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Design a zoo for a cold climate

Discussion in 'Speculative Zoo Design and Planning' started by elefante, 4 Nov 2017.

  1. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Since winter is upon those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it makes me think of the shortage of zoos displaying mostly cold weather animals. I have come up with a challenge for designing a zoo in a northern location that is as follows:

    -At least five local species. By local I mean species that exist in the wild within about a two hour drive from the city.
    -At least fifteen exotics that could be kept outside year round. Exotics can mean species found in the same country but maybe a long distance away. For example, an East Coast USA zoo having bison.
    -At least three buildings (think reptile house, tropical hall, aquarium, etc) with at least ten species in them.
    -A creative way to display at least five warm weather ABC species in year round enclosures that are not just barren stalls. After all, people do like their ABC species.

    As far as how it's organized that's up to you, the idea is that it is a truly year round zoo.
     
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  2. Coelacanth18

    Coelacanth18 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    I like this challenge @elefante! I will begin drafting a plan.
     
  3. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    Interesting idea, and not easy about the warm ABC species. This is what I could apport:

    The zoo would be located in northern Europe, for example, in Findland.

    -Their local species would be: Reindeer, Wolverine, Wolf, Moose, Brown bear, Wild boar, Ptarmigan, White-tailed sea eagle, Common eider, Long-tailed duck, Smew, Greylag goose, Barnacle goose, Tengmalm's owl, Black woodpecker, Eurasian lynx, Great grey owl, Red fox.

    -Their exotic species would be divided geographically in next sections:
    Alpine Highlands: alpine marmot, alpine ibex, wallcreeper, chamois, alpine accentor, white-billed chough, Lammergeier (bearded vulture)
    Asian Wonders: Golden snub-nosed monkey, Japanese macaque, Snow pigeon, Red panda, Takin, Tibetan antelope, Snow leopard, Tiger (siberian), Siberian musk deer, Bharal, Markhor, Domestic yak, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan monal, White eared pheasant, Blyth's tragopan, Bar-headed goose, Himalayan griffon vulture, Tanuki (racoon dog), Japanese serow, Siberian crane, Red-crowned crane, Siberian ibex, Zibelline marten, Siberian rubythroat, Siberian salamander, Eastern capercaillie
    Canadian Wilderness: Canadian lynx, Elk, Fisher (marten), Canadian beaver, Grey jay, Musk ox, Canada goose, Vancouver Island marmot, American bison, Arctic hare
    Patagonian Treasures: Southern pudu, Steamer-ducks, Mara, Vicuna, Magellanic penguin, Andean flamingo, Andean condor, Geoffroy's cat, Cougar, Striated caracara
    Wild Australasia: Tasmanian devil, Kea, Common wombat, Tasmanian pademelon, Little blue penguin, Yellow-eyed penguin, New Zealand sea lion

