Masterplan of my "absolute" zoo

During the last year, many posts have described my "Absolute Zoo", its exhibits and its animal collection.
While unveiling all of them, some flaws and errors have appeared, as well as improvement suggestions, made of my own or by the other Zoochatters.
To prepare the next version of the Zoo, I would retain some of them (that doesn't mean they will be actually retained, they remain possibilities at this stage) and list them to you :
  • refurbishment of the large raptor aviary of the European Zone (n° 17 on the European map) ; this aviary, empty last year, will probably host an Eagle species ;
  • return of the Eastern Imperial Eagles and Northern Bald Ibises (now housed in the African Zone) in the raptor complex of the European Zone (n° 14 to 24 on the European map) ;
  • maybe a new aviary for Eurasian Bitterns, now housed in a mixed-species aviary at the entrance of the European zone (n° 1 on the European map) ;
  • new arrivals of species (mammals) in the large steppic enclosure of the North Asian Zone (n° 2 on the North Asian map) ;
  • possible replacement of the Yaks by other grazing mammals, if possible rarer, in the Himalayan herbivore enclosure (n° 5 on the North Asian map) ;
  • a more complete plan of the Nursery exhibits, especially the aquaria/terraria for fishes, reptiles and amphibians (n° 8 on the North Asian map) ;
  • possible arrival of Indian Rhinos in the large Indian plains (n° 2 to 3 on the South Asian map) ;
  • separated installations for Green Peafowl (no longer mixed exhibits) on the South Asian Zone (cf. n° 12 and 13 on the South Asian map) ;
  • possible creation of a cove for Oceanian Penguins and/or Tuataras in front of the Australasian House (n° 18 on the Oceanian map) ;
  • building of a breeding aviary for the Marabou Storks, now housed in a mixed-species aviary (n° 25 on the African map) ;
  • building of a polyvalent centre, with restaurant, library, cultural space and a few animal exhibits, called "The Salonga Centre" in the African Zone, behind the Diana Monkey aviary (n° 13 on the African map) ;
  • creation of a new space for small mammals, with a rock and a walkthrough exhibit in the African Zone, called "The Kopje" (n° 28 to 31 and 37 to 39 on the African map) ;
  • arrival of Mauritius Fruit Bats in the Mascarene Aviary (n° 41 on the African map) ;
  • breeding of the Grey Bamboo Lemurs (n° 43 on the African map) ;
  • new species of marine Turtles in the Aquarium (F on the general map) ;
  • departure of very invasive species as Zebra Mussels out of the Aquarium ;
  • arrival of exotic breeds of farm animals, and pets (Ferrets, Rodents, Aquarium Fish...) in the Mini-Farm (G zone on the general map) ;
  • arrival of Bobcats in the North American Zone, possibly housed in the current Puma canyon (n° 16 and 17 on the North American map) ;
  • feasibility of a walkthrough exhibit in the Amazonian Ark (B on the South American map) ;
  • possible arrival of Toco Toucans in the Amazonian Ark (not threatened but emblematic species) ;
  • conversion of the Black-necked Swan enclosure (n° 25 on the South American map) into an island for Neotropical primates ;
  • possible arrival of Puna / James' Flamingos in the South American Zone, maybe in the current Seriema aviary (n° 28 on the South American map) ;
  • new enclosures for Andes or Pampa species (birds and mammals) in the South American Zone ;
  • mixing the herps and invertebrates with fish in the Vivarium (K on the general map), and the fish with amphibians in the Aquarium ;
  • arrival of Cockroaches, Tarantulas and even Diving Bell Spiders in the Vivarium ;
  • building of an outdoor exhibit for European Vipers near the Vivarium ;
  • creation of an specialized breeding centre for indigenous amphibians and reptiles in the Vivarium or at least in the Zoo ;
  • arrival of a male Gila Monster for breeding ;
  • presentation of the Elapidae species alone or by pairs (no longer groups of 3 or more).
You can now give your constructive comments after this long list of suggestions.

I'll try to make a comprehensive list of all the displayed species, and maybe of the projects supported by the Zoo in the next days.

See you later !
 
Last edited:
Hello,
I've finally published the comprehensive list of the species, for the 2021 version of my Absolute Zoo :
Masterplan of my Absolute Zoo - 2021

It has been a very long work, if possible I will assign the IUCN statuses and the information if the species are unique in Europe or not (only for the vertebrates, and if I've enough time).

Remember that a 2022 version of my Zoo is already in preparation !

You can send me your suggestions about the Zoo and its species list.

See you later !
 
Last edited:
Hello,

I've completed the first set of statuses of conservation IUCN (100 species arbitrarily chosen), and the information if the listed species are unique in the European collections.
The IUCN statuses are those of the last update in 2021. They can be available for most wild vertebrate species, but few invertebrates.
The "European collections" are those listed in Zootierliste (that could be non-exhaustive) ; I take in account all the countries of the European continent, including Iceland, Russia (and the former Soviet republics in Europe, at least Baltic countries, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova) and Turkey, but not the Middle Eastern states as Israel and Arabian countries that have their proper specificities.
 
Hello,

I've just completed another set of statuses of conservation IUCN, for 200 species arbitrarily chosen, and the information if the listed species are unique in the European collections.
 
One thing I think would be nice is a gradual expansion of the farm area to house rare-breed animals, I can pm you about it if you like, as I have quite a few great candidates (I actually have a too many LOL)
 
Haliaeetus said:
Hello,

we continue to discover the African Zone, with a house dedicated to nocturnal mammals :

full

Its design looks like the Djenné mosque, surrounded by sand and clay.

