“Expedition Ethiopia” Exhibit map (Smithsonian speculation)

…that will ensure to educate, and inspire the common zoo-goer about the environmental factors that the animals living in the country are currently facing out in the wild today.

Exhibit Layout:

01: - Entrance/Exit

02: - Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer), Blue-Winged Goose (Cyanochen cyanoptera), and African White-Backed Duck (Thalassornis l. leuconotus) island

03: - Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), Grévy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi), Common Beisa Oryx (Oryx beisa beisa), and Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) mixed-species enclosure

04: - Giraffe feeding platform

05: - Outdoor plaza

06: - Klipspringer and Hyrax holding area/Retail Space

07: - Klipspringer (Oreotagus oreotragus), and Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) enclosure

08: - Botanical Garden

09: - Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), if not then Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) enclosure

10: - Wolf or Hyena holding area

11: - Overhead Pedestrian Bridge (01)

12: - Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus sp.) enclosure

13: - Cheetah holding area

14: - Interactive Guest Area (think of Indianapolis Zoo’s ‘Race a Cheetah’ speedway)

15: - Education Area (sheltered)

16: - Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppelli), and African Pied Crow (Corvus albus) aviary

17: - Crow and Vulture holding area

18: - Overhead Pedestrian Bridge (02)

19: - Giraffe, Zebra, Oryx, and Ostrich holding area (with public indoor viewing)

20: - Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), Grant’s Gazelle (Nanger granti), and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) mixed-species enclosure

21: - Hornbill, Kudu, and Gazelle holding area (with public indoor viewing)

22: - Ethiopian Mountain Viper (Bitis parviocula) terrarium

23: - Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula), and Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) enclosure

24: - Pedestrian Bridge

25: - Entrance/Exit

Loving the smaller exhibits scattered in between the larger exhibits. Especially the Hyrax/klipspringer and Rueppel's vulture/Pied crow enclosures!

Only place I would improve is the goose island. Maybe adding marabou and vulturine guineafowl would be more interesting to the guests

Well in that case @Mr Gharial, I will now begin to edit the species list post to list some Marabou Storks (you’re welcome @Sarus Crane ), as well as African White-Backed Ducks onto the goose island to help further enhance the area to be more engaging for guests.

@Austin the Sengi YESSSSS!!!!!!!! If anyone from the Smithsonian's NZP is on Zoochat make it happen! This is FANTASTIC!!! My only criticism is that I think it would be more appropriate to have Somali (Blue Neck) Ostrich instead of Common Ostrich and that hopefully with the backing of the US Government and diplomatic relations with the Embassy of Ethiopia to obtain the first ever live Mountain Nyalas to be held in a US facility! Thanks for the Marabous! Perhaps maybe make that exhibit themed to Lake Awasa?

Well @Sarus Crane, the reason that I chose Common Ostrich rather than Somali, was given the fact that the Zoo already has this species on display in their collection, and I just wanted to utilize the ostrich that they already had into the redeveloped space. But maybe after the ostrich passes away then I could see the zoo possibly importing in some Somalis to be mixed with the other animals that were already on display.

That sounds awesome! As much as I love spotted hyenas, seeing Ethiopian wolves in captivity would be astounding.