    The warm buildings are not a mystery, they would be:
    Two heathed greenhouses:
    -Amazonian aviary, with roseate spoonbills, scarlet ibis, boat-billed herons, sunbitterns, blue and gold macaws, Brazilian teals, great curassows, toco toucans, white-faced whistling ducks, blue-crowned motmots and green jays. As you can see many of the birds are wetland species, the greenhouse would have a central lake and some watercourses with brigdes for pass over the water.
    -Butterfly house, the typical one with the common species kept: Papilio memnon, Siproeta stelenes, Heliconius charitonius, Heliconius melpomene, Morpho menelaus, Idea leuconoe, Greta oto, Parthenos sylvia and a moth, Attacus atlas
    Two solid buildings with illuminated tanks in the walls:
    -Reptilarium, with the typical commonly available species such as constrictor boa, plumed basilisk, Gila monster, California kingsnake, Green iguana, Collared iguana, Green anole, Giant girdled lizard, Leopard gecko, Corn snake, Radiated tortoise
    -Aquarium, that would be a L-shaped building. One of the "sticks" of the L, would hold the freshwater species, and the other, the marine species. On each "stick", one wall would show the cold-weather (mainly native) species, and the other wall, the tropical species. So we would have:
    -Cold freshwater (sorry I don't know by memory many of the common names of the fishes, so I will put the scientific only): Thymallus thymallus, Salmo trutta, Barbus barbus, Perca fluviatilis, Esox lucius, Coregonus lavaretus, Anguilla anguilla, Cottus gobio, Lota lota, Huso huso (also some noble crayfishes and a tank with Rana temporaria).
    -Warm freshwater: half of tanks for south-east Asia with Danio rerio, Puntius tetrazona, Puntius denisonii, Epalzeorhynchos bicolor, Botia macracantha and other commonly available species. Half of tanks with Amazonian theme, with water more stained with tannines, and with Paracheirodon axelrodi, Serrasalmus nattereri, Electrophorus electricus, Apteronotus albifrons, Cichla ocellaris, Carnegiella strigata, etc.
    -Cold marine: Gadus morhua, Trisopterus luscus, Zeus faber, Cyclopterus lumpus, Dicentrarchus labrax, Sparus aurata, Diplodus sargus, Spinachia spinachia, Hippoglossus hippoglossus. Crustaceans too (Homarus gammarus, Cancer pagurus, Nephrops norvegicus. Also some cold water anemones such as Metridium senile, and starfishes such as Asterias rubens.
    -Warm marine (Indopacific coral reef) with various species of Chaetodon and Acanthurus and Zebrasoma, Thalassoma, Gomphosus caeruleus, various species of Amphiprion, seahorses, Paracanthurus hepatus, Taeniura lymma, Poroderma africanum, Hemiscyllium ocellatum, Balistoides conspicillum, Rhinecanthus aculeatus, Aeoliscus strigatus, Gymnomuraena zebra, Siganus vulpinus, Synchiropus splendidus and picturatus, and other typical and commonly kept tropical species. Also crustaceans such as Lysmata debelius, Lysmata amboinensis, Stenopus hispidus and Enoplometopus debelius, live corals and gorgonians of various species, and some echinoderms like Diadema setosum and Linckia laevigata.

    About the warm-weather animals, I believe that the only way of exhibit them is the same than many cold or temperate-weather zoos choosed for exhibit them: their exhibit having a large outdoor part and a large indoor part where the animals can go when they feel cold. It's not a creative thing, but I can't think in another way. The indoor part of each would be viewable from a glass, but the animals also would have a part hidden from the public view if they want more intimacy. The species here would be reduced to the minimum (5 species) you requested, as I think that the zoo should put the emphasis in cold-weather species only. The species would be lion, plains zebra, Nile crocodile, Bornean orangutan and Malayan tapir. All of them are species that often have this kind of enclosure with warm indoor part. While the indoor would be viewable from a glass, the outdoor would not have glass nor bars, but a high hidden by topiary from the point of view of public, while the terrain inside the enclosure would elevate to public level so one can't appreciate the wall. This is a thing that many zoos already does.
     
    Last edited: 5 Nov 2017
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  4. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I like this idea. I'll start thinking of a plan. Also, what exactly are ABC species?
     
  5. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Popular animals that everyone knows (and lots of zoochatters ignore.)
     
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  6. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Think species like lions, zebras, giraffes, gorillas, etc. I'm taking my lead from this with the Minnesota Zoo. They specialize in cold weather species but have an aquarium and tropical hall as well.
     
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  7. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    This is extensive. Can you go into some more detail on the exhibits? Also, in the Canadian Wilderness section, a fisher is a different species from a marten. Martens are called sables in Europe.
     
  8. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    Well, first of all, a fisher is one of the many kinds of martens, hence my previous explanation for those that are unfamiliar with this strange common name. And martens are not called sables in Europe. Sable is just another of the many kind of martens, and is not an european species (I mentioned it in the Asian Wonders section, using the alternative name of Zibelline marten). All the other marten species are just called martens, preceeded by their specific common name (for example, Pine marten, Nilgiri marten, etc).

