HB's Speculative Ecoregion Zoo

Hi Zoochatters,
To be honest, I literally stopped making fantasy zoos in the last year, partly because the fantasy zoo section here became almost meaningless with dumb games and not really detailed zoos. But there were/are some treasures, for example one of my inspirations, @Haliaeetus's speculative zoo.
Fortunately mods and Sim recognizef the problem and made this subforum much better. Fortunately some lately inactive members started making fantasy zoos again. (@amur leopard, @KevinB )
Inspired by them and some of my older fantasy zoos which were showed the fauna of a few biological hotspots, I decided to make a detailed speculative zoo.
My imagined insitution is nearby Milan, because I think it's strange that there's no major zoo in a city with more than a million inhabitants. Milan's climate is humid subtropical (Cfa on Koppen's scale), yearly average temperature is 13 Celsius degrees. Therefore the more acclimatisable tropical animals don't need heated houses.
The area of my zoo is 30 hectares.
I've chosen 9 interesting and threatened ecoregions, which are the followings:
-Caucasus mixed forests
-Northeast Congolian lowland rainforests
-Japurá-Solimoes-Negro moist forests
-Northern Swahili coastal forests
-Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
-Sumatran lowland rainforests
-South New Guinea lowland rainforests
-South Central Rocky Mountains forests
-Patagonian steppes
Feel free to ask your questions
To be continued with the full species list.
HB

 

I am looking forward to this.

Location nearby Milan is a very good choice, high density local population plus massive number of tourists with 2 (3) major airports around, wealthy potential sponsors (automotive, fashion brands...). With a few downsizes like smog during winter, weaker public transport (thus you need to plan with larger car park) and locals not used to visit zoos frequently (increase your budget for advertisement to reach foreign tourists).

Your choice of ecoregions on display is nice, but maybe throw in at least one desert or swamp location to make it more diverse. And if there could be one nice flamingo flock included...

Do you plan zoo map that would include also visitors and staff amenities? How about something like rough investment plan (with pricetags), plan of staff including seasonal hospitality etc, you know - that boring economic side of things. Will you include some hard to get species or use only animals that can be easily sourced now within EAZA/private breeders?

 

Hi!
I didn't even know about half of the details you mentioned Milan to be honest. I just thought: wow, there's a city with 1.3 million inhabitants, and they have no zoo! Their climate is quite nice, and a huge amount of tourists visit Milan. Let's put my zoo into this place!
Thanks for the things about Milan you mentioned.
Yes, I intend to do a detailed zoo map.
Economic side? Well, I've never seen plans about it in any speculative zoo on ZC, so I'm not sure I'll do it.
On species list, I'd like to avoid Haliaeetus's mistake, so I'd only keep animals which are kept in some European zoos or easily achievable from the aquarist shop on the corner

 

I appreciate the details you already mentioned, as they show that you are doing quite good research.

I also think your selection of ecoregions is quite nice, as you have selected some that aren't as well known or well-represented in zoos, and as you have included both dry and moist and tropical and temperate ecoregions.

I am looking forward to seeing your designs and ideas, and I will be following this thread.

I do have one suggestion: if any ecoregions perhaps proves to offer too few available species, I would suggest perhaps including some species not currently found in European zoos, but that are related to species that are, and thus could probably conceivably be kept in zoos.

 

Milan had a mediocre zoo in 1983. The only interesting species I remember was a Cape fox. The Natural History Museum was interesting. I remember a model of a Tanystropheus. Tanystropheus and Askeptosaurus

 

Species list of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion
If more than one species are in the same row this means that they have common enclosure (mixed species exhibit)
I showed key species with bold.

Mammals
Canis lupus occidentalis+Ursus americanus
Procyon lotor+Erethizon dorsatum
Lynx rufus
Castor canadensis
Tamias sibiricus (non-native, replacement of Tamias minimus)
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Bison bison bison+Cervus canadensis nelsoni

Birds
Aix sponsa+Spatula clypeata+Anas platyrhyncos+Anas acuta+Histrionicus histrionicus+Pelecanus erythorhyncos
Grus canadensis
Cathartes aura
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Strix nebolusa
Meleagris gallopavo
Cyanocitta cristatus (not kept in Europe, import is needed)

Reptiles
Pituophis catenifer
Crotalus viridis

Don't worry, I will make detailed descriptions about the exhibits after the completion of the whole species list.

