New England Zoos Master plan Ideas and Discussion

MOG2012 said:
Please ask any questions and provide feedback.
Some things I was wondering:
  • Would any other vertebrates in Butterfly Hollow work? I know that there are typically wood ducks (I would move them to Bird's World) and common cooters (I would move them to Bird's world)
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If this is an aviary/greenhouse doves, quails or seed-eating songbirds could be added.
 
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Paul.Haerle said:
If this is an aviary/greenhouse doves, quails or seed-eating songbirds could be added.
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It is a greenhouse-like thing and I already have in the plan for mandarin ducks, anna's hummingbird, and Japanese quails to be in there (other than the turtles, koi, butterflies, and moths). What doves, and songbird species would work?
 
MOG2012 said:
It is a greenhouse-like thing and I already have in the plan for mandarin ducks, anna's hummingbird, and Japanese quails to be in there (other than the turtles, koi, butterflies, and moths). What doves, and songbird species would work?
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Do you have a specific theme for the Butterfly Hollow?
 
Mourning Dove/White-winged Dove, Blue Ground Dove, Painted Bunting, Cuban Grassquit, Gouldian Finch, Star Finch, Scaly-breasted Munia or Blue-backed Grassquit
 
Let's start with phase 1. What's good, what's missing and what should I fix?


PHASE 1
During this phase, the Zebra Entrance would be closed as it’s being renovated so the Giraffe Entrance would be the primary entrance (temporarily).

African Experience
  • With the new exhibit releasing soon, it shows promise including larger habitats for the animals
    However, the animal roster isn’t very diverse only having a savanna with a waterhole (3 confirmed species: Hartmann's mountain zebra, eastern white-bearded wildebeest and common ostrich), an African penguin enclosure, and an unknown small mammal enclosure
  • To diversify the savanna enclosure, I would add Impala (Aepyceros melampus) and would move the Nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) in to diversify the hoofstock
  • In the small mammal enclosure, the Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) from Stone Zoo would be transferred here
  • The plants would reflect the theming of the exhibit so plants like locust trees, tupelo trees, and Indiangrass would work
  • The fencing would be more conspicuous, blending in with the enclosures more
  • Giraffe Savanna and Kalahari Kingdom would be fully incorporated into this zone, focusing on Southern and Eastern Africa
Nature’s Neighborhood
  • With the new exhibit, the enclosures are better than before but the only thing that’s really good is the aviary
  • The Red Panda and Reeves’s Muntjac enclosure would be expanded
  • In the aviary, the Bufflehead, Canvasback, and Hooded Merganser would be removed to have better geographical theming. In their place, Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri) and Cabot's Tragopan (Tragopan caboti) would be added. So the roster would be
  • Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus
  • Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri
  • Baikal Teal Sibirionetta formosa
  • Cabot's Tragopan Tragopan caboti
  • Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus
  • Hooded Crane Grus monarcha
  • Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis
  • Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
  • Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus
  • In the back corner of the zone near the seasonal turtle enclosures, part of the building with the restrooms would be converted into an all year-round zone for New England Natives, representing all of the programs that the zoo participates in. Signage would be based on the reintroduction programs specifically
    • American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)
    • Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas)
    • Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
    • Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) [Moved from Stone Zoo]
    • Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
    • Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii)
    • Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
    • Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta)
  • Next to this building, an enlarged enclosure for North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) would be added, transferring them from Stone Zoo
Franklin Farm
  • Anglo-Nubian Goats (Capra hircus) and Southdown Sheep (Ovis aries) would be transferred from Stone Zoo and added here, additionally the Domestic Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) would be transferred for a reason that will be talked about later
  • The Dexter Cow and Poitou Donkey enclosures would be expanded into empty stalls
Butterfly Hollow
  • The “greenhouse” would have more heaters and the HVAC system would be modified to make the exhibit last longer (into Fall and Early Spring)
  • The vertebrate collection would change with a couple shallow ponds added (I don’t know the current vertebrate collection but I’ve heard there is waterfowl, turtles, and fish)
    • Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta), Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscus)
      • Free-Roaming (other than butterflies and moths)
        • Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
        • Gouldian Finch (Chloebia gouldiae) [From Bird’s World]
        • Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)
        • Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)
        • Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis)
 
MOG2012 said:
  • In the aviary, the Bufflehead, Canvasback, and Hooded Merganser would be removed to have better geographical theming. In their place, Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri) and Cabot's Tragopan (Tragopan caboti) would be added. So the roster would be
  • Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus
  • Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri
  • Baikal Teal Sibirionetta formosa
  • Cabot's Tragopan Tragopan caboti
  • Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus
  • Hooded Crane Grus monarcha
  • Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis
  • Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
  • Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus
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I think a egret/heron/spoonbill/ibis species would make the aviary becomes more alive as there are only water and ground birds beyound the magpie.
 
