Opinions for Nile Crocodile Exhibit

AnaheimZoo

AnaheimZoo

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Sorry if this isn't the most interesting thread, or one exciting thread packed with juicy zoo details that you might've been hoping to find, but I'm looking for some feedback from fellow ZooChatters' personal experiences so I can have better ideas for "designing" a Nile Crocodile exhibit.

I understand that guests love underwater viewing for aquatic animals, but I'm trying to be realistic here (even though creating a zoo is far-fetched in itself), and underwater glass viewing is very expensive. So obviously it's not a necessity. But would you prefer seeing crocs submerged below the surface or sunbathing on the sand? (They're not the most riveting species anyway :D)

Also, one other question: What fish are "compatible" with Nile crocodiles? Maybe they're not compatible, maybe they're just lucky the crocs haven't tried eating them yet! Anyway, I ask because Bronx Zoo's Madagascar! has Nile crocodiles living with Madagascar-endemic pinstripe dambas and marakely and while searching the galleries here on ZooChat, I haven't had much success in finding fish for a croc exhibit, other than Lake Malawi cichlids.

But if I have no underwater viewing, what's the point in having fish?! :p I respect all of your opinions. Greatly appreciated.

-AnaheimZoo

By the way, I make a separate thread to ask because I feel if I post on a gallery photo it might not be answered.
 
I have seen 3 crocodile exhibits that stand out in my mind, all of them quite different.

1. The Nile crocodile exhibit at Disney's Animal Kingdom. You see lots of crocs in a river and riverbank setting. It is impressive, but most zoos couldn't (or wouldn't want to) expend their resources on a croc exhibit of this magnitude because you only get to see them for a couple minutes at most.

2. The Philippine crocodile exhibit in the Lied Jungle at Omaha. The croc exhibit is essentially an aquarium where you can see the species swimming and floating in the water. This gives a unique view of the animal that I have not seen in other zoos, although perhaps it does exist other places. I have said some critical things about some Omaha exhibits, but I like this part.

3. The gharial exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. Great sandy beach for them to haul out on, deep and large pool that is shaped like a river and is shared by several turtle species. They have really interesting interpretive exhibits about their natural history and conservation also.

If you look at the Fort Worth Zoo gallery there are some photos of their new reptile house. Their gharial exhibit in particular looks spectacular and I think it has both above ground and underwater viewing.
 
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I've not yet visited, but the Cango Wildlife Ranch in South Africa seems to have an impressive range of viewing opportunities for the Nile crocodiles in their 'Valley of the Ancients' complex. I think they were the first place in the world to regularly offer diving sessions with crocodiles; they also have a rope bridge over some giant crocs, and lots of viewing points for feeding sessions:

Valley of Ancients | Crocodile Cage Diving | Temple Ruins
 
DavidBrown said:
I have seen 3 crocodile exhibits that stand out in my mind, all of them quite different.
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I know this may be hard to choose, but which do you prefer? I agree, the San Diego Zoo gharial exhibit is drop-dead gorgeous, what with its white sandy beaches and exotic greenery, but do you think it compares to seeing enormous crocodiles up-close and underwater? For the exhibit I've designed, there was no underwater viewing, just those nice beaches and big pools like San Diego's.

And I'm not sure how much of an expert you are with biodiversity, so I don't know if you can answer this. Do crocodiles eat turtles? Or does it depend on the size? And are there any African river turtle species compatible with Nile crocodiles?
 
devilfish said:
I've not yet visited, but the Cango Wildlife Ranch in South Africa seems to have an impressive range of viewing opportunities for the Nile crocodiles in their 'Valley of the Ancients' complex.
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About that bridge... I was wondering, do you know how much space, say, a trio of medium-size crocs (maybe about 10-16 feet) need for a zoo exhibit? Because I was thinking if a large bridge spanned over the river, the exhibit (meaning the one I designed) could continue down into another area.

Crocodiles aren't always that active, so maybe you wouldn't see them moving around too much in such a huge exhibit... so would a large exhibit be unnecessary for them? (I know this is just a far-fetched fantasy, so forgive me for taking this a bit too seriously at times :o) Or should I make the exhibit accommodate more than 3?
 
Does anyone know if there is a website where it lists zoos' requirements for certain species? Such as the required space for indoor giraffe holding pens or an aquarium tank? Because I was reading "We Bought a Zoo" and the author explains how he read an article which mentioned the minimum required exhibit size for fishing cats and I didn't feel like it was right to bombard people with questions that they couldn't answer (sorry DavidBrown and devilfish, but if you can answer then that's great!).
 
AnaheimZoo said:
But would you prefer seeing crocs submerged below the surface or sunbathing on the sand?
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But how you can persuade the crocodile to do one or another?

