Your dream exhibit

Moebelle

Moebelle

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
This is a spin-off from my other forum "Interesting exhibit names in the U.S." Can you name some exhibits that you came up with and what would it feature.

My list so far:

Prosimian Paradise: Would be one large and tall 50,000 sq ft atrium with one 35,000 sq ft that exhibit would contain many species of lemurs, like ruffed, sifakas, ring-tailed, bamboo and many more. It would also have four separate stories to get a different viewing of the lemur exhibit higher than the other. On each floor, there would small-wall exhibits for galagos, pottos, tarsiers and lorises.

Kings of the Congo: A 3 acre tropcial exhibit featuring gorillas and chimps across from each other. There would be a path that goes in the middle of each exhibit viewing. At the end of the path would be connecting bedrooms for each species. To the right and the left of the entrance, there would be a boardwalk that takes you over 20ft of the each exhibit and end of connecting each other in the middle.

Vanishings of the Highlands: Just a general attraction with many mountainous exhibits that you would see on a path way. There would be makrhors, ibexes, snow leopards, and red and giant pandas.
 
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I'd like to have an exhibit called 'Abyss'. This would feature deep sea animals kept alive at high pressure. Deep sea animals include some of the most unusual and little known species on the planet and magnifying lenses could be used to be make many of the smaller species more noticeable. Gulper eels, viper fish, deep sea angler fishes, loose jaws, spookfish, tripod fish, never mind the unusual molluscs, sea cucumbers and other animals in a very educational and awe-inspiring exhibit.

Probably not practical, but I can dream.
 
Dassie rat said:
I'd like to have an exhibit called 'Abyss'. This would feature deep sea animals kept alive at high pressure. Deep sea animals include some of the most unusual and little known species on the planet and magnifying lenses could be used to be make many of the smaller species more noticeable. Gulper eels, viper fish, deep sea angler fishes, loose jaws, spookfish, tripod fish, never mind the unusual molluscs, sea cucumbers and other animals in a very educational and awe-inspiring exhibit.

Probably not practical, but I can dream.
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Wonderful idea. What I would add to that is make it one room. It would have just one 30ft tall tank window that semi-circles around the guests, and have about 3-4 exhibits in it. To top it off, the only lighting the guests would have is 5 rows of tiny, red floor lights that are used in the movie theaters and lit-up exhibit signs. I might also change the name to "Unseen Creatures of the Abyss".
 
"Living Amazone"

A large tropical rainforest greenhouse with multiple riverbeds to walk between river dolphins, giant otters, manatees and a host of fish. In the trees Hoatzin, cock-of-the-rocks, screaming piha's and a host of other birds together with red howlers, red uakari's, pied tamarins and Muriqui... something like that :)

Or "Jungle Gems", a big greenhouse filled with many species of bird of paradise...
 
jwer said:
"Living Amazone"

A large tropical rainforest greenhouse with multiple riverbeds to walk between river dolphins, giant otters, manatees and a host of fish. In the trees Hoatzin, cock-of-the-rocks, screaming piha's and a host of other birds together with red howlers, red uakari's, pied tamarins and Muriqui... something like that :)

Or "Jungle Gems", a big greenhouse filled with many species of bird of paradise...
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Superb Jungle Gems name, one of the greatest I have heard.
 
Moebelle said:
What I would add to that is make it one room. It would have just one 30ft tall tank window that semi-circles around the guests, and have about 3-4 exhibits in it. To top it off, the only lighting the guests would have is 5 rows of tiny, red floor lights that are used in the movie theaters and lit-up exhibit signs. I might also change the name to "Unseen Creatures of the Abyss".
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Thanks Moebelle. I thought about making it a room, perhaps like the main exhibit in 'World of Birds' at the Bronx Zoo. This could enable people to travel down a spiral staircase from the surface and see animals living at different depths. There would have to be a facility to stop the animals eating each other, so perhaps there would have to be a few side exhibits as well as the main one.
 
