Design An Exhibit

Free roaming duikers was just an idea that I probably won't use. Some changes I made to my exhibit are Nile monitors will be given an exhibit in the area that was supposed to have the underwater viewing area. Underwater viewing will be used for the hippo's outdoor exhibit. Also fruit bats will be given an exhibit next to the rock python to make them easier for visitors to see than free flying. I might make an aardwolf exhibit next to the caracals, but since I want my exhibit to be realistic, I don't know if there will be enough room to house more medium-large species. It's a good idea though.

Also, in terms of the Tasmania/Madagascar comment, Tasmanian species are very similar to Australian species while Madagascan species are completely different from African ones other than a few species.

Anyways thanks for the nice comments on my exhibit and I hope I get more soon.

 

I've always thought Greenland should be the 8th continent as it's an island and is certainly larger than some we already have. Honestly I'd say the continents are Afro-Eurasia, Madagascar, Greenland, Australia, Antarctica, and America based on geography.

~Thylo

 

You might say that if you were looking at a map, but actually including geographical knowledge would certainly lead you to seperate Africa and Eurasia, and North and South America. Current land connections count for very little, which is why both New Guinea and Tasmania are considered part of the Australian continent, for example. India has long been considered a "sub-continent" due to its only recent connection with Asia, perhaps Madagascar, Greenland and New Zealand could also be considered "sub-continents.

 

The fact remains that Africa is connected to Eurasia and North and South America are connected also. At least they were before we blasted canals through them. And if we're dealing with islands with proximity then Australia and New Guinea would be considered part of Afro-Eurasia as they're as close to Southeast Asia as Madagascar is to Africa and closer in some areas! Parts of the Philippines are farther from the mainland than some parts of Australia are to Indonesia.

~Thylo

 

Geologically, Madagascar deserves continent status before Europe does. New Guinea is only separated from Australia by a shallow sea that wasn't there 10,000 years ago. Madagascar hasn't been attached to another landform for about 55 million year when it separated from India - not Africa. Madagascar was last part of Africa in the early to middle Cretaceous Period.

 

Really!? Looking at a map you can see where Madagascar can fit into Africa! Next you're going to tell me that before attaching to Asia, India was last connected to Antarctica

~Thylo

 

Here you go. Here is a map of the Earth from the Cretaceous Period.
Cretaceous

 

Well that means New Zealand gets continental status before Madagascar then, our last connection (to Australia) was severed 90 mya (before Australia was isolated from Antarctica incidentally).

 

Still speaking as if you still live there I see

~Thylo

 

Well its still my home country.

As for your discussion of islands between Australia and the South-east Asian mainland, here is a map showing what the area looks like when sea levels are lowered - you can see that some "islands" are actually part of larger continents, where others are "true islands". South-east Asia and the true islands have basically always been there, but Australia is slowly moving north, so gets closer to them, and Asia, every year.

 

My point remains the same if you work politically as half of New Guinea and many of the "true islands" are part of Indonesia which is Southeast Asia still. And all the land masses move at the same rate finger nails grow (except Hawaii which moves about 7 inches a year).

~Thylo

 

But we aren't talking politically. Continents are not political entities. The western half of New Guinea only became part of Indonesia in the 1960s, while Papua New Guinea was part of Australia until 1975. So, politically, in 1972 for example, New Guinea was actually part of two different continents at the same time?

I don't think I know what your point is anymore. That there are just three continents - the Americas, Antarctica and everything else???

 

I don't even know where we're going with this anymore. How about we just get back to the main purpose of this thread and no long discuss continents.

And a discussion I had in the chatroom tells me that the non-political continents should be Eurasia, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, South America, and North America.

~Thylo

 

Chi River Animal Experience

Overview
As you enter the exhibit you are surrounded on either side with walls of lush greenery that evoke the feeling of being in the rainforest when you come upon a sign attached to a boardwalk that reads “Chi River Experience.” Interested, you continue on your journey up the boardwalk and come upon a view of a clearing that features a rice paddy where the forest once stood. The forest animals have not left the rice paddy though and you see a malayan tapir walking through the rice paddy as he tries to cross through the forest. As you continue along the boardwalk you see that the boardwalk goes right into a stilt house that you believe belongs to the rice farmer. Inside, there are maps of the Chi River and surrounding forest with the location of his stilt house and rice paddy marked. He also has an open journal binder on his table with a list of the wild animals he has seen in the area during the past week. You also see a local newspaper with headlines on how the health of the Chi River directly affects the health of the surrounding forest and the animal population. There is also a clip board on hanging on the wall featuring a tally mark for each threatened species of animal found in Thailand. As you then exit out of the stilt house on a door on the other side you see the Chi River passing through the forest. You can tell that this is near a fishing village because you can barely make out what looks to be another stilt house back in the woods and there is a fishing boat along the bank of the river which has been taken over by a family of asiatic small clawed otters. You then notice a mother tapir and her young calf come and join the otter family along the riverbank. As you turn and look on the other side of the boardwalk, you notice a pair of binturongs climbing about the trees on the Outskirt of the forest next to the boardwalk. They are so close, you could almost reach out and touch them. You then starting following the boardwalk back into the woods and back towards where your adventure started.

