Realistic New Caledonian Zoo Exhibit

OkapiJohn

OkapiJohn

Well-Known Member
I looked at which species are currently held in zoo collections, in Europe and N. America, and imagined what would be a very nice New Caledonian zoo exhibit. I imagine something like a pavilion or a greenhouse with a walkthrough route full of lush vegetation. The idea is that all animals would roam free in this space, hence providing an immersive experience to the visitors.
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Reptiles:
New Caledonian giant gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) LC
Crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) VU
Bavay's giant gecko (Mniarogekko chahoua) VU
These geckos are mostly nocturnal, so I am not sure how detectable they would be during the day in a walkthrough exhibit.
Birds:
Red-throated parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) LC
Red-bellied fruit dove (Ptilinopus greyi) LC
Pacific imperial pigeon (Ducula pacific) (not endemic) LC
Horned parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) VU
Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) EN

Basically, that is it. The land vertebrate fauna of New Caledonia is mostly reptiles and birds. Rainbow lorikeets are native to the islands but they are so common and associated with Australian sections that I did not find them interesting to include. The island does not have native amphibians or snakes and the only bats from the island are not present in zoo collections.
But its flora is incredible with old lineages that can be traced to the Mesozoic. Giant ferns for example. A greenhouse from New Caledonia sure wouldn't be complete without some of those plants.

If by extension one would want to include, for example, the Fiji Islands and let's say make a Melanesian Exhibit (without the inclusion of Papua) this walkthrough exhibit could have:

Lau banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) EN
Fiji boa (Candoia bibroni) LC - In a terrarium
Fiji parrotfinch (Erythrura pealii) LC - it can hybridize with the other parrotfinch

If you know of more species please let me know.
 
I would not put Correlophus or Mniarogekko in a walkthrough. Neither are great at finding food in larger enclosures, and both would likely be predated by the R. leachianus. You may be able to get away with the more robust leachianus free-roaming, but I'd worry that a meddling visitor would get bitten at some point. Perhaps the geckos would be better placed in smaller terraria within the greenhouse?

Other additional New Caledonian lizard species are in private hands, at least in Europe.
 
Swampy said:
I would not put Correlophus or Mniarogekko in a walkthrough. Neither are great at finding food in larger enclosures, and both would likely be predated by the R. leachianus. You may be able to get away with the more robust leachianus free-roaming, but I'd worry that a meddling visitor would get bitten at some point. Perhaps the geckos would be better placed in smaller terraria within the greenhouse?
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Thank you for the feedback. I must admit that I don't know those species very well. Indeed maybe a terrarium for them would be better
 
OkapiJohn said:
I looked at which species are currently held in zoo collections, in Europe and N. America, and imagined what would be a very nice New Caledonian zoo exhibit. I imagine something like a pavilion or a greenhouse with a walkthrough route full of lush vegetation. The idea is that all animals would roam free in this space, hence providing an immersive experience to the visitors.
full


Reptiles:
New Caledonian giant gecko (Rhacodactylus leachianus) LC
Crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) VU
Bavay's giant gecko (Mniarogekko chahoua) VU
These geckos are mostly nocturnal, so I am not sure how detectable they would be during the day in a walkthrough exhibit.
Birds:
Red-throated parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) LC
Red-bellied fruit dove (Ptilinopus greyi) LC
Pacific imperial pigeon (Ducula pacific) (not endemic) LC
Horned parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus) VU
Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) EN

Basically, that is it. The land vertebrate fauna of New Caledonia is mostly reptiles and birds. Rainbow lorikeets are native to the islands but they are so common and associated with Australian sections that I did not find them interesting to include. The island does not have native amphibians or snakes and the only bats from the island are not present in zoo collections.
But its flora is incredible with old lineages that can be traced to the Mesozoic. Giant ferns for example. A greenhouse from New Caledonia sure wouldn't be complete without some of those plants.

If by extension one would want to include, for example, the Fiji Islands and let's say make a Melanesian Exhibit (without the inclusion of Papua) this walkthrough exhibit could have:

Lau banded iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus) EN
Fiji boa (Candoia bibroni) LC - In a terrarium
Fiji parrotfinch (Erythrura pealii) LC - it can hybridize with the other parrotfinch

If you know of more species please let me know.
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It's interesting to imagine a large exhibit dedicated to this French oversea island. Wildlife of New Caledonia is really overlooked in European (and even French) zoos.