AnaheimZoo said:
What fish are "compatible" with Nile crocodiles?
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Many ones, if they are much smaller than crocodiles, have hiding spaces and are acclimatized - esp. light is left on for the first nights. But expect some loses.

I think there is no single best exhibit. Ones I liked most are spacious and recreate the feeling of tropics, so you come for the atmosphere, not crocodiles. Two classical striking ones in Europe are jungle in Berlin Zoo with suspended bridge (exhibit is 50 year old if not more!), and Gamgoas in Basel with carefully recreated semidesert sandbank.
 
Jurek7 said:
But how you can persuade the crocodile to do one or another?
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Hypothetically speaking. :D

Jurek7 said:
I think there is no single best exhibit. Ones I liked most are spacious and recreate the feeling of tropics, so you come for the atmosphere, not crocodiles. Two classical striking ones in Europe are jungle in Berlin Zoo with suspended bridge (exhibit is 50 year old if not more!), and Gamgoas in Basel with carefully recreated semidesert sandbank.
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So, it's more like you go into an immersible environment that just so happens to have crocodiles rather than having an exhibit focusing on crocodiles. Am I right in a sense? Or am I not understanding you at all?

I'm interpreting it the way I see it. You said you come for the atmosphere, so I'm seeing people walk into a dense tropical area with a crocodiles beach that is almost hidden from the guests as oppose to the crocodiles being front and center.... right? [or sort of right?]
 
What the exhibit should have is a possibility to separate the enclosure into 2 smaller enclosures, as the crocodiles can be quite agressive sometimes. Examples of such exhibits are in Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and in the Cologne Zoo (Germany). Which are also the two best nile crocodiles exhibits I have seen so far.
 
AnaheimZoo said:
So, it's more like you go into an immersible environment that just so happens to have crocodiles rather than having an exhibit focusing on crocodiles. Am I right in a sense? Or am I not understanding you at all?
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Yes, more the less.

Of course, it is all different in subtropical climate, where crocodiles can live all year in open pools and you take habitat for granted. Australian exhibits, of course, are larger and better than anything which can be built in New York. And you have feeding shows.

I never seen a crocodile in the underwater tunnel. Problem is that perhaps they will sit on the edge, with only tail showing well. I wonder if a jet of warmer water could manipulate crocs into showing their business end to visitors?
 
I mentioned this in another thread but Crocodile Encounter in the Houston area has the best Nile crocodile exhibit I've ever seen. Multiple ponds, 20+ Niles and they move allot as they come to a feeding area when they see a keeper. Really impressive.
 
I personally think that the nile crocodile exhibit at basel zoo is very good
there were also compatible fish but I can't name any.
 
The key to San Diego's gharial exhibit (which no longer features gharials BTW) is that the view is looking down upon the exhibit as opposed to across the exhibit. This allows you to view directly down into the water and see everything. You can feature a wide range of fish with crocodilians - just like sharks, you will loose some livestock but as long as the predators are well feed they loses will be minimal. Look at some of Australia's Saltie exhibits - take a look at what Crocosaurus Cove does - Darwin Crocodile Park | Crocosaurus Cove | In the heart of Darwin City - really interesting tanks and for the ultimate guest experience - THE CAGE OF DEATH!!! Now that might be taking it too far for most zoos but it certainly puts the fear of these dangerous animals back into the guest. I'd like to see more thought put into enclosures of these animals. Yes they are not always active but that means the exhibit staff needs to think outside the box.
 
chrisbarela said:
The key to San Diego's gharial exhibit (which no longer features gharials BTW) is that the view is looking down upon the exhibit as opposed to across the exhibit. This allows you to view directly down into the water and see everything. .
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That is very interesting insight into the San Diego exhibit Chris. LA Zoo did the same thing with their tomistoma exhibit in the LAIR and now I can understand why it is a much better viewing experience than their American alligator exhibit, which is at eye level and much more difficult to see the animals in.

The Darwin tube is a cool concept but the marketing is awful from a conservation education perspective.
 
I think it's a fine line places like this have to walk - throw a stone in Australia and you'll hit a dozen Crocodile parks. So to stand out they have THE CAGE OF DEATH as well as various feeding and "swimming" with the crocs. But if these get more tourists to come to it and in turn there is more money to create better enclosures and the guests come away with a greater appreciation of these animals then maybe it balances out. I've never been there so I can't speak of any conservation messages they may have BUT if they did then I would think it would stick in the average guests brain - they just had a giant crocodile swim over their head and it was exciting and scary and then they find out it takes decades for these animals to grow that size and maybe it would be a shame to kill something that impressive... At least that's how it should go down. A little razzle dazzle goes a long way with the general public.
 
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