Describe your dream zoo (with budget constraints)

C

CGSwans

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I've seen a previous thread along these lines that quickly became a contest to see how many obscure or critically endangered species a poster could list. We had zoo visions with everything from Javan rhinos to Giant Pandas. I refer, of course, to this thread: http://www.zoochat.com/2/if-i-had-my-own-zoo-12134/#post43133

It's nice to dream, and I don't mean to criticise any of the amazing visions in that thread. However, when I dream, I start with just that - a starting point (for us in Australia, that tends to be a small wildlife park), and I build from there, whilst trying to keep a lid on my ambitions. So here's a challenge for people. Come up with a zoo that a) has no more than 30 exhibits and b) consists only of species present and breeding in your zoo region (whether that be ARAZPA, EAZA, AZA or something else) or listed for acquisition in regional collection plans. There's only two ways to 'cheat'. The first is multi-species exhibits. But if it's anything even slightly controversial or unusual, you can only use it if you can cite an example where that mix has worked. Secondly, I'll be nice to people and consider reptile houses and nocturnal houses as single exhibits (but *not* aquariums, as these are considerably more expensive).

Here's my ARAZPA-region (and thus more limited in options than most!) private zoo.
Australia
1. Mixed-species walk-through exhibit for kangaroos, wallabies and emus.
2. Mixed-species exhibit for koalas, wombats and echidnas.
3. Large, mixed-species flight aviary with four biome themes for planting - Australian/New Guinea rainforest (including cassowary as per Melbourne Zoo's Great Flight Aviary), Australian bushland, Australian wetlands and Australian desert.
4. Tasmanian Devil
5. Dingo
6. Nocturnal house including quoll, bilby, possums and gliders, owls, tawny frogmouth and if available platypus and ghost bat.
7. Wedge-tailed Eagle

Asia
8. Sumatran Tiger
9. Asian Elephant (only if budget allows, obviously)
10. Mixed-species exhibit for Asian Small-clawed Otter and Binturong
11. Mixed-species exhibit for Sumatran Orang-utan and Siamang
12. Snow Leopard
13. Red Panda
14. Sun Bear

Africa
15. Mixed-species savannah with Giraffe, White Rhino, Zebra, Ostrich, Eland and Scimitar-horned Oryx
16. Lion (in rotation exhibit with Cheetah and African Hunting Dog)
17. Cheetah (in rotation exhibit with Lion and African Hunting Dog)
18. African Hunting Dog (in rotation exhibit with Cheetah and Lion)
19. Mixed-species exhibit with Meerkat and African Crested Porcupine (I'm including this species, fellow Australians, on the basis that it is a planned species)
20. Mixed-species exhibit for Gorilla and Colobus.
21. Mixed-species exhibit for Mandrill and Pygmy Hippopotamus
22. Mixed-species "Madagascar" walk-through for Ringtailed and Ruffed Lemurs.

South America
23. Mixed-species 'treetop monkeys' exhibit for Brazilian Agouti, Cotton-top Tamarin, Golden Lion Tamarin, Bolivian Squirrel Monkey, Black-handed Spider Monkey and Common Marmoset (I've seen all of these species listed as being in mixes with other primate species, but including more than the CT Tamarins and Squirrel Monkeys, for the purposes of this exercise, is purely conditional on a large enclosure suitable for all the groups being achievable).
24. Mixed parrot aviary for macaws, quakers and conures.
25. Mixed-species exhibit for Giant Anteater, Capybara and Brazilian Tapir (based on regional collection plan - anteaters and capybaras presently not possible in ARAZPA region).
26. Maned Wolf exhibit

Marine exhibit
27. Penguin exhibit for either little penguins or Antarctic penguins depending on financial resources.
28. Sealion exhibit.
29. Coral reef exhibit.

Cosmopolitan
30. Reptile House

With just 30 exhibits, I think this manages to produce a reasonably strong sample (albeit only through plenty of shared exhibits) of species available to Australian zoos. The most obvious missing animals are small cats and deer. Realistically, these animals are far more likely to turn up in a private zoo than Asian elephants or even rhinos and gorillas, but this isn't supposed to be a complete killjoy exercise. ;) This is, for the most part, a zoo that I can believe in my ability to create.

