Expense isn't an angle I've heard Nocturnal houses attacked before. From what I gather, the decline of Nocturnal houses is more so due to the fact they aren't the most popular exhibits, are oftentimes difficult for crowd control (i.e. people can't always see where they are going easily), and a general decline in small nocturnal species being present in collections. There is a shift, however, towards more zoos having small stand-alone Nocturnal exhibits with a few species in them as parts of other complexes, so the concept of Nocturnal exhibits isn't going away completely, just shifting towards more smaller-scale exhibits for Nocturnal Prosimians, Kiwis, Bats, etc. as parts of larger complexes. A few other issues I have with Nocturnal houses are that visibility tends to be an issue (I've found its on average harder to find animals in nocturnal exhibits that any other style of exhibitry), they're terrible for photography (especially if you don't have fancy lenses, etc.), and most species, especially in captivity, don't follow strict light-dark cycles for when they're awake/active. Nocturnal houses would be great if they yielded higher levels of activity in the species, but oftentimes I've found that in a Nocturnal exhibit visitors are looking at a sleeping animal in the dark instead of a sleeping animal in the light. Back when I volunteered at a zoo that had a Nocturnal exhibit, the line I used was always that "the animals sleep when they are tired, and are awake when they aren't", as so many of the animal's biological needs are taken care of in captivity that oftentimes the animals will deviate more from their "natural" sleep cycle, oftentimes determined due to temperature, food availability, and prevalence of other threats.
From my experience, they tend to be remarkably unpopular with visitors. They tend to have cryptic, mostly small species that can be difficult to see even in reverse lighting. Whenever I'm in the nocturnal wing of a small mammal house, I always see visitors pop in and pop back out right away (usually letting in so much light that it makes it difficult for my eyes to adjust). I appreciate the chance to see rarely encountered species, but to be honest, I don't think there's a single exhibit that's been more of a letdown to me compared to what I imagined than World of Darkness at the Bronx Cross-posted with Neil's on this one
Nocturnal houses / exhibits require more patience & composure from zoo visitors - which is already a rare commodity among them at daylight exhibits. Dim lighting conditions can also further visitor misbehaviour such as noise, vandalism, flashlights, pickpocketing, litter pollution, unwanted / (non-)consensual sexual behaviour etc. The zookeepers at the Grzimekhaus in Frankfurt or Omaha's World of Darkness could tell you plenty of stories on that matter. Animal welfare, energy consumption etc. are further factors. Personally, I love nocturnal walkthrough bat exhibits (RIP Bat cave Munich), but I know plenty of visitors who see this more as a haunted house amusement ride. And I somehow doubt that the poor bats' sensitive ears enjoy the constant panicky visitor shrieking...
I can't speak for nocturnal houses as a whole but Fruit Bat Forest and the Aye-Aye enclosure at Chester are definitely pretty popular from my experience. Both feature quite active animals so that probably helps.
Not this time. Both gropers and couples being intimate with one another have been reported by zoo staff at the Grzimekhaus for years. All cats are grey by night... Just as there are warning signs regarding pickpockets in several nocturnal houses.
I can remmember a short story narrated by Veselovský (ex-zoo director in Prague) sometime in 1980s. That in one Western zoo (either in the UK or Western Germany cant really remmember in detail) they had big problem with pickpockets in their night pavilion. They solved it by a zoo employee who was wearing a large handbag with an Australian water rat inside and pretending to be a regular visitor. When any thief put his hand stealthily inside the handbag, the rat bit him and refused to let go. Might be an urban legend he got from some colleague, but it at least shows that pickpockets used to be a problem.
Lovely story; a zoo re-interpretation of the German fairytale "Schwan kleb an". Given that Australian water rats are a staple at the Grzimekhaus, it could have been Frankfurt. However, given that Zoo Berlin borrowed some rats from Frankfurt in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and that Berliner like to spread orginal tall tales, I'd bet on Berlin...^^
22. South America’s Pantanal Houston Zoo, TX Opened: 2020 Size: 4 Acres (1.6 Hectares) Inhabitants: Jaguar, Baird’s Tapir, Giant Anteater, Capybara, Giant River Otter, Black Howler Monkey, Greater Rhea, Blue-throated Macaw, Green Anaconda and more. A few entries ago I mentioned Lee Ehmke and his passion for creating exhibits that focus on regions underrepresented in zoos. After he left Minnesota, he came to his current position at Houston and took his aptitude for exhibit design along with him. He has since pivoted Houston to create exhibits that focus on regions where the zoo does significant conservation work, and it just so happens the Pantanal is one of their largest conservation hubs. What resulted is one of the most highly detailed and carefully constructed exhibit complexes built in recent memory. The highlight is undoubtedly the spacious grasslands enclosure for various larger herbivores and birds which could have made this list on its own merit. The jaguar and giant otter exhibits are both some of the best on the continent for their respective species and the addition of various birds and ectotherms show that smaller things aren’t forgotten about either. Something that may bother zoological pedants is that a few species had to be substituted for similar, non-Pantanal native species: Baird’s tapir filling in for lowland tapir and blue-throated macaw for hyacinth macaw. Despite serious efforts they weren't able to acquire giant armadillo, but being a species the zoo works closely with in the wild, they as well as other species that aren’t displayed are represented through bronze sculptures dotted throughout the trail. Some fantastic landscaping and subtle thematics help this exhibit shine the spotlight on a unique part of the world in an extraordinarily well done way. @Zooplantman @Zooplantman @geomorph @Zooplantman @Zooplantman @geomorph @Zooplantman Similar Exhibits: None.
