(real) zoo plans

[Ursus]

Welcome reader to this thread!
I want to give reasoning behind the title “(real) zoo plan” as I feel like this may or may not confuse people. So, the reason for putting “real” between brackets is simple: this may never become real and should thus be taken with a grain of salt.

What will I post in this thread?
- My plan on starting out a zoo.
^ This may vary from how I would handle financial, educational and other “behind the scenes” related things. However I will also talk about animal species that I think are suitable for a starting zoo.
- As this is still a “fantasy” zoo I may or may not consider certain licenses and such when talking about how animals work. However I will try to give as much information as I can possibly find.

Keep in mind that I won’t talk about any big exhibit or zoo animal as I want this thread to start where a real zoo starts. The beginning. Over time it will ofcourse build up and such and eventually we get to the big masterplan stage.

Keep in mind that as I am still in secondary school I won’t have crazy experiences with zoo animals. Infact; other then with a couple dogs and some fish I have no experience with animals. I am also aware that this is one of the so many “I want a zoo” kind of things, but ehh, just roll with it.

So let’s begin this thread by discussing some animals that I think are relatively cheap within their upkeep costs.

- Reptiles;
Probably one of the first animals I think of when looking into animals to start a zoo with are reptiles.
I can say relatively safe that reptiles are easy to come by as nowadays every local pet store seems to have a bearded dragon or a couple geckos in their collection. Besides the easy way to obtain them (but definitly not the best) are they (argueable) cheap. Reptiles are becoming more popular and in each country there are more then enough “proffesional” breeders where you can get one or two. I do advise you to always get reptiles from a breeder rather then your average pet store as reptiles from pet stores are sometimes not maintained well. (This doesn’t apply to every pet store)
The upkeep costs mainly consists of the electricity used to heat the terrarium, the light source and food.

- Fish:
Fish are in my opinion a decent start for a small zoo. However you would require to either give up some space of your house to build a tank where visitors can see it, or you would need to build a small building (maybe even the garage you never use would do!)
That can provide a place for the tank to be on display for visitors. Fish come in many different forms and colors and prices. And ofcourse fresh and saltwater specimens. In my opinion a fresh-water tank would be the best fitting for a starting zoo. As the upkeep costs are less (argueable) and the animals themselves are cheaper as well. And who doesn’t love Piranhas or Chichlids?

- Birds:
Birds are loved by many people in the world and are relatively easy to keep.
Finches, Chickens and Parakeets are nothing to shame for. These three bird categories are relatively easy to keep and cheap. Whether it’s a secretary bird or a chicken, a real bird lover would still appreciate a good chicken. In my opinion birds would make for a good beginnning species as you can make a “walkthrough-aviary”. Build a somewhat medium-sized aviary. (Size;4x6x3) Yeah, this is probably the more fantasy part of this post, but it’s a fun and do-able concept nonetheless.

- Mammals
Mammals are by far one of the most popular animals. I mean, everyone loves dogs and cats, right?
Well, how about rodents??
Ever thought about educating people about the mice or rats that they’re so affraid of, and show their good and adorable side? Well, that’s just one of the many examples I can give for this section. Mammals do require (in my opinon) the most upkeep costs. And then mainly the big hoofstock. Having alpacas or wallabies sounds cool and such. Till you get one that eats a lot. Although it shouldn’t be that much of a problem; finding a hay supplier is needed if you decide to keep big mammals such as camel, llamas, alpacas and deer. Small mammals like rodents require less costs to be maintained well and are therefore in my opinion more fitting for a starting zoo.

(All of the above information is not guaranteed correct as I am no expert, nor do I claim to be correct about everything, if some of my information is wrong feel free to correct it).

Alright, now onto the more “dreamy” stuff. To wrap the first (and long) post up.
What animals would I go for if I start a zoo?
(While selecting animals I did keep in mind to have a realistic location; a small country-side-ish area with some land to use)
- Wallabies; cute, adorable and small children love them.
- Brown Rats; some call them terrifying, I call them adorable. I would love to show people the inner-beauty of rats and change the way people think of them.
- “exotic” breeds of live-stock; think of breeds like Scottisch highland cattle, Watusi, Texas Longhorn and so on.
(I focussed just on cows now, as I keep this one for a later post).
- Reptiles; I love reptiles myself and a zoo for me needs to have reptiles. Mostlikely a few terraria would do.
- Insects; I like to show people animals that are not always appreciated. Insects definitly are one of those categories some people rather avoid. And as zoos should be educational I would feel responsible for changing that thought of “eww” and “yikes” that people have about bugs.

