Geographically Incorrect Exhibits

MonkeyBat

MonkeyBat

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Hello all, this thread is to discuss geographically incorrect exhibits. By this I mean exhibits for animals which are incorrectly themed (think African safari, Chinese architecture, Australian outback), mixed species enclosures with animals not sharing a common range, or animals in a geographic "region" that don't belong there (Asian Passage at San Diego for example)
 
I feel like such exhibits are often forgivable because of spatial and budgetary limits, as well as the practicality of animal care. I can't think of any zoo that doesn't mix animals with allopatric distributions.

Aquariums both public and private generally do this; it's easier to mix tropical fish based on temperature, water parameter requirements, and social compatibility than to design specific biotopes.
 
Quite a few tropical aviaries are like this- and I personally believe it makes for better Exhibits as you can find the ideal mix of species, not limiting yourself to say, birds from Panama.
 
I suppose it depends whether the original intent of an exhibit was to be biogeographically themed and this somehow lapsed with the inclusion of species not native to that region / biome or if it wasn't intentionally themed that way and was just a mish-mash of species from different regions.

Personally I much prefer mixed-species exhibits to be with animals that are from the same biogeographic region and also prefer this kind of geographic theming within areas of zoos to be consistent (in terms of representations of cultures ancient or modern in exhibits too).

I think there is nothing nicer actually than a mixed-species aviary or enclosure with species from the same region as it really helps to get an idea of the fauna / biodiversity of a given location / region.

However, my aesthetics are not really representative of the average zoo going public who I doubt this matters to when all is said and done.
 
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I don't really have a problem with animals being housed together that don't share a native range, although here are a few examples that I've seen.

Alpacas and Llamas with an Elk
Dromedary and Bactrian Camel
Capybara with Black Swan
Grant's Zebra with Eastern Bongo
White-eared Titi with Black-and-rufous Elephant Shrew
Galapagos with Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Ring-tailed Lemur with Black-necked Swan
Mhorr Gazelle, Saddle-billed Stork, and White Storks with Red River Hogs
Mallard and Emperor Goose with Andean Goose
White-faced Saki and Green Iguana with Patagonian Mara
 
I find this kind of geographically incorrect signage in zoos more irritating as it shows a complete lack of concern about the education of visitors by staff and their own lack of education:
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This exhibit displays a "Mayan temple" with capybara which are not native to any of the regions where the Mayan civilization occurred:
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This one kind of bothered me first by how unsuitable it looks for the poor cobra and second because of tacky / cheesy it is. It has a bust of Tutankhamun on an Ancient Greek doric column (two different ancient civilizations from different regions and with different architectural styles):
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This one really made me chuckle, a bush dog in a "Mayan ruin" ( I think that is what it is meant to be?) despite the fact that the species does not occur in any areas where the Mayan civilization did. The expression of the bushdog looking bewildered just makes it even funnier.
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Photo credit to @ThylacineAlive, @StellarChaser, @GraysonDP.
 
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If zoos and aquariums are educational institutions then such exhibits must wrestle with what it is they are teaching. I wouldn't mind these mixes if clear prominent signage explored "Why Are Some Animals Grazers?" or "Why Are Some Asian Animals So Similar To North American Species?" or the like. But just adding an American bison and a giraffe to a paddock with two species i.d. signs strikes me as bad education
 
Zooplantman said:
If zoos and aquariums are educational institutions then such exhibits must wrestle with what it is they are teaching. I wouldn't mind these mixes if clear prominent signage explored "Why Are Some Animals Grazers?" or "Why Are Some Asian Animals So Similar To North American Species?" or the like. But just adding an American bison and a giraffe to a paddock with two species i.d. signs strikes me as bad education
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Yes, totally agree, the educational rigour of an exhibit should be questioned, I think this educational aspect is treated with an unfortunate very lax disregard by many zoos.
 
Mooloolaba Aquarium's old exotic freshwater exhibit was very much geographically incorrect. Pacu, Barramundi, Redtail Catfish, Pangasius, Fly River Turtle, Midas Cichlid, Jewel Cichlid, Giant Gourami and several species of African Cichlid in the same tank, and Alligator Gar, Peacock Bass and some kind of Freshwater Ray in another! There were a couple tanks that were more geographically correct, like a mix of Archerfish and Australian Lungfish. The exhibit has since been replaced with Little Penguins.
 