I would include the Lorikeets, as it's a popular, easy to see, bird species, completing a list of more shy/threatened animals.

One may consider - from a French point of view - imports of birds/lizards from the Nouméa Zoo or other local wildlife refuges.

I would also add a marine section, with plenty of fish and sealife from the lagoons surrounding the island.
Probably Marine Turtles too, and if possible one or two Sea Snakes (yes there are native snakes in New Caledonia, but only marine species).
 
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I'm not sure about a walk-through exhibit because so many of these species are unusual in captivity and could be hard to replace in case of accidents (and would have high value for thieves too). But there are several other species which would be candidates for in a New Caledonia House, although they might be hard to source.
The New Caledonian crow has been studied and bred in university facilities, it is not a spectacular bird, but its terrific problem-solving abilities would make it an excellent species for talks and educational shows. The cloven-feathered pigeon and the New Caledonian parakeet would be wonderful additions too. I think the reptiles would need vivaria for each individual species, perhaps with a reversed light section for the geckos. The ultimate species for exhibit would the very rare terror skink.
 
Santa Cruz Ground-dove (Pampusana sanctaecrucis) EN
They are endemic to Vanuatu. It is a great addition to this exhibit idea and Singapore Zoo has a solid breeding programme.
 
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Have you heard of the gecko genus Bavayia? Multiple of those New Caledonian endemics are kept and bred in the private trade. So far I have encountered Bavayia crassicollis, exsuccida, robusta, sauvagii & septuiclavis. Another excellent species is the endangered Dierogekko nehoueensis, which is also in the private reptile world. Even more popular is the genus Eurydactylodes, of which all 4 species are kept and bred across the world. Last, there are Rhacodactylus trachycephalus & trachyrhynchus, which are famous for their rough snouts.
I think you could build yourself a very impressive gecko room with those species mentioned. I have yet to see a public zoo like this and it would certainly benefit the geckos since many are endangered. With enough education, this could become a popular room for visitors willing to learn more about diversity.

While almost gone, the following skinks are also kept in private hands: Kanakysaurus viviparus &
Epibator nigrofasciolatus (the Wikipedia photos of both species are actually mine).

The goliath imperial pigeon (Ducula goliath) is also still kept in zoos in Japan.
 
There are New Caledonian imperial pigeons (Ducula goliath) in captivity in certain locations so you could always have them to have an endemic imperial pigeon?
 
Sicarius said:
Have you heard of the gecko genus Bavayia? Multiple of those New Caledonian endemics are kept and bred in the private trade. So far I have encountered Bavayia crassicollis, exsuccida, robusta, sauvagii & septuiclavis. Another excellent species is the endangered Dierogekko nehoueensis, which is also in the private reptile world. Even more popular is the genus Eurydactylodes, of which all 4 species are kept and bred across the world. Last, there are Rhacodactylus trachycephalus & trachyrhynchus, which are famous for their rough snouts.
I think you could build yourself a very impressive gecko room with those species mentioned. I have yet to see a public zoo like this and it would certainly benefit the geckos since many are endangered. With enough education, this could become a popular room for visitors willing to learn more about diversity.

While almost gone, the following skinks are also kept in private hands: Kanakysaurus viviparus &
Epibator nigrofasciolatus (the Wikipedia photos of both species are actually mine).

The goliath imperial pigeon (Ducula goliath) is also still kept in zoos in Japan.
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Thank you for the suggestions. I chose the most commonly kept/seen species (in which one is an impressive example of insular gigantism - a nice phenomenon to teach to the public) and I believe it is just enough (although it could always have one or two more or different species). But following the "realistic" thing I do not believe the average zoo visitor would be much interested in visiting a place with dozens of little lizards that look very similar to each other. If you exhaust people with so many terrariums or species they just lose interest. Hence I do not think it is realistic to have a zoo exhibit with all those species. It does not mean the zoo cannot have those species backstage and breed them. But for display purposes, I believe it is the case that less is more.
 
So, here is my vision.

A small heated house where majority of space is taken by "empty" visitors space - dim lit with few vertical dry branches along walls and one or two bigger trunks in the middle -to ligtly imitate a dry forest but not to make cleaning the floor difficult. Entrance to the house is flanked by two medium-sized outside aviaries. Horned parakeets live in one, kagus in the second. Both species have also heated rooms with roof window (daylight!), visible through panels from inside the house. Next is nicely done paludarium tank - one with brakish species of fish in water and Fiji boa in bushes above water. Next is a bigger tank with corrals and fish. On oposite wall of the hall are two smallish reptile tanks with New Caledonian giant geckos. Next are educational panels about New Caledonian reptiles and/or vegetation and doors to toilets. You leave the house through a walk-though aviary surrounded by a flock of rainbow parakeets, a pair of fruit doves and family of masked lapwings.

