should work just fine, it's been done quite often.

Barramundi should be fine with African cichlids.

I'm pretty sure you can have the Colobuses and DeBrazza monkeys in with the hippos at the same time if the enclosure is big enough, this mix has been done before (without the hippos, but it shouldn't make a difference).
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Isn't it better to get African Lungfish with this species mix?
 
Mr Gharial said:
1. I fear the Peafowl would be in trampling risk of the deer, and even predation risk of the Langurs

2. The Dik-Dik would absolutely get eaten by the Meerkats and Mongoose (Mongeese?) in this scenario

3 and 4 should be fine
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Maybe the Peafowl would be in free flight, with trees and perches, like in India. Some of these places would be out of the reach of the monkeys.
For me it's one of the rare "flying" bird species that could be maintained in an open-topped enclosure without clipping nor pinioning the wings.
 
Osedax said:
Could a mix of Pygmy Hippopotamus with Barramundi and African cichlids work? I know it sounds odd, but the barras would be there to represent the closely related Nile Perch, which isn't available in Australia.
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Mr Gharial said:
Barramundi should be fine with African cichlids.
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Barramundi would absolutely eat the cichlids. Unless that's the point, to show how the Nile Perch have wiped out the cichlid populations in the Rift Lakes....
 
Haliaeetus said:
Isn't it better to get African Lungfish with this species mix?
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To my knowledge, they aren't available in Australia.
Chlidonias said:
Barramundi would absolutely eat the cichlids. Unless that's the point, to show how the Nile Perch have wiped out the cichlid populations in the Rift Lakes....
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Oh yeah... I didn't think of that. In that case I will remove the cichlids. Would there be any other African fish that could be mixed with barras?
 
Osedax said:
Oh yeah... I didn't think of that. In that case I will remove the cichlids. Would there be any other African fish that could be mixed with barras?
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I don't think there's anything available in Australia. Barramundi can swallow very large fish.

You'd be better just keeping the cichlids (more species could potentially be mixed with them), and having the Barramundi in their own tank as a representative for the Nile Perch. Or, if it wasn't the hippo pool, having a double tank with the cichlids in the front tank and the Barramundi in the back tank so the effect is of them sharing the same tank.
 
Osedax said:
Sydney Zoo keeps them with several other smaller species of Australian fish, including Silver Batfish, Australian Bass and Milkfish.
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Depending on the size of the fish, they will probably be getting eaten as well.
 
Chlidonias said:
Do you think the two halves of that sentence actually work together?
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Yes - although the barramundi (and the Bull Sharks that are in the same tank) may occasionally eat some of the other fish, all species involved (except the Bull Sharks of which there are three - and I haven't seen the Oxeeye Herring for ages) have maintained sustainable populations over the last 4.5 years.
 
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