Toronto Zoo If You Bought Toronto Zoo...

Im glad your liking the ideas so far. Picking out the big mammals and birds was easy but the smaller animals were harder. Thanks for the compliment on the activities. Once you enter Eurasia and Indo Malaya there will be a down swing in activities. Couldnt come up with a lot of fun stuff.

Canada’s First Nations
Just north of the owls in the heart of what will be Rocky Ridge is going to be the home of our zoo’s Canadian First Nations community. Built here would be several buildings representing prominent tribe dwellings from across the country, longhouses, teepees, and igloos for example. Within each home would be traditional artifacts from that culture in order to educate people about their way of life and to show the diversity across the country. Each would be like a mini museum but housing replicas because I would hate to have a real artifact stolen or damaged. There would be traditional hunting tools, pottery, foods, clothing and artwork.

During the summer different groups would be invited to come and share their culture in mini festivals. They could share dance, stories, traditional hunting techniques, various crafts, foods, and other aspects of their culture. It would provide fun educational experiences for visitors beyond the animals.

To the side of each home would be a mini gift stand which would sell goods made in the traditional way of their reprehensive tribe. It would be a way to help promote First Nation’s business and goods. The things sold in the village market would be sold by the businesses and they would run their own shops and keep the majority of their profits. Naturally there would be a rental fee and small percentage of sales given to the zoo but just enough to help us maintain the buildings.

There would also be food sold here with beaver tails being featured because they are so good and so Canadian.

A regular gift shop called the Trading Post would be located here too. It would sell the regular stuff, lots of Canadian themed souvenirs, and fun little frontier themed trinkets like fake raccoon skin caps, antlers from our deer, elk and moose (all professionally cleaned and prepared) and anything else cool.

By the trading post would be a picnic area.

Rocky Ridge
To the east of Forest Frontier would be Rocky Ridge, the home to animals who inhabit the Rocky Mountains. All animals presented here will be either orphans, nuisance animals, rescues or animals who can't be released, with the exception of the hoof stock which would be harder to source that way.

Since we left off at the Canadian First Nations we will head north to the Cougar complex. It will feature three exhibits, one being off exhibit to provide new moms with privacy at first and enable males to be separated from their cubs. The cougars will be kept in breeding two pairs and the zoo will participate in their SSP as required. Any cubs will go on display as their mothers become comfortable. Mimicking their natural environment the exhibits will be built to simulate a large hill. Their barn will be concealed within their mountain and because of the space available under it the barn could house other animals off exhibit as necessary. The hilly terrain will be strewn with rocky outcrops, caves, tall pine trees, bushes, ledges and fallen logs. The pens will be visually divided by rock walls. The pairs will be able to rotate through the exhibits throughout the day to provide stimulation.

Beside the cougars will be a huge flight pen for a pair of Bald Eagles. Hopefully the zoo will get flying eagles in and not ones with wing damage who cannot fly. Although if necessary they could be swapped with the golden eagles to provide the exhibit with eagles capable of flight. They will have access to two pens. A larger one with lake smack dab in the middle of it for fishing and a smaller lakeless exhibit used mostly for transfers so keepers can clean.The exhibit will feature tall trees, rocks, fallen logs, and rocky ledges sticking out from the barn concealed as a rocky cliff face. Breeding wont be prevented but it also wont be encouraged.

To the south of the eagles across a pathway will be the home of the zoos Grizzly Bears. The bears will be held in sibling sets or bonded male female pairs and sterilization will be employed to prevent unwanted births. The bears will be kept in two large exhibits with a barn in between them disguised as a mini mountain. Their exhibits will be viewable from three of their four sides but the bears will still be afforded privacy. The terrain on the upper parts of the exhibit will be rocky and hilly but gently slope down towards the edges. Tall trees will dot the hills and berry bushes left to grow wild will encourage foraging behaviours. Running through both exhibits will be streams that flow down hill from a small waterfall to a large pool at the bottoms. The pools will be stocked with fish occasionally to encourage the fishing behaviours grizzly bears are famous for. The pathways will be altered to allow guests a chance to view the bears partially underwater. There will be a meet the keeper talk for the grizzlies.

Just south of them, fairly close to the Great Grey Owl exhibit will be 4 small flight pens for Northern Spotted Owls. They will be in breeding pairs because they are critically endangered in British Columbia. If possible reintroduction programs are in place more birds would be kept at the breeding facility. The pairs can be rotated around the four exhibits to provide them with a change of scenery but while chick rearing they will stay in place since Spotted Owls are picky about their homes. All will have nice sized trees, bushes, hollowed out fake trees to provide nesting sites and space to fly. By their exhibit will be signs explaining the impact logging is having on the owls and other wildlife. And to help with the issue of deforestation a stand will sit nearby selling tiny pine tree saplings people can take home to plant. All of the money raised at this stand will be poured directly into planting more trees at the zoo and across the province.

Heading east from the owls will be a massive exhibit that would house Rocky Mountain Big Horned Sheep, Mountain Goats and Dall Sheep. It would be awesome to have all three species together, however if necessary their space can be subdivided into three exhibits. Each species will be kept in groups with three or four males and six to ten females. Breeding will be allowed occasionally but with just one or two of the females and a genetically compatible male. The remainder of the herd will be kept separate by gender until the rut is over. The exhibit will feature a huge, somewhat steep hill that will tower over its surroundings. The hill will hide their barn and around back of the exhibit will be off exhibit holding. The mountain will feature mostly rocks and with a grassy meadow at the bottom. A few trees will be added to provide shade.

As part of this exhibit there will be another cool experience for guests. Along the northern edge of the exhibit will be a massive rock wall people can pay to climb. Professionals will rig a person up to climb the wall and ensure their safety. After scaling to the top of the wall guests will be able to walk out onto a huge platform running the length of the exhibit with a ranger station tower at the opposite end. The tower will purely be for looks. Along the platform will be several free binoculars so that those adventurous enough to make the climb can scan an impressive view of the North American zone and possibly more of the zoo. For those not adventurous enough for the climb or able to do so for whatever reason the elevator that takes climbers down can take you up for a fee… though less then climbing. Guests would only be able to access this area after paying for the right to go up in order to keep things safe. The platform could be rented out for weddings or just wedding photos. No meals though.

Next up Tundra Trek. If you loved what I did before Arcticwolf you will flip over Tundra Trek.

 

Tundra Trek
In the far northeastern corner of the zoo will be Tundra Trek. I love the name and am keeping it for my arctic animals habitat. This area of the zoo will be bigger than any other of the North American sections because we will be supporting marine mammals which require more space to thrive.

As you enter the area to the east of you will be a wide open tundra mixed species exhibit featuring Caribou, Muskox, Rock Ptarmigan, Snow Geese and King Eiders. The herd of caribou could be swapped for reindeer if necessary but I would prefer Canadian animals and despite being in the tundra exhibit if I could get my hands on Woodland Caribou that would be preferred as they are endangered throughout the county. The herd would consist of a male or two, eight or so females and calves. Barren Ground Caribou or Reindeer I wouldn’t necessarily allow to breed all of the time and actually keep two larger single sexed herds. Woodland Caribou I would breed with the intent of release and breeding center space would be provided if captive born releases were possible. The muskox while on the phase out list I would stubbornly keep in a herd of ten or so and be comprised of a couple of males and females. If I can only hold a bachelor group fine. Breeding will be very limited due to the phase out status of the species and can be achieved through physical separation of the cows and bulls during the rut. The Rock Ptarmigans, Snow Geese, American Eiders, and King Eiders will be kept in small flocks of birds with clipped wings to prevent escape. If the birds need to be separated in a separate enclosure for their own safety so be it. The ptarmigans will be allowed minor breeding with excess eggs removed and replaced with dummies. The snow geese will not be allowed to breed and be replaced with Ross’s Geese after natural attrition to comply with the AZA. The eiders will breed in as recommended by the AZA.

The exhibit will have one yard for guests to enjoy and a rear off exhibit yard available to keep the sexes seperate during breeding season and to house surplus animals. The barn would simply be a night house and keepers quarters and be again covered in rock work to help it blend in with the surroundings. The exhibit will be rather plain with only a tree or two, a couple of rocks and a large pond for the geese and eiders. To encourage the muskox and caribou to feed close to guests food will be scattered nearby. This exhibit will be the northern most drive thru exhibit on the east side of the zoo and the trail will lead directly into the big horn sheep, mountain goat and dall sheep exhibit.

Across from the field exhibit will be a large Arctic Wolf exhibit. The pack will rotate through two exhibits during the day allowing keepers to clean the exhibits since the wolves seem to dislike their barn. A barn will exist largely as keepers space but also to encourage training for husbandry behaviours The exhibit will feature rocky terrain, several trees, heated or cooled rock ledges for the wolves to lounge on, and the grass will be left a little wild in the summer. A pack of four unrelated wolves will start us off. The alfa pair will be allowed to breed based on the demand for their pups. The zoo will keep some to create a natural pack. If social issues demand the second exhibit could turn into holding for a second pack.

The wolves western neighbours will be Arctic Foxes and Wolverines. These two species will share the same barn and six wolverine tough yards on a rotational basis to provide stimulation and enrichment. It sounds like a lot of yards but wolverines are very difficult to breed in captivity so the zoo will do its best to replicate its natural environment. Three yards will be on exhibit and three off exhibit. There will always be a wolverine or fox in one of the on exhibit yards even though they are rotating. The foxes will be kept as a breeding pair who will breed as needed. They will frequently be given access to two of the yards at the same time. The zoo will have three wolverines, a male and two females, replicating natural breeding situations. The male will frequently have access to the females and their cubs (just not both females at ones), as male wolverines play a minor role in their offsprings life. If the male is at any time viewed as a danger to his offspring visitation will be eliminated during cub rearing. The wolverines will be breeding based on recommendations.

All six of the yards will be fairly similar in their set up. They will be first and foremost tough wolverine proof exhibits able to handle the dangerous animal. There will be well monitored trees at the center of the exhibits, with platform and big rocks for the wolverines to climb all over, and tunnels and dens for the foxes to play in. They off exhibit yards will be very sheltered and protected with noise absorbing materials to keep mother wolverines feeling safe and secure so they don’t abandon or kill their babies.

Tucked in across from wolverine and fox yard to the west there would be a small mammal complex home to ermine, arctic hares, snowshoe rabbits, collared pikas, and lemmings. None of these species are endangered or even wanted by the AZA but they help to fill out their area and offer lively little additions that will delight and entertain the kids. Breeding wouldn’t be a priority so single sexed groups would be fine. I would like to see everything but the ermine be kept together in a single exhibit. Ideally I would like the hares, rabbits, pikas, and lemmings to exhibit share with a variety of sized tunnels to allow everyone escapes from exhibit mates. They would have a grassy exhibit with rocks, fallen trees and shrubbery around. If necessary their exhibit will be given some sort of roof structure to protect them from wild birds of prey. Their groups sizes would be as large as the exhibit will happily allow and to meet the social needs of each species. As a predatory animal the ermine clearly needs its own separate exhibit. The pair kept here will have some minor trees and shrubs to enjoy, rocky terrain, tunnels, fallen timber, rotting logs and other fun material decorating its exhibit. If its necessary to keep the Rock Ptarmigans separate from the caribou and muskox then they could be incorporated here.

