Spec. Zoo Design questions

London of Ontario (not the capital of the UK) has about 23 billion Canadian dollars in GDP and 400 thousand population, could London afford a zoo with similar level as Lodz Zoo in Poland? The Lodz has GDP similar to London, but its population is 290 thousand more
 
I've seen Archerfishes held in both fully freshwater and brackish water tanks, but could they also be held in fully saltwater tanks?
 
Now here's an interesting one.

How much can I trust free-roaming animals to stay safe around salt water?

I'm planning a large Mangrove-themed greenhouse with freshwater creeks as well as a large salt water basin that includes some larger predatory fish like sharks and tarpons. Could I keep animals like Sailfin lizards and frogs free-roaming without having to worry about them taking a soak in the salt water?

The only similar things I've seen are the greenhouse in Aquarium de la Rochelle and Burgers' zoo's Mangrove. But Rochelle doesn't have any free-roamers that I'm aware of and BZ has a much larger percentage of fresh water than salt, something I'm planning the opposite of.
 
Making 2 mixed tanks for Parana River fish, one for smaller fish and one for larger or predatory fish. Already got black neon tetras and black phantom tetras down for the first tank but need more species
 
NATY said:
Making 2 mixed tanks for Parana River fish, one for smaller fish and one for larger or predatory fish. Already got black neon tetras and black phantom tetras down for the first tank but need more species
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Send me a PM, I should be able to make a species list for you this afternoon/evening
 
Are spherical aviaries (with a pillar in the middle) better for allowing raptors to fly than the more regular flat fronted aviaries? And would a house for birds of prey be better to allow them flight if it is spherical (with the indoor sections for the birds also being curved) or a box/cube like shape?
 
Rohin said:
Are spherical aviaries (with a pillar in the middle) better for allowing raptors to fly than the more regular flat fronted aviaries? And would a house for birds of prey be better to allow them flight if it is spherical (with the indoor sections for the birds also being curved) or a box/cube like shape?
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I'm pretty sure there is a "donut"-shaped aviary in a German zoo, where the shape encourages the vultures to soar/glide for longer periods of time.

So I'm pretty sure the circle aviary might be better
 
Would this turtle group work together? I'm specifically unsure about predation risk with there being small and larger species.

1. Bourret’s box turtle
2. Vietnamese pond turtle
3. yellow-headed temple turtle
4. Malayan snail-eating turtle
5. giant Asian pond turtle

Also, are gharials generally fine with larger turtle species? I know there are exhibits with both, but I'm not sure how success is measured in this situation.
 
Mr Gharial said:
Now here's an interesting one.

How much can I trust free-roaming animals to stay safe around salt water?
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If you're asking whether the salinity is an issue for these animals, as long as you pick free-roamers that inhabit mangrove/estuarine habitats in the wild and that freshwater is easily accessible, there shouldn't be an issue long-term. Several frog species are known to inhabit mangrove and coastal areas such as the Crab-eating frog (Fejevarya cancrivora).

If you're asking how to make sure these animals stay away from the lagoon, I don't see any way of doing it aside from making the lagoon taller so that it is higher than visitor walkways and implementing slippery glass or metal barriers that discourage climbing.
 
Is it realistic for Canadian zoos to import groups of Japanese Raccoon Dogs (Tanuki)and Japanese Serows from Japanese facilities? Japanese Tanuki are not available in NA currently, Japanese Serows are kept by 3 Canadian zoos but just want more diverse genetic pool. Both of these two species are common in Japanese facilities.
Also, is it feasible for Canadian zoos to acquire White-lipped Deers, based on Zootierliste only two facilities of NA keep them (both in USA), while 15 European zoos and at least 9 Chinese zoos hold this species. The regulation that restricting the exchange of deers is the main challenge due to the fear of CWD
 
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StellarChaser said:
Is it realistic for Canadian zoos to import groups of Japanese Raccoon Dogs (Tanuki)and Japanese Serows from Japanese facilities? Japanese Tanuki are not available in NA currently, Japanese Serows are kept by 3 Canadian zoos but just want more diverse genetic pool. Both of these two species are common in Japanese facilities.
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I'd say Japanese serow could be realistic. Since, as you said, you'd need more genetic diversity and a few other zoos already have them.

Japanese Raccoon dogs might also be possible, but it might be more realistic to get non-subspecies Raccoon dogs from Europe
 
Not sure if this is appropriate or really counts as a zoo design question, but for my spec zoo I was looking to exhibit various hero’s throughout the zoo in each respective themed exhibit area, right now prioritizing Africa, Asia, and South America. So instead of a single herp house, spreading hero’s across the zoo in their respective continents as many zoos are starting to implement now.

Just looking for recommendations on particular herps I could exhibit, looking to house about 5-9 terrariums for each continent, a mix of reptiles, amphibians, and insects that are other iconic, critically endangered and in need of awareness, or fit the theme of fellow species exhibited in the area. for example, if near a mixed species Savanna then herps from the savanna that contribute to its ecosystem, if near a lion looks, then herps from the African kopjes, or herps in the SA exhibit that share their environment with the trees of the tamarins, herps from the Amazon rivers, Asian herps of the Indonesian islands, etc.
 
Not sure if this is the right thread for this question, but I’ll ask here and hope someone can redirect me if needed.

What is (or is there) the general stance on use of the following in captivity?
- Wild-caught animals
- Animals originating from pets or exotic breeders

I have my own opinions on both, but I was just curious as to whether mine differed from others.
 
What is the typical main source of animals in AZA zoos? Wild, exotic breeders/pets, rescues, other AZA zoos, or other zoos in general?
 
Van Beal said:
Not sure if this is the right thread for this question, but I’ll ask here and hope someone can redirect me if needed.

What is (or is there) the general stance on use of the following in captivity?
- Wild-caught animals
- Animals originating from pets or exotic breeders

I have my own opinions on both, but I was just curious as to whether mine differed from others.
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Wild-caught animals tend to have a general negative reception I find. It's one of the many negative assumptions of zoos, that they're ALL run by greedy capitalists who snatch animals out of their native homes to put them on display.

On the other hand, pets and exotic breeding animals tend to have a sympathetic and educational light to them. Typically abused or overfed, now treated with care by a zoo facility.
 
Madadad said:
Wild-caught animals tend to have a general negative reception I find. It's one of the many negative assumptions of zoos, that they're ALL run by greedy capitalists who snatch animals out of their native homes to put them on display.

On the other hand, pets and exotic breeding animals tend to have a sympathetic and educational light to them. Typically abused or overfed, now treated with care by a zoo facility.
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I do agree with the point on wild animals, though I do believe animals that are critically endangered, invasive, in need of rehabilitation, or are a threat to people in some way should be given the option of being relocated to a zoo. Same goes for animals accidentally transported with plants or fruits (as sometimes happens).
Domestics are a similar point. Pets should only be taken in if absolutely necessary, and I think exotic breeders can (in some cases) be a good option as well.
 
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