National park based exhibit

[elefante]

Serengeti - Wildlife Metropolis

This exhibit would be located on a large, flat, site of land. It would display the animals similar (as I'm aware through pictures) to Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas, with large moats separating the animals to create the illusion of the animals living together. This exhibit is supposed to be for a mid-sized zoo and is quite old, probably from the 80s or 90s.

The visitor starts off in front of a "river" for Nile crocodiles. It overlooks the first paddock. and the pool in the first paddock

Then it's off to the Conservation Cafe, a small hut like restaurant that serves the usual burgers, hot dogs, and other "zoo food". It features many adventure gear and maps of the park, as well as a guide to some of the animals. The restaurant also offers a view of the main savannah.

The Great Migration

This is a large spacious paddock representing some of the famous animals of the famous Serengeti migration. Here you can find blue wildebeest, Grant's zebras, and Thomson's gazelle. They also share their exhibit with a mud flat in the side of the exhibit for lesser flamingoes. and helmeted guinea fowl, and crowned crane also share the area. A moat separates the hoof stock and birds from the neck exhibit.

Kings of the Serengeti

Of course, by the name, you can expect this exhibit is of course for African lions. Their exhibit features kopjes for climbing, a hut for viewing, which features a half lion half human accessible land rover, creating some very interesting photos. It overlooks the next paddock and the Migration paddock.

Serengeti Families

This exhibit is of course the largest, as it holds the largest animals. This paddock is home to African elephants. Currently two elders, a younger female and her baby. The highlight is a large waterfall pool and a giant baobab tree. This have enrichment inside and is connected to the night barn. The exhibit will soon be renovated to add a private yard for a rotational herd once the zoo gets a male.

Towering Above

Next to the elephants, a smaller, but still large, grassy paddock with large thatched towers is in sight. Of course it is home to Masai giraffes. Overall the exhibit is quite simple, but a renovation will be soon underway for a feeding experience.

Monkey Rock.

The final exhibit is not a paddock, but a large island with a towering rocky kopje, towering at almost 30 feet tall. It feature many outcrops for olive baboons. Since they also are quite to foragers, there is also a grassy yard nearby.

Masai Village

The visitor finally exits through an aviary. The vision enters through a Masai hut, where they can learn about the unique culture of these amazing people. After exiting, you enter a sort of river bed, with birds flying around you. The free flying birds are the grey breasted spur fowl, fisher's lovebirds, yellow billed oxpeckers (are they in captivity?), superb starling, variable sunbirds (almost typed this as sunflower, thanks Harry Styles ) Von decker's hornbill, white headed buffalo weaver, and lilac breasted rollers. In the river bed, there are terrariums for black mamba, rainbow agamas, black necked spitting cobra, dung beetles, flap necked chameleon, boomslang, and a large one Southern African python. In the middle of the aviary is a large exhibit for dwarf mongooses, crested porcupines, and leopard tortoises. It even includes one way glass for seeing into the burrows!

Here's an overview of which animals overlook who

crocodiles - migration

migration - crocodiles, lions, partially elephants

lions - migration, elephants

elephants - migration, lions, giraffes

giraffes - elephants, baboons

baboons - giraffes


May I try another?

Can you please build this one somewhere? I think this would win an award. We'll stick with the Africa theme and your next one will be Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana.

 

[MonkeyBat]

Can you please build this one somewhere? I think this would win an award. We'll stick with the Africa theme and your next one will be Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana.

Thank you so much!

 

[Mbwamwitu]

Hey, I have a bad track record of not following up on these but this looks like a neat way to learn about protected areas and I love thinking about complexes like this, so I'm gonna give it a shot. Can I get one?

 

[elefante]

Hey, I have a bad track record of not following up on these but this looks like a neat way to learn about protected areas and I love thinking about complexes like this, so I'm gonna give it a shot. Can I get one?

How about Tsavo National Park in Kenya?

 

[Sotolo]

Sure thing. I'll give you Big Bend National Park in Texas. Nice to see someone on here who is a bit of a geographic neighbor.

Thank you for such a great park elefante. I learned quite a bit writing this post; and I’d be happy to have another park.

