Design a Zoo

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When I played with inventing exhibits, I thought of making them "replaceable" so that most species can be easily changed if a hypothetical zoo decides to keep something else in, say, 10 years time.

Great idea about Indonesian exhibit, AnaheimZoo. Hamadryas Baboons would fit well both in Ethiopia and Sahara. Although baboons in central Sahara are anubis baboons.
 
Jurek7 said:
When I played with inventing exhibits, I thought of making them "replaceable" so that most species can be easily changed if a hypothetical zoo decides to keep something else in, say, 10 years time.

Great idea about Indonesian exhibit, AnaheimZoo. Hamadryas Baboons would fit well both in Ethiopia and Sahara. Although baboons in central Sahara are anubis baboons.
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Thanks. I wasn't really thinking of anything spectacular, just trying to represent the unique Indonesian animals I personally thought were overlooked and under-appreciated.

And about the Ethiopian Highlands, I think I'll go ahead and agree with what Cat-Man suggested and showcase the hamadryas baboons along with the geladas for that epic baboon duo. However, not in the same exhibit, of course.

I was thinking the Ethiopian Highlands would be a simple loop circumnavigating the heart of a small plateau reserve (anywhere from 10-20 acres), with the pathways overlooking a picturesque mountaintop where open exhibits house geladas, Somali soemmerring's gazelles, and, more unlikely, walia ibex and Ethiopian wolves (just a fantasy :o). The exhibits would be separated by hidden moats, large rock formations and other cleverly-positioned barriers. I figure a secondary loop on the south side of the trail would go further into the the range, and this second loop would be more densely planted, with cacti and other flora overshadowing the pathway.

Along with a large, cage-like exhibit for lammergeier vultures (Gypaetus barbatus meridionalis) a small walk-through aviary for golden-breasted starlings, white-cheeked turacos, black-winged lovebirds, Abyssinian rollers, Nubian woodpeckers, and a few other birds who occasionally pass through Ethiopia would act as the introductory attractions for this extra trail.

The hamadryas baboons would have an immense moated enclosure located on the other side of a large canyon, built to separate the baboons from the people. A nice overlook of the exhibit, shaded by themed viewing canopies, would be nearby. Huge kopje-like formations would offer plenty of lookout posts for the baboon troops, playgrounds for younger individuals, and protective nurseries for even smaller infants (I'm talking about the baboons, not people :)).

Finally, a quiet, air-conditioned tunnel going through one of the kopjes would have intimate looks into the baboon den (to possibly see that aforementioned infant), accompanied by large terrariums for Ethiopian mountain adders and Ethiopian mountain chameleons. The end of the tunnel would connect back onto the main path, where a paddock for a bachelor herd of more soemmerring's gazelles would complete the trek.

Any suggestions for additional species, possible conservation stories to highlight, special guest experiences (such as hands-on encounters, shows) or any other ideas would be great. This description's a pretty basic one, a little vague, so I'll consider anything. Even lovebird feeding sessions or whatever you can come up with. :)
 
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*Ethiopian Highlands- Lammergeier Exhibit*
I would make sure that the lammergeiers were not ignored in this exhibit. After all, they are known for their unusual feeding behaviors. Outside of their cage, video monitors would show clips of the vultures flying high over rocky slates, then dropping bones some hundreds of feet, causing the bones to shatter. The signs underneath the monitor would go on to explain how lammergeiers commonly eat the actual bones of carcasses, and how they drop them onto rock to crack the bone, exposing marrow, which they particularly enjoy. An artificial carcass (probably of a gazelle or ibex) would be at the front of the exhibit, and would occasionally be filled with meat and bones as to encourage these weird behaviors.

Just another thought! Like I said, I'll be considering anything you want to dish out, so feel free to suggest anything from possible exhibit themes to other animals!
 
Most notably, the reserve would be called "Simien Highlands" after the Simien Mountains National Park, the only place in the world to have walia ibex among other endangered species such as the Ethiopian wolf, and would focus on the animal species of that national park. However, with the ambitions of acquiring such rare animals being almost unrealistic at this point, the ibex and wolves would have to be removed and the exhibit would be known as just the Ethiopian Highlands and would not specify on a particular part of Ethiopia. Caracals, which I would have originally placed in an East African kopje exhibit also home to klipspringer, mongooses and hyraxes, would ultimately replace the wolves, and Grevy's zebra, which do in fact live in small scattered populations across Ethiopia, would replace the walia ibex.