Tucked in behind the small mammal complex will be Trapper Tom’s. It will be a rustic log cabin filled with touchables for kids. There will be lots of pelts from animals from all over Canada. They will be organized by region simply so they kids don't get confused about the adaptations the animals had. There will be skulls, claws, feathers, and bones. Towards the back of Trapper Tom’s will be an area showing off how the animals pelts and feathers were used back in the heyday of trapping. A sled dog display will be there giving kids a chance to test their strength against sled dogs. But the story of the cabin will also be one of conservation and resource management as displays will describe how the over hunting of these animals lead to population declines and extinctions. Information will be provided on modern practices of wildlife management. As part of that there will also be a polar bear trap the kids can explore. The cabin will be solely an educational experience.

Outside of Trader Tom’s will be an excellent spot for a winter activity zone. During the winter there would be a nice sized skating rink. People could bring their own skates from home and store them in lockers. Unfortunately this part of the zoo is far from both exits. The solution is skates and helmets available for rent. Around this area there could also be a snowshoeing trail. Everyone would be welcome to bring their own snowshoes and use them around the zoo, except in the pavilions. But because most city dwellers don’t have them we can rent them as well and return them at any shop throughout the zoo. During the summer the skating rink will be converted to a picnic area.

And because the last restaurant you stumbled upon was back along the coast there will be one here in Tundra Trek called Caribou Cafe. The cafe will be a simple wooden building made to look like an old trading post, with the benefit of huge windows. It will feature common American fast food like hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, salads, sandwiches, fries, ect. Nothing fancy. A good cheap meal for the family. Along two edges will be massive picture windows looking out into 3 bird exhibits.

To the south of the cafe would be a large playground themed around ice age animals. The base of the playground will be an ice like structure. Saber Toothed Cats will be stretched up against the play structure and will serve as ladders. Dire wolves can hold up some of the platforms. There will be several full sized woolly mammoth slides where the kids slide down their trunk. The mammoth’s tusks will provide the kids a place to swing by their arms. A couple of smaller mammoths will also be added for the toddlers. Western Camels will hold fire poles in their mouths for the kids to slide down. A pair of giant beavers who have built a lodge which will work as a climbing structure. Glyptodonts will be placed on springs so little ones can ride them. Pairs of short faced bears will hold up monkey bars. Teratorns will be placed around at several points to provide shade structures. There will be other features as well. The playground will have several signs explaining the animals that are part of the exhibit and how climate change can negatively effect species.

First up across from the wolves and caribou would be a pair of rescued snowy owls. They would have a large flight pen with room for possible flight if the birds are able to fly. They will have evergreen trees, grass and rocky terrain, a perching structure that resembles a fallen tree, and small little caves for resting in. The exhibit will be designed for birds capable of flight as well as injured birds who cannot fly. Necessary adaptations will be made to accommodate the specific needs of the rescues.

Heading north behind the to owls will be 3 peregrine falcon exhibits. Due to their status in Canada I would like to have three breeding pairs on display. If possible I would like young birds to simply be released into the wild or eggs placed into wild parents nests. An extensive breeding program will be allowed and if space allows I would double the number of exhibits to 6, if officials would like. Space can be provided at the breeding center for young birds to wean them off human contact. Their exhibits will feature a rock wall at the back with several ledges and caves suitable for nesting, a few sparse trees, rocks and perches. The will have plenty of space to fly.

Gyrfalcons would be in the final northern exhibit prior to the polar bears. The Gyrfalcons will provide a nice contrast in size and colour to their neighbours however should their presence disturb the peregrines breeding the order of exhibits will shift with the Gyrfalcons taking the Snowy Owl spot and the owls and peregrines shifting one exhibit north. This pair could be a mated pair or a sibling set as breeding is not necessary. The pair would be trained as educational animals and daily demonstrations of their hunting skills will be put on display. As such they would likely be sourced from a falconry breeder and trainer. Their exhibit would be a large flight pen dressed the same as the peregrine falcons.

Across from the falcons will be the first of our marine animals, Ringed Seals and Harp Seals. They are rarer in captivity so could be very interesting to display. However if they cannot be sourced they will be swapped for Grey Seals and Harbour Seals. The Harbour seals could be moved from their coastal exhibit or simply be additional animals. Whichever species the zoo houses here each species would have a male and 3 females plus young. Their exhibit will be huge. It will have a rocky shoreline for hauling out, a huge, deep natural looking pool stocked with fish to encourage as much activity as possible. In the pool there will be floating platforms that look like ice flows for them to haul out on and bask in the sun. Keeping with my theme of no marine animal shows the wouldn't be one here either. Perhaps a feeding session and if you get lucky enough to catch training, well great.

Adding to the experience will be an underwater tunnel. It will be a wide glass tube offering fantastic views everywhere but below. Starting at the edge of the seal exhibit it will loop in and under the polar bears before heading to the walruses. There will be two hubs under the ground where guests can stop and do something.

The first hub between the seals and polar bears will be a small domed theatre where people can come in out of the summer sun and sit down for a few minutes on benches to watch a film about the aurora borealis. The borealis will play on the domed roof overhead while narration explains the phenomena. It won’t be long presentations. The theater can double as a venue for events like parties, weddings and overnight camps. Other films could be made available with the stars and constellations being played. Narrations could be turned off for events.

The second hub would be the Research Station, located between the polar bears and walruses. The station would be designed to look like a high arctic research station with displays on arctic life, icebergs, global warming and its impact on the animals. There would be interactive games and displays for the kids to enjoy. The breaks in the tunnels just outside the hubs will be designed to look like ice caves to give that arctic feel.

Swinging west from the Gyrfalcons would be an Northern Atlantic bird exhibit featuring Atlantic Puffins, Lesser Auks and Arctic Terns. They do not need to be bred so only minor breeding to keep numbers up is necessary and if the offspring is required elsewhere. Based on keeper recommendations the birds may have their wings clipped to keep them from escaping or the exhibit will be enclosed. The exhibit will have high cliffs suitable for nesting, a rocky shore and a large deep pool for swimming and fishing as live fish will be released daily.

Their neighbours will be an exhibit for Snow Geese, Ross Geese, American Eiders, and King Eiders will be kept in small flocks of birds with clipped wings to prevent escape. While a group will hopefully be kept with the muskox and caribou the second exhibit will provide a safe alternative and the possibility of physically separating males and females to prevent breeding. If possible a pair of Tundra swans will be added.

The exhibit furthest west in Tundra Trek will be the arctic birds native to the Pacific Ocean and will make a nice bridge species before entering Asia. It will be home to Horned Puffins, Tufted Puffins, Crested Auklets and Whiskered Auklets. Like the Atlantic birds they will either have their wings clipped or be in an fully enclosed exhibit and their exhibit will look pretty similar.

In the far northeast corner of the zoo would be the home of the Polar Bears. Due to their wildly crowd pleasing effect I placed them as far from the gates as possible to draw people further in and hopefully convince them to dump cash at a restaurant or food stand. To help draw them in there would be twice daily keeper talks and feeding. For bonding purposed there would be webcams in at least on adult yard and definitely in the maternity yard and cubbing dens. The cub cams would be turned off without cubs in those spaces.

The zoo would keep at least four polar bears, at least two adult females and two adult males, preferably all rescued orphan cubs or young nuisance bears (thank you looser rules in Manitoba). Ideally the males would come in as youngster and could be kept together except during breeding season when they have a job to do. The reasoning for the two males is either to provide genetic diversity or to at least give us another option if one turns out to be a non breeder. The females will either be kept together as a group or be separate rearing cubs. Breeding will be a tricky decision. The US won't take our bears so if any breeding is to happen then homes must already be decided in either Europe or Japan prior to breeding. If no one wants our cubs then we simply won't breed and instead use the additional space to house additional bears. There just isnt the space in Canada to house captive born cubs when orphans could use the home either permanently or as a rehab facility.

The polar bear exhibit would be absolutely enormous. The zoo will have polar bear five yards. The one furthest south beside the seals will be the maternity yard. This will be the smallest of the exhibits and be the yard that is baby proofed. It will boast a rocky beach area with a small pool that’s depth will be increased as the cubs grow, which will be fed by stream pouring over a small waterfall towards the back of the exhibit where there will be grass and trees. Fallen logs, and plenty of baby proof toys will be available for the cubs. A cave will be provided towards the back of the exhibit while a snow cave like den against the glass will allow guest to watch the baby bears sleep. This second den will primarily be used as housing for orphaned cubs or any cubs needing hand rearing at the zoo.

Beside the maternity yard would be a massive pool yard. The yard itself will be a good size with rocks, sand, and clay areas. There will be dens and huge pieces of driftwood for them to play with and destroy. The pool though will be the show stopper. It will be at least a half acre in surface area, like 5 times the recommendation and plunge to a depth of 40 ft, more than 4 times the requirements. This would make their pool bigger than any pool use to house killer whales. The pool will have a smooth bottom and varied depths to allow for shallow lunging and deep diving. To better simulate their ocean home a wave generator will be added and live fish bought in daily for them to catch as part of their daily nutrition and enrichment. Atop the water will be fake icebergs for the to haul out on and sun.

To the west of the pool exhibit will be the field exhibit. To give the bears and guest the feeling that the space is open and vast like the tundra the pool, field and off exhibit yard will just be separated by hotwires. The exhibit will be mostly grassy with rocky outcrops and a waterfall and stream leading to a shallow pool close to visitors. Fish will randomly be added to the pool just to keep things interesting. A large den so the bears can rest out of the sun will overlook the area. I would like them to have visual access to the walruses to the west to provide more stimulation.

Behind the pool yard will be an off exhibit field yard. It would be set up pretty much the same way as the on exhibit field yard. And as an off exhibit yard it too will not be a part of the underwater tunnel system. Here the zoo could house polar bears it is attempting to rehabilitate. The exhibit would be visually blocked of by a rock wall.

To the west of the field exhibit will be the Pacific Walrus enclosure. The group will include hopefully three males and six females plus with any luck young. Walruses can be difficult to house but the zoo will house the finest exhibit. It will be the worlds largest by several times. It pool size will be even larger than the polar bears at over an acre in surface area and will be as deep. Sure that means it's harder to see them underwater but the tunnel should help with that. Besides if they are happier and healthier then they will reproduce and there will be more of them to see. On the surface large simulated ice flows will offer them a haul out space other than the rocky shore. Whatever is used for the fake ice it should be soft enough to help prevent tusk damage. Clams and crabs will be added to the exhibit daily to encourage foraging behaviours. A keeper talk at a separate time from the bears will be offered but no shows.

