Spec Zoo What Ifs…?

[Austin the Sengi]

When compared to some of my previous threads, this one doesn’t have to be taken too seriously. That being said; this thread is going to explore hypothetical possibilities that a real zoo or aquarium might announce (or not) one day as part of a future master plan. Especially, if said possibilities end up being true one way or another.

For example, what if the Memphis Zoo’s planned redevelopment of their African Veldt area is an unintentional excuse to finally give the zoo an exhibit area themed to Ancient Egypt?!

 

[Austin the Sengi]

Since my initial hypothetical never really went anywhere, here is another that should hopefully gain some traction.

So, what if, we can expect to see even more pangolins appear in the coming years as potential holders propose new exhibits for housing said animals. One such facility is the Brookfield Zoo, which is proposing multiple outdoor enclosures for their existing animals; which of course, is part of their major master-plan.

 

[15399]

So, what if, we can expect to see even more pangolins appear in the coming years as potential holders propose new exhibits for housing said animals. One such facility is the Brookfield Zoo, which is proposing multiple outdoor enclosures for their existing animals; which of course, is part of their major master-plan.

I honestly hope this happens. In addition to being a taxa in dire need of conservation attention and with a lot of educational connections (e.g., COVID-19, illegal wildlife trade, wildlife spillover), one thing I've come to realize lately is that pangolins are much more well-known amongst today's children than many would assume.

Like anyone who has spent lots of times around zoos, I've heard my fair share of animal misidentifications, ranging from completely ridiculous to very understandable errors. One that I've heard on a handful of occasions this summer, however, this summer, is to hear Roger Williams Park Zoo's nine-banded armadillos referred to as pangolins, almost always by elementary-aged children. Now, I can understand the obvious visual similarities between armadillos and pangolins, however I never would've expected that pangolins have enough recognition for this to occur. I truly believe that pangolins are a taxa that, in addition to being important for conservation and education, would also be something zoo visitors have a genuine interest in seeing.

 

[Van Beal]

Since my initial hypothetical never really went anywhere, here is another that should hopefully gain some traction.

So, what if, we can expect to see even more pangolins appear in the coming years as potential holders propose new exhibits for housing said animals. One such facility is the Brookfield Zoo, which is proposing multiple outdoor enclosures for their existing animals; which of course, is part of their major master-plan.

Beyond the Manis tricuspis which is currently present in NA collections, I would love to see other species of pangolin, given the conservation/education value presented by @Neil chace

 

[Tapirus Lar]

Since my initial hypothetical never really went anywhere, here is another that should hopefully gain some traction.

So, what if, we can expect to see even more pangolins appear in the coming years as potential holders propose new exhibits for housing said animals. One such facility is the Brookfield Zoo, which is proposing multiple outdoor enclosures for their existing animals; which of course, is part of their major master-plan.

There are several pangolins in rescue/rehab centers in many places, and it'd be nice if a zoo were to be a home for them. But the problem is , would a zoo be willing to spend money and time for them, as they have special care needs and a unique diet, and are also hard to breed. Plus they're also mainly nocturnal, except the long-tailed pangolin, and don't tend to move about much in daytime, so not a great display animal either

 

[Jonathan Harry]

What would happen if the southern area of the Northern Frontier at the San Diego Zoo (containing zebras, greater kudu, gerenuk, etc.) was redesigned as Grasslands, a new exhibit for ungulates?

The same Asian Passage area should contain purely native animals from the Asian continent. It must be conceptualized and not just Panda Ridge. Maybe the area next to Urban Jungle can be made with the name Golden Kamuy. This area contains animals from Japan, Sakhalin Island, and Kamchatka such as the Ussuri brown bear (Ursus arctos lasiotus), Yezo sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis), snow sheep (Ovis nivicola), Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), and Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata). So, the remaining area near Africa Rocks becomes the Asian Jungle, which is occupied by sun bears, Francois' langur, gibbons, etc.

 

[Austin the Sengi]

Just to be clear with this thread, from now on, any idea you decide to post here doesn’t have to be restricted to just a real zoo; which begins with the following.

Imagine if you were to create a hypothetical zoo based exclusively around animals you have seen in the wild, what would that zoo look like?

 

[MOG2012]

Just to be clear with this thread, from now on, any idea you decide to post here doesn’t have to be restricted to just a real zoo; which begins with the following.

Imagine if you were to create a hypothetical zoo based exclusively around animals you have seen in the wild, what would that zoo look like?

It would have a couple exhibits. The first one would be a "forests of the world" which would have squirrels, porcupine, deer, lynx, junglefowl, etc. There would also be a coast exhibit with Hawaiian monk seal, grey seal, Cape cod birds, and Hawaiian reef species. The final exhibit would be "Raptor Roundup" which would have red-tailed hawks, other hawk species, a couple eagle species, crows, ravens, and other predatory birds I've seen in the wild

 

[Austin the Sengi]

As more zoos are taking preventative measures to protect their animals from the dreaded Avian Influenza… What would this all mean for general animal welfare, and how will it affect the design of future aviaries and other exhibits going forward?

 

[Van Beal]

As more zoos are taking preventative measures to protect their animals from the dreaded Avian Influenza… What would this all mean for general animal welfare, and how will it affect the design of future aviaries and other exhibits going forward?

I think a lot of zoos are going to remove walkthrough or free-flight aviaries from their facilities (not the aviaries as a whole, just the walkthrough portion). I've personally seen this happen in the Toronto Zoo's numerous pavilions, all of which formerly had walkthrough or free-flight regions (they even had peafowl wandering the zoo grounds). None of the aviaries are walkthrough or free-flight anymore, and the peafowl rotate between housing outside the Australasia Pavilion in the summer and the former Barbary Ape/current Lemur Summer Home in the winter. That said, the structure of aviaries is kinda forced to stay with mesh structures (though maybe areas where viewing is could have mesh enclosed glass or something) given the risks of glass even with decals present.
In direct contrast, Rosamond Gifford in Syracuse still has a walkthrough complex (where a Chinese Hwamei or Saipan White-eye tried to divebomb me) without any true means of keeping the birds away from visitors.

 

[KevinB]

Here in Europe some zoos have started to (re)design/(re)build large aviaries with netted and/or roofed viewed areas, usually at the sides of the aviary, instead of walk-through routes through the aviary. It is not that common yet, but I think we might see this more often in the future.