Asia
1 - Merge Wisent, camels and Przewalski horse paddocks to make one large landscaped paddock for horses and camels
2 - replace Asiatic lion by Sumatran tiger and build a secondary enclosure instead of the warty pig enclosure for them. This allow to keep with the Indonesian thematic from the greenhouse
3 - replace snow leopard by fishing cat, much more adapted to the size and landscape of the installation
4 - 2 new paddocks for Indian rhino with an access to the natural lake. Mixing could still be with warty pig or hog deers
5 - former cassowary enclosure and Australian house is taken overfor a large Asiatic lion enclosure America
6 - A large aviary with a secondary exhibit for jaguars
7 - Slight enlargment of the giant anteater exhibits
8 - Merging and landscaping of old south-american paddocks in the forest for Brazilian tapir Africa
9 - The large bison-elk enclosure should be replaced by something more interesting from a conservation point of view and breeding needs. I suggest to design a complex of enclosures for black rhino mixed with patas monkeys or guinea baboon.
10 - The swampy forest of Planckendael is crying for pygmy hippo in a very natural setting.
11 - The enclosure at the entrance could have two paths :
a) to stay in the African area, bongos or dwarf duffaloes mixed with red river hog would be a nice exhibit next to the bonobo elevated pathway
b) a small Papuan area with cassowary, tree-kangaroo mixed with dusky pademelon and an aviary next to it (or on top of all of it)
I like your ideas very much. Specially that in this case most animals would fit better "zoogeographic"-wise. The only complaint I have is that you would lose a few interesting species from Oceania/Australia and an excellent Australian aviary (except you have planed to send them to Antwerp).
@zoomaniac Thank you!
I also like this aviary and I think that it would be easy to fit in some nice Asiatic waterbirds (including some already present species that are presented in less adapted aviaries like black-headed ibis).
If the option of the Papuan section is retained (how on earth zoo director do not want to dedicate a section to such a cool area?), The only thing you would loose is a lonely sleepy koala in a substandard exhibit (and present at Antwerpen), a few bigger kangaroos and a poor vivarium. Maybe Tasmanian devil as well but that's a specie that could easily be housed at Antwerpen.
Aren't there any plans to keep wombats again at Planckendael? And would you put the echidna into the Papuan section although the subspecies is from Mainland Australia? (I know, that something that only "specialist" cares, but still)
Echidna could definitely fit into the Papuan section, it does not take much space. Current individual is Australian but the ones that we manage to breed in Europe are from the Papuan ssp. So I don't mind having the wrong subspecies for the time being.
I do not know what are the plans for wombat. It is definitely a cool specie but is it worth dedicate space and money when it is not endangered, not common, not particularly active or spectacular and already present in a close competitor? Planckendael cannot have everything and I rather have tree kangaroo or rhino.
That would be another debate but overall, I think Australian and North-American area should be de-prioritized in planning unless very specific circumstances. It is nice to present the 5 continents but less when it comes to the cost of sacrifying space to species from other continents that are more endangered.
Hmh. Regarding the wombat, I would still say YES. It is an iconic species and common wombats are more or less resistant against winter temperatures and so big and expensive indoor quarters are not necessary. Well, there is a competitor close by. And yes, they are not threatened in the wild. But on the other hand European zoos must establish a substaining populations of animals even when they are not endangered imo. And so any zoo who's keeping wombats helps. That beeing said, I'm still not against your idea of transformation of the current Ausralian/Oceania area at Planckendael. But I would also applaud when the wombats return one day (no matter at Planckendael or Antwerp)