On the other side of the walus exhibit will be the fifth yard, the flex pool. Why do I call it that? Since it appears female polar bears are stressed out by the presence of males during pregnancy and cub rearing I would like to alleviate that stress without having to ship my males off. Instead I suggest a flex exhibit which can serve as a second pool exhibit for the males, with separate holdings. Yes I could just move the females instead and call that my maternity yard but I want to keep the females in very familiar surroundings to reduce stress. During the critical time for the females to successfully have cubs and accept them the zoo can simply use a long shoot along the back of the exhibits to transfer the males to the isolated flex yard. The males will hopefully be far enough from the main polar bear complex that the females can feel secure. However when breeding isn’t necessary and the boys can be in the main complex, the flex exhibit it can be opened up to the walruses for their use and enjoyment. It would greatly expand the walruses exhibit space and hopefully help encourage them to breed as well. The flex exhibit would be designed to be very similar to the pool exhibit. There would be no tunnel under this exhibit simply because the guest already have gone under so many other exhibits here.

That would bring guests to the end of the North American section of the zoo. Next up Eurasia.

 

Eurasia
Leaving North America guest would then enter Eurasia. It will be home to primarily Asian animals but some European animals will be thrown in just so Europe is represented. The areas this section will be divided into are Japan, China, the Steppe, the Taiga, the Himalayas, and the grasslands. All zones except the grasslands will not offer indoor exhibits as the animals most of the animals are winter hardy. Any breeding occurring in this section will be done at the requests of the SSPs.

Joyous Japan
A Japanese section is being added soley because I want Japanese Serows and Japanese Macaques. I could have added them to a mountain section but I want the mountain animals in Eurasia to be Himalayan. That left me with one choice a Japanese section that will be very small but home to a couple interesting species.

First up as you leave Tundra Trek by the wolverine exhibit you would come upon the Steller’s Sea Eagles. They will be kept as a breeding pair and offspring. To encourage breeding of the typically difficult to breed eagles their pen will be quite large and as high as possible. The exhibit will offer the eagles a variety of nesting sites in tall trees and on rocky ledges at the back of the exhibit with small doors where keepers could check on those nestlings. Unfortunately not all nesting sites will provide the keepers with an opportunity to check regularly. A shift pen will be at the rear of the exhibit behind the rock wall so parents cannot see nest checks. The parents will be fed their usual meal back there so that keepers can check the nests safely without stressing mom and dad. It will have a large water feature running through it stocked with fish to encourage hunting and the river or lake will be surrounded by sand, grass and woodchip.

Next to them will be a mixed exhibit for Japanese Serow, Red Crowned Cranes and Japanese Green Pheasants. A pair of breeding serows will be kept along with breeding cranes. The pheasants do not need to be bred. Being that the serows can be sensitive creatures they have been given the exhibit that will be the most quiet surrounded by other exhibits on 3 sides but with visual access to only one. The exhibit will feature both a flat marshy area suitable for crane nesting and mountainous terrain that will span into the other exhibits. Beneath their mountain will be the holdings for all of the exhibits in the area. The marshy area will feature a lake for everyone to drink from but primarily for the cranes to nest near and hunt for live fish from. Tall grasses and reeds will fill this area. Moving away from their to the hillier terrain for the serows there will be trees, bushes and rocks to provide the serows with privacy. The pheasants will be happy with all of the shrubbery.

Across from the serow exhibit will be a small booth in the summer where people can learn how to fold origami. There will be displays showing how to do certain popular ones. A pair of instructors will be available and the first sheet of paper will be free or a minimal fee. They will sell books and paper packs for those who get a kick out of it. Possibly we could pair with an origami paper maker to fund the booth. Each year there will be a paper crane making festival over a weekend so thousands of paper cranes can be made and delivered to Sick Kids Hospital for the patients. I like the idea of helping sick kids believe that a thousand paper cranes will grant them a wish. Well Im on that Sick Kids kick I would like several of the outreach animals to be trained to go out to the hospital once a month and visit area hospitals to brighten the days of kids in hospitals.

Carved out of part of the serow’s exhibit and the macaque exhibit further to the west will be an exhibit for Raccoon Dogs. The raccoon dogs are being phased out by the AZA so the zoo will work with the Europeans and Japanese to take and house any surplus raccoon dogs they have. They will be a non breeding species. They will be kept in either single sex sibling groups or male female fixed pairs. Two groups will be kept in separate exhibits. Their exhibit will need to be carefully designed given their climbing ability. It will be a hilly exhibit with lots of well trimmed trees placed centrally in the exhibit. No branches will be allowed anywhere near the walls which given the climbing ability will have to be tall flat concrete walls painted to look like rocks. There will be several dens and caves with one cave up against the window so that if one of the raccoon dogs decides to hibernate there for the winter people can still see it. A temporary fence would be installed by the window if an animal decided to hibernate there so people won't disturb it by banging on the window.

To the west of the raccoon dogs will be the home of the Japanese Macaques. There will be a large troop taking up residence, with 4 males and 10 females and eventually infants. Their exhibit will be visible on both the north and west sides and separating the macaques from the guests will be glass since the macaques love water. A nice river will run along the north and west edges. On the north the rivers surface will be at ground level. Swinging along to the west however the terrain will drop gradually so that guests can get a slight foot or two underwater viewing of the macaques. The water will be heated during the winter to encourage natural bathing behaviours. Further back in the exhibit the hilly terrain will slowly slope upwards in the southeastern corner. The exhibit will feature some small trees which will be well maintained by maintenance, far from any wall. There will be a climbing structure built to resemble falling logs and dead trees. Ropes will be painted green to look like vines.

 

These plans are amazing!!!!! I'm surprised at how good your Japanese area is because I know so few species from that region of the world. Also the idea of Japanese macaque underwater viewing is great!

I've been sick all week so sadly I have not been able to do any work on my plans. I'm still working on my entrance and hopefully that will be done sometime soon.

 

First off Im sorry you havent been feeling well Arcticwolf. I hope your feeling better soon, especially since I know you have some volunteering coming up. Hopefully reading my plans at least helped to perk you up.

Picking Japanese animals was insanely hard. Finding species for one was difficult. Then checking against the AZA stock was harder, hence me breaking phase out rules and keeping raccoon dogs. I needed enough species to justify the section which was almost entirely based on my love of the Japanese Macaques. Glad you liked the underwater viewing. Thought that was a rare stroke of brilliance in Euraisa. Dont expect too many other gems in that section. I think the next time I really felt I had an inspired idea was Indomalaya but I dont want to spoil two really cool surprises there.

Im working on Madagascar now as I move towards the northern gate but Im going to have to swing back to the southern gates once Im done that. I want to plan out at least visually South America and Australia so that I know what space is left for the rest of Africa. I could easily go overboard there and have no space left for the other sections. And I need to so some more research for my African Rainforest pavilion because unless I just want primates I need to bulk up that list. By pulling Madagascar I took out way more than I thought I would. That pavilion was to be the second largest after the oceans so I think I really need to take a good look at other options. It might be a little primate heavy but thats not a bad thing. I like primates. Just want to provide more of a balance because Im thinking of pulling even more species and relocating them in a water hole section. The savanna and desert sections are very strong.

 

Ok I might as well post the Steppe. Its not like theres a lot to it.

Serene Steppe
Immediately north of Joyous Japan, literally on the other side of the walkway will be the Serene Steppe. Visually they will be separated by gardens just to differentiate the areas. As the name implies the exhibit will feature animals found on the Steppe. Unfortunately that means there aren't a ton of options.

The entire Serene Steppe will be one habitat with one massive exhibit to the east and two smaller holding exhibits to the west. The big exhibit will house Przewalski's Horses, Bactrian Camels, European Mouflon, Ring Necked Pheasants, Harlequin Ducks, Red Breasted Geese, Swan Geese and Demoiselle Cranes. Now the duck, geese and mouflon don’t exactly fit but the ducks will help to add a little life and the mouflon need an exhibit until phase out is complete. The horse and camels will have a herd of 10-15 females and 5 unrelated males. The females will be kept together in the main yard with their offspring while the males are separated in bachelor herds. The smaller yards will house the males separated by species if necessary. By starting out with a breeding herd and a bachelor herd the zoo should be able to breed for quiet awhile if necessary without needing imports. The mouflon would be maintained in their all male group until natural attrition was complete. The birds will be kept as small flocks of 10 or so animals. The exhibit will be rather barren. Grasses, a few shrubs and trees for shade. There will be a moderate sized pond for the ducks and cranes to enjoy and hopefully get the others to enjoy too. If necessary the birds can be pulled and placed into their own exhibit for their safety but considering the mammals get along well right now with Canadian Geese it shouldnt be a problem.

Guests can view the exhibit from the south, west and north.

Next up Bamboo Bounty...

 

Bamboo Bounty
After viewing the northern edge of the steppe or exiting Tundra Trek from its northern exit guests will enter Bamboo Bounty, the home of the Chinese exhibits. The fact the Chinese animal are separated from the other species is simply to help build an area where the zoo can control the flow of people to the giant panda exhibits. Naturally the heart of the area will be a phenomenal giant panda Complex.

Upon entering Bamboo Bounty guests will get encounter the red panda complex. There will be two nice sized open air exhibits that will house two pairs of breeding red pandas. By having two pairs the zoo can hopefully increase the odds of breeding success. Their exhibit will have lots of nice sized trees for them to climb, bushes to hide behind, rocks to investigate and keeper accessible climate controlled nesting boxes. Their trees will need to be kept central in the exhibit to avoid escapes or unplanned visits to their neighbours. The red pandas will rotate between the two exhibits so that they will have a more enriching experience as they explore the different sights and scents.

After passing the red pandas there will be a small Chinese themed market. Several small gift stands will sell Chinese animal toys, clothing and souvenirs, as well as some very traditional Chinese items. The gift stands will surround a small plaza where during the summer, Chinese festivals and panda cub naming ceremonies and celebrations there will be live performances. Various performance troupes will be invited in to perform things like acrobatics, martial arts, lion dances, other dances, music and more.

The market will also be home to a small Chinese restaurant. It will look like a small Chinese temple.

At the top of the market will be a large building styled to look like an emperors palace. Attention will be paid to detail on the exterior. Guests should feel as though they have traveled to China. This will be the panda interpretive center which will be named after the first panda born in Canada and called “the cub’s name” palace.

