KevinB's Exhibit and Zoo ideas and designs

I have decided to post my future exhibit and zoo ideas and designs in this personal thread.

From now I will be posting all such content in this thread. I had been considering making this thread for some time, but recently I realized I now had to actually do it if I wanted to be able to continue fantasy zoo activities. I am not going to promise any kind of schedule for submissions to this thread as not to put pressure on myself. I will also be giving myself a lot of choice and rein in terms of which ideas I will develop and how I develop them.

I am going to start this thread off with the completion of a project I started early this year in one of the assignment threads, namely my Realms of the Amazon project, originally started for the thread "Make an exhibit with that theme". After that I will be starting development on another bird project with the working title "Wild Congo", as I was assigned Congo in that same thread for after the completion of my Amazon project. As the original thread and its original starter have not been active for months I decided not to further bump the thread and move these projects to my personal thread, where I believe they will serve quite well as openers.

The two first parts of the Realms of the Amazon project can be found at the links below. They were the Realm of the Harpy Eagle and the Jaguar, focusing on Amazonian carnivores, and the Realm of the Capybara and the Saki, focusing on the ground-dwelling and arboreal mammals of Amazonia as well as on wetland bird species.

Make an Exhibit with that theme
Make an Exhibit with that theme

I will now move on to the discussion and description of the third part of Realms of the Amazon, "The Realms of the Hoatzin and the Macaw", which focuses on the avifauna of the Amazon Basin and the Amazon biome.

Realms of the Amazon - The Realm of the Hoatzin and the Macaw

Design

Realms of the Amazon - The Realms of the Hoatzin and the Macaw by KevinB posted 6 Jun 2021 at 1:02 PM

In the discussion below dotted lists represent the different species in mixed exhibits and striped lists represent different species kept in the different exhibits of an area, building or complex.

As can been from the design, this realm will feature a central large trail surrounding the Amazon Bird Jungle complex, with smaller looping trails to and from this area to give visitors access to different exhibits or exhibit complexes. Some of the exhibits will be able to be seen from both the central trail and the loop trails.

Amazon Bird Jungle complex

Amazon Bird Jungle walk-through tropical house and Amazon Bird Jungle outdoor walk-through aviary

The Amazon Bird Jungle main building will be a very large and tall tropical house, something like for example Burgers' Bush at Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands, with a walk-through rainforest habitat housing mostly medium and smaller bird species. As this house will attempt to show as well as possible in a human care setting the healthy habitats of Amazonia, lots of native flora will be included, including species that are of interest or economic importance to or have interesting uses to humans. These species will be included in the education on the importance for humanity of preserving the Amazon's ecosystems and ecosystem services.

The very large indoor exhibit will have with a lush rainforest vegetation, a series of pools, creeks and islands, a sizable number of ground level, adventurous and canopy trails, different kinds of nesting facilities catering to the different species provided in numerous locations and a number of feeding platforms of different sizes and types and in different locations (i.e. on poles, hanging in trees, at ground level, large and small), placed both within direct view of visitors and in more distanced locations. The outdoor aviary will be able to be used by the birds during the warmer months and will feature a lush vegetation of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees, and will also have creeks, pools, islands and feeding areas.

The building will feature four education areas to educate visitors about the ecosystems and the avifauna of the Amazon and on the preservation of Amazonia. But education will also be present elsewhere throughout this facility. This house will also feature an area with a food and drink stand, terraces and restroom for guests. This area will be netted off from the birds for their safety, but viewing into the bird areas will still be possible.

Species kept in the Amazon Bird Jungle:

