Hoofstock Feeding and Walk-Thru Exhibits

T

The KCZooman

Well-Known Member
Does anyone here know of any zoos successfully have feedings for their hoofstocks and/or have walk-through exhibits with them as well?
 
The New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park have semi free-roaming sika deer in the Owlery section of the park. They have a huge amount of beech woodland to roam, and frequently cross visitor's paths and rest against the owl, wilcat, otter and pine marten enclosures in the area. Another section, Wallaby Wood, holds a few fallow deer and wallabies in a similar layout, though the deer have recentley been removed as they are very keen on eating clothing. The public are allowed to stroke the deer if they wish in both sections, provided they use the hand santinizers at every double-gate, but must keep to the footpaths.
 
The West Midland Safari Park allows you to purchase bags of hoof-stock pellets before entering the reserves ( at least it did on my last visit ). The result is that cars are surrounded by the various species in the reserves looking to be fed . A memory of this was having a Yak stick its head into our car looking for food ! I believe Longleat does the same in its drive-through Deer Park .
 
I just remembered that the parrot park in Veldhoven, Holland had some tame Fallow Deer wandering around aviaries. Plus a pair of Munjac in walk-through aviary with 8 male Ring-tailed Lemur.

Who knows which species are now walk-through at Beekse Bergen? I only remember Blackbuck.
 
at the mansfield zoo in australia they have free roaming deer. you can feed them pellets
 
Paradise Wildlife Park let's you purchase food to feed some of their animals (Zebra, Reindeer, Wallabies, Emu, Llamas/Alpacas).

You used to be able to feed the Camels, but they became too greedy (which I can attest to -a Camel snatched the whole bag of food out of my girlfriend's hand, she got a nip but found it funny, I'm sure others wouldn't, plus I suppose paper bags are probably not great for Camels digestion).
 
Thank you all for your comments. Does anyone hear know of any zoo with antelope walk-thru exhibits and what guidelines do zoos have for visitors entering such exhibits?
 
The KCZooman said:
Thank you all for your comments. Does anyone hear know of any zoo with antelope walk-thru exhibits and what guidelines do zoos have for visitors entering such exhibits?
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I can't think of any that are walk through. There are those that have deer, and or you can feed them but you must be on a wagon or in a vehicle. I have heard of petting zoos with young antelope in them. I would imagine if they were walk through exhibits the antelope would have to be the size of deer or goats. As a visitor I might not feel comfortable standing right next to an antelope the size of an eland. Did you have any specific antelope in mind you were thinking of?
 
From kbaker116: I can't think of any that are walk through. There are those that have deer, and or you can feed them but you must be on a wagon or in a vehicle. I have heard of petting zoos with young antelope in them. I would imagine if they were walk through exhibits the antelope would have to be the size of deer or goats. As a visitor I might not feel comfortable standing right next to an antelope the size of an eland. Did you have any specific antelope in mind you were thinking of?

The antelope I have in mind are small species like duikers, klipspringers, and steenbok. However, I was hoping to find specific examples of zoos featuring larger antelope (about the size of a deer) but nothing bigger (eland, niligai, sable, etc) in a walk-thru display. Also, I'm interested in mainly African species, but if exhibits featuring Asian species exist I could try and adapt them for an African concept.
 
The KCZooman said:
From kbaker116: I can't think of any that are walk through. There are those that have deer, and or you can feed them but you must be on a wagon or in a vehicle. I have heard of petting zoos with young antelope in them. I would imagine if they were walk through exhibits the antelope would have to be the size of deer or goats. As a visitor I might not feel comfortable standing right next to an antelope the size of an eland. Did you have any specific antelope in mind you were thinking of?