Outside the palace there will be a beautiful wide stream with lovely bridge crossing over it in front of the palace. By placing the water feature here the visitors will be forced to go through the palace in order to see the pandas and their neighbours. In an exhibit that is on either side of the bridge and connected underneath the bridge will be Mandarin Ducks, Baer’s Pochard, White Crested Laughing Thrush, Black Throated Laughing Thrush, Silver-Eared Mesia, Golden Pheasants, and Bamboo Partridge. They are all flock animals so they will be kept in groups of 6-10. Their exhibit will have trees, bushes, fallen logs and be completely covered with netting to keep everyone in. The thrushes can be aggressive so if they don't work out there will be an indoor exhibit provided for a pair of each species separate from the indoor for the rest.

Once inside the palace guests will be forced to zigzag through the building in order to reach the pandas. Guests will first turn to the east and head past the birds winter exhibits. The ducks, pheasant, partridge and mesia will have ridge edge type exhibit. Only a portion of the group could be out at any time so rotating will be necessary. As mentioned already pairs of thrushes will be kept in two separate exhibits that head further to the east.

Guests will then be forced to head west past four reptile and amphibian exhibits. First up will be a terrarium for Rhino Rat Snakes. The exhibit will not be the most exciting but it will have big branches, various leafy plants, a small water pool, and rocks to hide behind and under. It will be the only snake housed in there but a mate will be housed off exhibit if breeding is planned.

Next door will be a larger tank set a foot off the floor which will house Chinese Water Dragons, Chinese Crocodile Lizard, Chinese Softshell Turtle and Cloud Minnows. The exhibit would offer an underwater view of a large pond strewn with rocks, branches and vegetation, as well as a shoreline view with a dirt, leaf and mulch base and plants and branches hanging over the water. Lots of little hiding places will be offered to everyone. The were will be 2-4 of each species and tons of the minnows.

Across the walkway will be a large pool exhibit for Chinese Giant Salamanders. The exhibit will look a lot like the shoreline exhibit.
As the guests move through the palace they will wander past all kinds of panda education material, conservation messages, explanations on biodiversity.

Finally after reaching the end of the palace guests will reach the end of the sound proofed building and will be faced with two choices. One exit to the pandas outdoor exhibit or continue inside to their indoor housing.

Since you want to investigate every inch of the zoo you pass through a door to the pandas indoor exhibits. The zoo will house two adult pandas and their offspring until they are recalled to China. Inside there will be three indoor exhibits. While the zoo only has two pandas or a young cub the third indoor exhibit will serve as an indoor exhibit for the golden monkeys. The exhibits would be bright. They would have huge skylights that staff could seal off if the panda in the exhibit was having some light sensitivity it could be controlled. On the walls I would want rock features and naturally growing plants. Nothing the panda would be interested in eating but at the same time stuff that isn't harmful to them. Any parts of the walls that are visible will be painted by an expert so that it looks like the mountains of China. The floor will be covered in woodchip and grass. A shallow pool for playing in will be provided and wooden climbing structures for them to enjoy. And since pandas seem to like rocking a wooden log rocker would be in each exhibit, as well as a pair of hammocks.

As guests head east along the indoor viewing they will exit the building and enter the completely sectioned off Chinese exhibits. The pathway will be elevated to allow for the pandas to be transferred underground but it will slope down to its normal level towards the last panda exhibit. There will be three panda exhibits. One will be along the eastern edge of Tundra Trek and the other two along the northern border of the zoo. The eastern exhibit will be the smallest of the three and serve as a maternity yard that could be blocked off until the cub is ready to receive guests. All of the yards will be dressed similarly. There will be mature trees for shade, bushes, rocks, a cave, climbing structures, and temperature controlled resting rocks located close to visitors. There will also be water. The maternity yard will have a modest pool. The first of the northern yards will have a deeper pool and waterfall along the western side The second northern yard will have a stream running through the exhibit that will look like a river stemming from the other exhibits waterfall. If the third exhibit isn't being used by the pandas it will be opened up for use by the golden snub nosed monkeys, tripling their space but that might not be possible if the exhibit isn't carefully planned to prevent monkey escapes. This exhibit will also offer a glass area where the panda can come right up to guests.

Simply because of the cost of borrowing the pandas and their bamboo the zoo would aim to only keep a pair plus maturing cubs. However there is one cub I would like to work hard with the Chinese to keep, even if it means eventually returning mom and dad to get a new mate, and that would be the first Canadian born cub. That cub will become very dear to people and it would be nice if we could work out a deal with the Chinese to see that cub stay put in Canada for its lifetime. People would love watching it grow from a tiny pink squirming blob to a parent itself to its old age. Why deny them that if we can avoid it? Male or female the Chinese can always send us the right mate once it becomes mature. They will be able to follow its whole life via the pandas own webcam.

As guests pass the last of the panda exhibits towards the western edge of Bamboo Bounty they will find the home of the Golden Snub Nosed Monkeys. If I’m already paying the Chinese for the pandas whats the problem with paying a little more to rent monkeys? There would be a troop of 10-15 animals with several males. Holding the whole group together would be preferable but if necessary the males can be held as a bachelor group until breeding season when the females would be paired with the best candidate to control genetic diversity. The exhibit will be part of the mountain exhibits that are part of Himalayas exhibits. It should be easier to engineer for many exhibits than build multiple mountains. Not only will they have the mountain, rocks, bushes and well paced and watched trees to enjoy but the exhibit will also offer them a large wooden climbing structure with ropes painted to look like vines, tons of vertical height to leap through, ect. The whole exhibit will be covered to prevent escape. When they visit the panda exhibit it will already have been designed to keep them in.

The most southern of the exhibits will be the Sichuan Takin. There will be a family group of 10 plus offspring. One bull will live on exhibit. Surplus males will be shipped out or housed in the breeding center. Like the monkeys their exhibit will be part of the mountain range. They will have a rocky exhibit with bushes and trees throughout. All of the exhibits I have seen seem to be just dirt grounds. I would like to try getting hardy grasses growing so the exhibit looks more colourful and natural. The exhibit will be visible from the east and south.

After passing by the takin guests will have to pass through a turnstile. This is to prevent people from trying to take the back route in to see the pandas. I want to be able to control traffic flow in that area as best as possible especially when cubs arrive.

Next up you will be taking a trip to the Himalayas.

 

Himalayan Highlands
Continuing west along the northern edge of the zoo guests will encounter Himalayan Highlands, naturally the home to Himalayan animals.

First up is the Snow Leopards. The zoo will house a pair of adult snow leopards and their maturing offspring. There will be two exhibit and one off exhibit holding for maturing cubs. The southern two exhibits will house the male and female. Both exhibits will be mountainous with rocking outcrops, large fallen logs for climbing, caves, trees bushes, and long grass. The western exhibit will be interesting because it swings out into the hoofstock exhibit. I'm unsure what kind of barrier I would have but I would love it if guest could see the leopard and its prey together as if they are in the same exhibit.

Continuing on to the west would be the hoofstock exhibit. The mountainous exhibit will feature Tadjik Markhor, Alpine Chamois, West Caucasian Tur, Ibex, Himalayan Tahr, and Domestic Yak. As for which species of Ibex the zoo will hold I cannot remember which one is in favour so that might impact their placement. The Chamois and Tur are only to live here until phase out is complete so I can live with their misplacement. The Tahr are also on phase out so in the future more takin or other species will be brought in to boost numbers. For now I think there are enough. The breeding species will have herds of 10 or so plus offspring and the phase outs will just be whatever the zoo currently has. The exhibit will feature rocky ledges, outcrops, huge fallen trees and any grass I can get to survive them.

Tucked into the western most corner of the exhibit will be a small aviary housing Himalayan Monal. Im not sure how many can peacefully coexist together but I would like a small flock if thats possible. They will have a covered aviary with small trees, bushes, rocky areas for cover, fallen logs and lots of fallen trees for perches.

Next up a trip to the grasslands and surrounding areas of India.

 

Great Grasslands
After viewing Himalayan Highlands guest would turn south to find Great Grasslands. The grasslands may be a bit misleading because its not all grassland animals. I can't think of another good name for it. Generally the animals featured here are found in India and surrounding countries. Peacocks will be free ranging throughout the area and honestly the whole zoo.

The main feature of this zone will be a gigantic mixed species grasslands exhibit housing Greater One Horned Rhinos, Nilgais, Gaurs, Water Buffalos and Blackbucks. In a big enough exhibit all of these species can live together happily and easily. If necessary the exhibit could be segregated but to start I would like everything together. There will be 4 female and one male rhino housed together as a group. The nilgai herd will consist of 6 females, and 6 males. The blackbucks will have 10 females and 4 males, only one of which will live with the females while the others live in a bachelor group and be rotated on exhibit with the breeding herd. The gaurs will live in a herd of 4 adult females and one bull who may need to be separated if he proves aggressive. The buffalo will be kept as bachelor herd of males on loan to the zoo from buffalo farmers.They don't need to be bred so why waste space on females and calves when there are probably farmers who would be happy to lend the zoo bulls they don't need. I only want them for a little more diversity in the exhibit.

The exhibit will be as I mentioned massive. There will be modest hills, bushes, and rocks to help provide escape avenues for animals being chased. Rocky areas will be strategically placed with narrow gaps allowing the smaller blackbucks and nilgais to find a safe haven from an angry rhino, buffalo or gaur. There will be several large trees protected by rocks to provide shade for everyone. Another key feature will be a river running through the exhibit. it won't be massive but it will give everyone a chance to get a drink without having their movement limited. Several mud wallows and a huge pond will also be added so that everyone stays happy and has space to do their own thing.

A keeper talk will be held for the Indian Rhino Keeper who will also be able to discuss the exhibit mates too.

Heading along the northern edge of the mixed exhibit would lead people into a plaza with Indian flare. There will be a market place with stands for Indian themed toys, clothing, jewelry, trinkets, spices, fruits and vegetables (mostly designed for a quick healthy snack), Indian food vendors, and American food vendors. The goal is to try and make it look like a place full of hustle and bustle. Added to the market will be a touch table for Eurasian animals. Featured things at the touch table will be a snow leopard pelt, markhor horns, a fake rhino horn, and maybe a replica rhino skull.

As part of the market place there will be a large playground. By coming this far it has been awhile since little ones could blow off steam. The playground would be constructed to look like ancient ruins with bamboo fencing and railings keeping kids safe on upper levels. There would be a large ceremonial elephant emerging from the temple and kids would slide down though its enlarged trunk. Twisting and turning tunnel slides will be painted to look like snakes slithering in and out of the ruins. Also in the slide department there will be a very tall bumpy slide that will be blue to look like a waterfall streaming down from the ruins. There will be small tunnels for kids to crawl through that will start with a gaping tigers mouth. Kids could jump and bounce across a wobbly looking rope bridge. There will be large blocks to serve as stairs, rope ladders, rock walls, Obviously monkey bars will be involved. Rope swings meant to look like vines. There will be traditional swings as well held up by elephants. Im sure many other cool features will be added.

Another part of the plaza will be the finishing point of the tree top trail that started back in the Wild Wetlands. Guests arriving here will be able to depart and explore.