Fencing
In the combined tapir and asian small clawed otter exhibits, I will be using a 6 foot tall 10 gauge chain link fencing for the fence. To keep from being dug up or tunneled under, the fence will be buried 18 inches into the ground.To prevent the otters from sneaking through the bottom of the fence the bottom will have a mesh overlay going 18 inches up the fence. The fence will also be topped with one strand of hot wire from an electrical fence to keep the otters from climbing out in the front of the exhibit. The guest won’t see the fence because it will be underneath the boardwalk that provides the viewing area. To prevent the fence from being seen on the sides and the back of the exhibits, bamboo and other foliage will planted in front of and behind the fence to make it seem like the exhibit is just disappearing into the forest. For the binturong exhibit, we will enclose the whole exhibit with aviary mesh. The only open spot in the exhibit will be the viewing area on the boardwalk, which will provide unobstructed views. To prevent the binturongs from reaching this, there will be 2 lines of hotwire going along the bottom of the the boardwalk.

Indoor Holding
The indoor holding building is going to be 1,800 square feet. It will feature three normal sized tapir stalls, a 288 square foot tapir maternity stall, two asian small clawed otter dens, and one binturong holding pen. The building would have a complete HVAC system and each pen would have a box fan hanging in front of them for during the hot weather. The concrete floors would be heated allowing the pool and building heating to be run through the same system. All of the animal holding pens in the building(minus binturong holding) will be connected to the 6 foot wide transfer hallway that runs the length of the building. By having the transfer hallway be this large, the animals won’t feel so enclosed when moving from pen to pen. The transfer hallway will be the only way for animals to gain access to either the rice paddy exhibit or riverbank exhibit. The one end of the shift hallway not attached to an exhibit would be a loading dock that would allow new animals to gain access to the building.
The tapir stall would be 180 square feet and would feature a sloping 3 foot deep pool in the front. In the tapir maternity stall instead of having a pool there will be an overhead rain shower that will go into the splash pool, so that the tapirs can soak and get wet but there is no chance of the calf drowning. In all the tapir stalls there would be rubber mats laid down covering part of the concrete to give the animals a comfy place to lay. The tapir stalls would have two access points. One access point would be in the front with a door wide enough to fit a wheelbarrow in, this would be the main form of entry for keepers. At the back would be a 5 foot wide sliding gate that would give access to the shift hallway. From the shift hallway the animals can access either the rice paddy exhibit or the riverbank exhibit. One of the tapir stalls would be equipped with a sliding wall so that it can be converted into a squeeze chute so that the tapir can have certain veterinary procedures done without being anesthetized.
The otter dens would be 5x10 feet and one would be depressed 8 inches into the ground. Since there are two dens, the hope would be that the otters would get along well enough that only one would be used by the otters as a holding pen. This would allow the other holding pen, that is depressed 8 inches into the ground, to be filled with water as an indoor pool. The land holding pen would have a rubber mat flooring just like in the tapir stalls. Inside the holding pen would be a 2’x2’ nest box. When the female otter is nursing young the pool will be drained and turned into holding for the male.
The binturong indoor holding will be 64 square feet in size. Since the binturong will be trained animal ambassadors and will be leash trained, so that we can just walk them over or put them in their travel crate to bring them into the holding building. The reason we have this setup for the binturong is because they are able to handle variable temperatures while on exhibit and can also be kept on exhibit when keepers are cleaning their enclosure. They will still have a fully inclusive indoor holding pen. Their indoor holding pen will have a larger focus on use of height than the other indoor pen because of the arboreal nature of binturongs. Their indoor holding will measure about 7 feet tall and will be a fully enclosed wire holding pen to allow for the binturongs to climb on the sides. To add to their climbing area branches and shelves will be set up in a way that they can be reconfigured regularly to give them a different climbing experience everyday. Their indoor holding pen will also feature, for their comfort, a raised nest box for sleeping and young rearing.
The keeper area will be a total of 808 square feet. In this area there will be a keeper office, a food prep kitchen with fish freezer, hay storage, walk-in storage closet, and a utilities room. The keeper office, utilities, storage, and food prep will all be kept separate from the indoor animal holding by a heavy duty door to help prevent animal escapes. From the keeper access hallway, the keepers will be able to control all animal doors going onto exhibit through a system of cable pulleys. Plus all doors into animal exhibits in this area will have three locking mechanisms to prevent breakouts.
Holding Dimensions
Building Length: 60’
Building Width: 30’
Building Height: 8’
Tapir Stalls: 12’x15’
Tapir Maternity Stall: 12’x24’
Otter Stalls: 5’x10’
Binturong Holding: 8’x8’
Keeper Office: 12.5’x12.5’
Shift Hallway: 60’x6’

