Ever since visiting Bali Zoo in early August I've been firmly convinced that it's missing its calling as Indonesia's endemic zoo. In a country that's home to elephants, tigers, leopards, sun bears, otters, orang utans, gibbons, macaques, proboscis monkeys, tapirs, babirusas, Komodo dragons, crocodiles, giant pythons, cassowaries, eagles, cockatoos and many other charismatic megafauna, it would have little trouble succeeding with such a focus. It doesn't need the current lions and white tiger.
Coming from Australia, I'm familiar with zoos that have a strictly native focus. I've been to two of them - Healesville and Cleland - that are accepted as masters of the approach, using the existing bush landscape to display primarily local fauna, along with some animals that are from other parts of Australia but are nevertheless suited to the local conditions. Alice Springs Desert Park is somewhere I haven't been, but i understand that it follows the same template for Australian desert environments. These places work because they're relatively cheap to build, stock and maintain, and because both Australians and international tourists want to see native fauna. Yes, there's an opportunity cost in not displaying exotics, but some successful native parks seem to thrive in the same markets as larger zoos focused on exotics. This is despite the general impression in Australia that our native species are "boring" compared to those from overseas.
However, it does seem that there are relatively few other large-scale endemics-focused zoos outside Australia. I'm aware of Northwest Trek and Arizona-Sonora in the western US. And the Arabian Wildlife Centre in the UAE sounds like it fits the description as well. But the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland eventually diversified beyond Scottish fauna to boost visitor numbers. Is there a zoo now in Europe that focuses entirely on the animals of Europe, let alone its country's native wildlife?
I'm particularly keen to hear about institutions in mega diverse developing countries - such as China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, which might fly under Zoochat's radar a little. Like Indonesia, these countries are all home to charismatic species and attract large numbers of tourists who could effectively underwrite an endemics zoo in the right location. But would be interested in any parks that, by design, display the species of a particular region or country.
Coming from Australia, I'm familiar with zoos that have a strictly native focus. I've been to two of them - Healesville and Cleland - that are accepted as masters of the approach, using the existing bush landscape to display primarily local fauna, along with some animals that are from other parts of Australia but are nevertheless suited to the local conditions. Alice Springs Desert Park is somewhere I haven't been, but i understand that it follows the same template for Australian desert environments. These places work because they're relatively cheap to build, stock and maintain, and because both Australians and international tourists want to see native fauna. Yes, there's an opportunity cost in not displaying exotics, but some successful native parks seem to thrive in the same markets as larger zoos focused on exotics. This is despite the general impression in Australia that our native species are "boring" compared to those from overseas.
However, it does seem that there are relatively few other large-scale endemics-focused zoos outside Australia. I'm aware of Northwest Trek and Arizona-Sonora in the western US. And the Arabian Wildlife Centre in the UAE sounds like it fits the description as well. But the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland eventually diversified beyond Scottish fauna to boost visitor numbers. Is there a zoo now in Europe that focuses entirely on the animals of Europe, let alone its country's native wildlife?
I'm particularly keen to hear about institutions in mega diverse developing countries - such as China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, which might fly under Zoochat's radar a little. Like Indonesia, these countries are all home to charismatic species and attract large numbers of tourists who could effectively underwrite an endemics zoo in the right location. But would be interested in any parks that, by design, display the species of a particular region or country.