I hope other people take up the challenge. :)
 
May I import from Europe? If so I'd be controversial and (try) and keep every bear species. They make great displays and there's a lot of education/conservation stuff to go with them.
 
ashley-h said:
May I import from Europe? If so I'd be controversial and (try) and keep every bear species. They make great displays and there's a lot of education/conservation stuff to go with them.
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Yes. EAZA species are fine for British zoos (assuming they are permitted with quarantine or similar issues).
 
Great, then I reserve my right to use bears :)
I think I'd use them as central animals to certain countries, and maybe keep other animals from the same region nearby (e.g.- Malayan tapirs, langurs etc in an Asian section with Asian bears as a "centre piece").
 
But they're a boring exhibit lol. Give me sun bears any day :p
 
This might sound boring, but I'd love to be in a zoo surrounded by zebras and/or koalas. They're awesome to me.
 
Take the animal collection from San Diego and Berlin, add in the brilliant exhibits from the Bronx and Woodland Park, stir in an Aussie flavour with Taronga, immerse a little of Disney's Animal Kingdom (and make Kilimanjaro Safaris an hour-long ride;)), and then double the size of Leipzig's Pongoland and you'd have one heck of a zoo!
 
snowleopard said:
Take the animal collection from San Diego and Berlin, add in the brilliant exhibits from the Bronx and Woodland Park, stir in an Aussie flavour with Taronga, immerse a little of Disney's Animal Kingdom (and make Kilimanjaro Safaris an hour-long ride;)), and then double the size of Leipzig's Pongoland and you'd have one heck of a zoo!
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Not *quite* within the spirit of the exercise, snowleopard (though, having seen one of those zoos in person and the others online, I certainly agree minus DAK's plastic).
 
Mine would be pretty similiar to yours GCSwans but smaller.

There would be 4 zones...Africa, Asia, Australia and a zone of miscallaneous species that could be past off as a childrens zoo:)

Africa would have a main savannah for Barbary sheep, ostrich, guineafowl and zebra as well as a meerkat exhibit similiar to Werribees cafe exhibit. Further on down the track lions might become avaliable.

Asia would have Water Buffalo, peafowl and blackbuck in a grassland paddock, a typical otter exhibit, an aviary similiar to Melbournes rice paddy aviary and a gibbon or siamang island. (I'd say gibbons are the most ambitious species in my plan.)

Australia would obviously be the biggest section of the Zoo and would have
-A yard for grey kangaroo and emu but not walk through
-koala
-dingo
-southern hairy-nosed wombat
-brolga and magpie goose
-a black cockatoo aviary
-a cassowary exhibit
-A aquarium/nocturnal/reptile/ house for tawny frogmouths, freshwater crocodile and some big turtles, Murray Cod, lace monitor, black-headed python, childrens python, spot-tailed quoll, echidna and a big tank for various native fish (eels, perch, catfish etc.)
-And lastly a big aviary for birds found all along the east coast of Australia. Brush Turkey, Bush stone curlew, Wonga Pigeon, gang-gang cockatoo, superb parrot, diamond dove and diamond firetail.

The "Kidzoo" would have exhibits for the left over species that don't fit into any of the other three themes.
-Alligators
-Ring-tail lemurs
-Macaws
-A walk-through wallaby exhibit
-A mixed aviary style exhibit for some sort of tamarins and marmosets as well as squirrel monkeys.
-And an African themed farmyard exhibit for Brahman cattle, Boar goats and damara sheep.

With less then 60 or 70 species it's definatly not the biggest zoo out there but I would rather make the exhibits really good as I go along then fill it up with species in subpar exhibits like some zoos I'm not going to mention. And I would hope to set it up so that bigger/more exciting species can be added. e.g. put white rhino in the african savannah.
 