Riverbank Exhibit
The total outdoor size of the riverbank exhibit will be a 22,375 square feet in size. The total water area of the riverbank exhibit is 4000 square feet. The pool will have a zero foot entry but will gradually get deeper until there are some areas with a depth of 6 feet. In the end, most of the pool will be about about 2-4 feet deep, thus letting a full grown tapir fully submerge. In the deeper 6 foot section on the left of the exhibit there will be a fallen tree in the water to add extra stimuli and basking spots for the otters. The main substrate next to the pool will be sand with pockets of river rock for the otters to play with. Instead of paying for an expensive filtration system, the water in this exhibit will be filtered by a bio filtration system. This means that plant in the water will be plants such as sedge grass and rush grass to help filter the water along along with things such as water lilies. The sedge and rush grass will be planted in between the recreated thai fishing boat and a large grouping of boulders to prevent the tapirs from eating all of the grasses. The thai fishing boat will be tilted in such a way that the otters will be able to get in the boat and interact with it or anythings the keeper has left in their such as straw for them to nest in. Towards the back of the exhibit, the number of trees planted will get thicker to allow the animals more privacy.
The binturong exhibit built right across from the river bank exhibit is specifically designed to keep the animals at eye level as much as possible by being full of trees. The binturong exhibit will have a total ground area of 2,006.25 square feet. The standout tree in this exhibit though will be the golden shower tree, the national tree of Thailand where the Chi River is found. Another important tree in the exhibit is going to be a dead tree that is anchored into the ground. By having no leaves on the tree, it will allow for better visitor viewing of the binturongs. Also, built into the back of the tree will be a nest box to allow the binturongs to get out of the elements so that they can stay on exhibit most of the time. Keepers will also be able to put rotten logs into the exhibit to add foraging opportunities for the binturongs to claw out grubs.
Riverbank Exhibit fence Lengths
Left Side: 110’
Right Side: 160’
Back Left Side: 48’
BacK Right Side:90’
Front Side lengths from left to right: 45, 40, 40, 105, and 30’
Binturong Exhibit Fence Lengths
Back Side Fence: 70’
Boardwalk Side Fence Exhibit Lengths From Left to Right: 20, 20, 30, and 45’

Rice Paddy Exhibit
The rice paddy exhibit is the simpler of the two tapir exhibits and will only measure a 15037.5 square feet in size. This exhibit will have its own draw though, with a simulated 6 row rice paddy in the front. To keep the water clean, and still evoke the feeling of a rice paddy, we will be planting sedge grass in the rice paddy with rice intermixed to evoke the real rice paddy look. The sedge grass in this exhibit will both clean the water and provide browse to snack on. Another interesting factor in this exhibit will be by having the rice paddy ground it will be wet enough to allow the tapirs to create their own mud hole to wallow in. This will be very beneficial for the tapirs because it helps protect their skin from both bugs, and sunburn.
Rice Paddy Exhibit Fence Lengths
Main Back Fence Side: 160’
Fence Side Attaching to Holding: 90’
Front Viewing Side Length: 190’
Left Viewing Side Length: 65’
Right Viewing Side Length: 125’
Rice Paddy Row Lengths: 150’

Other Amenities
Throughout the exhibit there will be amenities that help both animal and guest. One thing that will help both will be the addition of hidden misters that help evoke the feeling of being in a rainforest and keep everyone cool on hot days. There will also be trellises attached along the beginning and end of the boardwalk that will be covered in plants to help evoke the feeling of the southeast asian rainforest and subsequently make you feel like you are being swallowed up by the forest. Attached to the trellises, holding building and the stilthouse will be eye screws to hang an awning over the tapir exhibits. This will be extremely important for the health of tapirs, since overexposure to sun has been shown to cause blindness in tapirs. Also, fact plaques about the different animal species will be placed around the animal exhibit.

 

JBZVolunteer- Very well thought-out, and sounds like an excellent exhibit! The idea of mixing those species is great, and it sounds like you took a lot of time to get the measures for all aspects of the exhibit.

 

If I could build an exhibit it would be for Carnivores. Here's an Exhibit I would like to build.

The entire exhibit is indoor. Before you enter you see our Polar Bears. When you enter you see the underwater viewing area for them. You then see indoor habitats for Asian Otters, Meerkats, Mongooses, Red Pandas, Bush Dogs, Fennec Foxes and others on your way through. You then see habitats for Mexican Wolves, Maned Wolves and Dholes. You then see the two large aquatic habitats- one for False Gharial and one for Red Bellied Piranha. You will also see the Green Tree Monitor and the mighty Komodo Dragon. The final exhibit you will see is the Jaguar habitat which like the Polar Bear habitat has underwater viewing.