To the north of the plaza will be one massive section of an Asian Elephant exhibit which is to sort of serve as a bridge species between the grasslands and IndoMalaya. The elephants will be discussed later as part of Indo Malaya. Heading instead to the west guests will encounter several more exhibits.

To the west of the market will be the Lion Tailed Macaque exhibit. The troop will consist of an adult male and 6 females plus young. This should give the exhibit plenty of life. Because the playground will likely be noisy the exhibit will be for the most part closed off to the plaza. There will be a window or two but for the most part it will just look like more of the ruins. Along the northern border of the exhibit will be the main viewing space. The exhibit will have small trees, rocks, a play structure built to look like fallen logs with green ropes strung across it for swinging. To the back of the exhibit the barn will be disguised to look like more ruins. The ground will be covered in grass and woodchip.

Next to the macaques will be the main dhole exhibit. A breeding pair of dhole will be brought in from India to help boost the population. They will keep their pups with them as long as possible before being transferred out. The pack will live in a good sized exhibit filled with trees, bushes, grass, rocks and a small stream. There will be several rocky caves and a nice tunnel system leading back to the barn to give them lots of options for den sites. The dholes will have access to a rear exhibit and the ability to rotate exhibits with the sloth bears providing all of them with more stimulation and exercise.

At this point you could cross the Little Rouge and head into IndoMalaya but you still haven't seen the sloth bears, indoor hoofstock habitat and the Taiga so you might as well head back across the market to the south.

Heading south you first encounter the Sloth Bears. The zoo will house two female sloth bears, a male and their offspring. To do this the zoo will have two sloth bear exhibits and a flex yard off exhibit. The two bear exhibits will run south along the edge of the rhino exhibit. Since male sloth bears are gentle with cubs for the most part the male will be rotated between the females and any cubs. If he proves too rough breeding could be rotated so that he can hang out with which ever female doesn't have cubs. Since the sloth bear population in the AZA is in a bit of a crisis the zoo will look to India to provide the adults who could add to the genetic diversity. The exhibits will have rocky areas, well managed trees, bushes, a termite mound, caves, a fallen log climbing structure and large fairly deep pool for them to play in. Ideally the trees in the yard would allow them to climb but not risk them escaping.

Across the pathway from the sloth bears will be an enormous barn for the hoofstock of the mixed exhibit. Guests could enter the building through the western entrance or the southern entrance. It will feature two big exhibits which can be combined by leaving gates open. During the good weather it will provide a home for either bachelors or breeding groups while the other one is out on exhibit. This way everyone gets exercise. During the winter they will just have to rotate through when its too cold. If an animal can go out during the winter it will be allowed to go out because its important they get fresh air. Also taking up residence in the barn year round will be free flying Common Hoopoe, Red Billed Blue Magpie, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Cattle Egret, Imperial Pied Pigeons, and peacocks. Should the birds need to be separated into individual exhibits they will be. The exhibits will be viewable over a moat and the animals will get to enjoy dirt floors (often dug up and changed to make it nicer), wood chips, trees and bushes. Things will be planted to help hide the walls and make it seem like its a clearing from the forest. Above will be an enormous glass roof letting in tons of light. It would be ideal if during the spring, summer and fall that big vent panels in the roof be opened so things can air out. In the visitor area guests can look at displays explaining the threats to these animals. A special focus will be on the threat the rhinos face from poaching for their horns. A big sculpture of a full grown rhino and a newborn calf will be available for people to take photos with. Exiting through the southern entrance guests will be departing the grasslands.

Up next you will be visiting the Taiga.

 

As always, I love these plans. I like the idea of having Indian rhinos mixed with other hoofstock.

I feel bad that I haven't posted any of my plans yet, but I'm having a lot of trouble with them. My plans are so big that I'm having trouble thinking of the little details and some of my exhibits are starting to get repetitive and boring. Hopefully everything will work out and I will have plans posted sometime soon.

 

Dont feel bad. You have ideas you just need to sort out. Dont feel you need all the details I put in. I have been working on mine for months and for some of the species where I can provided great detail its often because I had access to their husbandry manual like the polar bears. Another idea for you that I have employed on animals Im not as familiar with or just want some inspiration is to look in the google images for photos of different exhibits. I take what I like from some. For my desert for example I really liked the desert dome at Henry Doorly Zoo. I took some ideas from it. Might help to relieve your mental block.

I finally have the whole zoo mapped out. I think it pretty much makes sense and I dont think I missed anything on my master list. I'll have to double check as I write it out. Africa definitely owns more than 1/3 of the zoos space. I should post pictures of it once I have definitely settled everything.

As for now here is the Taiga.

Thrilling Taiga
Continuing the journey further south, literally across the pathway, one would encounter the Thrilling Taiga, the home of of forest animals. Much like my problems with Europe many of the animals found here are repeats of North American animals or very similar. It will be a small selection of animals from this area which works out well because there is limited space left along the edge of the Little Rouge. With the forested area along the river nearby there is an excellent opportunity here to build exhibits which look like they blend into the forest. To do this I would love for the exhibits’ boundaries to look like big trees with panes of glass separating guests from the animals.

Immediately across from the hoofstock exhibit would be the home of the Amur Tigers. The zoo will house a breeding pair and offspring in two exhibits. At maturity the adult cubs will be moved to holding in the breeding center while they await their new home. The exhibits will be very similar. They will be large treed exhibits with lots of bushes, long grasses, rocks, caves, temperature controlled pads for resting and a big deep pool for swimming. I would like one of the exhibits to have a pool right up against the glass. In one of the exhibits there will be a mesh training wall where keepers conducting keeper talks can show guests how staff train the tigers to perform in medical procedures. Since I don't have too many keeper talks in this area they would get a keeper talk. A webcam will be provided for the tigers only while the cubs are in the den with mom. That way no one has to man it but people can start falling in love with the cubs before they make their debut.

Across a pathway leading further to the south to the coast will be the two Amur Leopard exhibits. The zoo will house a pair and offspring. These could be difficult to get through the AZA, especially since I’m about to get really greedy in other areas of the zoo, so I would be happy to source them from outside the AZA. New bloodlines are always good. It means the offspring will be extremely desirable and held in the breeding center once independant from mom. The exhibit will look like a small clearing in the woods. Rock caves will hide the barn, lots of well tended trees, bushes, tons of fallen logs creating a climbing structure and a small river running through it. The climbing structure will certainly entertain the cubs.
An important feature of the Amur Tiger and Leopard exhibits will be above ground enclosed trails that will enable keepers to have any of the animals in any of the four cat exhibits. This will create more space for the tigers and leopards and more enriching experiences as they catch sights, sounds and smells they wouldn't get to experience in one exhibit. It would have been nice to have any of the deer species in the Taiga there too so they can exhibit rotate with the tigers and leopards to bring in more excitement but they are all on phase out. Instead to add some spice to the exhibit for the cats keepers will bring in bedding from the moose, deer and bison exhibits to provided additional smells. Like the tigers the leopards will get cub webcams.

To the south of the tiger exhibit on its own little eastern trail will be the bird exhibits for the Taiga. There will be two large flight pens for the Eurasian Eagle Owl and the Short Eared Owl. They will be kept as pairs plus offspring and will be able to rotate through each others exhibits while not rearing young. The short eared owls could have been included in North America, especially since they are considered endangered in Canada but I thought we had enough owls in North America already. Both exhibits will be large tall flight pens with lots of trees, open spaces, perches, nesting platforms and holes in trees to allow for nesting.

Now that we have officially reached the end of Eurasia... Thankfully that painful section is finished... you are about to cross the Little Rouge for the second time and enter Indomalaya. Get ready for some incredible exhibits and features.

 

Indomalaya
Heading southwest across the Little Rouge for the first time you will be entering Indomalaya. It will be the home to animals from Southeast Asia. Since this area primarily consists of rainforests all of the animals will from the rainforests. They will be divided up between a pavilion, and three barns for winter viewing of animals who probably don't want to be outside in the middle of winter.

Isolated Islands
Immediately after crossing the bridge you will come across first exhibit complex for Indomalaya. This is the home to the zoos Visayan Warty Pigs, Babirusa and Malayan Tapir. The trio will share a central barn with three indoor exhibits which will be described later.

The first exhibit you would encounter is the Visayan Warty Pigs. The pigs will be kept a large group consisting of a dominant male, four females and piglets. This kind of grouping will provide a dynamic interesting exhibit as they are highly social and playful. The exhibit will stretch along the side of the barn. It will be a treed exhibit with lots of bushes and long grasses. They will have lot of logs to climb on, push around and knock over. There will be several mud wallows as well as a river running through the exhibit. Inside the barn they will have a nice sized exhibit full of wood chip, dirt, bushes, logs and a couple of mud wallows surrounded by a moat separating the pigs from guests.

Throughout the entire barn the walls will be decorated to make it feel as though its a lush jungle. Here is a good the first really good chance to plant the exhibit with plants native to the animal's home range. The walls of the exhibit are to be covered in fake rocks. Trees will be planted but they need to be trees that will not grow too tall. Flowers, bushes, ferns, will be planted both on the ground and hanging out of the rock wall. Like the pavilions I want this building to have as much natural light shining through. The moat will be deep and wrap around the viewing gallery. To keep individuals in their own exhibits some kind of barrier will be needed but I want the moat to look like its a winding river. The moat can be filled with surplus fish and turtles from the pavilion. To help add something natural to the exhibit there will be sprinklers throughout that will mist the exhibits with rain. Its a great way to water the exhibits, create humidity and just add another unpredictable element for the animals. Don't worry the rain will not go beyond the moats so guests will stay dry. Adding fun to the barn will be tons of butterflies released during the summer. It will give the native butterflies a good open space to fly around without being eaten by birds, a problem I will probably encounter in the pavilion. Realistically the tapirs, babirusa and warty pigs will be rotated through all three indoor exhibits as well as the outdoor exhibits.

Heading north west from the corner of the warty pigs you will pass by the barn. you could enter it but everyone is outside today. Next up then would be a large babirusa exhibit. The exhibit will be home to a female group of 4 females and a lone male. Space will be available for male siblings to live in a bachelor group until new homes are found. Their exhibit will be designed to replicate a clearing around a riverbank. Along the edges of the exhibit there will be a moat for them to bathe and play in. There will be trees to provide shade and bushes and fallen logs to provide privacy. There will be a mud wallow or two. The exhibit will have woodchip, dirt, sand and grasses covering the ground. Inside the pavilion the exhibit would mimic the outdoor exhibit and because there are at least two groupings of babirusas it will be in use year round.

