So am I not the only one who cringes at seeing a blesbok and a scimitar-horned oryx together on an "African Savannah" exhibit?
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- Thread starter geomorph
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So am I not the only one who cringes at seeing a blesbok and a scimitar-horned oryx together on an "African Savannah" exhibit?
Even better when there's a "lemur Island" in front of it!
Not.
Let some zoo, say in Brazil, make an exhibit called North America. It would present a mix of musk oxen, mountain goat and javelina, with a decoration of mock McDonalds, skycrapers and Indian teepees.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
Wow, that's actually a VERY good point, and one I hadn't even thought of! I really DO care about accurate geographical education being taught in zoos.
But in defense of the Jacksonville Zoo and their Range of the Jaguar exhibit, I just did a quick Google search. I noted that during their opening of this exhibit, they offered "Live Central and South American music". So I'm thinking that maybe this exhibit is supposed to be representing not South America, but Latin America, or the literal "range of the jaguar", which is actually from southern Mexico down to halfway across South America. In fact, supposedly the best place to see wild jaguars is in the Central American nation of Belize, which is very much Mayan territory. So while I agree with you, RedUakari, that having a "Mayan" temple in an "Amazon" exhibit is inappropriate, maybe this isn't supposed to be an "Amazon" exhibit. In fact, I've never seen anything suggesting that.
My only point is I rather see a jaguar in a re-creation of a their natural habitat than a Mayan temple, thus I prefer jaguar Cove to Range of the Jaguar.
That annoys me...It's like putting kiwis in an australian exhibit.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
kiwis...and fishing cats... and porcupines.... yes Columbus I'm talking to you!
Actually, these are all part of an exhibit called "Australia and the Islands of Southeast Asia", so most of these animals would fit, right? It's quite a stretch to include New Zealand (kiwis) as an "island of SE Asia", but what are they gonna do? Have a completely separate New Zealand exhibit?
I can't think of any New Zealand themed exhibits, anyone know of any? The only thing that comes to mind is the little kiwi house at San Diego Zoo. I know I've seen a kiwi exhibit somewhere else, but I can't remember...maybe at Sydney Wildlife World or Taronga Zoo, both in Sydney. I haven't been to New Zealand itself.
Yes there are amazing animals from these two places, but not very many are seen in captivity. I would love to see a NZ house in an overseas zoo - it would not even have to have that much in it: kiwis, tuataras, keas, other small birds, and some herps and inverts. But I'm afraid it wouldn't be much of a blockbuster.
Buckeye092
Well-Known Member
Well to make an exhibit titled "Australia and the Islands of Southeast Asia" is to have no regard for Wallace's Line, which to me is intolerable.
(please realize I'm just being cheeky)
Actually, the exhibit is divided into the two sides of Wallace's Line and there's actually a small display outside the Roadhouse the describes the Line. I know your joking Ituri, but there is an distinction between the Islands of Southeast Asia and the Australia regions. The only animals in the region that don't fit are Black Swans, Galah, and Sulfur Crested Cockatoos in the Islands and some of the Bird species in the Australian Aviary and the Palm Civet and Fishing Cats.
Excellent to hear. I guess I need to get my facts straight before I set about joking in such a fashion.
tigertiger
Well-Known Member
I would love to see all the appropriate species in their appopriate themed complexes, but limited resources and shifting ssp's and animal longevity and enclosure requirements make this a great challenge for any zoo. I understand the San Diego Zoo has a red panda exhibit in its Polar Bear Plunge themed complex of exhibits, which must confuse any observant visitor. I don't know the reasons for having this exhibit here, but I do know it wasn't designed this way, the pandas are a replacement for arctic foxes I believe. If the zoo doesn't have a specific Chinese themed area, any species unique to that region must join the shuffle and find a home, and the more themed complexes a zoo like San Diego has, the more likely a home in one becomes...a home that doesn't fit the appropriate region of the animal. I think this is understandable and we shouldn't berate zoos that occasionally break the region rules. I am also not suggesting the end of geographically themed exhibit complexes, keep 'em coming!
Zoogoer2000
Well-Known Member
The red pandas are no longer within Polar Bear Plunge, its gotten worse
The zoo now houses caracal lynx and arabian wild cat in those two mesh enclosures!
Its pretty sad
The zoo now houses caracal lynx and arabian wild cat in those two mesh enclosures!
Its pretty sad