Animal Models in Zoos

C

CZJimmy

Well-Known Member
I noticed a discussion in the 'Savanne project of Planckendael' thread about the use of fake animals in zoos.I posted some images in the gallery showing some models which Chester Zoo uses.

Elephant House:
Hornbill model in the Elephant House » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Mouse Deer model in the Elephant House » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Indian Star Tortoise Model in the Elephant House » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Squirrel model in the Elephant house » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Squirrel model in the Elephant House » ZooBeat Photo Gallery

These images show a number of models used in Chester's Asian Elephant House. It helps to complete the immersion theme as the hornbill is perched on a branch above you and the mouse deer is tucked away in the undergrowth. Also, the hornbill and squirrels live alongside their real-life counterparts. There is also fake rafflesia and models of elephant dung (with dung beetles) complete with information signs explaining the use of dung beetles. For all the animal models without real-life equivalents there is an accompanying information sign which teaches the visitors about the other important, but not as noticeable animals in the Asian forest.

Islands in Danger
Adult Komodo Dragon model » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Young Komodo Dragon Model » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Elephant Bird Diorama » ZooBeat Photo Gallery

In islands in danger, there is a model showing the young komodo dragons hatching from the eggs, leaving the nest and then heading up a tree to safety. Another model shows a fully-grown komodo dragon (as if it had left the neighbouring enclosure for the real dragons). There is also a diorama showing a clutch of elephant bird eggs.

Spectacled Bear Cub Models » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Geoffrey's Marmoset Model » ZooBeat Photo Gallery
Hornbill Model in the Tropical Realm » ZooBeat Photo Gallery

Another example that I can think of is a fake deer in London Zoo's komodo dragon enclosure (I think Tigerlemurguy posted an image of this in the gallery).

In my opinion, if a zoo can pull these off tastefully and if they are informative, then I think that they are a really useful education tool.
 
I think it's also worth mentioning that these kind of models can be helpful for people with impaired sight, as it allows them to picture animals more clearly.
 
CZJimmy said:
if a zoo can pull these off tastefully
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Problem is, these ones are not tasteful. Look at good zoological museum.

I see two mistakes here:
1) Models belong to zoological museum. In a zoo, I want live squirrels and hornbills above my head (actually this could well be done).
2) Don't mix natural and artifical of one kind. Fake animals always look bad next to real animals.
 
Liked i said in the Planckendael topic, i prefer living animals. But a few models are also ok in a park. If you don"t use to much of them, it is even pretty cool. This is what i experience in Planckendael. :)

They should only use it as an example for educational purposes, otherwise it is indeed a bad choise to place fake, plastic, model animals. Nowadays you find them more and more, but it is more as a reaction to the attractionparks that keep animals, then for education am I afraid....

Like the Dinowoods of Amersfoort in Holland, that is soooooo wrong in a Zoo. But is is on a other way sooooooo beautiful! It is difficult to make a choise sometimes ;) :)
 
We have some animal statues but they are not part of exhibits. We have a komodo dragon at the exit of our rainforest, and orangutan at the entrance to the rainforest & a large tortoise near the Aldabra tortoise yard. The children are encouraged to sit on these and have their pictures taken by parents. In our Australia orientation exhibit we have a kangaroo with a pouch for the kids to get inside. There is a koala and a platypus in the fountain, a huge dragonfly and a couple of frogs near the entrance to the zoo.
 
@Jurek7: I disagree.
1. Models do not just belong to "zoological museums", but can be a great addition to the visitor education system at the zoo. If cleverly combined, I do think that exhibits/displays combining live animals and statues/models can be very rewarding in terms of didactic impressions on the visitors. Among others, extinct species, ecological coherences that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to recreate with live organisms in a captive enviroment and the imitation of the natural habitat (the mentioned immersions aspect) could be more convincingly displayed to the visitor. Additionally, such models/statues can be both low-maintance attractions in themselves (think of all the people posing in front of zoo statues for the family photo...) and "behavioural enrichment" for the visitors (kids climbing statues). And don't forget the aesthetic-artistic aspect in regard to animal statues created by artists for the zoo...
2. If well-made, it's hard to tell the difference in some species...;)
WILDLIFE ART CREATIONS

However, one should be careful not to overdo the fake-real animal ratio in favour of the first....

