If you could, how would you alter the Tropical Forest building? Would you change the collection's species, habitat design, or flora, and if so, how?
The most important thing to do in my opinion, is to add outdoor exhibits for some of the residents. I think the Baird's Tapirs and Giant Anteater already have outdoor access. I'd add a mixed species outdoor exhibit for the Pygmy Hippopotamus and the Mandrills, and then make a new outdoor exhibit for the Western Lowland Gorilla troop. The gorillas already did have an outdoor exhibit, but I think that is where the crane yards are now.
there's no space to put hippo/mandrill outdoors. the only area available is nearly six hundred feet away from their holding areas facing the giraffe exhibit. there is no way to structually do chute access to this area without taking away the visitor exit. I doubt if funds were even available they'd construct something forcing the hippo to use ramps and go over visitors heads to an outdoor exhibit. this area is extremely steep and would be a nightmare for constructing an exhibit and visitor viewing.
Sorry, I wasn't familiar with the overall layout of FPZ. A shame that they can't be granted outdoor access, but it sounds like it would just cost too much and would be too complex in terms of moving the hippo and mandrills.
TF I think that they should turn The Current TF in to a New World Rainforest exhibit by adding some species like Jaguars, Manatees, River Otters and Toucans and maybe make a second tf for the african animals where butterfly landing is.
They should make the Tropical Forest into a big Australia Dome, with indoor exhibits for koalas, kangaroos/emus, wallabies, lizards, possums, etc. The outdoor exhibits should be for the kangaroos, emus, koalas, wallabies, etc.
It would be cool to build a second building to focus on primates with outdoor exhibits for the gorillas, mandrills and a few new species (bonobos, orangutans) and indoor exhibits for lemurs and new species(howler monkeys, sifakas, a few tamarin species, langue monkeys) and turn the current exhibit into a bird- based exhibit but with expanded habitats for the capybara, anteater and pygmy hippo
I'd pick one area of the world- Tropical Africa or Tropical America- and house exclusively those animals. If Africa: Focus on Nigeria. Combine the hyena, tapir, and bird exhibits between the building and Giraffe Entrance to make one outdoor gorilla exhibit. Indoors, combine the tapir and anteater exhibits to become part of an expanded gorilla exhibit. Combine the pygmy hippo with the capybara exhibit to make a larger pygmy hippo exhibit. Mix the hippos with mandrills, but maintain a dedicated mandrill exhibit where they can go to get away from the hippos. Add dedicated exhibits for dwarf crocodiles and yellow-backed duikers. Keep the saddle-billed storks in a dedicated exhibit. Free flying birds can be rose-ringed parakeets, grey parrots, Senegal parrots, cattle egrets, African pygmy geese, fulvous whistling ducks, common pochards, and palm nut vulture. Have a nice-sized pond exhibit where they can get away from other animals. If Tropical America: Focus on Panama and call the whole complex Panama Peril. Combine the hyena, tapir, and bird exhibits between the building and Giraffe Entrance to make an exhibit for Baird's tapirs. Also, have an exhibit for American flamingos (I know they're not from Panama) to greet visitors coming in from the Giraffe Entrance. Indoors, maintain dedicated exhibits for tapirs, ocelots, black handed spider monkeys, American crocodile, and Panamanian golden frogs. Have free flying birds such as cattle egrets, roseate spoonbills, king vulture, keel-billed toucan, great green macaws, boat-billed herons, and sunbittern.