    Second, you don't asked for enclosure details in the thread, and they will not be difficult to imagine for zoochatters, but if it make you happy, here it goes:
    The local species section would have the reindeer, moose and wild boars every one in single large paddocks with scattered large trees (only two trees for the reindeer, and more dense forestry for the moose and boars). Each one of these enclosures would have their den for retire under bad weather. The moose paddock would have a large pond where the animals can submerge completely if they want. As the pond will freeze in winter, a solid wood cover would be put in these months to prevent accidents. These enclosures would be surrounded by wood walls, with a viewing balconry high avobe the ground connecting the three enclosures. Lynx, wolves, wolverines and foxes would habit in similar individual forested paddoks (much smaller for the foxes), but closed by wire walls with electrified tops instead the wood wall, with a glass viewing pannel, and contrary to the ungulates each animal would be unable to see their neighbours, separated by artificial rock walls planted on the top. Brown bears would be in a large paddock with many rocks, fallen trunks, some scattered large trees, and perimeter closed by false rock wall and with viewing balconry and also a round small viewing glass in the den, that would be a big artificial rock cave. White-tailed sea eagles and a great grey owl would inhabit two wire aviaries with wood background and live pines inside. A similar but smaller aviary would be shared by a group of ptarmigans and a male black woodpecker, but the wood background would be closed with wire mesh for prevent woodpecker to make holes in it. All waterfowl would be clipped and mixed in a large pond with birches, native willows and a reed/rush zone for hiding and nesting.

    In the Alpine Highlands, marmots and chamois would be mixed (as they are in Tierpark Hellabrunn) in a parge paddock with green grass and scattered medium-sized rocks, with a bigger natural rock in the center for allow the chamois to climb. Ibex would be in a more rocky habitat, with a mini-mountain of false rock from which they could look at the visitors from high. A hidden hole in the mountain would connect to a tunnel from which visitors would see the ibex below from medium high, the hole would be covered by a glass. Bearded vulture would be a couple in a wired aviary similar to the one for the eagles, but less forested and more rocky, with a high rocky outcrop (about 6 meters high) with large refuges for nesting. Wallcreepers and accentors would share an smaller aviary with natural rock background. Choughs would be off-show normally and trained to fly to the visitors and feed with the food provided to them as a special show on tuesdays, wesdesnays and saturdays.

    In the Asian Wonders, snub-nosed monkeys and takins would share a paddock with some large trees and a rocky outcrop. Snow pigeons and Blyth's tragopan would share a wired rocky aviary, while siberian rubythroats and eastern capercaillies would share another with live pines and spruces. Another mixed exhibit would be for red pandas, bharals and bar-headed geese, sharing another large paddok with a pond in the middle surrounded partially by trees, Tibetan antelope would share with domestick yack in a very rocky paddock with a grass and soil section in one side. Himalayan tahrs could be mantained with wing-clipped himalayan monals. Snow leopard would be in a rocky enclosure with caves and one or two trees, while the siberian tiger would be in a larger paddock with many trees and a large pond for swim. While a forzen pond can be a problem for a moose, I think is not a problem for a tiger. Wing-clipped himalayan griffon would be with siberian musk deer and markhors in a forested enclosure with a more sunny rocky outcrop. Due to their aggresivity, cranes can't share their enclosures and woud be mantained alone in large ponds with wired perimeter. Japanese macaques would be in a rockly enclosure with artificial hot springs where they can bath. Tanuki and Japanese serow would share an enclosure too, but they would be separated by a water course and each one would have their food and dens in the opposite side so normally they would keep separate altough both species can cross the barrier if they want. The white eared pheasant would be in a walk-through passage where they can be feed like domestic chickens (as the wild ones does with native people), at the exit of the passage a small terrarium with mosses, pinecones and dead leaves would hold the Siberian salamander. Finally the sable or zibelline would be an off-show domesticated animal used in presentation.