DaLilFishie said:
Mooloolaba Aquarium's old exotic freshwater exhibit was very much geographically incorrect. Pacu, Barramundi, Redtail Catfish, Pangasius, Fly River Turtle, Midas Cichlid, Jewel Cichlid, Giant Gourami and several species of African Cichlid in the same tank, and Alligator Gar, Peacock Bass and some kind of Freshwater Ray in another! There were a couple tanks that were more geographically correct, like a mix of Archerfish and Australian Lungfish. The exhibit has since been replaced with Little Penguins.
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It was a real melting pot of rarely exhibited exotic fish (well by Australian standards) wasn't it. A large Cigar Shark (Leptobarbus rubripinna) also lived in this mix [Cigar Shark (Leptobarbus rubripinna) - ZooChat]. A lot of these fish came from confiscations.
 
DaLilFishie said:
Confiscations? Like border security or something? I think I saw that Cigar Shark when I went there, but I didn't know what it was.
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They used to have a sign up years ago saying they worked with the relevant state authorities to house some of the fish that were found being kept illegally (gars etc).
 
In general I do not like mixed species exhibits with animals from different biogeographic regions as I question the educational value.

A couple of examples that I can think of which have irritated me either seeing or learning about would be:

Spectacled bear, Asian short clawed otter, coati and howler monkey enclosure at Jersey zoo, UK - This mix is thankfully no longer in place but I really love what this zoo does in terms of ex-situ and in-situ conservation so it is disappointing that Asian short clawed otters were once added to a South American themed exhibit. I feel it greatly detracted from the aesthetics / theming and educational message of the enclosure.

Gorilla and meerkat enclosure at Artis Royal and Ouwehands zoos, Netherlands - I understand that the meerkats in these enclosures are essentially used for pest control with controlling mice and rats but I still really dislike the mix.

Ring tailed lemur and Woolly monkey enclosure at Sorocaba zoo, Brazil - I used to truly hate this mix at the zoo and though there was never any conflict between the two species I used to feel strongly that these two primates should not have been mixed.

ZSL London galago and giant jumping rat mixed species enclosure - Not a bad mix in terms of suitability of the species. However, I feel that the aye-aye and giant jumping rat when kept together are far more educational given that they are both Malagasy and representative of the fauna and conservation of Madagascan biodiversity.

South Lakes "South America" exhibit (spectacled bear, buffy headed capuchin, lowland tapir, Asian short clawed otter)- It sounds like it was a total disaster and a moronic decision. The most irritating thing is that it led to the deaths of buffy tufted capuchins , a critically endangered Atlantic rainforest species due to agonistic behaviour from the spectacled bears.

Freshwater turtle and crocodilian exhibits with species native to different biogeographic regions - There are too many examples of zoos that do this and I understand why it is done in terms of lack of space etc. However, I personally really don't see the point in doing this educationally or aesthetically unless the species are from the same freshwater ecosystem or geographical region.
 
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Shaldon once held long nosed pottoroo with white face saki and golden headed lion tamarin which was an unusual mix.

Theres a few in rescue centres.
Monkey worlds ringtail lemur, patas monkey and red tailed guenon.
There is a refuse Centre in Wales that I believe had a ruffled lemur with a mandrill.
Company is company in a dire situation I suppose.
 
Sausagefingers said:
Shaldon once held long nosed pottoroo with white face saki and golden headed lion tamarin which was an unusual mix.

Theres a few in rescue centres.
Monkey worlds ringtail lemur, patas monkey and red tailed guenon.
There is a refuse Centre in Wales that I believe had a ruffled lemur with a mandrill.
Company is company in a dire situation I suppose.
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Yes, I remember you mentioning that mix at Shaldon before on the thread.

I guess it was due to lack of space, right?

I know that this decision was probably made due to lack of space / constraints of space but I dont really aesthetically or educationally like the idea of mixing these with potoroos.

I'd much rather see the monkeys mixed with agoutis or a neotropical bird or tortoise species and the potoroo with birds native to Australia (there was a good one at Drusillas park many years ago which had potoroo with either lorikeets or cockatoos if I remember correctly).

That said, golden and golden headed lion tamarins and the white faced saki tend to be very easy going in terms of their temperaments and compatibility with other mammals or birds in mixed species exhibits.
 
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