Spec. Zoo Design questions

I’m designing 3 enclosures, a 500sq m wolf enclosure, 500sq m cheetah enclosure and a 625sq m tiger enclosure and I came up with an idea to add 2 Indian rhinos to the mix. So basically the wolves and cats will be out for 8-10 hours and day and then moved indoors and the rhinos let out into all 3 of the enclosures for the remaining 14-16 hours. Would this work? Obviously all 3 enclosure will also need to be rhino proof/safe. It works in my mind. Thank you
 
kate person said:
I’m designing 3 enclosures, a 500sq m wolf enclosure, 500sq m cheetah enclosure and a 625sq m tiger enclosure and I came up with an idea to add 2 Indian rhinos to the mix. So basically the wolves and cats will be out for 8-10 hours and day and then moved indoors and the rhinos let out into all 3 of the enclosures for the remaining 14-16 hours. Would this work? Obviously all 3 enclosure will also need to be rhino proof/safe. It works in my mind. Thank you
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I don't think it's the best to get the animals indoors but a behind the scenes enclosure could work. Cheetahs get stressed so maybe the wolf and tiger would work. It still will be stressful for the animals and the rhinos make lots of waste and can degrade the softer terrain. I think it's better to not have it rotational
 
MOG2012 said:
I don't think it's the best to get the animals indoors but a behind the scenes enclosure could work. Cheetahs get stressed so maybe the wolf and tiger would work. It still will be stressful for the animals and the rhinos make lots of waste and can degrade the softer terrain. I think it's better to not have it rotational
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What part would be stressful? the going indoors or the animals smelling each other in their enclosure. Or both? I could understand the cheetahs getting stress but could the rhinos get used to the wolves and tigers and vice versa?
 
kate person said:
What part would be stressful? the going indoors or the animals smelling each other in their enclosure. Or both? I could understand the cheetahs getting stress but could the rhinos get used to the wolves and tigers and vice versa?
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Cheetahs get stressed easily. I don't really like the idea of the wolves and tigers going indoors instead of staying outside without a valid reason. Tigers and wolves are territorial. Rhinos produce lots of waste which will degrade the ground. You can probably do a rotational between tigers and wolves and a rotational between rhinos and another herbivore
 
MOG2012 said:
Cheetahs get stressed easily. I don't really like the idea of the wolves and tigers going indoors instead of staying outside without a valid reason. Tigers and wolves are territorial. Rhinos produce lots of waste which will degrade the ground. You can probably do a rotational between tigers and wolves and a rotational between rhinos and another herbivore
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Ok then, scrap the cheetahs. Could the 625sq m be used for both the wolves and tigers, both having like half a day each. And then the other 2 made into one big 1000sq m enclosure and have the rhinos share that with another herbivore. Would that work better? The larger enclosure can then be made into like a dry lot so the ground doesn’t get destroyed by the rhinos.
 
kate person said:
Ok then, scrap the cheetahs. Could the 625sq m be used for both the wolves and tigers, both having like half a day each. And then the other 2 made into one big 1000sq m enclosure and have the rhinos share that with another herbivore. Would that work better? The larger enclosure can then be made into like a dry lot so the ground doesn’t get destroyed by the rhinos.
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Tigers and wolves are territorial so they just have to get used to each other's scent to work. Instead of an indoor housing, have a behind the scenes enclosure for the rotation. The rhino enclosure would work and some possible compatible animals are; Javan Banteng, Blackbuck, Nilgai, Indian Gaur, Bactrian Wapiti, Eld's Deer, and Barasingha Deer
 
MOG2012 said:
Tigers and wolves are territorial so they just have to get used to each other's scent to work. Instead of an indoor housing, have a behind the scenes enclosure for the rotation. The rhino enclosure would work and some possible compatible animals are; Javan Banteng, Blackbuck, Nilgai, Indian Gaur, Bactrian Wapiti, Eld's Deer, and Barasingha Deer
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Ok, one last question, what if the indoor enclosures were large like 1/4 - 1/3 (or bigger) the size of their outdoor enclosure and were designed just like an outdoor one with plants, pools etc etc? Would that be ok to house them in? The zoos small and doesn’t have the space for the extra outdoor enclosures needed. I’m designing the indoor ones to be underground so they don’t take up any room. Would it work?
 