Dassie rat said:
Thanks Moebelle. I thought about making it a room, perhaps like the main exhibit in 'World of Birds' at the Bronx Zoo. This could enable people to travel down a spiral staircase from the surface and see animals living at different depths. There would have to be a facility to stop the animals eating each other, so perhaps there would have to be a few side exhibits as well as the main one.
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SuperbXAmazingXBrilliantX5. What animals would you add per level and what would each one be called or look like. If you don't mind answering this?
 
jwer said:
"Living Amazone"

A large tropical rainforest greenhouse with multiple riverbeds to walk between river dolphins, giant otters, manatees and a host of fish. In the trees Hoatzin, cock-of-the-rocks, screaming piha's and a host of other birds together with red howlers, red uakari's, pied tamarins and Muriqui... something like that :)

Or "Jungle Gems", a big greenhouse filled with many species of bird of paradise...
Click to expand...

Isn't that the Dallas World Aquarium minus the dolphins and hoatzin?
 
Arctic Circle. have a big dome when you walk in big old pine trees stand tall,snow everywhere,bitter cold. Aurora borealis is flashing above. arctic foxes running around in the 1st exhibit. then you move on down the rocky trail to snowy owls looking at you with those beautiful big eyes. arctic ocean suddenly appears where theres walruses and narwhals swimming all around. then you come out into the tundra where musk ox and caribou are. then forest start up again your in what they call the taiga where you can see wolverines,arctic hare and lynx. and to top it off the best polar bear exhibit ever. 3 acres of land,underwater viewing.
 
Why not just post on the Design A Zoo thread, Moebelle? There are hundreds of fantastic ideas over on that thread, in case you didn't know or were wondering.

Eh, it doesn't matter to me. I think I'll find myself posting my ideas on both this thread and the Design A Zoo eventually, anyway... :D
 
"River Adventures Through the Southeast": Take .65 mile boat ride through famous islands of Southeast Asia. The ride would take you through about 4 acres of four greenhouses with 1-3 exhibits on each side of the boat and about 6-7 exhibits total. Each exhibit would be 15,000 sq ft (First exhibit in Lords of the Arctic-Cincinnati Zoo). There would be space between the boat on either side so that guests could view tanks with fish native to that certain island, and the animals who like to swim. Also each exhibit would be surrounded by tall rocks and trees, along with a cave area at the end of each island, with 2-3, 7-10ft by 3-10ft tanks. Each area would have windows above the barriers allowing guests and the animals to see the daylight. If I have time I will even draw out the plans.

The first one would take you through Borneo. On one side would be an exhibit for Bornean orangutans and Mueller's gibbons. On the other side there would be the endangered clouded leopard and adjacent to them would be a small but tall aviary for rhinoceros hornbills. The whole exhibit would be not netted, but covered with a glazed viewing window for protection from the animals. Through the whole exhibit there would be free-flying birds like barbets and white-eyes and each tank would feature Amazon leaf fish. As you exit through a cave going to the next island, there would be 5ft by 3ft terrariums across form each other containing green tree pythons in one and cicadas in the other.

In Sumatra, it is extremely similar but of course different animals, and the river that the boat is on would curve to the left a bit(because it goes in a circle. On the right would be an exhibit featuring Sumatran orangutans and white-handed gibbons. On the left would be Thomas' Leaf Monkeys. What is different from the Borneo exhibit, is that the primates have access to either exhibit with ropes and bars going over the boat. In case of "accidents" there would be a glass canopy over top the whole stream. There would again be free-flying birds like Pale-headed Frogmouths, Graceful Pittas, and Shiny Whistling-Thrushes. The fish collection would consist of Sumatran barbs, Chocolate gouramis and other tiger fish. While exiting through another small cave there would be not just 2, but three exhibits. The side exhibits would have tarsiers in one, and the other, Pope's tree vipers. The last one would actually be a darker exhibit with Sumatran Mastiff bats hanging right above you.

