My Zoo
I would do a giant panda/Javan rhino/platypus complex.
Giant pandas would have 800 acres of bamboo, hills, flat lands, streams, pools, and waterfall after waterfall. The pandas would have several viewing points along a long Chinese-themed path with various animal exhibits on the path- snow leopard, rhesus macaque, black bear (Asiatic), and Lar gibbon.
Xiongmao Reserve (1500 acres)
A Chinese-themed boardwalk and path would start with views of the pandas and continue past exhibits (10-30 acres, depending on the size of the species) for the snow leopards, black bears, Lar gibbons, and rhesus macaques. Each exhibit would have a water feature (if the species likes water), a densely forested area, and lots of space and enrichment. A bamboo grove would lead to more panda views and the south end of a Chinese grassland with red pandas, hog deer, Reeves' muntjac, bharal, Central Chinese gorals, chiru, Pere David's deer, sarus crane, and Chinese water deer, a 600-acre grassland with a watering hole. A pond with Mandarin/other ducks and koi fish would be at the edge of the bamboo grove. The trail would continue past vantage points for pandas to the end of the area, Xiongmao Plaza, with ATM, cafe, gift shop, and restrooms. A Chinese pagoda has an aviary, mammals, herps and insects, and fish.
Java- Rhinos of Indonesia (2500-3000 acres)
An Indonesian bridge and flag would start the swamp area (a 900-acre habitat for Javan rhinos). A swamp would start the viewing area, as well as a pool, waterfall, grass, and mud wallows. A long, winding trail would go past views of a herd of rhinos for 2 miles. The trail would branch off at 2 miles and a 500-acre paddock would appear with Asian elephant, Sumatran rhino, Malayan tapir, chevrotains in a separate 10-acre habitat, babirusa, sambar, anoa, muntjacs, Javan gibbons, Celebes warty pigs, Bornean bearded pigs, and various birds. Komodo dragons, both orangutan types, and a parrot aviary would be next, followed by more views of the paddock and then of the rhinos. The 6-mile trail would come to an end at a village, with dingoes, and Indonesian huts for birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. A plaza similar to Xiongmao would appear at the village.
Platypus- Denizens of Tasmania (2000-3000 acres)
A massive (8-acre) netted aviary would be first on the Australian trail, for 3,000 budgerigars. A similar (but 20-acre) aviary would be next for 10,000 lorikeets (including Weber's, blue mountain, Australian rainbow, and green-naped) Galahs and sulphur-crested cockatoos would be next, followed by cockatiels. Once the bird trail was done, a eucalyptus grove would start. There would be a 20-acre koala habitat, 15 acres for cassowaries, and 10 acres for 2 types of echidna (long and short-beaked), and 10 acres each for dingiso, Lumholtz, Matschie's, and Goodfellow's tree kangaroo. Saltwater crocodiles would have a 40-acre "river" viewable over a long, long bridge. Emus would be next, and then the 100-acre habitat for wallabies (YF rock, agile, Bennett's, swamp, and Parma, as well as wallaroos). The exhibit would be walkthrough. Another 100-acre red/gray kangaroo habitat would be next. Dingoes would have 10 acres after the walk-through kangaroo, followed by Tasmanian devils, wombats, and a nocturnal mineshaft for 40-60 species of various marsupial, including woylie, potoroo, and kowari, as well as bats. Another mineshaft would have herps (White's tree frogs, moloch, pythons, etc.) and then there would be an invertebrate/aquarium mineshaft. The centerpiece would be a 50-acre Platypus Falls, with a waterfall and pool for a large colony of duck-billed platypus. An Australian sheep station would be next after the large viewing area for platypus. It would have Merino sheep, as well as dromedary camels. After the station would be another platypus viewing from a boardwalk and then the end- an Australian town called Bundarra.
Will you do things that would otherwise be impossible for a zoo due to cost? Would you research new technologies so you could make a tank big enough for a pod of sperm whales? Would you perhaps get to work on cloning extinct animals to keep in your zoo?