Overall, the goal of this trail is to highlight the beauty of Big Bend National Park. I’d spend more time research the human history of the park and include it in the design. The current design does not reflect the history of the Native Americans who called this place home nor the Spanish and Mexican perspectives, and I could not do it justice. That’d be the biggest task to fill. I also used a website that calculated areas of shapes placed onto areas of Google Maps to create a very rough outline of the entire trail and exhibits which is why you’ll see some exhibits have their area mentioned and the trail having some directionality. It is not current, but it helps understand the general idea I had. Since it is already going to be a long post (let me know if it's too long), I may post the map with legend and potential species list for the small animal exhibits if people wanted. (Those small animals are probably going to be where I would break the initial rule of each species already being in captivity.) If the exhibits seem large, that’s because I tried to err on the side of too large over too small. I feel as though this is a good stopping point before the perfectionist in me starts to take over. So, hopefully you like it, and I’ll be happy to learn of any errors or take suggestions.

Entrance and the Desert

Before you enter the trail, you begin in a fictional boarder town separated in the middle by the border wall which extends beyond the town, but not onto the main path through the zoo. At the entrance you see a recreation of the Museum of the Big Bend. (In real life it is located in Alpine, Texas, which is an 80-mile drive to the park.) Here you see art from all of the people who have called the western part of Texas their home. However, when you look up, a pterosaur is hung above you. You read a sign on the wall stating that it is a replica of Quetzalcoatlus northropi whose fossils were first discovered in Big Bend National Park. (There is a replica of one at the Museum of the Big Bend which you can find by searching on YouTube.)

Walking onto the trail, you’re greeted by the quintessential national park entrance sign and begin your trek through the desert. To your left you can see part of the .65-acre exhibit for the Pronghorn antelope. There is a line of brush that makes it hard to see the back end. When you look to your right, you notice that you’ve been on the edge of a prairie dog town this entire time. The Prairie dog town is split into two exhibits. The one closest to the entrance of the trail is 4480 square feet and contains burrowing owls. The signage explains that many animals rely on prairie dog burrows. You do see the prairie dogs in the adjacent 500 square foot habitat. However, you also notice that there is an old truck stuck on the bottom barrier. People can sit in it and get a car-side view of the prairie dogs and their antics. However, the truck has a purpose. It and the sign next to it tell people that there are many archeological artifacts. Although it may look like trash abandoned long ago, it is history that must be preserved. And no, your candy wrapper is not an archeological artifact.

Although it may be hot, respite is not far. You enter a building modeled after the Panther Junction Visitor Center, and you notice that human are not the only visitors. You’ve entered the trail’s primary display of reptiles and insects (about 7200 square feet). However, here you also learn about the establishment of Big Bend National Park that started in the 1930’s and culminated in its establishment in on June 12, 1944. There is also information about the National Park Service and some general guidance about how to stay safe in the desert. As you exit the desert center, you notice that there is more shrubbery and a gentle incline.

The Scrub and Mountains

After exiting the desert center, you notice a large netted area to your right with a mock dead tree in the middle. Here you see two Harris Hawks perched. You learn that Harris Hawks are one of the few birds of prey to hunt cooperatively. However, to your left you think you see a pig. However, you actually saw one of the collared peccaries (Javelina) in their roughly 11,370 square foot habitat. You learn that they can handle a wide variety of habitats ranging from the deserts to flooded grasslands. As you continue up the incline your path curves. You are being watched by a pair of coyotes from their 11,200 square foot enclosure. You learn that the coyote was a prominent character in folklore and often assumed the role of a trickster. Aside from their role in mythology, you also learn about their ability to survive in urban areas. (One could also replace them with mexican grey wolves for the conservation importance.) After passing the coyotes and the javelinas, you near the top of the hill, which is more wooded to represent the Chisos mountains. You learn that the there was a large amount of volcanic activity in the area between 38 and 32 million years ago. To your left is an approximately 15,000 square-foot yard for mule deer. Ahead and to your right is the top of the hill. However, it is a while until you get there. You first pass an aviary (about 2400 square feet of ground space) containing some of the birds in the area. Past the aviary, you reach the bottom of a mock cliff. You notice two openings in the cliff. You cannot enter the first since an abandoned minecart blocks the path. You learn how the Mariscal Mine, which mined mercury between 1919 and 1923. However, you can enter the second cave. In it you find a lot of fake dung. To be specific, it is Shasta ground sloth dung. You learn that the area was cooler and wetter during the Ice Age and that paleontologists were able to get a better picture of what the Big Bend from pack rat middens. However, as you’re reading the signs, you notice some light coming from your left while you entered from the right. The source is a second entrance to the cave, but it is occupied by a sleeping black bear. Thankfully there is a glass barrier between the two of you. You leave the cave to see if there are more active bears. It’s a bit of track, but as you start making your way down the hill you notice that there is a bend in the trail where you can watch the bears dig, climb, and roam in their 2/3-acre habitat. They have access to a pool at the bottom of their habitat.