    In the Canadian Wilderness, the entry area would be a large lake with Canada geese and beavers, with a tunnel connecting to underwater view cylinder. Perimeter would be made of glass because of the beavers. At the other side of the path would be find the elk, a large herd in open and grassy space with some tree thickets. The bison herd and the musk oxes would be kept in similar enclosures, but with less trees. The canadian lynx would be kept in a completely closed (above too) enclosure with many trees, the reachable perimeter made from glass panel for viewing and the rest of the perimeter is wire wall. A small isolated square would hold the smaller animals: grey jays and arctic hares would share wired aviary with wooden background, while at the other side of the square would be a pair of fishers. Vancouver Islands marmots would be off show for better breeding because they're very endangered.

    Patagonian Treasures: Pudu, steamer-ducks, maras, vicunas and flamingos would be hosted together in a very large grassy paddock imitating Pampas plains (despite flamingos being from high mountain lakes and not to grassy pampas, but is OK...), the mixed (extremely large) patagonian exhibit in Wuppertal zoo would be a nice model to take, but this one would have a bigger water zone. Magellanic penguin would be hosted in the typical fashion of Humbold'ts in European zoos, but with a tunnel to underwater view. Condor, Geoffroy's cat, cougar and caracara would occupy each one a completely closed enclosure, with the size adequate for each species (biggest for condor and cougar and smaller for cat and caracara).

    Wild Australasia will have one enclosure for the devils, full of fallen trunks and tall grass and with glass perimeter (like the one in Duisburg zoo), other enclosure shared by the wombats and pademelons, a very rocky closed aviary for the keas with ropes and parrot toys, and finally a large saltwater pind for the sea lions and both species of penguins. I never saw in a zoo a mixed pinniped-penguin exhibit but they usually do fine in the wild (e. g. king penguins and elephant seals), so why not try? Maybe, due to the rarity of the penguins (overall the very endangered yellow-eyed), the area would be divided in two sections with underwater tunnels that can be used by penguins but too small to sea lions, so penguins can swim to their side if they want (in their side would be the nest boxes).

    About the aviary, butterfly house, reptilarium and aquarium I think I provided enough detail already, and same for the "ABC species". I hope that now you considere this fantasy zoo enough detailed.
     
  9. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I'm sorry if I offended you, this is just how the zoo designs are usually done on this site. Same goes with the fisher comment.

    That being said, I like your zoo design and it would definitely be a neat one to visit.
     
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  10. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    Of course that it was no offence nowhere! I can't imagine what give you that idea! But I also must disagree, certainly many of the fantasy zoos are made in this way but many others are reduced to species lists, for example:

    6 Animals for each continent
    My own small zoo
    Starting animals for a zoo
    My zoo animal list
    Endangered species you wish zoos tried to preserve
    SJ13 and MagpieGoose build a zoo
    ABC Zoos (taken to an entirely literal level)
    The 7 Animal Zoo

    And this just in the first of the twelve pages... I think that, more older post, more frequently they are reduced to lists.
     
  11. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I know of one existing Pinniped/bird combination (with penguins and eiders), which hasn't yet ended in disaster. Other attempts have had the penguins being eaten.
     
  12. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Flight restricted vultures are less acceptable than they used to be. Increasingly they are seen as subjects that need to be in enclosed aviaries large enough for some flight.
     
  13. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    OK, so sea lions and penguins together discarded. They can share the same water, but the enclosure would be divided by false rock wall so each species can't see the couterpart. Overall wich such rare and valuable penguin species!

    Yes I know about vultures, and large aviaries is how I saw them in zoos almost always. But this is the only way that I know of mixing them with ungulates, as ungulates in a sky-closed enclosure seems too strange, and large trees would be a problem inside.
     