Welp, this post ended up way longer then I hoped it to be (I hope it isn’t too long, if so, I was not aware of a limit).
I’d like to hear what you guys think about starter zoo animals, and what would you go for?

 

[lounging_area]

nice

 

[danigirl93]

You mentioned rodents earlier and I just wanted to say I’ve always dreamed of opening an exhibit (or a few) that focused on Rodents. I love them and I know many people have a fear/dislike of them and I would find great joy in showing people their good side.
I have experience with Patagonian cavies so they would be my first choice in an exhibit but I really need to narrow my species down to a few solid choices before I start planning/designing my fantasy zoo.
As for your choices, I think they sound great! And I like that you’re starting your zoo off as if it were a real zoo starting! Looking forward to future posts.

 

[BigNate]

How realistic are you planning on making this, because if so you might want to take into account the location of the zoo and potential costs, but it's a good idea for a post, I might make my own

 

[agnmeln]

Definitely very realistic and achievable choices!

 

[Ursus]

You mentioned rodents earlier and I just wanted to say I’ve always dreamed of opening an exhibit (or a few) that focused on Rodents. I love them and I know many people have a fear/dislike of them and I would find great joy in showing people their good side.
I have experience with Patagonian cavies so they would be my first choice in an exhibit but I really need to narrow my species down to a few solid choices before I start planning/designing my fantasy zoo.
As for your choices, I think they sound great! And I like that you’re starting your zoo off as if it were a real zoo starting! Looking forward to future posts.

Thanks for the positive reaction! And I would love to hear what kind of rodents you would focus on!

How realistic are you planning on making this, because if so you might want to take into account the location of the zoo and potential costs, but it's a good idea for a post, I might make my own

I am not sure how far I can go with realism on the financial, license and such things. As I simply don't have the knowledge over these that I would like to have before I woud state such things. Google is a ''good'' source to find some information about licenses and some of the financial things, however I can't go in-depth on this (for now).
The location for this zoo would be in the Netherlands as it is where I live, and probably because of that the easiest option to start with. I do want to take costs and the location into account, this would probably the more fantasy aspect of the thread.

And to everyone; thanks a lot for the positive reactions in general! It really motivates me to do more research for my following posts to be able to provide more realistic information!

 

[agnmeln]

I think your local authority should be able to provide some information regarding costs and processes for obtaining planning permission, licences and so on.

 

[Smannsaker]

I agree with your thoughts on cheap and realistic zoo animals. I would also like to add marmosets and tamarins and meerkats. These animals are good for advertising and a popular addition. They are also relatively cheap to care fore. If you have reptiles, you probably already have the meerkat food (insects and small rodents etc.). Marmosets and tamarins mostly eat vegetables and fruit and an occasional insect.

Best of luck with your future zoo!

 

[Ursus]

I think your local authority should be able to provide some information regarding costs and processes for obtaining planning permission, licences and so on.

I completely forgot about that, thanks for reminding! I’ll definitly take a look into that!

I agree with your thoughts on cheap and realistic zoo animals. I would also like to add marmosets and tamarins and meerkats. These animals are good for advertising and a popular addition. They are also relatively cheap to care fore. If you have reptiles, you probably already have the meerkat food (insects and small rodents etc.). Marmosets and tamarins mostly eat vegetables and fruit and an occasional insect.

Best of luck with your future zoo!

That’s some really clever thoughts, with the whole meerkat/tamarin and the food source savings. And yeah, these would be some ideal “ABC” species to get in the early stage. Although actually getting them is a lot harder. Both species are in my country illegal to be kept as “pets”. And if we consider that in my country you a minimum of 10 exotic species before you can even request a zoo license/permit, it might be a tough one to get these. Nonetheless they are definitly worth it if you do have the opportunity to obtain these legal!

Now, onto the next topic I’d like to adress before we can start going crazy about animals and all of the other shennanigens.

Where do we get animals from?

This could be considered both a easy and a hard question/topic. As ofcourse we can get some simple animals such as mice and rabbits from our local pet store. But is that actually a right source for animals? Would they be considered as a “zoo-animal” or rather as a pet?
For me, the answer would be simple; why would you not get animals from these places? If they have the species you’re looking for, then why not buy them there?
I do get that people can be freaked out about reptiles or fish bought at pet stores as some pet stores buy these at breeders that aren’t entirely doing their things correct (once again, this doesn’t go for every pet store). However, would it bother you? You get an animal and can possibly give it a better live. If I see a baby caiman in a small terrarium, I always think by myself; one day, I “rescue” all of these animals. <- just for info; that’s just a dream rather then how t would go in reality.