Nothing exciting, but realistic with species available in Europe.
 
Ahh, another fan of New Caledonia :)

As mentioned by others, I would ditch the walkthrough animals except for the less destructive birds and finches and maybe native fruit bats (if you can get them). As for endemic plants: the botanical garden of Frankfurt am Main and Paris each keep a nice selection of that unique flora for inspiration.
Horned parakeets and kagus can be kept together in an outdoor aviary with a heated indoor quarter, just like in Walsrode.
I would keep the aforementioned reptiles (less is indeed more here) in apt terraria and add a nice marine aquaria section, including the famous flurouscent corals, as well as a roomy coconut crab exhibit. And if you have the money to burn on a constant supply of live feed eels, why not add Laticauda saintgironsi. ;)
Furthermore, I would add some life-sized replicas of the relatively recently extinct New Caledonian megafauna.

And a nice French-Kanak restaurant, serving bougna and other lovely local dishes.

Together with the aforementioned lorikeet walkthrough exhibit including feeding station, this could be a neat exhibit complex, if done properly.
 
Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchii is present in small numbers in Europe, mostly with specialist loribreeders. So, it would be nice to have the correct taxon in the exhibit. It would also give the opportunity to educate visitors about Vini diadema which has not been sighted since the late 1980s. You could also consider setting up a rat exhibit (maybe even Polynesian rat) to highlight the impact of invasive alien species.
 
So beautiful, small & endangered geckos that can become just as popular as other reptiles with enough education are not accepted, but the New Caledonian sea krait is?
I have seen several gecko exhibitions like the one in Plzen zoo that are quite popular with the public, as well as the anole collection at California Science Center. It is the zoo's responsibility to provide enough information about the uniqueness of those creatures. Laticauda saintgironsi on the other hand is completely absent from captivity, has shown to be very difficult to keep alive, requires an expensive and possibly unrealistic diet and is illegal to import.
Of course, it is your own speculative exhibit. But I recommend a healthy focus on education and conservation when you build a plan for small islands with so many rare endemics. The all-time focus on big or colourful animals is the worst thing a zoo could do.

The wandering whistling duck (Dendrocygna arcuata) also lives in New Caledonia and is a fine species for a walkthrough enclosure. Same goes for the zebra dove (Geopelia striata). This pigeon is not native to New Caledonia so you could inform visitors about invasive species.

The purple vampire crab (Geograpsus grayi) is also found in this range.
 
Sicarius said:
So beautiful, small & endangered geckos that can become just as popular as other reptiles with enough education are not accepted, but the New Caledonian sea krait is?
I have seen several gecko exhibitions like the one in Plzen zoo that are quite popular with the public, as well as the anole collection at California Science Center. It is the zoo's responsibility to provide enough information about the uniqueness of those creatures. Laticauda saintgironsi on the other hand is completely absent from captivity, has shown to be very difficult to keep alive, requires an expensive and possibly unrealistic diet and is illegal to import.
Of course, it is your own speculative exhibit. But I recommend a healthy focus on education and conservation when you build a plan for small islands with so many rare endemics. The all-time focus on big or colourful animals is the worst thing a zoo could do.

The wandering whistling duck (Dendrocygna arcuata) also lives in New Caledonia and is a fine species for a walkthrough enclosure. Same goes for the zebra dove (Geopelia striata). This pigeon is not native to New Caledonia so you could inform visitors about invasive species.

The purple vampire crab (Geograpsus grayi) is also found in this range.
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No typical insect or spider species, that could fit in this exhibit ?
 
Haliaeetus said:
No typical insect or spider species, that could fit in this exhibit ?
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Only a few I can think of, besides the impressive coconut crab that was mentioned before. I'm not sure the giant spiny stick insect (Eurycantha calcarata) was talked about? That's a big insect that is also commonly found in captivity. A great addition for a New Caledonian exhibit. Same goes for the redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti).
I also thought of red-crowned parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae), Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa) & little pied cormorants (Microcarbo melanoleucos) as those birds also occurs on the islands.

PossumRoach said:
I think the sea krait was mentioned as a joke…
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One can never be sure enough :)
 
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