 

Treasures of Asia: Section 1- Outdoor Exhibits

Treasures of Asia- Entrance and Outdoor Area

Upon entering the Asia Zone, you see, just beyond a lushly planted display of Asian bushes, ferns and flowers, the fences and brightly colored signage of a pair of exhibits that presumably, are at the bottom of the hill onto to which the path rises up. Interested, you climb onto the hill and see that the hill forms a kind of solid bridge over two exhibits at the bottom of the hill. Both have free binocular stands that can be used to view the animals at the bottom of the hill.
One is separated by hot-wire mostly concealed by plants. This one is home to a group of 4 North Sulawesi Babirusa, one male and three females. There are many tall trees standing, which give the animals shade. There are also some smaller trees, but these are protected by fence from the animals’ feeding habits. There is also a shallow pool, and farther along, a mud wallow which is kept wet by a slow water pump. Enrichment is in the form of balls hanging from trees, and treats hidden in logs for the wild pigs to find. Signage on the hill describes the habitat, behavior, and range of the Babirusa. There is also a pair of Babirusa skulls in a large glass case, one male and one female, to show that only males have the distinctive tusks. Another sign is hands-on, being a large diagram of a tree and the surrounding forest, and liftable flaps hiding glass cases of Babirusa food like fruit, roots, and fungi, so the visitor can see where Babirusas get their food from.
Walking to the other side of the bridge, you see a second exhibit, but more densely planted, with many tall trees, twice as many smaller trees and bushes, a pool, some boulders in a clearing, as well as a wooden platform on which there is a fresh slab of meat- this is carnivore habitat. And indeed, coming to claim it’s meal is a majestic female Asiatic Leopard. Using the binocular stand, you watch her tear into her meal with vigor and gulping it down. The nearby signage displays several species that leopards often prey upon, as well as general information. Nearby is another sign about how leopards are being threatened with loss of habitat and poaching in their natural habitat, and also simple tips on how visitors can help preserve the leopards and other forest animals, as well as their habitat, all over the world.
Walking down the hill, you pass a row of 4 glass-fronted habitats on either side, and at the end of the path, three massive domes rise in front of you: one triangular, and the other two tending towards circular. These glass-fronted exhibits have viewing areas covered by wooden roofs, which are supported by wood struts. The exhibits have half of the indoor quarters for the animals protruding out into the exhibit, so the space that the visitor can see is L-shaped. The animals can retreat to the back, which is more heavily planted, so the visitors have to actually look for the animal to try to find it. The first pair of exhibits (one on the left side of the path and one on the right) contain, respectively, a lone Leopard Cat and pair of Asian Raccoon Dogs. These exhibits are large, as well as long and wide, so the animals have room to roam and can also retreat into their indoor quarters if they wish to. The Leopard Cat enclosure is well planted, with many small to mid-sized trees and also some logs, branches and some rockwork for it to hide behind. The Raccoon Dogs have much the same, but with a small clearing lined with some ferns and some flat rocks for them to lie down on. The second pair of exhibits is also lushly planted, but with smaller bushes and more along the sides. This pair of habitats is home to a Malaysian Porcupine and a Chinese Ferret Badger. Both of these exhibits are slightly less planted due to their feeding habits, and have tall, sturdier bushes around the edges of the enclosure. At the back of both of these enclosures is a “cave” made out of rocks and dirt under which the animal can rest. The third set contain a Large-spotted Civet and a Ruddy Mongoose. Both of these animals have wooden platforms on or under which they can rest, some rocks to sun on, and the civet has standing logs and branches for it to climb up on. Both also have mid-sized foliage for shade, and long grass to hide amongst but not much foliage in the way if they choose to move around. The last set of exhibits provides home to not mammals, but birds. These exhibits contain a pair of Black Francolin and a pair of Hill Partridge. These birds have trees for shade, grass to rest or nest in, and also a large log and some rocks for them to hop up onto if they wish.
After snapping the last photo of the brightly covered Partridge, you turn and see the doors of the large pavilion. You open them, wondering what could be behind them..
This is just part one of a large Asia section. If you guys like it, then I'll post part two (which is the four-building pavilion with the turtle island, gharial pool, and free-flying birds, butterflies, and flying dragons [not all at the same place, of course!]).

 

Asia Forest Walk

 

Wow, Moebelle! Did you draw that up yourself? I'm impressed! I like the boardwalk, as well as the glass viewing underneath. I like the idea of showing more drawings on threads like these, it's too bad we don't have that many up here.

 

Why yes I did! Really appreciate this compliment. Means a lot to hear that I impressed somebody haha.