  14. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    OK then, I shall present my zoo idea. It will be done in two parts.
    The zoo will be in Lanzhou, China. The zoo's native species collection, in an area known as "The Great Bamboo Forests". Animal species here include giant pandas, red pandas, Chinese mountain cats, dholes, Chinese gorals, golden snub-nosed monkeys, golden pheasants, Lady Amherst's pheasants, Temminck's tragopans and satyr tragopans.
    The zoo also specializes in animals from other cold areas of the world. Such animals are found in other areas of the zoo, which are as follows:
    • Gobi Desert Trek: Bactrian camel, Przewalski's wild horse, Saiga, Tibetan antelope, Goitured gazelle, Corsac fox, Mongolian wild donkey, Long-eared jerboa.
    • Himalayan Heights: Argali, Markhor, Bharal, Siberian ibex, Wild yak, Sichuan takin, Himalayan serow, Tibetan sand fox, Asiatic black bear, Snow leopard, Himalayan griffon, Slender-billed vulture.
    • The Far East: Amur tiger, Amur leopard, Siberian crane, Red-crowned crane, Hooded crane, White-naped crane, Siberian musk deer, Japanese serow, Japanese macaque, Eurasian eagle owl, White-tailed eagle, Steller's sea eagle.
    • European Woods and Peaks: Alpine ibex, Chamois, Bearded vulture, Golden eagle, Red fox, European otter, Wolverine, European mink, Eurasian lynx, European bison, Red deer, Roe deer, Wild boar.
    • Canada's Rockies: Cougar, Grizzly bear, Grey wolf, Moose, Elk, American bison, Moose, Bald eagle, Bobcat, Canadian lynx, Northern river otter, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat, Dall's sheep.
    That's it for part 1. Part 2 will come soon.

    -:cool::cool:TheWalrus:cool::cool:
     
  15. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I'd visit this zoo. How do you envision the enclosures?
     
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  16. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Okay then. I also forgot one animal in the Far East exhibit area: raccoon dogs, one animal in Himalayan Heights: Himalayan thar, and another animal in the Canadian Rockies: great horned owls. The exhibits will be described in two parts. This part would explain "The Great Bamboo Forest", "Gobi Desert Trek" and "Himalayan Heights" in further detail. The exhibits are as follows:

    The Great Bamboo Forests will start with two walk-through pheasant aviaries. One will have golden pheasants and satyr tragopans and the other will have Lady Amherst's pheasants and Temminck's tragopans. Next up comes a mountainous enclosue for Chinese gorals. The visitors then see two of China's lesser known carnivores: Chinese mountain cats and dholes. The visitors then approach a Chinese temple with exhibits for red pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys. The final exhibit, which is also the most notable, is a multi-exhibit complex for giant pandas, complete with a forested backdrop of real trees.

    The Gobi Desert Trek is by far the smallest area of the zoo. Herds of wild bactrian camels, Przewalski's horses, Mongolian wild donkeys, saiga, Tibetan antelope and goitured gazelles will all share a large paddock, but have different night quarters. Nearby this large exhibit, a small exhibit, complete with a windowed burrow, will house long-eared jerboa. Corsac fox live nearby in a larger exhibit.

    Himalayan Heights will start off with large aviaries with Himalayan griffon and slender-billed vultures, both of which are able to fly. Next, several hilly habitats contain Sichuan takin, Himalayan serow and Himalayan thar; the latter would have a large rockand high fences so it can show off its climbing. At another exhibit, Asiatic black bears have a den for hibernation and a large pond to swim in. Nearby is a large mixed-species Himalayan ungulate exhibit, containing markhor, argali, bharal and Siberian ibex. Close by is an exhibit for a herd of wild yak. An exhibit much like the corsac fox exhibit, but retouched slightly, contains Tibetan sand fox. The final exhibit here is for snow leopards, which have an enclosure that will not only suit their climbing, but also their incredible jumping skills.

    That's it for Part 1 of exhibit descriptions. Part 2 will come within a week.

    -:cool::cool:TheWalrus:cool::cool:
     
  17. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I like these. The pheasant enclosure is neat. Those are such beautiful birds. Where was it this zoo was located?
     
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  18. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The zoo is in Lanzhou, China.
     
  19. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    One tiny quibble; don't put two equid species in the same enclosure. They will either fight, hybridise, or both.
     
  20. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Ok then, Przewalski's wild horses will now be in a separate enclosure.