kate person said:
Ok, one last question, what if the indoor enclosures were large like 1/4 - 1/3 the size of their outdoor enclosure and were designed just like an outdoor one with plants, pools etc etc? Would that be ok to house them in? The zoos small and doesn’t have the space for the extra outdoor enclosures needed. I’m designing the indoor ones to be underground so they don’t take up any room. Would it work?
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I really wouldn't hold wolves or tigers indoors for a large portion of the day. I suggest just dropping the rotational habitat if you don't have the space for the extra outdoor habitat
 
kate person said:
Ok, one last question, what if the indoor enclosures were large like 1/4 - 1/3 the size of their outdoor enclosure and were designed just like an outdoor one with plants, pools etc etc? Would that be ok to house them in? The zoos small and doesn’t have the space for the extra outdoor enclosures needed. I’m designing the indoor ones to be underground so they don’t take up any room. Would it work?
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  • The underground enclosures aren't recommended as there might not be enough lighting and a high-quality ventilation center. It should be at least, above-ground.
  • Tigers and wolves usually roam large territories so a smaller enclosure isn't the best.
  • The tigers and wolves might get stressed by moving indoors daily and frequently
  • Tigers also need higher humidity so being underground might not be the best
  • I think it's best to have all the enclosures separate so no rotational (though wolves and dholes or tigers and lions could work)
 
Wasn't too certain where this would fit in, so I'm gonna put it here.
What would be ideal group sizes/sex distributions for each species, assuming a mixed-species habitat composed of three yards, with only particular species able to move between all of them?
- Indian Gaur (restricted to first of the three yards)
- Nilgai (restricted to second of the three yards)
- Common Hog Deer (free access to all three yards)
- Blackbuck (same as hog deer)
- Rhesus Macaque (same as hog deer)
There is also a rhino involved (restricted to the last of the three yards), but I opted to go for a lone female in the rhino yard.
 
Van Beal said:
Wasn't too certain where this would fit in, so I'm gonna put it here.
What would be ideal group sizes/sex distributions for each species, assuming a mixed-species habitat composed of three yards, with only particular species able to move between all of them?
- Indian Gaur (restricted to first of the three yards)
- Nilgai (restricted to second of the three yards)
- Common Hog Deer (free access to all three yards)
- Blackbuck (same as hog deer)
- Rhesus Macaque (same as hog deer)
There is also a rhino involved (restricted to the last of the three yards), but I opted to go for a lone female in the rhino yard.
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1.4-7 Gaur (or bachelor group of 3-5 males), 1.3-6 Nilgai (or bachelor group of 3+ males), 1-2.5-8 Hog Deer (like most of these, too many males can lead to aggresion), 1.5-11 Blackbuck(they form harems but a bachelor group of 3-6 males could work), and 1-3.8-17 Rhesus Macaques
 
MOG2012 said:
1.4-7 Gaur (or bachelor group of 3-5 males), 1.3-6 Nilgai (or bachelor group of 3+ males), 1-2.5-8 Hog Deer (like most of these, too many males can lead to aggresion), 1.5-11 Blackbuck(they form harems but a bachelor group of 3-6 males could work), and 1-3.8-17 Rhesus Macaques
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Which of these would be better in order to avoid understocking the spaces? It's a total of 8.5 acres with the middle yard (the Nilgai yard) being the largest (roughly three acres) while the other two are 2.75 acres each.

Also, unrelatedly, but is there an ideal sex-ratio for flying foxes? Specifically Indian Flying Fox.
 
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Van Beal said:
Which of these would be better in order to avoid understocking the spaces? It's a total of 8.5 acres with the middle yard (the Nilgai yard) being the largest (roughly three acres) while the other two are 2.75 acres each.

Also, unrelatedly, but is there an ideal sex-ratio for flying foxes? Specifically Indian Flying Fox.
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I think 1.6 Gaur, 1.8 Nilgai, 2.10 Hog Deer, 1.10 Blackbuck and 3.16 Rhesus Macaque could work. The ideal sex-ratio for flying foxes depends on the intent;
  • If breeding, 1 male per 4-6 females
  • If non-breeding, a slightly female-biased but more balanced would work
  • If no breeding is wanted, a male bachelor group of at least 5 individuals will work
 
For a future addition to one of my preexisting threads, are Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) capable to handling a temperate environment (outdoors) during the warmer months of the year?
 
Austin the Sengi said:
For a future addition to one of my preexisting threads, are Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) capable to handling a temperate environment (outdoors) during the warmer months of the year?
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They are sensitive to excessive moisture. They should have a dry, warm shelter and a behind-the-scenes night enclosure. High humidity and frequent rain can lead to respiratory infections and shell rot. They can be kept outdoors as long as there are ways to prevent excessive humidity and rain
 
@MOG2012, the enclosure I have planned for the species was to provide the tortoises with an indoor building to protect them from the elements; along with it being large enough to serve as their winter quarters.
 
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