The River, Border, and End

As you reach the bottom of the hill you reach a pond that represents the Rio Grande. You enter a small lodge. Here you learn about the Rio Grande and the fish and amphibians that make their home in the Park. Out the window to your right is a pond where you can view the ducks as well as see the black bears on the hillside. After you leave the building, you turn yet again. This time you turn to the right. To your left is a wall. As you continue down the trail, windows appear in the wall so that you see a ghost of the southwest in a pool. This is one of three habitats for the Jaguar, which once ranged throughout the desert southwest. The exhibit closest to the pond is a riparian section and covers .38 acres. The signs in this area describe its importance to the Maya and the Aztec. The exhibit across the path from it represents a more mountainous area (.43 acres). The cats can move between these two habitats by walking over what seems to be a balanced rock (with a mesh tunnel similar to Louisville's Snow Leopard habitat surrounding it to prevent unwanted human-animal interactions) between the two large rocks that make part of the barrier for the exhibits. As you approach the end of the first two habitats, you see the source of the fences that lined the back of the habitat, a border crossing. Here you learn about how borders make it harder for animals to migrate and expand their habitat. The jaguars can cross the path on the roof of the board crossing to reach their third habitat. After you pass through the border crossing you see the scrub habitat (.34 acres) to your right. The signs here describe the history of the Jaguar in the United States, from the jaguar’s extirpation from the U.S. with the last one hunted in 1963, to the recent sightings of Jaguars, such as Macho B and El Jefe, in the late Twenty Oughts and Tens. As a small detail, the descriptions on the signs now start with Spanish and are then repeated in English.

The Jaguars are not the only one to cross the fictional border wall, but the peccaries, mule deer, and pronghorn can as well. The mule deer and peccary have second habitats while the pronghorn exhibit is both large and close enough to both ends of the trail for visitors on either side to see them. As you reach the end of the trail, you see an aviary for turkey vultures, a habitat for a group white-nosed coati, and an exhibit for roadrunners to your right while the hoofstock are to your left.

As you leave the trail you enter the Mexican side of the fictional town which contains all of the food and drinks for the area. It also contains some a small store front to buy handicraft from the area. Overall, this side of the entrance/exit pavilion would reflect Boquillas del Carmen, a small town in Mexico where tourists visiting the Big Bend can cross the border get food and drinks.

 

[Nathan S]

Can I have one please

 

[elefante]

Thank you for such a great park elefante. I learned quite a bit writing this post; and I’d be happy to have another park.

Overall, the goal of this trail is to highlight the beauty of Big Bend National Park. I’d spend more time research the human history of the park and include it in the design. The current design does not reflect the history of the Native Americans who called this place home nor the Spanish and Mexican perspectives, and I could not do it justice. That’d be the biggest task to fill. I also used a website that calculated areas of shapes placed onto areas of Google Maps to create a very rough outline of the entire trail and exhibits which is why you’ll see some exhibits have their area mentioned and the trail having some directionality. It is not current, but it helps understand the general idea I had. Since it is already going to be a long post (let me know if it's too long), I may post the map with legend and potential species list for the small animal exhibits if people wanted. (Those small animals are probably going to be where I would break the initial rule of each species already being in captivity.) If the exhibits seem large, that’s because I tried to err on the side of too large over too small. I feel as though this is a good stopping point before the perfectionist in me starts to take over. So, hopefully you like it, and I’ll be happy to learn of any errors or take suggestions.

Entrance and the Desert

Before you enter the trail, you begin in a fictional boarder town separated in the middle by the border wall which extends beyond the town, but not onto the main path through the zoo. At the entrance you see a recreation of the Museum of the Big Bend. (In real life it is located in Alpine, Texas, which is an 80-mile drive to the park.) Here you see art from all of the people who have called the western part of Texas their home. However, when you look up, a pterosaur is hung above you. You read a sign on the wall stating that it is a replica of Quetzalcoatlus northropi whose fossils were first discovered in Big Bend National Park. (There is a replica of one at the Museum of the Big Bend which you can find by searching on YouTube.)

Walking onto the trail, you’re greeted by the quintessential national park entrance sign and begin your trek through the desert. To your left you can see part of the .65-acre exhibit for the Pronghorn antelope. There is a line of brush that makes it hard to see the back end. When you look to your right, you notice that you’ve been on the edge of a prairie dog town this entire time. The Prairie dog town is split into two exhibits. The one closest to the entrance of the trail is 4480 square feet and contains burrowing owls. The signage explains that many animals rely on prairie dog burrows. You do see the prairie dogs in the adjacent 500 square foot habitat. However, you also notice that there is an old truck stuck on the bottom barrier. People can sit in it and get a car-side view of the prairie dogs and their antics. However, the truck has a purpose. It and the sign next to it tell people that there are many archeological artifacts. Although it may look like trash abandoned long ago, it is history that must be preserved. And no, your candy wrapper is not an archeological artifact.

