The need for fusion and expansion

LARTIS

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Many zoo enthusiats are more or less also interested in botany and general natural history

These fields are most often split into different institutions. Tho some parks offer smaller exhibitions beyond the basic information tables.
Plants are less signed despite them not mooving.
Ok, I d not want to see view over the landscape interupted but both digital and printed guides are possible.

Some islands have very little terrestrial fauna but still a lot of endemic plant species. But sadly do botanical gardens neither display the few animal species that live or at least used to exist on the island nor even dedicated an entire exhibit like a green house to these ecosjstems.

I also would love to see an impression of the exinct species around the world.
There was very little left of south americas megafauna, but in some cases the most representive achivable composition was coincidental the inaccruate cohabitation of other parks.
In some cases we do not even know how they looked alive, except their size.
White rhino might allow an inpression of what a toxodon could have appeared.
Even if that experience lasted only for a millisecond.

All zoos want to be unique and promote their insitutions to be the largest or only onw of whatever kind,
more is possible.

I think the lack of likelihood can fuel the awareness how important every species is.

Human probably feel more intense about loosing what they once could sense.
 
Many zoo enthusiats are more or less also interested in botany and general natural history

These fields are most often split into different institutions. Tho some parks offer smaller exhibitions beyond the basic information tables.
Plants are less signed despite them not mooving.
Ok, I d not want to see view over the landscape interupted but both digital and printed guides are possible.

Some islands have very little terrestrial fauna but still a lot of endemic plant species. But sadly do botanical gardens neither display the few animal species that live or at least used to exist on the island nor even dedicated an entire exhibit like a green house to these ecosjstems.

I also would love to see an impression of the exinct species around the world.
There was very little left of south americas megafauna, but in some cases the most representive achivable composition was coincidental the inaccruate cohabitation of other parks.
In some cases we do not even know how they looked alive, except their size.
White rhino might allow an inpression of what a toxodon could have appeared.
Even if that experience lasted only for a millisecond.

All zoos want to be unique and promote their insitutions to be the largest or only onw of whatever kind,
more is possible.

I think the lack of likelihood can fuel the awareness how important every species is.

Human probably feel more intense about loosing what they once could sense.
While I worked at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden we placed labels at as many plants as we could. Many times I would see a visitor looking at a flower then a label and tell his companions "It's an Oak". We also printed brochures about plants and offered a full series of plant/horticulture course visitors could enroll in. The zoo was active in plant conservation as well. Did any of this influence visitors to support conservation? I do not know.

Your interest in zoos interpreting extinct species makes me think of the San Diego Zoo's "Elephant Odyssey" exhibit. It was been much discussed on Zoochat so you can read all about it.
 
Plzen zoo is an attempt of what you say. There are areas dedicated to different regions, but usually very small, e.g. a row of Asian plants along the camel exhibit, or a small greenhouse with South European plants and tortoises.

In the 19. and 20. centuries, there was a thought that zoos combined or should combine zoology, botany, ethnography, geology etc. For example, 19. century Berlin Zoo contained a fake cave with different rocks and minerals. Old Emmen Zoo had an exhibition of native South American cultures in its South American hall. Unfortunately, there examples were demolished as zoos turned from education towards amusement.
 
I also would love to see an impression of the exinct species around the world.
There was very little left of south americas megafauna, but in some cases the most representive achivable composition was coincidental the inaccruate cohabitation of other parks.
In some cases we do not even know how they looked alive, except their size.
White rhino might allow an inpression of what a toxodon could have appeared.
Even if that experience lasted only for a millisecond..
Mixing live exhibits and VR experiences of extinct animals might make a powerful experience
Experience dinosaurs in your living room
 
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