From a European perspective, the idea of Baird's tapir being a substitute for lowland is crazy. Also are hyacinth macaw rare in the US? They aren't too uncommon here.
Why would Hyacinth Macaw need a substitute? They're not rare in captivity at all, and one that's in need of more holders iirc.
Hyacinths are kept at approximately 50 AZA institutions, Blue-Throateds are kept at approximately 20. So Houston is arguably doing more to benefit the Parrot TAG through keeping their flock of Blue-Throats than they would by replacing them with Hyacinths. I'm sure someone at Houston made a choice, for whatever reason, that Blue Throated Macaws was the species they wanted to work with, and while I don't know this reasoning, I'm sure there were legitimate reasons for choosing the other Macaw species.
Blue-throated Macaw is CR while Hyacinth is VU, so higher conservation concern. Blue-throated isn't from the Pantanal but is from another part of Bolivia. Pantanal looks like an awesome new complex and I expected it would be on here, given the unusual regional focus and great execution. I'm interested to see what other South American exhibits make it onto the list; I'm sure there will be one or two Amazon-themed ones, but not entirely sure which ones.
The one exhibit that has made Houston Zoo on top of my wish list of zoos to visit next! Not only is filled with many wonderful species with amazing homes for them. I have a major soft spot for Jaguars and Giant Otters so I can see myself spending hours at that area I know seeing replacement species in an exhibit such as the Baird’s Tapir or Blue Throated Macan may ruffle some feathers as they’re not from the Pantanal region. But seeing as both species are both endangered species, I don’t see it as outlandish as others may but to each their own Their South American mixed species savanna is a crowned jewel I can’t wait to see! A very fitting choice for this thread.
It happened in Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm ca. 1983. I put the details in this thread: Skansen-Akvariet news [Skansen-Akvariet]
That saved me looking fruitlessly through my Hediger books! Once you said it was at Skansen I realised I had read about it in a Readers Digest article (Jan 1997) called "The Wonderful Wahlstrom Zoo". It is a seven-page article describing the history of the Aquarium, with a particular focus on their experiences keeping tarsiers, squid (presumably cuttlefish), Golden Lion Tamarins, and Pigmy Marmosets. It doesn't add much to what Jurek posted in the other thread about Hugo the Water Rat, except giving a date (the first theft from the pickpocket was in July 1981) and noting that no charges were laid and no more thefts occurred afterwards.
Great pick! Houston is going to be a top ten zoo, imo, after the new Galapagos area opens. It's definitely one of the top zoos to go to on my list.
23. Seabird Aviary Oregon Coast Aquarium, OR Opened: c.1992 Size: 7,850 Square Feet (730 Square Meters) Inhabitants: Tufted Puffin, Horned Puffin, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Black Oystercatcher Alcids have extremely demanding welfare needs that make them difficult to display in captivity, but if those needs can be met, they can create one of the most engaging enclosures in any zoo or aquarium. This 34 foot tall aviary is the largest outdoor seabird enclosure in North America. There are two pools with varying depths that add up to hold 29,000 gallons as well as nearly 40 individual nesting sites. Underwater viewing windows placed at knee-height allow guests to get inches away from the birds, close enough to be in the splash zone of an energetic auk. Intricate rockwork fills the aviary and showcases the endearing nature of alcid behavior, with several rock burrows and a 30 foot cliffside that allows the birds to demonstrate their impressive diving abilities. This aviary is also home to the only captive breeding pair of black oystercatchers anywhere in the world. Every aspect of this display is superb and is a great example of a facility taking advantage of its climate to create an exhibit that wouldn’t be possible elsewhere. @snowleopard @snowleopard @snowleopard @snowleopard Similar Exhibits: Another excellent alcid aviary can be found at the Alaska SeaLife Center. This aviary holds the title of the deepest seabird aviary in North America at roughly 21 feet deep. The underwater viewing area is very impressive and many rockfish can be seen sharing the pool with the birds. This could easily have been the pick instead of the Oregon Coast aviary and in its own ways is just as impressive. The outdoor aviary at Point Defiance Zoo is also worthy of a mention even if it doesn't hold the distinctions of the other two. Alaska SeaLife Center @Arizona Docent @Pleistohorse Point Defiance Zoo @Arizona Docent