Although it may be hot, respite is not far. You enter a building modeled after the Panther Junction Visitor Center, and you notice that human are not the only visitors. You’ve entered the trail’s primary display of reptiles and insects (about 7200 square feet). However, here you also learn about the establishment of Big Bend National Park that started in the 1930’s and culminated in its establishment in on June 12, 1944. There is also information about the National Park Service and some general guidance about how to stay safe in the desert. As you exit the desert center, you notice that there is more shrubbery and a gentle incline.

The Scrub and Mountains

After exiting the desert center, you notice a large netted area to your right with a mock dead tree in the middle. Here you see two Harris Hawks perched. You learn that Harris Hawks are one of the few birds of prey to hunt cooperatively. However, to your left you think you see a pig. However, you actually saw one of the collared peccaries (Javelina) in their roughly 11,370 square foot habitat. You learn that they can handle a wide variety of habitats ranging from the deserts to flooded grasslands. As you continue up the incline your path curves. You are being watched by a pair of coyotes from their 11,200 square foot enclosure. You learn that the coyote was a prominent character in folklore and often assumed the role of a trickster. Aside from their role in mythology, you also learn about their ability to survive in urban areas. (One could also replace them with mexican grey wolves for the conservation importance.) After passing the coyotes and the javelinas, you near the top of the hill, which is more wooded to represent the Chisos mountains. You learn that the there was a large amount of volcanic activity in the area between 38 and 32 million years ago. To your left is an approximately 15,000 square-foot yard for mule deer. Ahead and to your right is the top of the hill. However, it is a while until you get there. You first pass an aviary (about 2400 square feet of ground space) containing some of the birds in the area. Past the aviary, you reach the bottom of a mock cliff. You notice two openings in the cliff. You cannot enter the first since an abandoned minecart blocks the path. You learn how the Mariscal Mine, which mined mercury between 1919 and 1923. However, you can enter the second cave. In it you find a lot of fake dung. To be specific, it is Shasta ground sloth dung. You learn that the area was cooler and wetter during the Ice Age and that paleontologists were able to get a better picture of what the Big Bend from pack rat middens. However, as you’re reading the signs, you notice some light coming from your left while you entered from the right. The source is a second entrance to the cave, but it is occupied by a sleeping black bear. Thankfully there is a glass barrier between the two of you. You leave the cave to see if there are more active bears. It’s a bit of track, but as you start making your way down the hill you notice that there is a bend in the trail where you can watch the bears dig, climb, and roam in their 2/3-acre habitat. They have access to a pool at the bottom of their habitat.

The River, Border, and End

As you reach the bottom of the hill you reach a pond that represents the Rio Grande. You enter a small lodge. Here you learn about the Rio Grande and the fish and amphibians that make their home in the Park. Out the window to your right is a pond where you can view the ducks as well as see the black bears on the hillside. After you leave the building, you turn yet again. This time you turn to the right. To your left is a wall. As you continue down the trail, windows appear in the wall so that you see a ghost of the southwest in a pool. This is one of three habitats for the Jaguar, which once ranged throughout the desert southwest. The exhibit closest to the pond is a riparian section and covers .38 acres. The signs in this area describe its importance to the Maya and the Aztec. The exhibit across the path from it represents a more mountainous area (.43 acres). The cats can move between these two habitats by walking over what seems to be a balanced rock (with a mesh tunnel similar to Louisville's Snow Leopard habitat surrounding it to prevent unwanted human-animal interactions) between the two large rocks that make part of the barrier for the exhibits. As you approach the end of the first two habitats, you see the source of the fences that lined the back of the habitat, a border crossing. Here you learn about how borders make it harder for animals to migrate and expand their habitat. The jaguars can cross the path on the roof of the board crossing to reach their third habitat. After you pass through the border crossing you see the scrub habitat (.34 acres) to your right. The signs here describe the history of the Jaguar in the United States, from the jaguar’s extirpation from the U.S. with the last one hunted in 1963, to the recent sightings of Jaguars, such as Macho B and El Jefe, in the late Twenty Oughts and Tens. As a small detail, the descriptions on the signs now start with Spanish and are then repeated in English.

