Mixed exhibit questions

Kwambeze

Kwambeze

Well-Known Member
I have some questions to you if you have any input or experience in mixed exhibits with these species and if you have any proposal for species that could fit in the mix. I want to focus on endangered species.

Exhibit 1
Cheetah, white rhino, giraffe, grevy zebra,

Exhibit 2
African elephant, giraffe, grevy zebra, bonte bok, dama gazelle, addax, sable antelope, red river hog, bongo, ostrich, helmeted guineafowl, nile lechwe,

Exhibit 3
Pygmy hippo, bongo, drill

Exhibit 4
Gorilla, rolloway monkey
 
Kwambeze said:
Exhibit 1
Cheetah, white rhino, giraffe, grevy zebra,

Exhibit 2
African elephant, giraffe, grevy zebra, bonte bok, dama gazelle, addax, sable antelope, red river hog, bongo, ostrich, helmeted guineafowl, nile lechwe,

Exhibit 3
Pygmy hippo, bongo, drill

Exhibit 4
Gorilla, rolloway monkey
Click to expand...

I don't have much experience but I have read up about this kind of thing.

Exhibit 1: The antelope-cheetah combo is disliked by most of Zoochat to say the least. Most are extremely critical of the antelope-cheetah combo, but not the rhino-cheetah combo. I would say that one should stick with the rhinos with the cheetahs and have the antelopes and giraffes in a separate savanna exhibit, or have the cheetahs by themselves and combine the rhinos, giraffes and zebras, perhaps with another species of antelope (lesser/greater kudu, blesbok, wildebeest or lechwe)

Exhibit 2: Fantastic without the hogs, bongo and elephants. It kind of depends on whether the elephants are all female, mixed, or all bulls. The elephant-antelope combo only works with an only female group of elephants, since any bulls would attack the antelopes. The hogs and bongos don't really fit as they come from the Congo rainforest rather than from the savanna. But otherwise great combo.

Exhibit 3: I would house the hippos and the drills with sitatungas instead of bongo - bongo can be unpredictable at times and the sitatungas are more reliable, especially as Valencia has shown the combo to work.

Exhibit 4: I am a great fan of Rolloway monkeys. They are endangered, friendly and work with other monkey species, although they aren't common in zoos. I would say this is totally fine as long as you provide the smaller monkeys with a place to themselves where the gorillas cannot go, since a silverback gorilla could cause them some problems.
 
Zooplantman said:
When you plan a mixed exhibit what factors do you consider?
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Are you asking me?

If so, consider the following:

-Competition between the two species in the wild, and if they do not occur together in the wild, don't mix them.
-Size difference: could one hurt the other just by being big?
-How much space you will need for the enclosure (probably more than you would think)
-Does one of the animals need a space where the other cannot go? If so, generally, don't mix them.
-Is one of the animals aggressive in the breeding season or whatever it might be?
-The individual animal specimens themselves - do they lend themselves to a mixed species exhibit?
 
amur leopard said:
Are you asking me?

If so, consider the following:

-Competition between the two species in the wild, and if they do not occur together in the wild, don't mix them.
-Size difference: could one hurt the other just by being big?
-How much space you will need for the enclosure (probably more than you would think)
-Does one of the animals need a space where the other cannot go? If so, generally, don't mix them.
-Is one of the animals aggressive in the breeding season or whatever it might be?
-The individual animal specimens themselves - do they lend themselves to a mixed species exhibit?
Click to expand...
I was primarily asking @Kwambeze but I appreciate your answer too
:D

I agree with much of your list but I do have some additional thoughts:
- Why, if the species do not occur together in the wild would you not mix them? Are you thinking of ecological appropriateness of the exhibit or behavioral compatabilities?
- In my experience, when mixing species, it is often essential that the species have the opportunity to get away from each other. So "one of the animals need a space where the other cannot go" is a very good thing to plan for.
- You could mix species that use the space differently and thus you only need to consider the ways in which they might come into contact or conflict with each other. So, for example, in @Kwambeze's Exhibit 2 there are a number of species that will tend to be around the water. You'll need a long water's edge to give everyone access that wants it without stressing anyone.
 
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Zooplantman said:
I was primarily asking @Kwambeze but I appreciate your answer too
:D

I agree with much of your list but I do have some additional thoughts:
- Why, if the species do not occur together in the wild would you not mix them? Are you thinking of ecological appropriateness of the exhibit or behavioral compatabilities?
- In my experience, when mixing species, it is often essential that the species have the opportunity to get away from each other. So "one of the animals need a space where the other cannot go" is a very good thing to plan for.
- You could mix species that use the space differently and thus you only need to consider the ways in which they might come into contact or conflict with each other. So, for example, in @Kwambeze's Exhibit 2 there are a number of species that will tend to be around the water. You'll need a long water's edge to give everyone access that wants it without stressing anyone.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right - in theory there is no problem with mixing species that do not occur together in the wild, but in practise, most mixed species exhibits are tried out because zoo owners know that they work together because they do in the wild. If they were to mix two species that do not occur together in the wild, they would be taking a big risk that one of the animals might hurt the other.
You are also right on the second point, I should have elaborated. I meant that if a species needs a space to itself, it might not be an advisable mix, since one animal might pose a danger to the other.
:)
 
amur leopard said:
I don't have much experience but I have read up about this kind of thing.