PAT said:
With less then 60 or 70 species it's definatly not the biggest zoo out there but I would rather make the exhibits really good as I go along then fill it up with species in subpar exhibits like some zoos I'm not going to mention. And I would hope to set it up so that bigger/more exciting species can be added. e.g. put white rhino in the african savannah.
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It looks like a nice little zoo that would fill a niche in a smaller area in a similar fashion to what Darling Downs, Symbio and Cairns Tropical Zoo have done. I admit to having more grandiose ambitions, but I do believe there is still space in Australia for another 1-2 zoos the size of, say, Perth Zoo.

I'm somewhere in the middle on exhibit standards. On the one hand, I would be unwilling to keep animals unless I could provide them with an exhibit that is spacious, full of enrichment and provides everything for the animals' needs whilst also providing a good experience for visitors. I don't, however, believe that this requires spending millions of dollars on exhibits. Zoolex has a small but growing number of 'bargain' exhibits that I think are perfectly good. Take the Orana tiger exhibit for example: ZooLex Exhibit
I'd do a significant amount of planting both to hide that admittedly ugly fence a little and create a more 'Sumatran' looking exhibit. But other than that, I think it's fine.

As for the zoo/s that you won't mention, is that because it's just a "nogo" zo(o)ne, so to speak?
 
Also, it seems that lions are perhaps the most easily obtained 'charismatic' exotic species in Australia. There are large groups at Mogo, Canberra and Cairns in private hands, a few at Crocodylus Park, as well as groups at Darling Downs, Zoodoo and Mansfield that are not currently members of ARAZPA. I even read that Nowra Wildlife Park are going to acquire some.
 
I'd like to see a member do one of these that's from another region...American Members who could get anything they wanted for the right price or UK members who wouldn't have any difficulty aquiring a huge assortment of small mammals.
 
This is similar to the 2 milion zoo challenge thread (cheeky i know but its worth a shot to boost your own threads ;) )


okay the first exhibit would be a discovery centre which contains the zoo reptile collection and the nocturnal zone. the area would also fetaure bones and stuffed animals of special interest for example manatee skeletons and stuffed hyrax. in the reptile area would be: chinese alligators, cuveris dwarf caiman, american alligator, false gharial, snapping turtle, poison dart frogs, brown anole, chameleon, anaconda, fly riveturtle, madagasvcan tree boa, asian water monitor, (and more). in the nocturnal habitat would be: kinkajou, malgasy jumping giant rat, sebas short tailed bat, nine banded armadillo, slender loris, pygmy slow loris and paca.

the next zone would be an asian section centred around a large house with Two groups of orangutans. the orangutans would have access to large pieces of woodland that have been cut in two to provide two enclosures. the outdoor enclosures can only be viewed from indide the house and from a raised wooden boardwalk by one of the outdoor enclosures. Sloth bears would also have a large wooded enclosure complete with two offshow outdoor enclosures and seperate dens.As well as orangutans and sloth bears there will also be owstons palm civet,a large aviary for indonesian teal, visayan wartty pigs and a kagu breeding centre:D

A series of ilsands for primates will provide the next exhibit including a nice island for black and white ruffed lemurs, ring tail lemurs, geoffroy's marmoset, pied tamarin and silvery mamroset, nearby would be a cage enclosure for broad nosed gentle lemurs and (out for sight of the lemurs) two fossa cages.

the final zone would be a walled garden containing a mixed match of exhibits including a large carpathian lynx enclosure, azaras agotui, a parrot aviaries with St Lucia parrots, vasa black parrots and red vented cockatoo, small but tall netted enclosures for Goeldi's monkey, golden lion tamarin and squirrel monkey. a cage enclosure for rusty spotted cats and european mink. an enclosure for red pandas (actually just outside the walled garden). finally a large glass fronted cage for mountain lions with tons of enrichment to show their athletic abilities.

all this set in speldnind country gardens

- i'm pretty sure all the animals can be obatined for the europe :D
 
I have a zoo based on Hampstead Heath in North London. It's pretty enormous and is rather like Woodland Park Zoo on the scale of San Diego. I try to keep it realistic though and use the landscape as much as possible, there are only a couple of animal houses, most of it is quite natural. Perhaps the scale of it rules it out of discussion here but the enclosures and exhibits aren't too over the top.