Enter into the island of Komodo to view another world of the predator and prey. On the right side of the river, would be the largest lizard in the world, which is of course the Komodo dragon. If I were the designer of this exhibit(which I am in my dreams:D) I would make the dragon exhibit a bit lower for the guests to see the low-built creature. Also the tank with the fish in it would cut off by a 2ft tall see-through glass fence. The dragon/s would have a separate pool in the back. While on the other side there is the tall water buffalo. The tank water and floor would be hired, but the viewing glass would even be higher so that the water buffalo has it’s time to swim, but also to have no chance of hurting or splashing the guests. The buffalo exhibit would be netted from top to bottom. Along with being in the netting would be Jambu fruit doves, Bali mynahs and more. In the cave area would be: the Komodo dragon den, and an Indonesian species, the banded palm civet.

The last but not least exhibit would be the island of Malaysia. On the right display, there would a mysterious pachyderm that has a white back but the rest is black. This is the Malayan tapir. The pool would be a bit drained but there would also be steps for the creatures to walk in it. While they are on the ground, above them would be agile gibbons. In a separate aviary in the tapir exhibit, there would lie lesser adjutant storks. Across from all this would be the largest of all living reptiles, the salt-water crocodile. In the cave area, one side would feature the Sunda loris, and the other would have black and grey shrews.
 
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I finally finished River Adventures Through the Southeast, it took me 2 weeks to make this. I added on two more islands from the original plan.
 

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It is probably unethical and impossible given the requirements for their survival but I have always dreamed of a Whale World exhibit that would feature Blue Whales, Humpbacks, and a variety of other Whales. I'd find it fascinating.
 
Fisi said:
It is probably unethical and impossible given the requirements for their survival but I have always dreamed of a Whale World exhibit that would feature Blue Whales, Humpbacks, and a variety of other Whales. I'd find it fascinating.
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I've been thinking of that, too... seeing gigantic whales in a controlled environment would be something spectacular, a HUGE step for zoo history, but like you said, most likely impossible. :(
 
When I visited Duisburg in the mid 1980s, it had bottle-nosed and Commerson's dolphins, as well as Amazon river dolphins and a beluga. It is the most interesting display of whales I have ever seen - 3 families. While very large whales are probably impractical for captivity, I think it would be possible to display more of the smaller species.
 
Can the largest tank in the world in Japan hold a large whale? to add on to the impossible part, how would they get it there?
 
Moebelle said:
Can the largest tank in the world in Japan hold a large whale? to add on to the impossible part, how would they get it there?
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That reminds me... A whale shark, but not an actual baleen whale?

Georgia Aquarium and I believe the Osaka (?) Aquarium (yes, I confirmed it myself :p) have whale sharks. Do they not require as much space as large whales? I realize they aren't the exact size as the majority of the whales we're talking about, but don't they swim quite a bit?

I figure if they can keep whale sharks, they should be able to keep at least these kinds of whales: gray whale, long-finned pilot whale, Northern bottlenose whale, minke whale (unless, of course, they don't do well in captivity)
 
AnaheimZoo said:
That reminds me... A whale shark, but not an actual baleen whale?

Georgia Aquarium and I believe the Osaka (?) Aquarium (yes, I confirmed it myself :p) have whale sharks. Do they not require as much space as large whales? I realize they aren't the exact size as the majority of the whales we're talking about, but don't they swim quite a bit?

I figure if they can keep whale sharks, they should be able to keep at least these kinds of whales: gray whale, long-finned pilot whale, Northern bottlenose whale, minke whale (unless, of course, they don't do well in captivity)
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I'm guessing intelligence has something do do with this as well. You can keep crocodiles in fairly small exhibits, but similarly sized monkeys, such as baboons need much more space. I've wondered this myself often though.
 
I would agree, intelligence would probably be the main reason that this wouldn't work. I'd say unless a very large area of space could be set aside for whales, don't include them. Well, in a real zoo, anyway. For a dream exhibit anything could be possible.
 
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