The Jaguars are not the only one to cross the fictional border wall, but the peccaries, mule deer, and pronghorn can as well. The mule deer and peccary have second habitats while the pronghorn exhibit is both large and close enough to both ends of the trail for visitors on either side to see them. As you reach the end of the trail, you see an aviary for turkey vultures, a habitat for a group white-nosed coati, and an exhibit for roadrunners to your right while the hoofstock are to your left.

As you leave the trail you enter the Mexican side of the fictional town which contains all of the food and drinks for the area. It also contains some a small store front to buy handicraft from the area. Overall, this side of the entrance/exit pavilion would reflect Boquillas del Carmen, a small town in Mexico where tourists visiting the Big Bend can cross the border get food and drinks.

Such a detailed description. I love the cultural aspect as well and the jaguars were such a nice surprise. Your next one is the Everglades in Florida.

 

[elefante]

Can I have one please

How about Gir Forest in India?

 

[MonkeyBat]

Nxai Pan National Park - Life of the Flats

This exhibit would most likely be in a zoo in the southwest, due to the strange terrain of this park. Since my last exhibit was more of a predator and prey setup, I wanted to try something a little different.

The visitor starts off at the ranger camp. This building is basically a shaded hut overlooking the first exhibit. There's some adventure theming with maps and posters, getting the visitor to feel like they are a ranger in this National Park. There is also a watchtower attached with a great view of the first exhibit. The first two exhibits are rotational, so depending on the time you come you may see a different animal in each exhibit, and are moated to prevent any escapes. The first exhibit itself serves as a waterhole representing dry season. Baobabs surround the back and there are fallen trees and foliage in the large paddock. The next exhibit is more rocky with a few large rocks and trees and more baobab trees. It is also more grassy, representing a rainy season. The first group of animals rotated are groups of Bruchell's zebras, springbok, and ostriches. The second group of animals rotated are African lions. These rotations offer enrichment for the animals, so they can smell the predator/prey. Depending on the circumstances, the animals will be rotated once a day. (When babies are present, the mother and baby are taken to separate yard to have special care and have views of the herd until they learn the rotational.)

The next exhibits are not rotational, but keep the same baobabs in the back and moated front style. The first is very large, and features lots of thatched style shade and a large pool, as well as a baobab in the middle for enrichment, but is overall very flat. It features a group of African elephants. There are three here, and they are not a breeding pair, as they are older females, however, once they live out their last days in this beautiful exhibit, the area will be renovated for a breeding group.

The baobabs sort of a fade into more of an acacia backdrop as the exhibit continues. The next exhibit is a large paddock with large feeding towers for a rare group of Angolan giraffes the zoo was able to obtain through the Batswana (yes that's the form) Government. The zoo has a male and two females, and hopefully will have babies soon!

The trail then loops around to the start of the Flat Grasslands, large netted exhibits which are more grassy viewed from a boardwalk. The first is a large one for secretary birds, with graphics explaining their incredible abilities. The next is a very large and tall exhibit for martial eagles. Followed by a large multi species aviary with lots of trees for red billed hornbill, red francolin, white browed sparrow weavers, yellow billed oxpeckers, blue waxbill, and paradise whydahs. The next has a mud-wall back with holes for blue cheeked bee eaters. The next two are reserved for carnivores, one more rocky for honey badgers and the other tall with fallen trees for white backed vultures. And then you're back to the ranger camp!

May I try another!

 

[iluvwhales]

Wings of Wasur
This exhibit is based on Wasur National Park on the Indonesia/Papua New Guinea border. The first exhibit is a free-flight aviary. It is home to magpie geese, red-birds of paradise, western crowned pigeon, Pesquet's parrots, king birds of paradise, and greater birds of paradise. On the ground in an enclosure to the right of the path are 1.1 southern cassowaries. On the left side of the path are a pair of black-necked storks. The next exhibit is home to a pair of Australian pelicans followed by a pair of saltwater crocodiles.

Next park, please.

 

[elefante]

Nxai Pan National Park - Life of the Flats

This exhibit would most likely be in a zoo in the southwest, due to the strange terrain of this park. Since my last exhibit was more of a predator and prey setup, I wanted to try something a little different.