Turning north from babirusa guest would find the Malayan Tapir. Unfortunately because of the nature of tapirs the zoo can only afford to hold a breeding pair and the most recent youngster. Ideally the male will be a mellow father and the three can be held together as a group except for the first few months of the baby’s life and once the baby is independent. If not the male will be housed separately and rotate with the female and young. Their exhibit will be the largest of the complex. Given that tapirs tend to be rather lazy during the day their exhibit can be on the more modest side. There will be trees providing shade, bushes and rocks to give privacy and to help give a separation from each other if necessary. They will need a water feeder since they enjoy pooping in their pools but the water feeder will need to be visually hidden from guests. The moat will wrap around the outside perimeter of the exhibit. Inside the tapirs will have a narrow stream running from the back to the front of the exhibit. It will be fed by a nice rock waterfall with lots of plants making it look lush.

With the potential of multiple groupings of tapirs,babirusa and warty pigs there will be one more feature that can provide lots of additional space and an added layer of complexity to their management. A enclosed bridge will span over the walkway from the babirusa and tapir exhibits to the gibbons outdoor exhibit. Either the tapirs or babirusa could be shifted to the gibbon outdoor yard where they could interact with the gibbons adding a little spice to both species lives. The tapirs and babirusa would never be in the same exhibit. Unfortunately because I want the tapir and babirusa’s outdoor exhibits to be open air exhibits the gibbons cannot transfer over to their exhibits. However the gibbons could explore the bridge while its not open. Don't worry the gibbons will have other options.

Curious Climbers
Now because I want you to be able to visit everyone at the zoo its time to turn back to the south. To the south of the gibbon outdoor exhibit, I will explain that when we head inside, you will find an activity area. The area will be divided up into two spaces.

The first is a play space that will be designed for the younger children. It will be set up to feel like a jungle. Towering trees will provide the shade cover. Inside the trees will be spiral slides and stairs. Higher up in the trees will be look out spaces and observation decks. The trees will be connected with enclosed bouncy and swaying bridges. To the sides of the tree there will be fire poles designed to look like vines trailing to the ground. Under the trees there will be smaller trees serving as pillars to all of the structures. There will be cargo net rope courses, balance ropes, wiggly steps, monkey bars, bars to just swing from and on. Hornbills with their beaks open will be those funnel phones kids love. Little ones can ride on sumatran rhinos and tapirs. Kids can crawl through pythons tunnels. Spinning seats can be done to look like peacocks. Off to the side there will be ropes to swing on and proper stings. The swings will be accessible swings that will be shaped like orangutans and the restraint will be their arms like the child is wrapped in their arms. Above the children in the trees will be orangutans, gibbons, langurs, siamangs and hornbills.

The second area is devoted to an advanced climbing structure for the over 8 set. It will be a lot like the current gorilla course. Since gorillas aren't really climbers the way orangs are I thought it was a better fit with the Indomalaya section. However I am not a fan of the boring wooden pole structure. Everything should be made to look natural. The pillars should be trees. Tugest will be covered by a leafy looking canopy, which should help on hot days. The ropes can be painted green. Its just simple changes to make it look like even more of an experience. Guests will be able to journey three stories above the ground. Being this high up guests will be able to get impressive sky high looks at the tiger, sun bear, orangutan, gibbon and babirusa exhibits. Due to the fact that safety harnesses and trained pros will need to run the climb it will be a paid for experience. Luckily for those too small to experience it there is the playground they can enjoy while their bigger brothers and sisters enjoy the climb.

South of the climbing course will be a picnic area.

 

Tiger Trail
Continuing south you would encounter the predator complex, Tiger Trail. Nestled up against the ocean pavilion will be 6 exhibits and a barn with 3 indoor exhibits. All of the exhibits will connect to the barn and the animals will be able to rotate through all of the exhibits to enriching their day. Housed here will be Sun Bears, Malayan Tigers and Sumatran Tigers.

To the east of the pathway will be the Sun Bears in two moderate sized exhibits. They will be separated from the tiger exhibits by the pathway and a picnic area. To enable them to access the barn they will have enclosed bridges over the pathway and picnic area leading back into the barn. The zoo will be home to a breeding pair and their offspring. I would be looking to other sources to provide the bears since their population is in crisis in the AZA. Sun bears are famous for their destructive power so their exhibit will have be be carefully designed as well as the tiger exhibits they will visit so long as they do not prove too destructive. I would like a hillside exhibits for them. This will help to hide the fur seal exhibit to the rear since my goal all along has been to transport guests to the different areas of the world. Fur seals and sun bears dont really match. A large rock wall will be at the back will serve as a backdrop to the exhibits. In the northern exhibit the exhibit will slope to its northeast corner where where will be a pol raised up about a foot from ground level. This will let people see the bears or tigers playing in the water. The water will slope down from a river above. In the southern exhibit a waterfall will stream down from the back of the exhibit to a central pool. Both exhibits will need to have hardy grass since they love to rip it up. The varied terrain in the exhibit will serves as a base for fallen logs and branches to rest on and provide climbing opportunities for the bears. There will also be big logs they can rip apart and dig under to find bugs. Located throughout the exhibit there will be false logs and rocks with holes in them where keepers can hide bugs, sap and honey to get the bears using their long tongues. It would be particularly interesting to build a false beehive against the glass so guests could see their unique tongue up close as it works. These opportunities will give them a chance to forage. The bears will be given hollowed out trees to steep in and hollowed out spaces under some of the logs for dens. The bears will be hind glass so they can come right up to you.

As much as I know you want to explore the ocean you are simply going to cross the pathway to enter the tiger and bear barn. The zoo will attempt to keep the animals outside as much of the winter as possible. If they need to rotate on exhibit thats fine. The three exhibits will be naturally planted hopefully with enough plants along the back wall you wouldn't be able to tell that you are not in the jungle itself. They will all have small pools that will only be filled if its good weather or the animal is inside for the day.

Unfortunately you didn’t find anything interesting going on inside today so you head back out and north where you will encounter the Malayan Tiger exhibits. The exhibits lay beside each other so you might as well turn to the west. There will be a breeding pair and any offspring inhabiting both exhibits. Across the pathway from the tigers is the orangutans outdoor exhibit. Again this will be discussed as soon as we enter the pavilion.

The first exhibit will be a stand out. Along the eastern edge there will be a 3 ft deep pool stretching along its entire border. This will give guests an amazing view of the tigers as they swim and play. Occasionally fish will be added to give the tigers something to hunt. Streaming down into the pool will be a wonderful rock waterfall. The exhibit will be treed and if possible mossy vines will grow between the trees. Tropical flowers will be planted in the spring and bushes will dot the landscape. A giant fallen log will be hollowed out to proved a napping place as well as a look out. A cave will be up close to the glass on the northern edge. Other fallen tress will provide minor climbing structures for cubs.

The second Malayan Tiger exhibit will be decorated to look like like an abandoned logging camp. This exhibit is to directly contrast the the lush and natural exhibits to either side of it. The goal being to show the devastation deforestation causes on the tigers habitat. To achieve this the goal the exhibit will be sparsely planted. Long grasses, a few bushes, trees stripped of leaves, fallen logs, abandoned logs and maybe a bridge at the back spanning a gap. Just would be cool to see a tiger walking along a bridge. There will be false ledges where grasses will overhang to show erosion. A dilapidated shack with a straw roof will sit in the center of the exhibit. The shack will provide the tiger with den and platform to survey its world from. Beside the shack will be a small but deep pool for the tiger to cool off in. In the exhibit things like discarded rain barrel (to take the place of oil cans), jerry cans, burlap hanging on an abandoned clothes line, truck tires, and anything else keepers can come up with. All if it will be tiger safe and in reality provide different sorts of toys for the tiger.

A keeper talk location will be positioned between the second malayan tiger exhibit as well as the sumatran tiger exhibit. This gives the keeper the flexibility to describe and talk about the differences between the species. Also if one species isnt out that day the keeper could focus on the other. Ideally the keeper will be able to talk about the sun bears should they be out.

Continuing the journey to the west guests will find one of two Sumatran Tiger exhibits. Like the malayans the sumatrans will be kept as a breeding pair and their cubs. The exhibit will be planted with short trees, bushes, long flowing grasses, and flowers. There will be a flowing stream and good sized pool. The pool won't be right up front but somewhere middle exhibit. There will be several caves, resting rocks, fallen logs to climb on and rest under and a their own giant tetherball. The exhibit will also feature a training wall where keepers fenced in will be able to show guest how they train the tigers. They sun bears may be trained on this wall too depending on how often they make it over to the further tiger exhibits.

The second rear exhibit will be off display. This would serve as a good yard for all species with new babies. As they learn how to explore their world the cubs would have a relatively safe maternity yard away from prying eyes. If there are no cubs or the cubs are now on display the yard would be used for off exhibit holding for one of the tigers.

Should you continue to the west you will enter Africa but I know you have been dying to enter the Indomalaya pavilion. So we will head there next.

 

I can't wait to see your plans for the Indomalaya pavilion! I'm sure they'll be great.

I've almost given up on my plan. At the beginning it was really great, but the more I think about it the more I dislike it.

I think I'm going to make a new plan for the zoo that would keep it in its current location and wouldn't involve too many major changes. The first ideas I've had are for the Kid's Zoo. My new plan will actually divide it into Canadian habitat regions with a small farm area too.

 

Oh Arcticwolf you poor kid. So many ideas its fouling you up. Maybe you just need more structure and total freedom to let your mind run wild just wont work for you. While normally very structured I have just let my mind run wild and its fun.

I had to slow down the pace at which Im posting. Im 5 posts from running out of material. Im trudging through the African Rainforest right now. Okapis check, Gorillas check, Royal antelope check, Lovebird Aviary check... now I just have the rest of a pavilion to plan. If I can get out of the pavilion the rest of Africa will fall into place quickly... FYI it includes two full prides of lions! Had the space... Love lions... Why not? After that I just have Australia and South America to write up because I couldnt stop myself from doing the Oceans long ago. Dont worry though there is still about 18 posts to come before I finish the zoo.

 

I know that just starting with a giant empty zoo would be great and allow me to include a lot of animals, but I like having existing exhibits for me to change. My new plans would probably be the first changes I would make to the Toronto Zoo if I bought it without moving it to a new location. It will still be interesting though, and I'm really excited about some of my ideas for the Kid's Zoo.

 

Ok because this pavilion is huge Im going to divide it in two posts. I just cant make you read all of that at once.

Rainforest Range
Turning north from the Sumatrans you will find a garden at the entrance of the pavilion, Rainforest Range . The garden will pay tribute to the zoos original orangutans who are now the foundation of the the zoos breeding record.There will be statues of Puppe, Abigail, Mias, Dinding, and Chantek. Puppe will be added because she is the zoos longest living orang. Abigail and Mias will be recognized as the zoo’s first breeding pair and zoo originals. Dinding will be honoured as the zoos longest serving breeding male, while their baby Chantek is honoured as Toronto’s first orang baby. Each will have a plaque explaining their life story. Its important to recognize the important role the wild born orangs played in the building of a successful breeding program. A final statue will be added, one with a more significant message to all zoo goers. It will be the statue dedicated to Kartiko, the unfortunate orangutan who died after falling in the moat because a family decided to feed the animals. His attempted rescue will be honoured. A statue featuring the young couple who dove into the water and worked feverishly to resuscitate Kartiko will be made, provided the rescuers agree. The story will be posted and the statue will sit in the center of the garden. The message should be clear to people feeding the animals can kill them.

