One of the recurrent themes here in the last couple years has been the shrinking diversity of antelope species in zoos. Are there any zoos that have done a good job of getting their visitors excited about antelope species? Are there any outstanding antelope exhibits from the perspective of making the animals interesting to people beyond having them glance at the animal and say "oh it's a pretty deer" and walking on to the next exhibit? I've talked with several people who find the San Diego Wild Animal Park dull because most of the animals there are antelope. The old monorail and the new tram tour still look at antelope more than anything else. I think that a good safari guide can make a great difference in getting people enthused about antelope, and maybe a live presentation like that is the only way to do it. If that is the case then maybe the only effective way to meaningfully interpret antelope is at places with really large exhibits that have some kind of "safari" ride component (e.g., Dallas Zoo's Africa monorail, SD Safari Park, Disney's safari ride). Obviously most zoos don't have this available. It seems like antelope are going to keep losing zoo exhibit space unless better ways can be found to interpret them to the public. Does anybody have examples or ideas of how to do this in a normal zoo where there is no monorail or safari guide to interpret behavior, ecology, etc.?
Put a lion exhibit in front, behind or inside the antelope area, or like at the SF zoo put people in a"donut hole" in the middle of the antelope range.
Putting people in close contact with antelope might make them appreciate them more, the tram ride through the deer/cattle (not so much antelope)enclosures at Singapore Night Safari put visitors extremely close (reach out and touch close) to really interesting large ungulates, which I think made people very appreciative of them. Likewise, in Warsaw Zoo, the Bongos were kept in small stalls in the giraffe house for winter, which gave very intimate views of them, and seemed to attract a lot of visitors (who were very well behaved). Both these require very different exhibits to the traditional paddock, but could change peoples perceptions of these beautiful creatures.
I think that exhibiting antelope (or all hoofstock, for the matter) in multi-species enclosures makes for a much more dynamic guest experience. It may work even better if exhibited with (or in close proximity to) a more charismatic species, such as giraffe, zebra, or others. I believe it is important to show that the antelope are part of the same biological communities as guests, favorite species. I don't know that a Thomson's gazelle or a bongo will ever be a feature exhibit, but perhaps by forcing guests to view (or at least walk by) these species will foster greater appreciation.
Brookfield Zoo's bison exhibit is 1 acre and has a tunnel going underneath the exhibit. In the tunnel there are paintings of bison including a life size one, also there are windows so you can see the bison eye to eye. http://www.zoochat.com/548/great-bear-wilderness-american-bison-exhibit-150617/ http://www.zoochat.com/548/bison-274271/ http://www.zoochat.com/548/bison-above-tunnel-274273/ http://www.zoochat.com/548/great-bear-wilderness-classroom-view-american-150668/
In the case of this species, I think it is helpful that the bison has become sort of an icon of American wilderness (especially--although ironically--in the city of Buffalo. I think it may be more challenging for visitors to appreciate hoofstock species that appear to share morphological similarities with each other and are somewhat unfamiliar to the average 'Joe Public.'
I agree with Iaduec. Mixing gazelles, wildebeest, and kudu with more iconic and famous species like zebras and giraffes would probably draw more interest. Aside from the point, I don't see why a lot of Zoochatters dislike the African Savannah theme. I guess it's because it's somewhat generic, and a lot of zoos use it, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be improved on.
In my experience, I have found the average joe to have the opinion that antelopes' sole purpose is to be a food source for carnivores. I have also heard comments along the lines of "I wonder how they taste?". I think that antelopes will always be supporting actors to more charismatic animals, regardless of how great the exhibit is.
And in answer to the original thread title: yes there is a way - release the occasional antelope at feeding time for the lions. Seriously though, I have heard a lot of people expressing interest at the zoo in seeing carnivores take down antelopes.