• Black-winged trumpeter or Dark-winged trumpeter (Psophia obscura or Psophia viridis obscura)
• Azure gallinule (Porphyrio flavirostris)
• Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias)
• Screaming piha (Lipaugus vociferans)
• Black-faced cotinga (Conioptilon mcilhennyi)
• Rufous-winged ground cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis)
• Bearded bellbird, Campanero or Anvil-bird (Procnias averano)
• Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
• Russet-crowned crake (Rufirallus viridis)
• Pompadour cotinga (Xipholena punicea)
• Tui parakeet (Brotogeris sanctithomae)
• Orange-cheeked parrot or Barraband’s parrot (Pyrilia barrabandi)
• Rondônia bushbird (Clytoctantes atrogularis)
• Purple-breasted cotinga (Cotinga cotinga)
• Brown-chested barbet or Cinnamon-breasted barbet (Capito brunneipectus)
• Blue ground dove (Claravis pretiosa)
• Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail (Odontophorus speciosus)
• Red-rumped cacique (Cacicus haemorrhous)
• Golden-collared honeycreeper (Iridophanes pulcherrimus)
• Crestless curassow (Mitu tomentosum)
• Cinnamon attila (Attila cinnamomeus)
• Orange-backed troupial or Orange-backed oriole (Icterus croconotus)
• Barred antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus)
• Rufous-bellied euphonia (Euphonia rufiventris)
• Ferruginous-backed antbird (Myrmoderus ferrugineus)
• Rio Branco antbird (Cercomacra carbonaria)
• Scaled antpitta (Grallaria guatimalensis)
• Pavonine quetzal (Pharomachrus pavoninus)
• Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
• Red-capped cardinal (Paroaria gularis)
• Blue-gray tanager (Thraupis episcopus)
• Green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza)
• Wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda)
• Snow-capped manakin (Lepidothrix nattereri)

The Amazon Bird Jungle will form a complex with three sizable domes representing different habitats and species groups: the Tepui Dome, the Hummingbird and Butterfly Dome and the Wetland Dome, which will be discussed below.

Tepui Dome

This dome will feature species from the tepuis (isolated table-top mountains or mesas) of the Guiana Shield, situated in a region including parts of Brazil, Guiana and Venezuela. The climate and vegetation of this dome will be somewhat different from that in the Amazon Bird Jungle house, to represent the unique ecosystems of the tepuis. The dome will also feature several mock rock structures, partially clad with vegetation and with scattered small waterfalls, mimicking the tepuis and the waterfalls and streams that sometimes flow from them. The dome will feature a large walk-through exhibit, three smaller aviaries and a series of terrariums built into one of the tepui rock structures. Visitors will be able to climb onto the top of one of the mock tepuis.

1) Mixed walk-through exhibit with tepui bird species

• Red-banded fruiteater (Pipreola whitelyi)
• Guianan cock-of-the-rock (Rupicola rupicola)
• Rose-collared piha (Lipaugus streptophorus)
• Tepui tinamou (Crypturellus ptaritepui)
• Tepui brushfinch (Atlapetes personatus)
• Greater flowerpiercer (Diglossa major)
• Tepui antpitta or Brown-breasted antpitta (Myrmothera simplex)
• Tepui whitestart or Tepui redstart (Myioborus castaneocapilla)
• Tepui vireo (Vireo sclateri)
• Tepui foliage-gleaner or White-throated foliage-gleaner (Syndactyla roraimae)

2) Tepui toucanet or Whitely's toucanet (Aulacorhynchus whitelianus)

3) Fiery-shouldered parakeet or Fiery-shouldered conure (Pyrrhura egregia) and Tepui tinamou (Crypturellus ptaritepui)

4) Tepui parrotlet (Nannopsittaca panychlora) and Tepui tinamou (Crypturellus ptaritepui)

5) Tepui Amphibian and reptile terrariums

- Pantepuisaurus rodriguesi
- Roraima black frog or Roraima bush toad (Oreophrynella quelchii)
- Tepuis tree frog (Stefania ginesi)
- Monte Duida tree frog (Tepuihyla aecii)
- Hoogmoed's tree frog (Boana roraima)
- Anomaloglossus roraima​

Hummingbird and Butterfly Dome

The lush vegetation in this dome will be similar to the Amazon Bird Jungle, but the temperature and humidity will be a little bit higher. The vegetation in this dome will be dotted with numerous nectar and fruit feeders for the hummingbirds and butterflies housed here. The dome will feature a large walk-through exhibit as well as a series of separate hummingbird aviaries. Ground level and canopy trails for visitors will be present in this dome.