 

This is only one ecoregion and it sounds interesting already. Certainly seems like a strong animal roster so far.

 

The next part of the species list is Patagonian steppe. Key species are still bold.
Dolichotis patagonum+Lama guanicoe+Rhea pennata
Lagidium viscacia
Arctocephalus australis


Spheniscus magellanicus+Tachyeres pterenes
Spatula cyanoptera+Cygnus melanocoryphus+Coscoroba coscoroba+Mareca sybilatrix+Chloephaga picta+Phoenicopterus chilensis (@Jana here comes your flamingo flock)
Condor gryphus
Athene cunicularia
Podiceps gallardoi
Cyanoliseus patagonicus
Next items of the species list will be animals from Japurá-Solimoes-Negro moist forests.

 

Hoping to see a few monkeys in the next one. Perhaps a capuchin? My mother loves capuchins. X3

 

Japurá-Solimoes-Negro moist forests species list
Choloepus didactylus+Saguinus labiatus+Ancistrus temnickii+Carnegiella strigata+Corydoras aeneus+Hemigrammus hyanuary (paludarium)
Tamandua tetradactyla+Mico chrysoleucos (not kept in European zoos, import is needed)
Ateles paniscus+Dasyprocta agouti+Crax alector
Saimiri sciurius+Pithecia pithecia+Dasyprocta agouti
Carollia perspcillata+Cuniculus paca
Desmodus rotundus
Speothos venaticus
Panthera onca
Eira barbara
Pteronura brasiliensis
Hydrovhaerus hydrochaeris+Podocnemis expansa
Eupryga helias
Mycteria americana+Dendrocygna viduata+Cairina moschata+Cochlearius cochlearius+Eudocimus ruber+Platalea ajaja
Harpia harpyja
Ramphastos tucanus
Pulsatrix perspcillata
Aratinga nanday+Dasyprocta agouti
Ara ararauna+Ara chloroptera+Saimiri sciurius
Corallus caninus
Boa constrictor
Lachesis muta
Iguana iguana
Tupinambis teguexin
Melanosuchus niger
Chelus fimbriatus
Basiliscus basiliscus
Arapaima gigas+Colossoma macropomum
Electrophorus electricus
Astronotus ocellatus
Heros severus+Plecostomus
Monocirrhus polyacanthus
Anostomus ternetzi+Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis+Paracheirodon axelrodi+Pterophyllum altum+Symphsodon discus+Plecostomus
Pygocentrus nattereri
Next part is Caucasus mixed forests.

 

Caucasus mixed forests species list
Hemiechinus auritus
Micromys minutus
Sciurus anomalus
Capra cylindricornis
Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra (to replace R. rupicapra caucasica)
Panthera tigris altaica (to replace P. tigris virgata)
Panthera pardus tulliana/saxicolor/ciscaucasica (what is the correct scientific name???)
Felis chaus
Hyaena hyaena
Vormela peregrusna

Anas strepera+Aythya ferina+Bucephala clangula+Cygnus cygnus+Platalea leucorodia
Gypaetus barbatus
Tetrao mlokosiewiczi (not kept in European zoos, import is needed)
Bubo bubo

Mertensiella caucasica
Vipera kaznakovi

Next part is East Himalayan subalpine conifer forests.

 

Really hoping to see Ailurus fulgens in the next batch. X3

 

Tulliana should result in being the correct scientific name for this species. I also wanted to mention that the species lists that you have shown so far, have quite been intriguing to me; and thus, they have certainly made your thread become one of my favorite speculative zoo threads that I have seen in recent months.

 

Ah, I see. Just thought you hadn't seen it, my mistake.