- pet stores; reasoning would be the same as I stated above.
- Private breeders; probably a tougher one as there is one issue: where and how do I get in contact with them?
- Exotic Pet trade: possibly a rather more successfull way to get exotic animals is actually via these pet trades. If you can find a pair of fennec or a kinkajou here. Then what keeps you from buying these as they would make a good species to start with. Of course there is a risico with these pet trades as some of the animals may be illegal, or there simply is no exotic pet trade within your country, example; in the Netherlands there is barely any way to gain exotic animals. The only animals I know where to buy are Fallow Deer and Cranes, that’s it. Nothing more.
- Specialised animal store; I guess they kinda count as a pet store, but I consider them as a different thing, here’s why:
A store that only sells reptiles or fish and has a true passion behind their business, might be a reliable source to get these animals. Reptile and fish stores often have several species to choose from and some are even willing to import a species for you! Ofcourse you should make sure that they do this legal and that their animals are maintained good aswell.
- Rehabilition Centres; probably the underdog on this list are the rehabs. Each country has atleast one rehabilitation centre for exotic animals, in the Netherlands we have one that takes in animals from around the globe and even distribute these to zoos around the globe as well! Rehabilition centres aren’t that picky when it comes to whether they send their animals to a big or a small zoo. Only thing that matters is the future of the animal itself. There is however no guarantee on getting animals this way on a regular base, or even getting one! Yet I feel like it is worth listing as it is worth the shot, right?

Now, when it comes to myself, I would get my animals wherever I can. This is mainly because the options within my country are very limited. However I would look up as much information I can get about the supplier/breeder/importer of these stores (if that is the place I buy an animal) to make sure it is legal and being able to maybe even buy animals in the future straight from there, connections are important to build up. You never know when it can be usefull.

So, what do you guys think about buying animals for your park in stores or in the online pet trade? Are you heavily against it? Would you try to get animals from one of these sources or do you know any other way to gain them?

 

[wild]

my experience with name-brand pet store animals has not been good, to be honest. like you said, not all pet stores are bad choices- so why not get animals from there? but if, for some reason, they aren't a reliable source (like they have been in my case), online pet trade is a good place to look at. many breeders are willing to answer questions about their practices and do ship their animals.
like i said, my only experience with "exotic" animals has been with reptiles, but you said you were staring on those

 

[agnmeln]

I think the key is lots of research, probably online, for whichever route you choose. Find reviews, recommendations, testimonials from other customers to help inform your choice.

 

[nicholas]

Where do we get animals from?

This could be considered both a easy and a hard question/topic. As ofcourse we can get some simple animals such as mice and rabbits from our local pet store. But is that actually a right source for animals? Would they be considered as a “zoo-animal” or rather as a pet?
For me, the answer would be simple; why would you not get animals from these places? If they have the species you’re looking for, then why not buy them there?

Getting the animals is the easy part. When you've reached the stage where you are looking for animals to fill your enclosures for your newly built zoo with all permits and licenses, you will be able to choose almost any species you want as zoos loan and "trade" between them.

I understand that it's more fun to think about sources of animals, as it might be more graspable than looking into licensing, it really isn't an issue. But by all means, exercise your brain with those thoughts if it makes you happy.

My suggestion is that you also start thinking about why people would come to your zoo and pay an entry fee to see species that can see in the pet shop. I don't mean to be condescending, I believe there are ways to do this, and I believe in keeping common pet- and domesticated species as exhibit animals.

Also start thinking about an education that will lead to a job that can support you while you start your zoo. The Netherlands have an excellent education system so use that if you can.

 

[PicanBird]

As @nicholas mentioned above, you need a purpose for people to enter your park. As most of the animals would likely be pets, think of a way to teach children on certain cultures. Having like a themed african area with small huts, Sanga Cattle, porcupines, Helmed guineafowls and a farm with crops. You could teach children on like the average life in africa. Schools would come to these places if you set them up with good hours at schooldays.

There is so many ways to get people to your park, even in the beginning. But you need to give them a reason to visit your park instead of the local petstore.

 

[Ursus]

Getting the animals is the easy part. When you've reached the stage where you are looking for animals to fill your enclosures for your newly built zoo with all permits and licenses, you will be able to choose almost any species you want as zoos loan and "trade" between them.