In this building there are several dark exhibits with a few infra-red lamps, that can be discovered along a path. Some species are elusive and it's only possible to catch glimpses of them if we are lucky.
The first one (A) is a cave-like 100 m² enclosure for a small colony of Egyptian Fruit Bats Rousettus aegyptiacus (4.3).

The two following enclosures (B-C) are much smaller (10 m² each) but it's a correct size for the species housed there, that have the size of a mouse, that are :
  • in the B enclosure : Short-snouted Sengi Elephantulus brachyrhynchus (1.4)
  • in the C enclosure : Barbary Striped Grass-Mouse Lemniscomys striatus (5.5)
In these enclosures there are rocks and burrows on a prevalently sandy soil.

Then there are the burrows of the Aardvarks previously described (D-E), that stay mainly indoors.
A pair lives in each burrow that have a surface of 75 m².

The last exhibit of the house is a long tunnel (F) for a colony of Naked Mole-Rats Heterocephalus glaber (4.6). The exhibit is quite large, it includes 20 small rooms linked with pipes.
The colony is very small for now, because it's composed only of young animals ; the breeding is waited in next years.

In this place there's information about the "superpowers" of these bizarre mammals : their resistence to pain, hypoxy, tumours or even aging of the cells, their very long lifespan (more than 30 years for mouse-sized animals) plus their eusocial behaviour (like ants or termites).
An of course their beauty ! (in French their are called "les rats-beauté" !!!)

There are also inside enclosures for the Bat-eared Foxes (G-H) and Meerkats (I-J).
These enclosures are quite small (15 m² each) and only covered with sawdust, with wooden boxes as hides for the animals. Only the last Meerkat enclosure (J) can be seen by the visitors, it's possible to see these small carnivores behind a glassy window in the coldest winter days, when they don't want to go out.

The Bat Cave :
full

(Credits : KevinB)

Egyptian Fruit Bat :
full

(Credits : NigeW)

Barbary Striped Mouse :
full

(Credits : jayjds2)

The Aardvark enclosure :
full

(Credits : MagpieGoose)

Aardvark :
full

(Credits : Milwaukee Man)

Naked Mole-Rats' Tunnels :
full

(Credits : Milwaukee Man)

Naked Mole-Rats aka "Les Rats-beauté"
full

(Credits : Haliaeetus)

Now we start the presentation of the Savannah Carnivores' Section.

As I said there aren't Lions now, but several interesting species.
All these enclosures are grassy plains with few trees and stumps that provide shade and hides for the animals that can be quite difficult to see, especially in the hottest days. There also burrows where these animals spend the night.

The first enclosure (32) has a surface of 1.585 m².
It's the home of a small pack of African Wild Dogs Lycaon pictus bitches (0.3).

The next one (33) is a bit larger with a 2.110 m² surface.
We can see here some Spotted Hyaenas Crocuta crocuta (5.1).

Both species aren't popular, and they suffer a bad reputation and a lack of protection, especially for the first species that has high ecological exigences.

We can hear talks about the biology and conservation issues for these 2 species, and information about their place in the folklore (in the Ethiopian city of Harar the guardians feed the Hyaenas, while the scholars of European Middle Ages believed that the Hyaenas were hermaphrodites... that can seem fantasy but that has a true basis given the physiological aspect of females Hyaenas, that deceived more than a zookeeper !).
There's also information about 2 projects supported by the Zoo : a monitoring project of large carnivores (including these 2 species) in Niger and Burkina Faso (in a very rich zone for the biodiversity but unfortunately plagued by political unrest for a decade), and an anti-poaching project that's led in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

African Wild Dogs' enclosure :
full

(Credits : vogelcommando)

African Wild Dog :
full

(Credits : Haliaeetus)

Spotted Hyaena enclosure :
full

(Credits : Maguari)

Spotted Hyaena :
full

(Credits : Haliaeetus)

The last exhibits (34-35-36) are the largest (respectively 3.050, 4.520 and 4.625 m²).
It's a complex dedicated to the breeding of the Cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus (6.9).

The breeding of these cats is successful here : 8 cubs (2.6) are born in 2020, from 2 different litters.
The remainder of the group includes 4 males and 3 females (adults).
For the needs of breeding the groups are frequently moved from an enclosure to another.

One of the Cheetah enclosures :
full

(Credits : lintworm)

Cheetah :
full

(Credits : Haliaeetus)

The complex relationship between Cheetahs and humans is explained in this area, especially with the hunting tradition that has been detrimental to the species (it fuelled captures of young Cheetahs in Middle East and India, then in Africa), and the difficulty of captive breeding (thought to be impossible for a long time). So the success encountered here is a real source of pride for the Zoo.
The Zoo supports a reintroduction program of Cheetahs in South Africa, along with the monitoring program led in Niger and Burkina Faso, that has been described earlier.

I'll present the next parts of the African zone in the following days ; I let you comment your impressions about the nocturnal mammals and carnivores subzones.
Click to expand...
Is the indoor aardvark exhibit viewable to the visitors?
 
Yes the Aardvarks exhibits were viewable by the visitors (as well as many exhibits for small mammals : Bats, Sengis, Naked-mole-rats...) but now this building has been closed and replaced by another one (with the Hippo pools of the 2022 version).
Most of its dwellers (including the Aardvarks) have left the Zoo, a few small mammal species have been transferred in the Espace Salonga themed on Central Africa, near the Okapi and Shoebill exhibits.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top