 

Here are the remaining parts of the species list in one post. @TeaLovingDave I've already started to do the detailed description of So. Central Rockies forests, hopefully it'll be done by today evening.
East Himalayan subalpine conifer forests
Ailurus fulgens styani (not kept in European zoos, American import is needed)+Muntiacus muntjac
Budorcas taxicolor+Moschus moschiferius (to replace M. chrysogaster)+Grus nigricollis+Anser indicus
Neofelis nebulosa
Macaca mulatta
Naemorhadus goral+Hemitragus jemlahicus
Tragopan satyra
Lophophorus impejanus
Gyps himalayensis
Aquila nipalensis
Gracula religiosa+Leiothrix argentauris+Pyconotus jocosus

Northern Swahili coastal forests
Colobus angolensis palliatus+Cephalophus natalensis
Chlorocebus pygerythrus (kept in only one insitution in Europe, import is probably needed)+Tragelaphus imberbis
Hystrix africaeaustralis+Helogale parvula
Heterohyrax brucei+Eilodon helvum+Tockus deckeni
Galago senegalensis
Rhynchocyon petersi
Aepyceros melampus+Hippotragus niger+Equus quagga granti+Acryllium vulturinum
Panthera leo
Lycaon pictus
Civettictis civetta
Alopochen aegyptica+Balearica gibbericeps+Scopus umbretta+Mycteria ibis
Gyps rueppeli
Agapornis personatus+Oena capensis+Crinifer concolor
Trioceros jacksoni
Dendroaspis angusticeps

Sumatran lowland rainforests
Pongo abelii+Symphalangus syndactylus
Macaca fascicularis
Ursus malayanus+Arctictis binturong
Callosciurus prevostii
Tupaia glis
Hemigalus derbyanus (kept in only one insitution in Europe, import is probably needed)
Nycticebus coucang
Garrulax leucophus+Rollulus roulroul+Gallus gallus+Pitta moluccensis+Psittacula alexanderi
Buceros bicornis
Leptoptilos javanicus
Tomistoma schlegeli
Gekko gecko
Python reticulatus
Ophiophagus hannah
Varanus salvator
Boiga dendrophila
Scleropages formosus+Chromobotia macracantha+Crossocheilus oblongus
Scatophagus argus
Anabas testudineus
Boraras maculatus+Trigonostigma heteromorpha+Pangio oblonga+Trichopsis vittata+Kryptopterus bicirrhis
Puntius tetrazona+Trichopodus trichopterus
Betta imbellis+Trigonostigma heteromorpha

Northeast Congolian lowland rainforests
Syncerus nanus+Papio anubis
Allochlorocebus lhoesti+Okapia johnstoni (common indoor)
Cercopithecus hamlyni
Cricetomys gambianus
Numida meleagris+Psittacus erithacus+Tauraco leucolophus+Treron calva
Afropavo congensis
Balanicaeps rex
Gypohierax angolensis
Stephanoaetus coronatus
Ctenopoma acurirostre+Microctenopoma ansorgii+Phenacogrammus interruptus+Pantodon buchholzi

South New Guinea lowland rainforests
Dendrolagus goodfellowi+Thylogale brunni
Notamacropus agilis
Dactylopsia trivirgata (not kept in European zoos, import is needed)
Tachyglossus aculeatus
Hydromys chrysogaster
Phalanger gymnotis
Casuaricus casuaricus
Threskiornis spinicollis+Tadorna radjah+Bubulcus ibis
Goura sclateri+Trichoglossus haematodus
Eclectus roratus
Paradisea apoda
Cicinnurus regius
Carettochelys insclupta

84 mammal taxa (1 Monotremata, 5 Marsupialia, 2 Xenarthra, 1 Insectivora, 1 Macroscelidia, 16 Rodentia, 19 Carnivora, 3 Chiroptera, 17 Primates, 1 Hyracoidea, 1 Perissodactyla, 17 Artiodactyla)
89 bird txa
21 reptile taxa
1 amphibian species
34 bony fish species
229 taxa

 

I really love the species list you've made. It's a nice mixture of familiar and obscure, whilst still for the most part feeling realistic. I look forward to the descriptions.

 

After doing a map sketch of my zoo. I've realized that the visitor route starts with Patagonian steppes. Unfortunately I did the map of South Central Rockies forests instead of the Patagonian steppes. You can see it here: South Central Rockies forests part of my ecoregion zoo - ZooChat
I'd like to apologise because of the problem, description of the correct part will be done by tomorrow evening.