Or, I could call the exhibit "Ethiopian Highlands," and then could divide the exhibits into geographic sections, where one of those could recreate the Simien Mountains National Park. That would also work, and it's probably the most likely, considering the fact that hamadryas baboons don't live in that national park! :)

I just love how I've been having this conversation with myself for a good 45 minutes... :rolleyes:
 
In my plans, I had Geladas in an Ethiopian exhibit, mixed with ibex and a few aviaries for raptors. I had baboons (Olive I think?) in the African Savanna area. Hamadryas Baboons were going to be added to the highlands exhibit but I decided that since I already had Geladas there, plus Olive Baboons elsewhere and many other primates all over the zoo that there were enough baboons already, plus both species are in large troops. At the same time though, having 2 large baboon exhibits next to each other would be interesting. You can't really go wrong. A few visitors may not care about multiple baboon exhibits but I think more of them would enjoy it than ignore it.
 
siamang27 said:
In my plans, I had Geladas in an Ethiopian exhibit, mixed with ibex and a few aviaries for raptors. I had baboons (Olive I think?) in the African Savanna area.
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Olive baboons would be in my savanna exhibit, too. Probably just the generic savanna baboon species. :D

siamang27 said:
Hamadryas Baboons were going to be added to the highlands exhibit but I decided that since I already had Geladas there, plus Olive Baboons elsewhere and many other primates all over the zoo that there were enough baboons already, plus both species are in large troops. At the same time though, having 2 large baboon exhibits next to each other would be interesting. You can't really go wrong. A few visitors may not care about multiple baboon exhibits but I think more of them would enjoy it than ignore it.
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Yeah, more of them would definitely enjoy it, considering that the second baboon exhibit provides closer looks and inside views of the den. :)

For your highlands exhibit, what other animals did you have? Are there any other species you'd recommend? Did your highlands exhibit support any conservation efforts/have any special animal encounters (such as feedings, hands-on sessions w/ reptiles, etc)? What'd you think of my idea overall? Sorry for asking so many questions... :p
 
I only made a list of species I would keep and where in the zoo they would be. I haven't went through and written descriptions of very many of my exhibits yet, and most of the ones I have are pretty generic due to lack of time so I'll have to go back and add on to them. As far as I can remember without checking, the only species in that exhibit were Gelada, Ibex, and 1 or 2 aviaries for birds of prey. It was a small side trail which climbs up a somewhat steep hill to the top, where the mammals are, and the aviaries were viewed when going back down on the other side. I was thinking of expanding the area though to add a few more species of hoofstock, vultures and an aviary for smaller birds. Maybe a few reptiles as well, although I'm not as familiar with them so that would take more time to figure out. I had also considered adding a few species of waterfowl to the Gelada exhibit such as Blue-winged Goose (doesn't Bronx do this?), but never did yet.
There would probably not be any feedings/keeper talks in this area, but there would be others around the zoo.
I like the idea, as it is an area that most zoos don't design exhibits for, similar to Madagascar exhibits or other specific islands.
 
siamang27 said:
I had also considered adding a few species of waterfowl to the Gelada exhibit such as Blue-winged Goose (doesn't Bronx do this?), but never did yet.
There would probably not be any feedings/keeper talks in this area, but there would be others around the zoo.
I like the idea, as it is an area that most zoos don't design exhibits for, similar to Madagascar exhibits or other specific islands.
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An Ethiopia-themed exhibit, I thought, didn't need a diverse collection, like yours, because geladas, ibex, and birds of prey are pretty much all it has, although the co-existence of so many different vultures, eagles and other BoP (birds of prey :)) is pretty unique!

I'm not entirely sure about the blue-winged geese, but I've seen Canadian Geese in there every once and a while...

Thanks! Like I said to Jurek7 earlier, Ethiopia, imo (but to a lesser extent than Indonesia) is a bit underrated in terms of species, so i thought I'd include an Ethiopian exhibit complex in my zoo, of which I think I'll now list my other intended exhibit ideas (without descriptions, though).
 
Yeah. Right now the exhibit only has the large Gelada/Ibex exhibit and a few aviaries for birds of prey, everything else I mentioned was just stuff that I may or may not add in. I will probably not add the small bird aviary since the number of aviaries around the zoo is probably way too many already, even if the majority of the bird species are in large mixed walk-through aviaries. I thought I remember reading that waterfowl were in the Baboon exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, but that could be incorrect or they may not be mixed anymore.
 
ANAHEIM ZOO/ZOO ANAHEIM- The Anaheim Zoo will have one of the most diverse collections of any zoological society, matched only by a mere handful of great zoos (San Diego, Berlin, etc.). While all animal kingdoms are represented fairly equally, the focus of Anaheim's exhibit complexes are to represent the seven continents of the world rather than the five animal kingdoms. At least one unique habitat from each continent will be designed, in hopes of symbolizing the world's wildlife as wholesomely as possible.