It is divided into geographical areas. An African savannah, African forest, Eurasia, Asian forests, Asian grasslands, Australasia, Madagascar, North America, South America and if I'm allowed giant pandas, a Chinese area. In addition there is a tropical house inspired by the glass houses at Kew.

I can actually attach a map showing the areas after the weekend.

The African savannah has cheetah in large paddocks similar to Chester, black rhino also in a series of paddocks similar to Chester, and a mixed exhibit with white rhino, giraffe, grant's gazelle, fringe-eared oryx, zebra and ostrich. Nearby are aviaries for African birds and servals with pens for cranes next to an African wild dog enclosure and a hippo pond similar to Woodland Park Zoo.

Crossing a road, a large wooden boardwalk leads into a wooded area and a walk through aviary with African forest birds and perhaps duikers. The boardwalk passes enclosures for bongo, red river hog, okapi and pygmy hippo. There is then a large exhibit for gorillas consisting of a wooded area and an open clearing, more like Woodland Park Zoo than the Bronx, relying more on the natural environment than lots of artificial features.

The boardwalk then crosses another road leading into the main park. Here you are in the Eurasian section. The first exhibit is a sloth bear enclosure similar to Washington DC, built on a slope.

Next is a paddock of white lipped deer with pheasants and muntjac deer nearby. Going into the woods there is a large enclosure for Japanese macaques and a paddock for an Asian wild ass species. Wild boar, musk deer and wolves are also here. Turning back a bit we see Japanese serow, Asian black bear and Amur tigers. Down a trail are a variety of goat antelopes and a waterfowl pond.

Then the Chinese area. Ideally I would love to have golden monkeys and giant panda here to join the various pheasant species, red pandas and pere david deer. But maybe that isn't allowed. Turning back, we come to the Asian forest. Here are some langur species, orang utans in an enclosure similar to Woodland Park Zoo or Leipzig with gibbons. Also here are fishing cat and babirusa. There was going to be a douc langur exhibit but that's not realistic. So instead is an aviary for rhinoceros hornbill. Then Malayan tapir, small clawed otter and clouded leopard. Past the clouded leopard are lion-tailed macaques and an area with Philippine spotted deer, visayan warty pigs, hornbills and bearded pigs.

We then come to a large open exhibit for Asian lions and a mixed exhibit for axis deer, blackbuck, nilgai and next to it indian rhino. Opposite the rhino are Indian aviaries and a large netted exhibit for hanuman langurs. Near here is the madagascar area with similar enclosures for a variety of lemurs and beyond that Australia, a large field with kangaroos, emus and wallabies with aviaries along side.

The North American area has puma and wolverine with a large paddock for bison and wapiti. Also raccoons, tree porcupine and skunks which no one ever sees. Same for the beavers.

We are back by the large Asian plains exhibit, up the hill is a large Asian elephant enclosure and paddocks for banteng and gaur. Then the south american rainforest, a range of netted exhibits in a dense patch of wood for small monkeys, jaguar and birds.

Then capybara, bush dog, giant anteater, rheas, a hillside paddock for vicuna and a spectacled bear enclosure similar to Zurich with coatis and a nearby aviary for andean condor.

I would love to have mountain tapir here but I guess I will have to be happy with good old Brazilian tapirs with black necked swans.

We are now next to Kenwood House where European bison and fallow deer in a parkland setting remind us of the origins of European zoos. A farmyard with rare breeds of domestc animals shows the history of agriculture and ow animals were domesticated.

Most of the bird collection is housed up here in aviaries around the gardens. The last area is a broad sweep of meadows with przewalskis horse, bactrian camels and rocky paddocks for takin and a netted snow leopard exhibit.
 
markun said:
I have a zoo based on Hampstead Heath in North London. It's pretty enormous and is rather like Woodland Park Zoo on the scale of San Diego. I try to keep it realistic though and use the landscape as much as possible, there are only a couple of animal houses, most of it is quite natural. Perhaps the scale of it rules it out of discussion here but the enclosures and exhibits aren't too over the top.