Paul.Haerle said:
I think a egret/heron/spoonbill/ibis species would make the aviary becomes more alive as there are only water and ground birds beyound the magpie.
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What birds would work as there is somewhat limited space. The theme is North and Eastern China. I was thinking Oriental White Stork
 
MOG2012 said:
What birds would work as there is somewhat limited space. The theme is North and Eastern China. I was thinking Oriental White Stork
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With limited space Oriental White Storks wouldn't work very well with the cranes. Glossy Ibis or Black-crowned Night Heron would work better
 
Thanks @Paul.Haerle but glossy ibis and black-crowned night heron don't really fit the theme.

PHASE 2

Kalahari Kingdom
  • Because it will be incorporated/merged into the new African area, the native flora will reflect the theme similar to the African Experience’s plan
  • The solitary Spotted Hyena would be phased out and the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) from the entrance would be moved in
  • The moat in the lion enclosure would be filled with more Southern Lion individuals brought in. There would be more viewing locations additionally
  • The spurred tortoise would be moved to Stone Zoo with Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) replacing it. Heated rocks and a small pool would be added
  • I would move out the red river hogs to an enclosure I’ll talk about later with the enclosure now being housed with Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus)
  • The Kori Bustard enclosure will be netted over so the bustard won’t be pinioned/have their wings clipped
  • The bactrian camels would be moved out with the enclosure having more trees added. In their place, there would be Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) and Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger)
Hoofstock Yards
  • This area of the zoo would be opened to the public
    The main theming of this area is Central Asia called Wild Asia
  • The ideal roster would be the following but if there isn't sufficient space, the horse or urial would be removed:
    • Domestic Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus)
    • Mongolian Pallas’ Cat (Otocolobus manul manul)
    • Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii)
    • Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus)
    • Transcaspian Urial (Ovis vignei arkal)
Giraffe Savannah
  • Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) would be added with a Rhino Barn being constructed. If the Somali Wild Ass mix doesn’t work, then they would be transferred
 
Since no one has anything bad about phase 2, here's phase 3. Please identify any mistakes, feedback, missing aspects, etc. I specifically was wondering if any other New England locals have thoughts about it

PHASE 3
Tropical Forest and Gorilla Grove
  • Mantled Guereza (Colobus guereza) would be transferred from Stone Zoo and added to the Western Lowland Gorilla enclosure with climbing platforms, night quarters, and more barriers added
  • Ring-tailed Lemurs would be phased out and replace with Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) which actually lives in the rainforest
  • The tamarin and falcon exhibit would be combined, replacing them with Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii)
  • The hippo yards would be merged which would allow both Pygmy Hippopotamus (there are 3 though) to get access to a large pool. A small school of Zebra Tilapia (Heterotilapia buettikoferi) would live in the pool
  • The Potto would be replaced with Pygmy Slow Loris (Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus) which would be more sustainable
  • The SlitherInn would be renamed to have no name to fit the theme more (only ½ of them are snakes)
  • The Green Anaconda enclosure would be more naturalistic with a deeper pool and possibly enlarged space
  • The blue baboon tarantula would be replaced with Goliath Birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) which fits the tropical forest theme more
  • The kenyan sand boa would be replaced with Fire Skink (Mochlus fernandi) as the sand boa isn’t seen that much and is a desert animal
  • The giant anteater would be moved to a place I will talk about later and their enclosure would be merged with the Saddle-billed Stork’s enclosure with breeding hopes in mind
  • An unpopular decision would be to phase out the baird’s tapir as both enclosures are too small for it. In its place, the Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) and Yellow Quill-tipped Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) from Stone Zoo with the Cotton-headed Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) from both zoos would be there. Trees would be added with more plants and it would be more naturalistic
  • The milk frog that’s been temporarily off-set for years would be replaced with the Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas)
  • The rousettes would be phased out and replaced with Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus jamaicensis)
  • The cichlids would be removed in the Hippo Theater to maximize viewing potential of the pygmy hippos
  • The Dwarf Crocodile enclosure would be enlarged with better viewing opportunities
  • The sloth enclosure would have the Bearded Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens) brought back as the other tamarins would be moved to the tapir enclosure
  • The free-roaming species would be changed to be the following:
    • African Pygmy-Goose (Nettapus auritus)
    • Blue-bellied Roller (Coracias cyanogaster)
    • Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus)
    • Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
    • Green Aracari (Pteroglossus viridis)
    • Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
    • Malagasy Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis bernieri)
    • Metallic Starling (Aplonis metallica)
    • Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
    • Northern Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash brevirostris)
    • Red-crested Turaco (Taurauca erythrolophus)
    • Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
    • Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
    • Straw-coloured Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum)
    • Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)
  • In the nearby former (now former in the masterplan) African Wild Dog enclosure, the Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus) would be moved here and Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) being brought back. The enclosure would be fit for them with more foliage (it shouldn’t be easily dug up)
  • In the former outdoor tapir enclosure, a pool would be added and this would be the seasonal enclosure for the Pygmy Hippopotamus
Zoo New England Master Plan
 