The antelope I have in mind are small species like duikers, klipspringers, and steenbok. However, I was hoping to find specific examples of zoos featuring larger antelope (about the size of a deer) but nothing bigger (eland, niligai, sable, etc) in a walk-thru display. Also, I'm interested in mainly African species, but if exhibits featuring Asian species exist I could try and adapt them for an African concept.
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San Diego Wild Animal Park used to have a mixed-species walk-through area with red brocket deer, squirrel monkeys and green iguanas, together with many birds. (the exhibit is long gone) My guess is that small ungulates that have been habituated well enough to be in a walk through can possibly be dangerously aggressive too. I know from experience in Africa that a small duiker with no fear can do a number on one's legs with it's stubby little horns!
 
From reduakari: San Diego Wild Animal Park used to have a mixed-species walk-through area with red brocket deer, squirrel monkeys and green iguanas, together with many birds. (the exhibit is long gone) My guess is that small ungulates that have been habituated well enough to be in a walk through can possibly be dangerously aggressive too. I know from experience in Africa that a small duiker with no fear can do a number on one's legs with it's stubby little horns!

You make an excellent point reduakari. If the antelope have no fear of man, then the potential for conflict can occur. Of course the same could be said of the many multiple walk-thru kangaroo zoo exhibits and deer parks too and there still being used.

Do you know what provoked the duiker attack in Africa and how severe was the injury?
 
Could female impala work as a walk-thru exhibit (maybe with some birds, like Grey-necked Crowned Cranes), or would they be too skittish?
 
Jesse said:
at the mansfield zoo in australia they have free roaming deer. you can feed them pellets
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Not to mention alpacas and llamas...deer and alpaca I can handle but llamas are a bit big and bossy. :)
 
From Meaghan Edwards: Could female impala work as a walk-thru exhibit (maybe with some birds, like Grey-necked Crowned Cranes), or would they be too skittish?

Personally, I think the impala would be too skittish for this kind of exhibit. It can be done though if ample space is provided for them to distance themselves from humans and an experianced keeper should escort visitors through the enclosure without straying from the path.

This site might be of interest to you for mixed-species ideas:

Antelope & Giraffe TAG: Mixed-Species Survey
 
Hi,

At least one zoo in NW Europe (Germany?) shows deer (Vietnamese sika?) and various birds (like pelicans and cranes) in walk-through area. Come on, German zoo fans - somebody must remember!

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I would imagine walk-through exhibit for hoofstock as a large area, where animals would have enough space away from people. An usual moated exhibit bordered by a visitor pathway, except that there is no moat, and the perimeter fence includes the pathway. Visitors walk in and out through the double door. Possibly, there is another parallel pathway outside the exhibit, so that when the walk-through path is closed, animals can be seen. As a precaution, I would put a sand or compact earth in about 3 m area near the path, so that animals would not be tempted to graze close to visitors, provoking interactions. There could be a security camera, mostly to scare visitors from leaving the path and mischief. I think hoofstock could live almost exactly like in the current moated paddocks.

Suitable species cold be gazelle, impala, blackbuck, nilgai, all-female herds of other species (possibly a buck could be kept in a separate paddock during the day), fallow deer, mesopotamian fallow deer, sika, muntjac and other small deer, wild goats, wild sheep, goral etc.

For feeding session, I would think of an usual paddock, and a bucket full of freshly cut branches. Visitors could feed browse to the deer through the fence. When the bucket is empty - feeding is over for the day. Possibly, there would be a kind of movable panel, so that access through the fence would be blocked then. Possibly, the animals would associate food with the place and the bucket, not with visitors giving it. There could be a security camera, and a simple rules sign, stating that (surprise!) deer can bite like a cow or a horse and visitors are responsible for security of their own and their children.

I think such an exhibit has a good chance to succeed - or am I overenthusiastic or a lawsuit culture got too paranoid?
 
From Jurek7: I would imagine walk-through exhibit for hoofstock as a large area, where animals would have enough space away from people. An usual moated exhibit bordered by a visitor pathway, except that there is no moat, and the perimeter fence includes the pathway. Visitors walk in and out through the double door. Possibly, there is another parallel pathway outside the exhibit, so that when the walk-through path is closed, animals can be seen. As a precaution, I would put a sand or compact earth in about 3 m area near the path, so that animals would not be tempted to graze close to visitors, provoking interactions. There could be a security camera, mostly to scare visitors from leaving the path and mischief. I think hoofstock could live almost exactly like in the current moated paddocks.