1) Mixed walk-through exhibit with hummingbirds, honeycreepers, quails and butterflies

• Crimson topaz (Topaza pella)
• Tapajós hermit (Phaethornis aethopygus)
• White-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)
• Fork-tailed woodnymph (Thalurania furcata)
• Red-legged honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)
• Starred wood quail (Odontophorus stellatus)
• Thoas swalloswtail (Papilio thoas)
• Morpho telemachus
• Red rim or Crimson-banded black(Biblis hyperia)
• Illinissa glasswing (Hyposcada illinissa)
• Brown peacock, Scarlet peacock or Red peacock (Anartia amathea)
• Papilio zagreus
• Parides aenaes
• Periander metalmark or Variable beautymark (Rhetus periander)
• Godart's Agrias (Prepona claudina)
• Forest giant owl (Caligo eurilochus)
• Scarce bamboo page or Dido longwing (Philaethria dido)
• Tiger longwing, Hecale longwing, Golden longwing or Golden heliconian (Heliconius hecale)
• Red postman, Small postman, Red passion flower butterfly or Crimson-patched longwing (Heliconius erato)
• Doris longwing (Heliconius doris)
• Wallace's longwing (Heliconius wallacei)
• Sara longwing (Heliconius sara)
• Hermathena longwing (Heliconius hermathena)
• Helenor blue morpho or Common blue morpho (Morpho helenor)

2) Row of separate hummingbird aviaries (also including separation aviaries for dome)

- Gould's jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens)
- Black-throated mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis)
- Black-bellied thorntail (Discosura langsdorffi)
- Rufous-breasted sabrewing (Campylopterus hyperythrus)
- Ruby-topaz hummingbird (Chrysolampis mosquitus)
- White-chinned sapphire (Chlorestes cyanus)

Wetland Dome

The Wetland Dome will be the only of three domes connected to outdoor exhibits. This dome, focusing on habitats such as riversides, waterfront, marshes, flooded forests (Igapo and Varzéa) and river islands, will feature the indoor exhibits for 5 outdoor exhibits and two indoor exhibits, one of which will be a walk-through wetland exhibit with a boardwalk. The lush vegetation in the two indoor exhibits in the dome will be dominated by wetland plant species from Amazonia, with the jacana exhibit including the Amazonian giant water lily (Victoria amazonica).

The outdoor exhibits will feature grassy, sandy and mulch-floored land areas, wetland vegetation, shrubs and trees surrounding pools, creeks and islands, and the indoor exhibits for the species with outdoor access will have mulch, sand or hard floors and will feature live vegetation trees as well as dead trees and branches for perching. Nesting platforms and feeding areas will be provided both indoors and outdoors.

1) Mixed aviary

• Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)
• Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica)
• Western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)
• Capped heron (Pilherodius pileatus)
• Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
• American darter or Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)

2) Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata)

3) Neotropic cormorant or Olivaceous cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)

4) Wattled curassow (Crax globulosa) and Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus)

5) Amazon kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona)

6) Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) and American pygmy kingfisher (Chloroceryle aenea)

7) Walk-through indoor wetland, flooded forest and river island exhibit with boardwalk

• Castelnau's antshrike (Thamnophilus cryptoleucus)
• Parker's spinetail or White-breasted spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula)
• Lesser wagtail-tyrant (Stigmatura napensis)
• Pearly-breasted conebill (Conirostrum margaritae)
• Várzea piculet (Picumnus varzeae)
• Plum-throated cotinga (Cotinga maynana)
• Lesser hornero (Furnarius minor)
• Várzea Schiffornis, Várzea mourner or Greater Schiffornis (Schiffornis major)
• Hoary-throated spinetail (Synallaxis kollari)
• Várzea thrush (Turdus sanchezorum)

Amazonia walk-through aviary

This will be a very large, tall walk-through aviary with a ground level trail and a canopy trail. The aviary will sit next to a large tall bird house will walls partially covered with climbing vegetation and partially consisting of exposed brick and mock rock. The aviary will feature a series of pools and creeks with a few islands, grassy, sandy and mulch-floored land areas, a lush vegetation of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees, nesting facilities and feeding platforms.

Species list:

• Ochre-winged Trumpeter ( Psophia ochroptera or Psophia crepitans ochroptera)
• American purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus)
• Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
• Boat-billed flycatcher (Megarynchus pitangua)
• White bellbird (Procnias albus)
• Vulturine parrot (Pyrilia vulturina)
• Santarém parakeet (Pyrrhura amazonum)
• Masked fruiteater (Pipreola pulchra)
• Capuchinbird or Calfbird (Perissocephalus tricolor)
• Purple-throated fruitcrow (Querula purpurata)
• Scarlet-banded barbet (Capito wallacei)
• Squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana)
• Golden-tufted mountain grackle or Golden-tufted grackle (Macroagelaius imthurni)
• Scaled pigeon (Patagioenas speciosa)
• White-crested guan (Penelope pileata)
• Sapphire quail-dove (Geotrygon saphirina)

Large macaw walk-through aviary

This will be a large, tall aviary with tough and fast-growing live plants, grassy, sandy and mulch floors, a creek and pools. Due to the housing of parrots the aviary will have to be made entirely of metal and the vegetation will not be able to be as extensive and as lush as in some of the other aviaries.