The visitor starts off at the ranger camp. This building is basically a shaded hut overlooking the first exhibit. There's some adventure theming with maps and posters, getting the visitor to feel like they are a ranger in this National Park. There is also a watchtower attached with a great view of the first exhibit. The first two exhibits are rotational, so depending on the time you come you may see a different animal in each exhibit, and are moated to prevent any escapes. The first exhibit itself serves as a waterhole representing dry season. Baobabs surround the back and there are fallen trees and foliage in the large paddock. The next exhibit is more rocky with a few large rocks and trees and more baobab trees. It is also more grassy, representing a rainy season. The first group of animals rotated are groups of Bruchell's zebras, springbok, and ostriches. The second group of animals rotated are African lions. These rotations offer enrichment for the animals, so they can smell the predator/prey. Depending on the circumstances, the animals will be rotated once a day. (When babies are present, the mother and baby are taken to separate yard to have special care and have views of the herd until they learn the rotational.)

The next exhibits are not rotational, but keep the same baobabs in the back and moated front style. The first is very large, and features lots of thatched style shade and a large pool, as well as a baobab in the middle for enrichment, but is overall very flat. It features a group of African elephants. There are three here, and they are not a breeding pair, as they are older females, however, once they live out their last days in this beautiful exhibit, the area will be renovated for a breeding group.

The baobabs sort of a fade into more of an acacia backdrop as the exhibit continues. The next exhibit is a large paddock with large feeding towers for a rare group of Angolan giraffes the zoo was able to obtain through the Batswana (yes that's the form) Government. The zoo has a male and two females, and hopefully will have babies soon!

The trail then loops around to the start of the Flat Grasslands, large netted exhibits which are more grassy viewed from a boardwalk. The first is a large one for secretary birds, with graphics explaining their incredible abilities. The next is a very large and tall exhibit for martial eagles. Followed by a large multi species aviary with lots of trees for red billed hornbill, red francolin, white browed sparrow weavers, yellow billed oxpeckers, blue waxbill, and paradise whydahs. The next has a mud-wall back with holes for blue cheeked bee eaters. The next two are reserved for carnivores, one more rocky for honey badgers and the other tall with fallen trees for white backed vultures. And then you're back to the ranger camp!

May I try another!

I can picture these so vividly. I can see a zoo like this working out in the Southwest. Your next one is Tai National Park in the Ivory Coast.

 

[elefante]

Wings of Wasur
This exhibit is based on Wasur National Park on the Indonesia/Papua New Guinea border. The first exhibit is a free-flight aviary. It is home to magpie geese, red-birds of paradise, western crowned pigeon, Pesquet's parrots, king birds of paradise, and greater birds of paradise. On the ground in an enclosure to the right of the path are 1.1 southern cassowaries. On the left side of the path are a pair of black-necked storks. The next exhibit is home to a pair of Australian pelicans followed by a pair of saltwater crocodiles.

Next park, please.

Sounds like quite the colorful display. Kerinci Sablat National Park in Sumatra is your next one.

 

[iluvwhales]

Kerinci Seblat National Park
The outdoor exhibits abut a huge geodesic dome in which all have indoor housing, but not all have indoor exhibits that can be viewed by guests.
The first exhibit is home to 1.1 Malayan tapirs. The next exhibits are home to 1.1 sun bears, 1.1 tigers, and 1.1 clouded leopards. The final outdoor exhibit is 5-acres and home to 1.4 Asian elephants. Then you enter the dome.

In the dome is a 2-acre winter room for the elephants on the right and a winter exhibit for the tapirs as well as 1.1 reeve's muntjacs (serving as a proxy for Sumatran muntjac. They're in this exhibit full time) on the left. There are also free-flying birds: wreathed hornbills, catle egrets, and red junglefowl. Bead curtains over the door keep the birds inside if the door is ever opened for a prolonged period. Embedded into rock formations are exhibits for king cobra and reticulated python.

Next park, please.

 

[elefante]

Kerinci Seblat National Park
The outdoor exhibits abut a huge geodesic dome in which all have indoor housing, but not all have indoor exhibits that can be viewed by guests.
The first exhibit is home to 1.1 Malayan tapirs. The next exhibits are home to 1.1 sun bears, 1.1 tigers, and 1.1 clouded leopards. The final outdoor exhibit is 5-acres and home to 1.4 Asian elephants. Then you enter the dome.

In the dome is a 2-acre winter room for the elephants on the right and a winter exhibit for the tapirs as well as 1.1 reeve's muntjacs (serving as a proxy for Sumatran muntjac. They're in this exhibit full time) on the left. There are also free-flying birds: wreathed hornbills, catle egrets, and red junglefowl. Bead curtains over the door keep the birds inside if the door is ever opened for a prolonged period. Embedded into rock formations are exhibits for king cobra and reticulated python.

Next park, please.

