what are the least and most cost-effective animals to keep in a zoo

[gerome]

I was curious about which animals offer the best "visitor pull" compared to the cost of keeping them.

For example, a polar bear is quite expensive to maintain due to its specialized diet and habitat needs, but it does have strong crowd appeal. On the flip side, something like an African spurred tortoise is much cheaper to care for, but it doesn't exactly draw big crowds.

What I'm really interested in are animals with a highly skewed cost-to-popularity ratio—either surprisingly cheap animals that are very popular, or expensive ones that barely get any attention.

This all came up after I asked a zookeeper about the cost of keeping a kingfisher, and it made me start wondering how this plays out across the zoo world.

 

[MOG2012]

Otters are relatively cheap yet popular. So are some tamarins/marmosets. Lots of DWA's animals are very expensive but aren't that popular

 

[Steve Robinson]

I was curious about which animals offer the best "visitor pull" compared to the cost of keeping them.

For example, a polar bear is quite expensive to maintain due to its specialized diet and habitat needs, but it does have strong crowd appeal. On the flip side, something like an African spurred tortoise is much cheaper to care for, but it doesn't exactly draw big crowds.

What I'm really interested in are animals with a highly skewed cost-to-popularity ratio—either surprisingly cheap animals that are very popular, or expensive ones that barely get any attention.

This all came up after I asked a zookeeper about the cost of keeping a kingfisher, and it made me start wondering how this plays out across the zoo world.

Meerkats!

 

[birdsandbats]

Tortoises are some of the most popular and lest expensive exotic animals.

 

[birdsandbats]

Meerkats!

Depends a lot on the region. In Europe? Yes. In North America? Not so much.

 

[Mossman Joe]

I've mentioned this in the Indonesian subforum, but I believe in Indonesia Asian Small-Clawed Otters are among the most cost-effective zoo animals for the amount of enthusiasm you can get from guests.

They're not protected, so they can easily be obtained captive bred or (sadly) wild-caught, and makes it so that any roadside zoo can obtain them. They're active and will actually approach visitors, unlike a lot of other taxa. Some zoos have even added circular holes in the glass to allow visitors to feed them pieces of fish while also feeling their toes, I've had a few people tell me this was a highlight of their zoo visit.

I can't speak much on the cost of maintaining an ASCO pack or how much it would cost to create an exhibit for them, though I'd imagine maintaining a strong filtration system could add up over time.

Another cheap contender in Indonesia would be large reticulated/burmese pythons, as handling them also often becomes a memorable experience, and there are more than enough specimens available (sometimes even for free) by bored/overwhelmed keepers wanting to surrender them

 

[Daktari JG]

I agree with otters .
For the cheap and popular you want- active.
I think that rules out all reptiles, amphibians and frankly most birds-except possibly parrots and macaws.
I would go with suirrel monkeys and ring tailed lemurs as my top two candidates.

The absolute worst on cost /popularity is probably the giant panda. Though wildly popular
I think most places that keep them consider them a loser when it comes bottom line time.

 

[MRJ]

Years ago London Zoo did a survey re visitor engagement and compared it to cost of maintaining the exhibit. They found the best return on investment for visitor engagement was the insect house.

 

[CGSwans]

Years ago London Zoo did a survey re visitor engagement and compared it to cost of maintaining the exhibit. They found the best return on investment for visitor engagement was the insect house.

Do you know where this report could be found?

 

[Toki]

I feel Capybaras are quite cost-effective.
- Extremely popular
- Animals are cheap to obtain and breeds well
- Does not require a special diet
- Enclose does not have to be massive
- Can earn extra money through feeding/petting programs

 

[gentle lemur]

Among the birds, I would suggest peafowl, flamingoes and parrots (particularly any that are former pets and can talk a little).

 

[Skukuza]

Anything free roaming must be fairly cost effective, think mara etc at Whipsnade. Already have a perimiter fence, no/negligible housing heating costs, grazing on lawns and fields that are already in-situ etc and they are hugely popular with visitors particularly young families.

 

[NMM]

I would agree with otters and meerkats. I would also add ring tailed lemurs and wallabies with them. These species are held by the vast majority of zoos near me. I suspect the main reason is the combination of being popular with visitors whilst being easy and cheap to keep.

 

[Sheather]

Budgies!

 

[Jana]

Emus. Red-necked wallabies. Meerkats. Bactrian camels. Ring-tailed lemurs.

And if you have a zoo /dangerous animals licence, 1. lions and 2. tigers give you the most bang (entrance fees versus cost).

 

[MRJ]

Do you know where this report could be found?

No idea. We are talking thirty plus years ago.

 

[gerome]

Emus. Red-necked wallabies. Meerkats. Bactrian camels. Ring-tailed lemurs.

And if you have a zoo /dangerous animals licence, 1. lions and 2. tigers give you the most bang (entrance fees versus cost).

i think tigers are more cost-effective then lion because tigers are less social of a species

 

[DesertRhino150]

What I've heard about otters is that they can be surprisingly expensive to keep - I heard a keeper at Colchester at a talk saying that their group of eight smooth-coated otters cost more to feed over the course of a year than the zoo's four African elephants do.

 

[abese penguin]

I would add in common exotic lizards, such as Bearded Dragons and leopard geckos. Also, domestic animals such as rabbits guinea pigs and ferrets. Some of the most expensive would be pandas, I would think

 

[Batto]

New Otters are relatively cheap (...)

New Tortoises are some of the most popular and least expensive exotic animals.

In both cases:

Depends a lot on the region.

The closer the location of the zoo is to the natural habitat of the species, the more cost - effective their husbandry is. If I can keep the species easily outdoors all year long and the right food can be produced and obtained locally, the cost savings are considerable. And don't get me started on financial differences in regard to payment for staff, buildings, consumables, security...

Don't forget that the ratio between acquisition costs and maintainance costs can differ considerably. High quality husbandry to the benefit of the animal or expensive landscape design to please modern audiences will cost more than bare cages.

The least cost-effective are probably Giant pandas, sea otters and other marine mammals. The most cost-effective ones are probably certain invertebrates such as phasmids, roaches etc., harmless reptiles and domesticated rodents like guinea pigs, giving their potential uses for displays, show & tell presentations and even feed animals.