The structure of the animals' living space will feature dead trees and branches and natural fiber ropes and nets for perching, climbing and chewing, hollow logs for nesting, feeding platforms, an enrichment wall based on a clay lick and enrichment platforms providing a variety of enrichment, such as materials to destroy and foraging-type enrichment, to keep these very smart birds occupied and enriched.

The large macaw aviary will feature a ground-level trail and a canopy trail, and the bird house for the macaw will be similar in structure to and in a complex with the bird house for the Amazon walk-through aviary. The indoor housing for the macaws will have mulch floors and will feature extensive climbing structures and a lot of enrichment materials (a "macaw jungle gym" so to speak).

• Hyacinth macaw or Hyacinthine macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
• Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)
• Blue-and-gold macaw or Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna)
• Razor-billed curassow (Mitu tuberosum)

Beni Savanna/Llanos de Moxos aviaries

These two aviaries will focus on the avifauna of the Beni Savanna, also known as the Llanos de Moxos, a tropical savanna ecosystem in northern Bolivia, situated in the upper Amazon Basin and surrounded by upper Amazonian rainforests.

The vegetation in the aviaries will be oriented towards recreating the Beni Savanna vegetation, which consists of mosaics of savannas and wetlands, with islands of forest and gallery forests along rivers, through areas with tall and short grasses and herbaceous plants surrounding groves of shrubs and trees and pools and creeks with adjacent vegetation. The building with the indoor housing will be wood-finished on the smaller bird aviary side, and brick-finished on the macaw side. The indoor aviaries will be similar to those for the aviaries discussed above, but at a smaller scale. The building will feature an indoor viewing area.

1) Blue-throated macaw aviary

• Blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis)
• Speckled chachalaca (Ortalis guttata)

2) Beni Savanna/Llanos de Moxos smaller bird aviary

• Rusty-collared seedeater (Sporophila collaris ochrascen)
• Streamer-tailed tyrant (Gubernetes yetapa)
• Hauxwell's thrush (Turdus hauxwelli)
• White-eyed attila or Dull-capped attila (Attila bolivianus)
• Undulated tinamou (Crypturellus undulatus)

Medium Parrot walk-through aviary

This aviary will be fairly similar to the large macaw aviary, but with the animal facilities, structural components and enrichment materials adapted to be suitable for medium-sized parrot species.

• Sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis)
• Hawk-headed parrot or Red-fan parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus)
• Golden conure, Golden parakeet or Queen of Bavaria conure (Guaruba guarouba)
• Orange-winged amazon, Orange-winged parrot and Loro guaro (Amazona amazonica)
• Southern festive amazon (Amazona festiva)
• Dusky parrot or Dusky pionus (Pionus fuscus)
• Blue-throated piping guan (Pipile cumanensis)
• American comb duck (Sarkidiornis sylvicola)

Wings of Amazonia bird house

This will be a traditional style bird house, but with modern indoor and outdoor exhibits.The building, which will have section of brick wall and sections of mock rock walls partially covered by climbing plants and plants placed in planters, will have the very rough shape of a bird wing. Located centrally in building will be a large nursery and a series of raising/spare aviaries. This area will also include an off-show space where keepers can prepare food and take care of birds off-show when needed.

The indoor visitor area will be darker than the indoor aviaries, which will have large skylights to provide natural light. The indoor and outdoor aviaries will be based on tropical forest habitats and will feature live plants. The accommodations and furnished of the aviaries, including type and amount of vegetation and the feeding, nesting and enrichment facilities will differ between the different aviaries in the complex, as they will be determined based on the needs and characteristics of the different species kept.