I like the embedded Rock formation exhibits. Especially to showcase big snakes like that. Next for you, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

 

[iluvwhales]

Journey Through the Grand Canyon
This complex is inspired by Grand Canyon National Park. It features several exhibits radiating form a central mule exhibit. The mules are there in reference to the mules people trek with into the canyon. These mules are rescues from abuse situations across the country.

Desert Dome
This exhibit is inspired by the Desert Dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo. It is home to a variety of birds, herptiles, and invertebrates native to the area. The centerpiece of this exhibit is a rocky one for a herd of desert bighorn sheep inspired by the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep exhibit at Buffalo Zoo. Also in this exhibit are a pair of desert tortoises. Free-flying birds include lesser scaups, great blue herons, and southwestern willow flycatchers. The birds have a dedicated exhibit with a pond as well as access to a pond in the bighorn sheep area. One section in this exhibit is dedicated to nocturnal wildlife and is home to ringtail, bark scorpions, and Mexican free-tailed bats. Separate exhibits are home to tarantula hawk wasps, Arizona blond tarantulas, Northern leopard frogs, tiger salamanders, woodhouse toads, red-spotted toads, canyon tree frogs, gopher snakes, collared lizards, common raven, common chuckwallas, prairie rattlesnakes, banded rock rattlesnakes, twin-spotted rattlesnakes, and gila monsters.

Conservation Works
This exhibit is inspired by the hippo exhibit at ZooParc Beauval. It is a meshed-in aviary that is home to a small herd of American bison and birds of prey. On a flat plain, a small herd of American bison roam about while a pair of California condors as well as a pair of peregrine falcons soar overhead.

Open Range
This is a large flat exhibit is in the rear of the complex and is home to breeding herds of Rocky Mountain elk, collared peccaries, and mule deer. The mule deer and peccaries have separate exhibits that they and no other species can access in case anyone of a different species gets aggressive. There are also flight aviaries for red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures. There is also a separate exhibit for mountain lions.

Next park, please.

 

[elefante]

Journey Through the Grand Canyon
This complex is inspired by Grand Canyon National Park. It features several exhibits radiating form a central mule exhibit. The mules are there in reference to the mules people trek with into the canyon. These mules are rescues from abuse situations across the country.

Desert Dome
This exhibit is inspired by the Desert Dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo. It is home to a variety of birds, herptiles, and invertebrates native to the area. The centerpiece of this exhibit is a rocky one for a herd of desert bighorn sheep inspired by the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep exhibit at Buffalo Zoo. Also in this exhibit are a pair of desert tortoises. Free-flying birds include lesser scaups, great blue herons, and southwestern willow flycatchers. The birds have a dedicated exhibit with a pond as well as access to a pond in the bighorn sheep area. One section in this exhibit is dedicated to nocturnal wildlife and is home to ringtail, bark scorpions, and Mexican free-tailed bats. Separate exhibits are home to tarantula hawk wasps, Arizona blond tarantulas, Northern leopard frogs, tiger salamanders, woodhouse toads, red-spotted toads, canyon tree frogs, gopher snakes, collared lizards, common raven, common chuckwallas, prairie rattlesnakes, banded rock rattlesnakes, twin-spotted rattlesnakes, and gila monsters.

Conservation Works
This exhibit is inspired by the hippo exhibit at ZooParc Beauval. It is a meshed-in aviary that is home to a small herd of American bison and birds of prey. On a flat plain, a small herd of American bison roam about while a pair of California condors as well as a pair of peregrine falcons soar overhead.

Open Range
This is a large flat exhibit is in the rear of the complex and is home to breeding herds of Rocky Mountain elk, collared peccaries, and mule deer. The mule deer and peccaries have separate exhibits that they and no other species can access in case anyone of a different species gets aggressive. There are also flight aviaries for red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures. There is also a separate exhibit for mountain lions.

Next park, please.

I love your desert dome idea with the bighorn sheep exhibit as well as the bison, condor, peregrine falcon mix. Your next one is Glacier National Park in Montana.

 

[iluvwhales]

Glacier National Park
Inspired by Northwest Trek

Forest
The man feature of this zone is a 100-acre community exhibit. Laden with lakes, rock formations, and trees galore, this exhibit is home to breeding populations of Roosevelt elk, white-tailed deer, porcupines, bighorn sheep, red fox, and moose. In the community exhibit are a few smaller enclosures into which the foxes and porcupines can escape and are housed for the night. The hoofstock are outdoors all day year-round. Guests can take guided horseback-riding and bus tours through this exhibit. The horses go down dedicated trails in the interior of the exhibit away from the bus roads.