I understand that it's more fun to think about sources of animals, as it might be more graspable than looking into licensing, it really isn't an issue. But by all means, exercise your brain with those thoughts if it makes you happy.

My suggestion is that you also start thinking about why people would come to your zoo and pay an entry fee to see species that can see in the pet shop. I don't mean to be condescending, I believe there are ways to do this, and I believe in keeping common pet- and domesticated species as exhibit animals.
Also start thinking about an education that will lead to a job that can support you while you start your zoo. The Netherlands have an excellent education system so use that if you can.

Actually, I did consider putting up trading or loaning animals from other zoos. However I also think that there's no reason for a zoo to give you an animal if you cannot prove that you can get visitors into your park and make atleast somewhat profit or something like that. That's why I think that getting the first few animals (mainly reptiles) from breeders or reptile specialist stores is somewhat of a plan. I do take your response very gladly, as you are right about the license. I would imagine it to give more options within gaining animals and maybe even options to trade or loan animals with bigger zoos.

As @nicholas mentioned above, you need a purpose for people to enter your park. As most of the animals would likely be pets, think of a way to teach children on certain cultures. Having like a themed african area with small huts, Sanga Cattle, porcupines, Helmed guineafowls and a farm with crops. You could teach children on like the average life in africa. Schools would come to these places if you set them up with good hours at schooldays.

There is so many ways to get people to your park, even in the beginning. But you need to give them a reason to visit your park instead of the local petstore.

You two are going already up ahead xD.
And you know what, let's just talk about exactly that right now.
''Why would people pay money to visit my park or even visit it at all?''
Well, this is a tough one. I believe that what is needed to answer this question properly is something unique. A person would not pay a single penny just for a couple reptiles or some simple live-stock, I mean, would you pay for that? I personally wouldn't, unless... They actually do something interactive with these, such as a show or some kind of educational display. I think that reptiles may be a plan for that, but with the growing popularity of reptile zoos I think it would be hard to stand out on this.

So, what would make people interested in your park?
- Animals that aren't in the local big zoo;
If I would go to a small zoo, I atleast want to see something new and refreshing. If they have species that I've never seen before, I would visit it more likely then when it doesn't have anything I haven't seen before.
- Prices;
Probably a more easy on, as it is quite obvious. But having a considered low entrance fee does appeal more to people, espacially if you can make special prices and such for birthday parties, school trips and so on! However, the price alone wouldn't just make the decission being made on whether they go to your zoo or the local bigger one.
- Have special ''shows'' or tours;
This one is pretty much in line with the previous one, give guests a reason to tip just a little bit more. If you can give some form of personal tour around the park and manage to entertain the guests for several hours, you'll be golden. That is, if you have actually something to talk about and to keep the guests interested. Probably one of the most common things would be ''holding animal x'' or ''feeding animal x'' however these small things do make the tour more fun, as it becomes more interactive. If it's just somebody talking for several hours, then I would loose interest within seconds. So, basicly to summarise it; interaction is key.
- Have animals suitable for small children;
This one may be odd, but your biggest audience are families with (small)children. If you would have only reptiles, then the small kid may get scared or maybe get bored. And dad and mom don't want their kids to get bored when going out on a trip to the zoo. So, what about a small petting are with cute and cuddly animals like rabbits? Small children like farm animals, why else are there farms specifically for smaller children (or atleast focussed on) ???
And this also creates yet again; interaction.

Now back to Timmiegun's statement ''There is so many ways to get people to your park, even in the beginning. But you need to give them a reason to visit your park instead of the local petstore.''. This is true and probably a small issue, although I doubt it would be hard to get a few good reasons for them to visit your park instead of the pet store.
And exactly the concept you gave, is how to give people a reason to visit your park. Theming.
If you have a couple small themes going on it atleast gives the impression that your zoo is actually more like a zoo rather than a bunch of random animals thrown together in your average backyard. Atleast, that's my opinion on it.

Also, marketing is going to be important, you need to ''stand out of the crowd'' if you want to lure visitors. So, think about what you can offer to the visitors and what animal would be a good marketing-face for your zoo, yeah, a logo. Having a logo might be one of the most important things about the whole marketing aspect. (If you ask me). A logo is what people will think of and see when they read a article about you in the local newspaper or on social media. Don't be affraid to use several marketing platforms. Cause with the right marketing, people will visit you.

Once again, I am not an expert on this or have any experience, so keep in mind to not take it too serious as I might just be completely wrong, if I am wrong consider telling what I am wrong on and what is actually according to you right.
Also, what would you guys do to gain visitors??