- Cuvier’s toucan (Ramphastos cuvieri) and Nocturnal curassow (Nothocrax urumutum)
- Ariel toucan (Ramphastos ariel) and Red-throated piping guan (Pipile cujubi)
- Belém curassow (Crax pinima)
- Gould's toucanet (Selenidera gouldii)
- Red-billed toucanet or Golden-collared toucanet (Selenidera reinwardtii)
- Tawny-tufted toucanet (Selenidera nattereri)
- Many-banded araçari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus)
- Eastern red-necked araçari or Brazilian red-necked araçari (Pteroglossus bitorquatus)
- Peach-fronted parakeet or Peach-fronted conure (Eupsittula aurea) and Little chachalaca (Ortalis motmot)
- Manu parrotlet or Amazonian parrotlet (Nannopsittaca dachilleae) and Starred wood quail (Odontophorus stellatus)
- Dusky-headed parakeet, Weddell's conure or Dusky-headed conure (Aratinga weddellii) and Marbled wood-quail (Odontophorus gujanensis)
- Amazonian motmot (Momotus momota)
- Amazonian royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus) and Rufous-sided crake (Laterallus melanophaius)
- White-crowned manakin (Pseudopipra pipra)
- Lanceolated monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata)
- Chestnut-headed nunlet (Nonnula amaurocephala)
- Great jacamar (Jacamerops aureus)
- Chestnut-capped puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus)
- Gilded barbet (Capito auratus)
- Cream-colored woodpecker (Celeus flavus)
- Crimson-crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos)
- Orinoco piculet (Picumnus pumilus)
- Amazonian Oropendola (Psarocolius yuracares)
- Casqued cacique or casqued oropendola (Cacicus oseryi)​

Small parrot walk-through aviary

Similar to the other two walk-through parrot aviaries, but with facilities adapted to be appropriate for small parrot species.

• Crimson-bellied conure or Crimson-bellied parakeet (Pyrrhura perlata)
• Rose-fronted conure or Rose-fronted parakeet (Pyrrhura roseifrons)
• Black-headed caique or Black-headed parrot (Pionites melanocephalus)
• Brown-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula pertinax)
• Sapphire-rumped parrotlet (Touit purpuratus)
• White-winged parakeet or Canary-winged parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus)
• Grey tinamou (Tinamus tao)
• Stripe-faced wood quail (Odontophorus balliviani)

Passerine walk-through aviary

This aviary will have lush vegetation both indoors and outdoors and will feature shallow creeks and pools, small nesting facilities and small feeding platforms on poles and hanging from branches. This aviary will house sometimes sizable flocks of different, mostly small passerine species.

• Striolated manakin or Western striped manakin (Machaeropterus striolatus)
• Red-crowned ant tanager (Habia rubica)
• Tawny-crowned greenlet (Tunchiornis ochraceiceps)
• Olive-backed foliage-gleaner (Automolus infuscatus)
• Long-winged antwren (Myrmotherula longipennis)
• Point-tailed palmcreeper (Berlepschia rikeri)
• Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus)
• Paradise tanager (Tangara chilensis)
• Opal-crowned tanager (Tangara callophrys)
• Bay-headed tanager (Tangara gyrola)
• Chestnut-crested antbird (Rhegmatorhina cristata)
• Peruvian recurvebill (Syndactyla ucayalae)
• Variegated tinamou (Crypturellus variegatus)

Large aviary loop

This loop will feature six large aviaries, which will look somewhat like those in the "Raptor village" area at Pairi Daiza in Belgium. Indoor housing will provided in three wood-finished buildings, each servicing two aviaries. The aviaries will feature grass, sand or mulch floors, live shrubs and trees, dead trees and rocks for perching, pools and creeks and nesting platforms.

Maguari stork (Ciconia maguari) and Buff-necked ibis or White-throated ibis (Theristicus caudatus)

Wood stork (Mycteria americana) and Rufescent tiger heron (Tigrisoma lineatum)

Black-collared hawk (Busarellus nigricollis)

Lesser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus)

Great black hawk (Buteogallus urubitinga)

Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)

Hoatzin and macaw area

The exhibits in this area will be located on either side of the Hoatzin and macaw café and terraces.

Mini macaw aviary
This will be a mixed walk-through aviary, similar to the previously discussed parrot aviaries, for so-called "mini macaws" (medium-sized true macaws from the tribe Arini).