It is divided into geographical areas. An African savannah, African forest, Eurasia, Asian forests, Asian grasslands, Australasia, Madagascar, North America, South America and if I'm allowed giant pandas, a Chinese area. In addition there is a tropical house inspired by the glass houses at Kew.

I can actually attach a map showing the areas after the weekend.

The African savannah has cheetah in large paddocks similar to Chester, black rhino also in a series of paddocks similar to Chester, and a mixed exhibit with white rhino, giraffe, grant's gazelle, fringe-eared oryx, zebra and ostrich. Nearby are aviaries for African birds and servals with pens for cranes next to an African wild dog enclosure and a hippo pond similar to Woodland Park Zoo.

Crossing a road, a large wooden boardwalk leads into a wooded area and a walk through aviary with African forest birds and perhaps duikers. The boardwalk passes enclosures for bongo, red river hog, okapi and pygmy hippo. There is then a large exhibit for gorillas consisting of a wooded area and an open clearing, more like Woodland Park Zoo than the Bronx, relying more on the natural environment than lots of artificial features.

The boardwalk then crosses another road leading into the main park. Here you are in the Eurasian section. The first exhibit is a sloth bear enclosure similar to Washington DC, built on a slope.

Next is a paddock of white lipped deer with pheasants and muntjac deer nearby. Going into the woods there is a large enclosure for Japanese macaques and a paddock for an Asian wild ass species. Wild boar, musk deer and wolves are also here. Turning back a bit we see Japanese serow, Asian black bear and Amur tigers. Down a trail are a variety of goat antelopes and a waterfowl pond.

Then the Chinese area. Ideally I would love to have golden monkeys and giant panda here to join the various pheasant species, red pandas and pere david deer. But maybe that isn't allowed. Turning back, we come to the Asian forest. Here are some langur species, orang utans in an enclosure similar to Woodland Park Zoo or Leipzig with gibbons. Also here are fishing cat and babirusa. There was going to be a douc langur exhibit but that's not realistic. So instead is an aviary for rhinoceros hornbill. Then Malayan tapir, small clawed otter and clouded leopard. Past the clouded leopard are lion-tailed macaques and an area with Philippine spotted deer, visayan warty pigs, hornbills and bearded pigs.

We then come to a large open exhibit for Asian lions and a mixed exhibit for axis deer, blackbuck, nilgai and next to it indian rhino. Opposite the rhino are Indian aviaries and a large netted exhibit for hanuman langurs. Near here is the madagascar area with similar enclosures for a variety of lemurs and beyond that Australia, a large field with kangaroos, emus and wallabies with aviaries along side.

The North American area has puma and wolverine with a large paddock for bison and wapiti. Also raccoons, tree porcupine and skunks which no one ever sees. Same for the beavers.

We are back by the large Asian plains exhibit, up the hill is a large Asian elephant enclosure and paddocks for banteng and gaur. Then the south american rainforest, a range of netted exhibits in a dense patch of wood for small monkeys, jaguar and birds.

Then capybara, bush dog, giant anteater, rheas, a hillside paddock for vicuna and a spectacled bear enclosure similar to Zurich with coatis and a nearby aviary for andean condor.

I would love to have mountain tapir here but I guess I will have to be happy with good old Brazilian tapirs with black necked swans.

We are now next to Kenwood House where European bison and fallow deer in a parkland setting remind us of the origins of European zoos. A farmyard with rare breeds of domestc animals shows the history of agriculture and ow animals were domesticated.

Most of the bird collection is housed up here in aviaries around the gardens. The last area is a broad sweep of meadows with przewalskis horse, bactrian camels and rocky paddocks for takin and a netted snow leopard exhibit.
Click to expand...

a brilliant, realistic plan, do you really own the zoo you just described???
 
That zoo doesn't actually exist cat-man, it's a hypothetical "If I could I would build this" thread.
 
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