Other examples of animal models:

-Elephant Ostrich (Zürich Zoo)
-Wooly Mammoth (Dvur Kralove)
-Dinosaurs (diverese zoos, like Pilsen, Bratislava and many more...)
-beached whale (Arnheim)
-diverse whale and shark replicas in various public aquariums

...and don't forget the Rafflesia at Vienna Zoo.
 
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Sun Wukong said:
-Elephant Ostrich (Zürich Zoo)
-Wooly Mammoth (Dvur Kralove)
-Dinosaurs (diverese zoos, like Pilsen, Bratislava and many more...)
-beached whale (Arnheim)
-diverse whale and shark replicas in various public aquariums

...and don't forget the Rafflesia at Vienna Zoo.
Click to expand...

Elephantbird in Zurich is simply very badly sculpted. I liked more rhino head in Erfurt, when child could make a picture with rhino.

These (and dinosaurs) do what I meant - models are separate, and not visually mixed with space of real animals. Otherwise they would make a bad impression. Imagine putting this elephantbird inside Masoala hall among vegetation - people would hate it.

I don't remember Rafflesia in Vienna. But some Asian botanical gardens could display live Rafflesia by planting seeds in host plants. That would be better :)
 
@Jurek7: The Aepyornis sp. model next to the Masoala hall is indeed not a great piece of artistic craftsmanship, yet I doubt that most visitors would show the predicted negative feelings. Like I wrote before: if nicely combined, I do think that the combination of (skillful) models and live animals can be rewarding for both presentation and education.

The Rafflesia model at Vienna is situated at the Borneo Rainforest Hall, next to the elevator. The husbandry and breeding of Rafflesia sp. is not as easy as You assume...
 
At the monkey zoo Apenheul, they have some models hanging, 'flying', crawling in the trees of the 'Amazon-trail'. Which gives you an excellent idea of the different types of species living in the lower, middle, and upper zones of a rainforest. Using models for such educational purposes is fine to me.

Even the 'elephant-bird' model suddenly standing next to a path looks real.

Sometimes it is just funny to see some models. Like in Amersfoort Zoo where you can find a mole crawling out of a concrete path, and frogs sitting on some rocks or poles.
 
UntBwe said:
Sometimes it is just funny to see some models. Like in Amersfoort Zoo where you can find a mole crawling out of a concrete path, and frogs sitting on some rocks or poles.
Click to expand...

Just like Robijntje the bear near the bear exhibit of Ouwehands (NL) :D:p
 
This is Robijn by the way ;)
2a0kown.jpg


And it delivers nice pictures, here you can see me and Blackstar :o
S7300710.JPG
 
That teddy bear kind of ruins what could be a nice family photo oppurtunity. It kinda reminds me of this great big ugly pig statue outside melbourne zoos peccary exhibit.
There is a small native wildlife park about an hour from where i live (Kyabram Fauna Park) that has a display for native animals and ecosystems that includes a lot of stuffed animals as well as tanks for yabbies and turtles. The stuffed animals include magpie geese, pink eared ducks, possums, bats, emu chicks, fox, echidnas and a lot more. I think it is interesting to look at and most of the animals can be seen around the park anyway.
 
There is a fake lizard just on the outside of the Toronto Zoo's lion exhibit's underground tunnel, and a mock leopard-killed antelope hanging in a tree. It freaks some people out.
 
Marwell has models of Addax and Dorcas Gazelles in their arid lands house think their there just to give you a better understanding of the size of the animal
 
I saw that Blijdorp (Rotterdam) has also a few new models. this time of a Crocodile mother and her youngs (2). Afcourse in the Crocriver part of the new Savannebuilding that is recently opened. It is a bit hidden, but is is quiet nice i think...

For example, the Animal Rights Organistation of Belgium, GAIA, thought that there were real Crocs in Monde Sauvage (Luik), and there were only plastic Crocs, so sometimes a zoo can fool people with these models... Good or not?
 
Bioparc (Valencia) has two real size sculptures into the Madagascar interpretation centre (one Giant lemur and one Elephant Bird ) for to explain to the visitors the human role in the species extinction. But the sculptures are separately from the animals area.
 
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