Suitable species cold be gazelle, impala, blackbuck, nilgai, all-female herds of other species (possibly a buck could be kept in a separate paddock during the day), fallow deer, mesopotamian fallow deer, sika, muntjac and other small deer, wild goats, wild sheep, goral etc.

For feeding session, I would think of an usual paddock, and a bucket full of freshly cut branches. Visitors could feed browse to the deer through the fence. When the bucket is empty - feeding is over for the day. Possibly, there would be a kind of movable panel, so that access through the fence would be blocked then. Possibly, the animals would associate food with the place and the bucket, not with visitors giving it. There could be a security camera, and a simple rules sign, stating that (surprise!) deer can bite like a cow or a horse and visitors are responsible for security of their own and their children.

I think such an exhibit has a good chance to succeed - or am I overenthusiastic or a lawsuit culture got too paranoid?

Thank you Jurek7 for this amazing concept. It has adequate space, distance, and protection from visitors while at the same providing an excellent (and approriate) opportunity for animal/visitor interaction.

If some zoos were willing to take a risk with this concept, then perhaps we will be witnessing the next step in naturalistic zoo exhibit design.
 
Jurek7 said:
. Suitable species cold be gazelle, impala, blackbuck, nilgai, all-female herds of other species (possibly a buck could be kept in a separate paddock during the day), fallow deer, mesopotamian fallow deer, sika, muntjac and other small deer, wild goats, wild sheep, goral etc....

...I think such an exhibit has a good chance to succeed - or am I overenthusiastic or a lawsuit culture got too paranoid?
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Most of the species mentioned are likely to flee to the opposite end of the paddock, unless they have been humanised. Also males of large hoofstock tend to be boisterous during the rut.

And a word of warning - if you tried nilgai in a walk-through you might well end up with dead visitors. The males can be real dangerous bastards.
 
Just about every zoo tries out a visitor walk-through scheme at some stage, just as every man tries a beard.These areas are often abandoned as soon as it becomes non-embarrassing to do so ( typically with a change of Director or some such landmark event).Walk-through exhibits tend to be a bad deal for either visitors or livestock or both.Zoos with walk-through aviaries, supposedly popular with visitors, are often surprised when countless visitors complain that these conditions must make breeding almost impossible for the birds and that they feel guilty every time they pass through the exhibit!A compromise is possible with hoofstock through the use of raised walkways.By the way, they should be raised sufficiently to make any visitor - horn/antler contact impossible.It´s reminiscent of the snake-handling sessions held in many collections supposedly for the benefit of the visitors - many zoos were startled when these same visitors became indignant over unnecessary disturbance of the herps.Walk-through lemur areas are now a huge source of visitor complaints in certain collections and have lost such goodwill that there have been sponsorship cancellations over the issue.There are many great ways to exhibit hoofstock without inviting the daily headache caused by walk-through areas.
 
tetrapod said:
Most of the species mentioned are likely to flee to the opposite end of the paddock, unless they have been humanised.
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Yes, I hope so! I hope that in walk-thru they will keep away from people, like deer in deer parks.

Feeding I would consider as a separate attraction. People will not be allowed to walk into the animals yard. Per analogy, girafffe feeding sessions in some zoos.
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So, feeding and walking by I considered two separate things.

Per analogy to walk-thru exhibits of barbary macaques, or, for that matter, urban wild herring gulls. Both are perfectly fine unless they are taught to be fed by humans, when they become dangerous pests.

tetrapod said:
And a word of warning - if you tried nilgai in a walk-through you might well end up with dead visitors. The males can be real dangerous bastards.
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Well I walked near lots of wild nilgai in India and none attacked me. Any humanized animal can be dangerous - pony or cow for that matter.
 
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