Since no one has anything bad about the previous phases. Please identify any mistakes, feedback, missing aspects, etc. It's very appreciated and is even encouraged. I specifically was wondering if any other New England locals have thoughts about it

Phase 4 - Outback Trail
  • The name “Outback Trail” would be replaced with “Expedition Oceania” as most species in the area don’t live in the Outback
  • The macropod-emu exhibit would stay but it would be made more naturalistic and a water trough would be added
  • The kiwi building demolished with a larger building being built which expands into behinds the scene space
  • In this new building, there would be the following:
    • Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata), Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)
    • Bourke’s Parrot (Neopsephotus bourkii)
    • Common Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides)
    • Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) [If not possible, Huon Tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) instead]
    • Magnificent Tree Frog (Ranoidea splendida) [From Stone Zoo]
    • North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) [Red-lit, curtained space for them]
    • Spiny Leaf Insect (Extatosoma tiaratum)
  • Next to the building, there would be enclosures for:
    • Blue-faced Honeyeater (Entomyzon cyanotis), Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
    • Kea (Nestor notabilis)
Zoo New England Master Plan
 
Thanks to @ZooElephantMan 's suggestion, sheep enclosure, butterfly hollow, the carousel area, the playground, and gift shop area would be demolished. Which of the following new complexes would work best (they would have themed restaurant, gift shops, and playgrounds) [The giraffe side playground wouldn't be affected]
  • Reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate house
  • Malayan tiger complex
  • Bornean Orangutan complex
  • Common Hippo complex
  • Grizzly Bear complex
  • Larger Oceania complex
  • Larger Children's Zoo complex
 
MOG2012 said:
Thanks to @ZooElephantMan 's suggestion, sheep enclosure, butterfly hollow, the carousel area, the playground, and gift shop area would be demolished. Which of the following new complexes would work best (they would have themed restaurant, gift shops, and playgrounds) [The giraffe side playground wouldn't be affected]
  • Reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate house
  • Malayan tiger complex
  • Bornean Orangutan complex
  • Common Hippo complex
  • Grizzly Bear complex
  • Larger Oceania complex
  • Larger Children's Zoo complex
Click to expand...
Since there are no replies, here's my thoughts for each as the space is arround 2 acres large:
  • Malayan tiger complex - Slightly too small for the space (should be 2.25-2.5 acres)
  • Bornean Orangutan complex - Also slightly too small for the space (should be 2.25-2.5 acres)
  • Common Hippo complex - Way too small as it should be 3-3.5 acres
  • Grizzly Bear complex - The size would work
  • Desert Dome - Could fit but could potentially clash with Stone Zoo (related facility)'s Treasures of Sierra Madre
  • Reptile, amphibian and invertebrate house - It would be too oversized
  • Larger Oceania Complex - Would take up not that much space so maybe can be merged with the reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate house
  • Larger Children's Zoo complex - Would take up not that much space so maybe a reptile & amphibian & invertebrate house, and larger Oceania complex along with this
I feel like an Asian zone needs to be added either way. What would be the available space in the Rock Garden (I also need location), behind Bird's World, and Hoofstock Yards?
 
MOG2012 said:
Since there are no replies, here's my thoughts for each as the space is arround 2 acres large:
  • Malayan tiger complex - Slightly too small for the space (should be 2.25-2.5 acres)
  • Bornean Orangutan complex - Also slightly too small for the space (should be 2.25-2.5 acres)
  • Common Hippo complex - Way too small as it should be 3-3.5 acres
  • Grizzly Bear complex - The size would work
  • Desert Dome - Could fit but could potentially clash with Stone Zoo (related facility)'s Treasures of Sierra Madre
  • Reptile, amphibian and invertebrate house - It would be too oversized
  • Larger Oceania Complex - Would take up not that much space so maybe can be merged with the reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate house
  • Larger Children's Zoo complex - Would take up not that much space so maybe a reptile & amphibian & invertebrate house, and larger Oceania complex along with this
I feel like an Asian zone needs to be added either way. What would be the available space in the Rock Garden (I also need location), behind Bird's World, and Hoofstock Yards?
Click to expand...
I've now decided that it would be an orangutan enclosure using vertical space. The rock garden would be a malayan tiger exhibit, a great plains bird exhibit behind Bird's World and the Central Asian steppes at Hoofstock yards

Zoo New England Master Plan
 
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