Lake
Connected to the community exhibit is large free-flight aviary that houses three exhibits: two each containing one female moose and another as a dedicated waterfowl exhibit. The waterfowl exhibit is home to wild turkeys merganser ducks mallards, greater scaups, northern pintails, sandhill cranes, and trumpeter swans. The birds can access both moose exhibits via flying and culverts under paths. Each moose exhibit has a lot of foliage and two ponds of varying size. The larger pond has aquatic plants growing for the moose to eat. There is underwater viewing of these moose exhibits so guests can see the aquatic majesty and mastication of the moose. When all of the aquatic foliage is eaten, new plants are planted and the pond is covered to allow it to grow and is uncovered when it reaches appropriate size. During mating season, each female moose is let into the main community exhibit. When she's pregnant, she is put back into this aviary exhibit. She raises the baby in the aviary and they are both introduced to the community exhibit when the baby is old enough and the males are put in the aviary. When the babies leave mom at the appropriate age, the moms are put back in the aviary and the males in the community exhibit. Any young males ares sent to other zoos (prefer not to have more than two males in one exhibit). Outside of the aviary but near the entrance are dedicated exhibits for beavers and otters.

Mountain
This zone is home to dedicated rocky exhibits for red-tailed hawks, mountain goats and pumas.

Predators
There are dedicated lush exhibits for bald eagles, grizzly bears, gray wolves, and screech owls.

Next park, please.

 

[elefante]

Glacier National Park
Inspired by Northwest Trek

Forest
The man feature of this zone is a 100-acre community exhibit. Laden with lakes, rock formations, and trees galore, this exhibit is home to breeding populations of Roosevelt elk, white-tailed deer, porcupines, bighorn sheep, red fox, and moose. In the community exhibit are a few smaller enclosures into which the foxes and porcupines can escape and are housed for the night. The hoofstock are outdoors all day year-round. Guests can take guided horseback-riding and bus tours through this exhibit. The horses go down dedicated trails in the interior of the exhibit away from the bus roads.

Lake
Connected to the community exhibit is large free-flight aviary that houses three exhibits: two each containing one female moose and another as a dedicated waterfowl exhibit. The waterfowl exhibit is home to wild turkeys merganser ducks mallards, greater scaups, northern pintails, sandhill cranes, and trumpeter swans. The birds can access both moose exhibits via flying and culverts under paths. Each moose exhibit has a lot of foliage and two ponds of varying size. The larger pond has aquatic plants growing for the moose to eat. There is underwater viewing of these moose exhibits so guests can see the aquatic majesty and mastication of the moose. When all of the aquatic foliage is eaten, new plants are planted and the pond is covered to allow it to grow and is uncovered when it reaches appropriate size. During mating season, each female moose is let into the main community exhibit. When she's pregnant, she is put back into this aviary exhibit. She raises the baby in the aviary and they are both introduced to the community exhibit when the baby is old enough and the males are put in the aviary. When the babies leave mom at the appropriate age, the moms are put back in the aviary and the males in the community exhibit. Any young males ares sent to other zoos (prefer not to have more than two males in one exhibit). Outside of the aviary but near the entrance are dedicated exhibits for beavers and otters.

Mountain
This zone is home to dedicated rocky exhibits for red-tailed hawks, mountain goats and pumas.

Predators
There are dedicated lush exhibits for bald eagles, grizzly bears, gray wolves, and screech owls.

Next park, please.

The horseback riding is a nice surprise. Not to be too nitpicky but Roosevelt elk are not found in Glacier. The Rocky Mountain subspecies is native to that region.

Next for you: Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut, Canada.

 

[iluvwhales]

The horseback riding is a nice surprise. Not to be too nitpicky but Roosevelt elk are not found in Glacier. The Rocky Mountain subspecies is native to that region.

Next for you: Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut, Canada.

Thanks for the elk update, didn't know that. I have only ever seen Roosevelt elk, but my research shows that Rocky Mountain elk are in captivity.

 

[iluvwhales]

Auyuittuq National Park
In the center of this complex is a 2.5-acre polar bear exhibit with a deep pool and rock formations. Flanking it is a .5 acre male polar bear exhibit. There are exhibits for smaller animals that form a circle around this polar bear exhibit. They are home to reindeer, red fox, peregrine falcon, snowy owl, Arctic fox, and a mix of Canada geese and snow geese.

On the other side of the entrance to this complex is a 60,000 square foot building. It is home to a family of beluga whales and a separate exhibit with Atlantic puffins.

Next park, please.