Here are some of the regions of the world I've thought up exhibits for (now these aren't the names of the complexes, just the region they assume the role of):

North America
-The Arctic Circle/Tundra
-The Woodlands of Southern Canada (As far east as Quebec, as far west as British Colombia)
-The Everglades
-The North American Great Plains
-The Deserts of the Southwest (Mojave, Sonoran)

South America
-The Amazon (indoor rainforest possibly divided into Orinoco, Amazon Basin, etc or just random exhibits)
-The Andes (starting with the tropical mountain forests of Colombia and Peru, ending with the coastal shores of Chile)

Antarctica
-Penguin Point (represents Antarctica as a whole, focusing, however, on penguins, their neighbors, and surrounding habitats)

Europe/Eurasia
-Wild Eurasia (immense woodland trail divided into The Taiga Forests of Siberia, The Alps, and The Western Deciduous Forests of Europe)

Asia
-Indian Oasis
-Asian Mountains (divided into Gobi Ridge, The Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau and Panda Province [animals of China])
-Indonesian Excursion (includes Papua New Guinea)

Australia and Oceania
-The Outback (covers hundreds of Australian species)
-Oceanic Islands (animals of New Zealand, Tasmania, etc)

Africa
-The Sahara
-Ethiopian Highlands
-The Congo
-Mafuriko Wetlands (animals of Uganda)
-Savanna 1 (animals of Kenya, Tanzania)
-Savanna 2 (Southern Plains [animals of Botswana, South Africa, etc.])
 
It might seem like some continents are represented less than others, but the subdivisions of Wild Eurasia, Asian Mountains, Indonesian Excursion and The Outback are pretty big. The only exhibits I haven't really even STARTED thinking of were The Amazon, Australia/Oceania's 2 exhibits, the Congo and The Andes. Only basic ideas or species lists have been thought up, and the Amazon's is far from finished...

Indoor Complexes:
*note*- even if they're on this list, the "indoor" complexes would all probably have an outdoor exhibit of some kind, considering their species
Deserts of the Southwest
The Amazon
Penguin Point
Oceanic Islands
 
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regaurding the formosan clouded leopard i am sure what can be done in the taiwan trail is a formosan clouded leopard memorial, just like the passenger pigeon memorial at the cincinatti zoo
 
Well, I love reading this thread, but never though I'd actually post in it myself. Here is my idea at the moment (my wild and unorganized mind will probably scrap this later in the week). It would be similar to AnaheimZoo's idea. There would be a central plaza area, with resturants, retail and similar attractions, as well as the zoos entrance. Surrounding this would be 7 areas, one for each continent. Antarctica, Europe, and Australia will all be a single loop trail. At the entrance of each of the other continental areas are several small exhibits. Off these entrances are multiple loop trails of different areas on the continent (for example, Asia would have Siberia, Indonesia, India, Himilayas, Persia, ect.). Thats all I got for now. Stay tuned for more updates.
 
KCZooFan said:
@AnaheimZoo: Sorry if you've moved past this, but here is a link that you may find useful. ZooLex Exhibit
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Oh, perfect! Actually I'd been waiting for someone to reply, and KCZooFan, once again it's you who comes through for me. :D This is almost exactly what I was looking for, and now I'm certain it'd work out if I just call the exhibit "Ethiopian Highlands," and then further divide it into the Simien Mountains, then a spotlight exhibit for Hamadryas Baboons called Hamadryas Baboons of the Great Rift Valley, and so on and so forth. :p

So, no, in no way had I moved past the idea, I was really waiting for something to come up. Thanks, it seems like you've always got these helpful links stashed away in case someone's in need... Where'd you hear about this exhibit?
 
AnaheimZoo said:
Oh, perfect! Actually I'd been waiting for someone to reply, and KCZooFan, once again it's you who comes through for me. :D ... Thanks, it seems like you've always got these helpful links stashed away in case someone's in need... Where'd you hear about this exhibit?
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Glad to know I'm helpful :) I got my monthly e-mail newsletter from ZooLex, and was just looking around. I saw this exhibit and though of what you had been discussing, so I posted it. Good thing you found it useful:)
 
KCZooFan said:
Glad to know I'm helpful :) I got my monthly e-mail newsletter from ZooLex, and was just looking around. I saw this exhibit and though of what you had been discussing, so I posted it. Good thing you found it useful:)
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Well, good thing you read this thread and subscribed to that newsletter!

It'd be interesting to see your exhibit ideas, and I'm always checking this thread so I'll be tuned in for whenever you post. :)
 
AnaheimZoo said:
Any suggestions for additional species, possible conservation stories to highlight, special guest experiences (such as hands-on encounters, shows) or any other ideas would be great.
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Try browsing online about Ethiopia, conservation and animals in concern. This can give you fresh ideas. Although being shot at by Afar insurgents may not be the best family attraction. ;)

About additional animals, very nice resource is Wildfinder or Terrestrial Ecoregions of The World. It includes lists of species of all ecosystems of the world.
 
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