Heading inside the pavilion for the first time you will find the exhibits wrap around a central loop. There are two stories for visitors though Im sure the roof will vault higher, as well as a below ground exhibit area. The pavilion will be planted so that the moment you enter the pavilion you feel like you have walked into the rainforest. Tropical plants, hanging vines, towering trees are all essential to this feeling. Inside the exhibits there will be a sprinkler system to create rain, water the plants and help build humidity. The rainfalls will vary between mists and heavy downpours but guests should not get wet based on the positions of the nozzles. The rain will produce some unique behaviours that captive animals usually aren't forced to display. For instance orangutans using palm leaves as umbrellas. A recording of the sounds of the rainforest will play on a two hour loop. This will really help with the immersion experience I’m trying to create. While the zoo wont house all of the species out of the jungle guest can hear several of the unique calls. The loop will also play the calls of some of the animals in the pavilion. This will hopefully get the animals to respond in some way. To the east immediately will be an enclosed ramp leading up to an observation deck that will wrap around half of the pavilion behind the Orangs, and gibbons. However you feel the need to head north.

To the north is an aviary taking up most of the west end of the pavilion. The aviary is divided up into 3 different hornbill exhibits. Hornbills aren't the best companions for a multi species exhibit so the need the space and privacy to be exhibited alone as pairs and that seasons offspring. In order as you head north will be Wrinkled Hornbills, Rhinoceros Hornbills, and Great Hornbills. Their exhibits will be extremely similar because their needs are similar and outside of breeding season they could be rotated through the exhibits just to give them a chance of scenery. Each of the exhibits will be planted with native plants and flowers. There will be big trees and also false trees with camera wired hollows in it ideal for nests. The ground will be covered in woodchip. Dead leaves will be left in the exhibit provided its not soiled so that it can provide nesting material. All of the hornbills will be trained for meet and greets which will be conducted outside of breeding season. Outside there would be outdoor exhibits for all of the hornbills doubling their available space in the summer. Their outdoor enclosures will be quite high to allow the birds to really stretch their wings.

Continuing north will be an exhibit for the Komodo Dragons. The zoo will maintain a breeding pair and as many offspring as possible for the first couple of years. If sisters could be acquired at any point and live together that would be fantastic because it would be nice to be able to display more than one dragon at a time. Their exhibit will be completely enclosed in glass to offer people fantastic views. The exhibit will slope towards a pool in the northwest corner. Guests will be able to view the dragons from above so that they can view the interesting patterns the komodos make in the sand as they travel asound. Down by the pool guests will get a closeup ground level view of the dragons. Their sandy environment will hide heat pads used to attract them close to guests. Growing out of the sand will be bamboo, tropical trees bushes and flowers. There will be fallen logs here and therefore the dragons to rest on or just have to navigate around. Outside the dragons will have and exhibit with heated and cooled rocks to rest in. The outdoor exhibits main benefit will be to enable both adult dragons to be on display at the same time.

Across the pathway to the north will be the exhibit for the pangolin. I am unsure which subspecies of pangolin is kept in AZA zoos. Since I have no idea I’m going to run with the idea that there will be a pangolin species native to Southeast Asia I can use. However if that is not the case and the pangolin needs to be shifted to somewhere in Eurasia or Africa then take the plans and basically insert them somewhere in the right region. The zoo will keep a breeding pair and young. Since the pangolin are nocturnal their exhibit will be lit accordingly. They will be kept behind glass to minimize noise. The exhibit will feature a rock wall towards the back, rocks to climb on, false trees with hollows, bushes, flowers, woodchip flooring, and lots of sticks to create climbing opportunities. The male and female will rotate on exhibit. Unless keepers advise that they be given an outdoor exhibit the pangolins will stay inside.

East of the pangolins guests will find Clouded Leopards. The zoo will house a number of breeding pairs, one of which will be on exhibit. The pairs will be kept together almost all of the time. The only time they will be separated is shortly before and after the birth of cubs. The cubs will be hand reared so that they can pair bond with their future mates as soon as possible. The exhibit will be filled with bamboo, vines, flowers, bushes, false trees with resting platforms cleverly hidden, a fallen log climbing structure, and a fish stream running through the center of the exhibit.The leopards will be given lots of vertical height to prowl. The light in the exhibit will be controlled to encourage more activity during the day. Outside there will be a large open exhibit with lots of fallen logs creating climbing structures, a pool with fish, bushes and trees for them to explore. Since the cubs will be separated from their mother so early they will be on display in the indoor exhibit in the summer, or in the pangolin exhibit if the pangolins cannot be sourced. If there are no cubs during the summer a second set of clouded leopards will be brought over from the breeding center to ensure there is lots of opportunities to see the leopards.

To the south and across the path from the hornbills will be a walkthrough butterfly exhibit. Essentially the whole pavilion will be their exhibit but this area will be build up with all kinds of flowers designed to keep the butterflies interested in this area of the pavilion. It will be a scenic winding little path that will house tons of butterflies. Hopefully people will feel as though they have wandered off the main path into the jungle itself. The butterflies and moths that will be on display will include, Striped Albatross, Grass Yellow, Great Orange Tip, Lemon Emigrant, Plain Tiger, Spotted Black Crow, Dark Blue Tiger, Wood Nymph, Paper Kite, Great Eggfly, Autumn Leaf, Cruiser, Red Lacewing, Leopard Lacewing, Common Sergeant, Common Jay, Tailed Jay, Pink Rose, Common Mime, Scarlet Mormon, Great Mormon, Common Mormon, Asian Swallowtail, Banded Peacock, Common Lime, Chocolate Pansy, Grey Pansy, Peacock Pansy, Archduke, Common Sailor, and Atlas Moth. Even more species will be added if they can be acquired. Beside the butterflies and moths this would be a prime area for the zoo to show off its collection of unique plants and flowers.

East of the butterflies will be a large free flight, walk through aviary. It will house Javan Whistling Ducks, Crested Wood Partridges, Zebra Doves, Red Tailed Laughingthrush, Black Breasted Thrush, Malayan Crested Fireback Pheasants, Javanese Green Peafowl, Nicobar Pigeons, Temminck’s Tragopans, Palawan Peacock Pheasants and Red Headed Buntings in appropriate groupings to meet the social needs of each species of bird. Their exhibit will be very dynamic with the wide variety of birds. They will be fully enclosed in a netted exhibit that will house the largest trees in the pavilion. There will be false trees mixed in with real trees to provide hollows of different sizes for nesting. There will also be nesting boxes, plenty of perches, bushes for ground cover for the pheasants. There will be a nice sized pond to provide drinking opportunities for all and a place for the ducks to swim and nest near. Guests will be able to walk through the aviary and spend time in there watching the birds.

To the north of the aviary will be the nocturnal home of Fishing Cats. A breeding pair will be kept with possible cubs. The male will rotate exhibit time with his mate and cubs during the winter. Their exhibit will be designed to look like a mangrove forest at the edge of a river. There will be fake mangrove trees to provide climbing and hiding opportunities. Fallen trees will provide a little more climbing and resting space. At the front of the exhibit there will be a large pool. The pool will be about two feet deep with underwater viewing available so people can watch the fishing cat catch fish. When there are cubs the water level will be dropped until they know how to swim. The outdoor exhibit will provide the male with space to explore while the mother and cubs enjoy the indoor exhibit. The outdoor exhibit will feature trees, bushes, flowers, a climbing structure and a huge pool where he can go fishing for his lunch. Odds are he will be sleeping most of the time so he will be given a several caves and fallen logs to sleep under.

Leading to the east the pool in the fishing cat exhibit will seemingly pour from a tiny waterfall into the next exhibit housing Binturongs and Asian Small Clawed Otters. The binturongs will exist in three groupings; a breeding pair with that seasons young; and older siblings divided into same sex groups. The older young will only be housed until their new homes are selected. The older siblings will be housed in the outdoor exhibit during the summer while mom and dad care for the newest litter. To suit their needs both the indoor and outdoor exhibits will feature talltrees, false trees with hollows to serve as nesting boxes, bamboo, flowers, vines and a climbing structure made out of fallen trees. The otters will be maintained as a family group with a breeding pair and their young up to two years old. The older pups can help rear their younger brothers and sisters gaining experience to become better parents themselves. To meet their needs on land the exhibit will have a mix of leafs, woodchip, dirt and grass with plastic tunnels running underneath to both the off exhibit holding and one heading through the ground to the gibbon and orang exhibits. Small caves and log piles will provide them with entertainment. They will also have a large water area that will plunge well below ground. The sides of the pool will be gradual and no more than 3-4 feet deep so that the binturongs can swim a little too. The deeper areas for the otters will feature rocks, pebbles, plant debris, and roots to swim around. Feeder fish will also be added to spice up the otters day. The otters will not head outside sint they will be a major feature and draw in the pavilion. During the summer when everything else gets time outside they will keep people coming into the pavilion. As mentioned the otters will have access to the gibbon exhibit which will feature many of the same features. By allowing them in the gibbon and orangutan moats I can increase the amount of space the others can access or separate maturing young from their parents and opposite sexed siblings while they await new homes.

The pangolins, clouded leopards, fishing cats and binturongs will be able to rotate through each others outdoor exhibits during the summer, however their indoor exhibits won't be rotated through because they are specialized to each species.

Before heading downstairs into the lower level underwater gallery you will make a quick stop at the Malayan Gharial exhibit. It is located to the east of the aviary in the center block of exhibits and be directly across from the gibbon exhibit. A breeding pair will be at the zoo and if breeding does occur some of the offspring will be displayed in the underwater gallery in their own small exhibit so their parents don't eat them. The exhibit will have a small land space for them to rest on. The ground will be covered in woodchip and there will be trees, bamboo, and flowers covering the space and provide cover. Lots of nesting material will be provided once nesting season arrives. The majority of the exhibit though will be the pool. There would be a gentle sloped transition to the water space. This will allow the gharials to rest partially in the water. In the pool there will be fallen logs, rocks, and a variety of aquatic plants providing homes to fish species the gharial is less likely to eat. There will also be feeder fish for them but I would prefer it if they were displayed with some native species.

Just outside the binturong exhibit there will be a ramp leading down below the main level. Underground an underwater gallery with floor to ceiling tanks for Indomalways fish, turtles, otters and gharials.

First up would be the otter exhibit heading south from there guests will pass the gharials to the west. To the east would be the moat tank for the gibbon exhibit, while to the southeast will be the moat tank for the orang exhibit. To the northeast under the aviary there will be more tanks. A second ramp ill lead out of the exhibit near the hornbills.

