Sorry for digging up this ancient nine-month old thread, but it's a subject I've been thinking about for a while which I'd like to show my take on. Basically, my vision also resolves around a biome and immersion, though the more critical side to it I suppose is the reintroduction of some large species. Still, remember it's personal, and try not to get to mad at me about it.
Anything not mentioned remains mostly the same as now.
African Savannah
Consists entirely of 'Into Africa' (AKA the Cotton Terraces).
- Move the tapirs to the North Bank and the Okapi to the main zoo, then combine every single paddock on the south side (this includes the paths leading to two of the of the houses, they would then be publiclly entered from the north side of the terraces) to create one single large paddock, with a minature waterhole dug in the centre. The already present giraffe and zebra would have this paddock, and white rhino, bontebok and ostrich would also be introduced to share. The elevated platform would be relocated to the visitor path.
- The two small unused enclosures on either side of the giraffe houuse would become high-roofed avairies, one housing savannah birds like Von Der Decken's Hornbills and Sacred Ibis, the other white-headed vultures from the Eastern Avairy.
- The red river hogs would be relocated to gorilla kingdom, and the servals would move into their enclosure.
INDONESIAN FOREST
Would consist entirely of the North Bank.
- The Snowdon Avairy would house indonesian birds only with lowland anoa on the ground.
- The education centre would be redeveloped into a house for orangutans, gibbons and the komodo dragons would also move here. The Gibbons and Orangutans would have outdoor access to the whole bank between the Snowdon Avairy and west end of the North bank, allowing the use of trees to climb for both species'. In summer the Komodo Dragons would have an outdoor enclosure on the grass bank opposite the orangs/gibbons.
- The East side of the North Bank would consist of outdoor enclosures for Malayan Tapirs and Sumatran Tigers, the tiger enclosures being able to divide to better suit their needs. A stream would run through both paddocks, falling as waterfalls into pools for both species'. There would be two houses themed as longhouses; the first house would be indoor quaters for tapirs, with indoor enclosures for Sulawelsi Maquaqes and Francois Langurs, with outdoor enclosures on site of old owl/hornbill avairies. The tiger house would also contain some Indonesian reptiles.
- Near the North Bank exit gate, the lovebird avairy would be redeveloped for binturong.
AUSTRALIAN BUSH
Consists of the round house and 'happy families' area behind clore.
- The Ayes-ayes would be moved to the NightZone and the ring-tailed lemurs to Animal Adventure. The round house would once more become home to koalas, having both the outdoor cage and the old aye-aye pens. In the two indoor enclosures, there would also be short-beaked echidna on one and long-nosed pootoroo in the other.
- The meerkats and gentle lemurs would be moved to Animal Adventure, and the otters to the lubetkin pool. The gentle lemur enclosure would house Australian birds like kookaburra, frogmouth and cockatoo. The meerkat enclosure, otter enclosure and the green space behind the latter would then become the new 'outback' exhibit, using the same style of the mappins to house emus and red kangaroos.
SOUTH AFRICAN COAST
Would consist of the penguin enclosure and the service area behind it.
- An enclosure for cape fur seals built behind the penguin enclosure in part of the service area, with underwater viewing and seating.
- The Masterplan states the entrance will be relocated to Barclay Court, and is still the case here.
SOUTH AMERICAN RAINFOREST/PAMPAS[/b[
Consists of the Parrot House, Broadwalk avairy row, anteater/rhea paddock and Meet the Monkeys.
- South American birds only in the avairies (though this is mostly the case now) with enclosures for spider monkeys, howler monkeys and coatis nearby.
CHINESE FOREST
Consists of the Lion Terraces (redeveloped and renamed as 'Wild China').
- Wild China starts with a walk-through avairy of chinese pheasants and other birds, as well as a pond for mandarin ducks and red-crowned cranes, then enters onto a red panda enclosure where the tigers used to be. This then reveals into a rockfaced enclosure for snow leopards, with a similar, smaller chinese goral enclosure after this. Visitors then pass through a bamboo thicket into 'Czechuan Panda Station, a bamboo house designed to teach visitors about giant pandas and how ZSL is helping them in the field, with plenty of interpretation and TV screens, as well as some chinese reptiles and amphibians. Finally, vistors will come to the expected, large giant panda exhibit, planted as a recreated bamboo forest with waterfalls, thickets, etc. There would be both ariel viewing platforms and large glass viewing. The panda house would be visible for one section, the rest left private to encourage breeding (a section of the enclosure would be able to be cut-off if there was a mother with cubs. Finally, there is the inevitable Bamboo Coffee Hut, Panda Shop and Face Painting, over-looking the enclosure.
CONGO RAINFOREST
Includes Gorilla Kingdom, the Eastern Aviary and new enclosures for pygmy hippos and okapi built on either side of the kingdom.
- Add a bit more planting and climbing to the gorilla island, with the gibbons moved out to the North Bank redevelop the enclosure for mangabeys, and replace all remaining Sobells with modern enclosures. Mandrills move into former mangabey exhibit. Send all birds in the walk-through to the Eastern aviary, and build a new enclosure there for the red river hogs from the Cottons.
- Make the Eastern Aviary for Congo birds, including refugees from the African Bird Safari and Gorilla Kingdom.
- Build a new pygmy hippo exhibit on the old entrance site.
- Create a new okapi paddock in the service area behind the amphitheatre, also mixing blue duikers with the okapi.
INDIAN FOREST
Consists of the Casson Pavillion, Stork & Ostrich House and Mappin Terraces.
- Move the camels and bearded pigs to Whipsnade. Merge the East side paddock of the Casson with the display lawn to create a paddock for Gaur, aswell as moving out the enclosures in one of the indoor 'pods' on their side to give them more house room. Move the hippos to the old entrance site and the komodos and anoa to the North Bank as mentioned, and demolish all buildings behind the reptile house and stork and ostrich house, creating a large space previously occupied by the hippo and anoa paddocks, the komodo dragon house, the kiosk and the performing animal pens. Merge the west side Casson paddock with this space (as well as the bit in front) to create a much larger paddock for asian elephant cows, deepening and extending the hippo pool for them too. Like with the gaur, demolish the indoor enclosures in one of their pods to make more room. (The bit I was dreading, as it is a controversial and highly unlikely idea. But remember, personal.)
- Move out all the birds in the African Bird Safari to the Cotton Terraces or Eastern Avairy, renaming it (guess what?) the 'Asian Bird Safari', keeping Indian birds along with muntjac on the ground.
- Divide the Mappin Terraces in two, creating a bridge down the middle which goes into a house in the middle, before going back up to the upper level. Redevelop the enclosure as an Indian forest with temple ruins, with Asiatic Lions on the North side and Sloth Bears on the South (If the bears prove inactive again, at least the lions hopefully make up for it). The house would contain indoor quaters for the animals along with interpretation and floor-to-celing windows into the enclosures. The upper level would be reopened, the mountains housing Hanuman Langurs and Lion-Tailed Macaques. Their houses would be built on the lion/bear enclosures as mock temples, with tunnels leading into them from the mountains. The Mappin Cafe would also reopen as, um, a cafe.
Areas that would stay reasonably the same and not included in the biomes would be:
- Animal Adventure (with otters in the lubetkin pool)
- Three-Island Pond
- Clore Rainforest Lookout & NightZone
- Blackburn Pavillion
- Reptile House (refurbished)
- Frog World (whenever it opens)
- Aquarium (refurbished)
- B.U.G.S!