Exhibit 1: The antelope-cheetah combo is disliked by most of Zoochat to say the least. Most are extremely critical of the antelope-cheetah combo, but not the rhino-cheetah combo. I would say that one should stick with the rhinos with the cheetahs and have the antelopes and giraffes in a separate savanna exhibit, or have the cheetahs by themselves and combine the rhinos, giraffes and zebras, perhaps with another species of antelope (lesser/greater kudu, blesbok, wildebeest or lechwe)

Exhibit 2: Fantastic without the hogs, bongo and elephants. It kind of depends on whether the elephants are all female, mixed, or all bulls. The elephant-antelope combo only works with an only female group of elephants, since any bulls would attack the antelopes. The hogs and bongos don't really fit as they come from the Congo rainforest rather than from the savanna. But otherwise great combo.

Exhibit 3: I would house the hippos and the drills with sitatungas instead of bongo - bongo can be unpredictable at times and the sitatungas are more reliable, especially as Valencia has shown the combo to work.

Exhibit 4: I am a great fan of Rolloway monkeys. They are endangered, friendly and work with other monkey species, although they aren't common in zoos. I would say this is totally fine as long as you provide the smaller monkeys with a place to themselves where the gorillas cannot go, since a silverback gorilla could cause them some problems.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your answer, amur leopard.

1. In this case I am thinking about mixing giraffe, zebra and rhino with the cheetahs, not antelopes. My thought is an all male grevy zebra herd. I wonder why Zoochatters aren't big fans of mixing cheetahs and herbivors? The only mix with cheetah I have experience of if cheetah/rhino and that works very well.

2. The elephants will be an all female herd. The exhibit is large and I am thinking of creating different enviroments from the African continent, from desert to rainforest areas, so the animals can choose.

3. Thank you. Do you have any knowledge about the drills and the pygmy hippos together?
 
amur leopard said:
Yes, you are right - in theory there is no problem with mixing species that do not occur together in the wild, but in practise, most mixed species exhibits are tried out because zoo owners know that they work together because they do in the wild. If they were to mix two species that do not occur to
Click to expand...

I disagree. Animals have no concern for geography. I would emphasize behavior instead.
And the facts might make you reconsider
Any weird mixed exhibits?
 
Kwambeze said:
1. In this case I am thinking about mixing giraffe, zebra and rhino with the cheetahs, not antelopes. My thought is an all male grevy zebra herd. I wonder why Zoochatters aren't big fans of mixing cheetahs and herbivors? The only mix with cheetah I have experience of if cheetah/rhino and that works very well.
Click to expand...

Zooplantman said:
I disagree. Animals have no concern for geography. I would emphasize behavior instead.
And the facts might make you reconsider
Any weird mixed exhibits?
Click to expand...

I think the reason for it is the stress for both groups of animals. For example, a male coalition of cheetahs in the wild can take down a zebra, and a zebra and kick a cheetah's jaw in easily if it gets too close. Also, zebras could easily chase down even a cheetah in an enclosed space, meaning the zebras could injure the cheetahs badly as well as vice versa :)

As for the geography...
There are some really wacky exhibits out there but just because they exist, it doesn't mean that they are good exhibits! Many of those exhibits on that thread have been separated/stopped because they weren't working, or because it didn't look right. In theory, you are right - if you combine a variety of species, from a variety of continents and ecosystems, but their behaviours may correlate and work well together, then it should work. But normally it doesn't. Mixed species exhibits are a dangerous thing for all the animals involved. Imagine if they put you in with several raccoons! Both parties would be stressed out. However, there are things that the zoos can do to minimise that risk, and one of them is pick two species from the same continent and same habitat, knowing that they work together and all will be fine. It is simply too risky to take a sloth bear and a burrowing owl and mush them together, thinking,'this will work'.
 
amur leopard said:
However, there are things that the zoos can do to minimise that risk, and one of them is pick two species from the same continent and same habitat, knowing that they work together and all will be fine. It is simply too risky to take a sloth bear and a burrowing owl and mush them together, thinking,'this will work'.
Click to expand...
I agree (again) with much of what you wrote but I would like to see some evidence that animals whose nativity is the same place are more likely to get along than if they came from different locales but had compatible needs and behaviors. Where are you getting this assertion from?
 
Okay what about Okapi and pygmy hippo? As I understand they have never been in the same enclosure. But from what you know about the species, would it be successful? How would you design the enclosure?
 
Kwambeze said:
Okay what about Okapi and pygmy hippo? As I understand they have never been in the same enclosure. But from what you know about the species, would it be successful? How would you design the enclosure?
Click to expand...
I would not mix okapi with anything. A mostly solitary animal sensitive to too much disturbance in its environs
 
Okapi have been mixed with a number of birds
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...late+TAGs+Mixed-Species+Manual+2017.final.pdf page 149

and a number of other ungulates
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...late+TAGs+Mixed-Species+Manual+2017.final.pdf page 75

I don't know if its ever been done but I see no reason they could not be mixed with primates
(maybe not mandrills and drills, nor chimps and gorillas) and perching birds given the right enclosure

I certainly wouldn't try pygmy hippo and okapi, not to mention they don't coexist In the wild.
 
amur leopard said:
Yes, you are right - in theory there is no problem with mixing species that do not occur together in the wild, but in practise, most mixed species exhibits are tried out because zoo owners know that they work together because they do in the wild. If they were to mix two species that do not occur together in the wild, they would be taking a big risk that one of the animals might hurt the other.
You are also right on the second point, I should have elaborated. I meant that if a species needs a space to itself, it might not be an advisable mix, since one animal might pose a danger to the other.
:)
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Palawan peacock peasants and turacos would mix together much easier than lions and antelope. Also, it partially has to do with the individual animal. Some turacos mix fine with other birds, yet some of the same species are too aggressive. This applies to almost every other animal as well.
 
I know that, what I meant (for the fourth time) was that it is more risky to combine, say, a blackbuck with a kudu than a giraffe with a kudu, since we know that the giraffe-kudu combo works from the wild but we don't know whether the blackbuck-kudu combo works because it never plays out in the wild.
 
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