Again not being a fish person I'm not sure what groupings and single species exhibits will be needed, especially when the otters will be given access to 3 different exhibits, possibly just two if I need the orang space for some of the larger creatures. There will be a mix of turtles and fish. The turtles will also be bred in the breeding center so I don't have to worry as much about the otters orangs and gibbons eating or crushing eggs. Species kept in the the river room will be Malaysian Painted Turtles, Spiny Turtles, Vietnamese Box Turtles, Black Breasted Leaf Turtles, Hamilton’s Pond Turtles, Malayan Bonytongue, Jumbo Gourami, Kissing Gourami, Snakeskin Gourami, Three-Spotted Gourami, Clown Loach, Horse Face Loach, Tinfoil Barb, Golden Tinfoil Barb, Mekong Barb, Red Lined Torpedo Barb, Tricolor Shark, Archerfish, Red Tailed Black Shark, Asian Bonytongue, Bumblebee Fish, Giant Snakehead, Indonesian Short Finned Eel, Striped Dwarf Catfish, Clown Knife Fish, and Flying Fox Fish. Anything else keepers want to add in they can.

Dont worry like I said I will be handling the rest of the pavilion in the next installment. Get ready for the primates because as it turns out I will be going a little primate and monkey nuts throughout the rest of the zoo.

 

All of those ideas are amazing!!!! I would love if the Indomalaya pavilion at the zoo could look something like that. I especially love your species lists for the reptiles, fish, birds and butterflies in the pavilion.

Just so you know, the only pangolins in North America are white bellied pangolins at the San Diego Zoo. White bellied pangolins are found in Africa, so they would fit in better in an African Rainforest area. Other than that, all of your other species choices are great!

 

I know wouldnt it be grand if the pavilion did look like this... plus I know what the other half looks like. You will love it.

To be fair with the butterflies I just browsed the zoos butterfly book and left out the ones I didnt like the look of. Parts of the reptile and birds list I used other zoos as guides and the rest I just kind of looked up. Might not be reasonable to get some.

I do know pangolins are rare and they could be African too. I figure if I can get them why not have something special and different. I dont even care what kind it would be and if I couldnt get them that space could easily be used for other species or as a flex exhibit to house males. No biggy.

Part of me really wants to post the rest of the pavilion right now because I really like it but I need to finish the African Rainforest first so I can stay ahead. Im down to the birds so it should go quick and you might get it tomorrow. You will also flip over the elephant exhibit. Both the primates and elephants have some cool features.

 

Ok Arcticwolf because I feel bad I have made you wait... and Im done the African Rainforest... I think... you can have the rest of the pavilion.

Rainforest Range Part Two...
That brings us to the primates. Along the the southern wall of the pavilion will be a massive exhibit for Sumatran Orangutans, Siamangs, and Francois Langurs. Along the eastern wall will be White Handed Gibbons and more orangs. I would have loved to have one massive exhibit for all of them but White Handed Gibbons do not get along well with Langurs. This does present a great possibility though. Initially I was only going to house one group of orangs but having two large exhibits will allow me to house two groups. While the gibbons, langurs and siamangs only allow me to have a breeding pair and offspring under the age of 8, the orangs will be two groups consisting of a male, 3-4 females and offspring. Both orang groups will be able to be in either exhibit and socialize with the other species creating more stimulation as well as being able to see and hear each other. This would also give a little more flexibility with breeding and social groupings for the orangs if necessary.

While the old site would provide me with two gibbons and 7 orangs I would like to look to ape orphanages in Southeast Asia to provide additional stock. Its not necessary to bring in new animals but by bringing in orphans it can open up a discussion for keepers. They can educate people on the impact of palm oil plantations, poaching, deforestation and the illegal pet trade is having on all of these species. It is one thing to tell people about mother orangs being killed and their babies being sold off. Its another to look into the eyes of an animal who has seen its mother killed so that it can be used to entertain tourists and killed when its no longer cute.

You could travel in front of the exhibits and pass by the butterflies, birds and gharials again but you don't want to miss out on the observation deck. It will work out just fine because the observation deck will look out onto the back of the primate exhibits. Unlike the front of the exhibits which have the moats separating you from the animals by taking the deck you have a chance to sit beside the primates as they rest or play on the adjoining platforms much like the current orangutan exhibit.

It’s very important to the whole feel of the pavilion for the primate exhibits to both look as natural as possible. It seems many zoos have difficulty creating amazingly natural exhibits so experts on design and orangs will be brought in. Both exhibits will feature two enormous fake trees with roots similar to mangrove roots, and tons of branches up high that will be thick enough for an orangutan to rest on. The branches and roots will enter twine creating narrow spaces to help the smaller animals to escape from the larger ones if necessary. Within the tree there will be lots of hiding spaces for food. Fallen trees will add to the complexity of what is essentially a climbing structure. Green firehose hammocks will swing from the branches. There will be green firehoses looping all over the place to look like vines. Bamboo will be grown towards the back of the exhibit. On the ground they will have woodchip and grass as well as boulders for resting on. There will be clearings for foraging and play. Tons of enrichment items will be supplied to help keep everyone entertained.

One of the most important pieces of entertainment might just be the IPads for Apes program. In the observation deck there will be an interaction wall where a keeper will present them with one or more IPads or touch screen computers that they can do a number of activities on. In the observation deck there will be TV’s where guests can watch what the animals are doing on screen. I would love it if there were a couple of games we could teach the orangs and chosen guests could play with them. Thats a whole training thing and programing thing. It would be a really cool part of a keeper talk.
Just as the observation deck has provided you with amazing views of the primates while they are enjoying their indoor exhibits there will be windows allowing you to look out onto them as they enjoy their outdoor exhibits. The windows won't wrap around the way they do for the indoor exhibits because there will be reptile exhibits in the observation deck too. There will be several large viewing windows though.

Outside both groupings will have huge exhibits. While it is warm enough outside this would give keepers a chance to mix up the groupings on display even more. Adding more variation to the groupings in the gibbon yard as mentioned before the babirusa or tapirs could visit. There is no way to know who will be outside when you stop by allowing for a greater range of behaviors.

Both exhibits will feature massive fake trees with metal platforms made to look like leaves. Below the trees will tangle in with fallen trees and real trees. Grass will cover the ground with some areas of woodchip. There will be boulders for keepers to hide food in, on and around. They will be given a termite mound to promote tool use. A man made beehive will also be in the exhibit and occasionally filled with honey to again get them using tools. Hidden into everything possible there will be puzzle feeders to keep them interested and working for their food. Above they will have hammocks, ropes, swings, and cargo netting.

To help increase the activity for the primates an O-Line will be installed around the pavilion. Fifty foot tall fake trees will serve as towers holding the steel cables they will climb around the pavilion on. Many zoos go with very unnatural looking towers but by making them look like big trees I can help keep that immersive feeling. The platforms on each tower will be big and green to look like tree tops. There will be two or three towers in the big southern orangutan yard allowing them to come in and out. More towers with electrified cones will wrap around the pavilion so they can travel but not get down. The towers will be incorporated into other exhibits where possible so that just in case they fall or try to get down anyway keepers have a better shot at containing them. The other towers would be in at least one of the hornbill outdoor exhibits, several in the elephant exhibits, along into the tapir exhibit before coming back to the regular exhibit. It will bypass the gibbon exhibit so that the second group of orangutans and the gibbons can be outside if they want while the others travel. Naturally the groups could swap and the other set gets a chance to travel. Since the O-Line won't lead to another exhibit space to encourage them to use it for exercise each tower in an exhibit will have an elevator in it that will raise food to a hole above the platform where the primates can forage.The feeding stations will vary by the day and time the food is available and they are only on the exhibit platforms so that they won't drop food on guests.

The orangs will get their own webcam too.

Bringing your attention back to the observation deck there are other things to enjoy in here. Entering the deck the first thing you will notice is there are smaller exhibits that will add a little bit more interest to the observation deck. There will be naturalistic exhibits for Cobalt Blue Tarantulas, Indian Ornamental Tree Spiders, Jungle Nymphs, Giant Katydids, Asian Forest Scorpions, Leopard Geckos, Malayan Leaf Frogs, Mandarin Newts, Black Breasted Leaf Turtles, Malayan Horned Frogs, Chinese Flying Frogs, Burmese Star Tortoises, Asian Brown Tortoises, Tentacled Snakes, Red Tailed Green Rat Snakes, Reticulated Pythons, Spectacled Cobras, Philippine Palm Vipers, and Eyelash Pit Vipers.

There will be three featured exhibits on the observation deck. The first will feature Common Tree Shrews. They will get a large tank featuring a same sex sibling set to prevent breeding. The shrews will be able to forage amongst bushes, flowers, bamboo, fallen branches and bases of fake trees. Several fake nesting sites will be around the edges of the exhibit in false trees. Inside the trees there will be windows to the nest so that if the shrews are sleeping guests can still see them. It will be a floor to ceiling exhibit giving lots of opportunities to see the shrews.

Near by will be an exhibit for Micronesian Kingfishers. These kingfishers may prove very difficult given their extremely limited population. Should it prove impossible to get them I would be happy with any other species of endangered or threatened kingfishers from the area. They will be kept as a breeding pair with more off exhibit in the breeding center if enough can be acquired. Their exhibit will be a long floor to ceiling exhibit. This will be done to provide them with lots of room to fly and to give them a chance to hunt in the fish stream running through the exhibit. At the edges of the exhibit will be small trees, bushes and several nesting sites in tree hollows. Their nesting sites will lead off exhibit so keepers can check on chicks.

Lastly there will be an exhibit for Slow Loris. There will be a breeding pair and young living in a big exhibit will small trees, bushes, bamboo, and flowers in the exhibit. There will be branch climbing structures and food will be hidden away all over the exhibit. The lorises are ideal animals to train to be outreach animals and on weekends a keeper might take one or more of them out for a stroll around the pavilion.
Another feature of the deck will be family tree displays for all of the primates. Nice photos, birthdays, deaths, mates, offspring and for those transferred their new homes location and a simple list of their offspring will be added. It will give guests a chance to get to know everyone better and how they connect. The photos will help people identify them and what groups they live in. Past orangs such as Dinding would be included since he has two daughters and 2 grandchildren at the zoo right now.

Also in the observation deck there will be a touch table. Cool things one might find here are tiger pelts, claws and skulls, snake skins, turtle shells, komodo claws, a pangolin hide. It would also be neat if there was some way to capture the unique smell of the binturongs (they smell like popcorn). Maybe an experiment area where guests could try to hang onto a vine as long as the orangs can, try to leap as far as a gibbon can, hold their breath as long as an otter. Fun little things like that.

After looping around the back of the orang and gibbon exhibits guests will exit the observation deck by the gibbons and binturongs.

Ok that leaves us just one more exhibit to visit before leaving Indo Malaya. Next up elephants.