• Red-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)
• Chestnut-fronted macaw or Severe macaw (Ara severus)
• Blue-headed macaw or Coulon's macaw (Primolius couloni)
• Horned curassow or Southern helmeted curassow (Pauxi unicornis)

Hoatzin house and aviary

Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) will be housed in a greenhouse and an aviary with grass and mulch floors, live shrubs and trees and pools and creeks surrounding vegetated islands.

Ambassador bird collection and bird presentation area

This area will feature the Ambassador bird collection building, containing a small indoor presentation area and the ambassador bird indoor aviaries and surrounded by the outdoor aviaries for the ambassador birds, an off-show outdoor bird training area with an open-topped training ground and a training aviary and finally the large outdoor bird presentation area with grandstands for visitors, which will be partially covered by a shade structure for visitor comfort. The presentations will feature some spectacular free flight elements, but will be very clearly oriented towards education on the adaptations of bird species and on the conservation of their habitats.

The ambassador bird collection will feature the following species that will be trained to participate presentations:

- Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)
- Laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)
- Red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) and Guira cuckoo (Guira guira)
- Green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus)
- Hawk-headed parrot or Red-fan parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus) and Golden conure, Golden parakeet or Queen of Bavaria conure (Guaruba guarouba)
- Sun conure or Sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) and Crimson-bellied conure or Crimson-bellied parakeet (Pyrrhura perlata)
- Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco)
- Guianan toucanet (Selenidera piperivora)
- White bellbird (Procnias albus) and Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus)
- Horned screamer (Anhima cornuta), Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)​

Animal services building

This will be a building for all kinds of services needed for the care and husbandry of tropical birds.
The building will feature viewing windows into a room with breeding aviaries, a bird vet room, a quarantine room and rooms food prep and storage and enrichment prep and storage, with appropriate education on the purpose of these rooms provided.

This complex will also feature a few on-show spare aviaries as well as off-show indoor and outdoor spare and breeding aviaries. The building will also feature additional off-show rooms with similar usage as those with viewing windows and further off-show animal services areas such as storage areas, staff rooms and offices for animal-related administration.

Next up in thread will be the final part of Realms of the Amazon, the Realms of the Boto and the Caiman, which will feature amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and aquatic species of Amazonia. I have already come up with a concept idea for that realm, but as I still have to draw out the design and select the species it will be at least a few weeks before I will be posting it.

 

Unfortunately there will be further delays with my fantasy zoo projects.

My laptop recently crashed due to hard drive failure and it will be a while before I have a fully running personal computer available again.

I luckily did not loose anything in terms of my photos, other than a map with selections of older images for posting in the gallery. That just means I'll have to redo the selection and editing of those photos, which only requires time.

I did however loose some documents with fantasy zoo notes, ideas and drawings (or at least the most recent versions of those) as well as some downloaded papers I was planning to use as information sources for fantasy projects.

So, while nothing has been lost that is truly irreparable, I don't expect to be truly up and running again with anything again this month. I'm afraid any further gallery postings or fantasy zoo work will not be happening until at least early July.

 

Do you know if there will be any updates here? These exhibits are really good!

 

I'm still willing to continue the projects that are in my head and my notes, but due to health issues and real life stuff I just haven't been able to find energy or time to work on fantasy zoo materials lately.

I really still want there to be updates one day, as soon as possible, but I cannot at all guarantee there will be.

I am however going to try and look into ways to get at least something done for this thread again, as soon as possible.

 

It’s most important that you think of yourself first, fantasy zoos can always come later.

 

Unfortunately I have to say that at this point and given some recent events, there is really no realistic chance at this point of me ever resuming any fantasy projects. Although I will be keeping my notes, just in case, I have decided to give up on the idea to continue working them out further.

I ask this topic not be locked, again just in case, but it is extremely unlikely there will ever be another update. I think it is extremely likely my days of doing fantasy zoo stuff are sadly over.

 

Very few things are permanent, you can never tell what will happen. Even if you do stop, you will still be on my list of favorite fantasy zoo creators. I have taken inspiration from some of your work, and plan on doing fantasy zoo stuff in the near future. Either way, just take care of yourself, after all, things can only get better.

 

Things don't seem to be getting better and the problems and errors don't seem to be stopping, so I honestly see little hope for a major change for the better.

Today I also had to suspend my gallery postings and zoo visits, at least for several weeks to several months, so I don't think I'm even at rock bottom yet.

Thank you for you nice comments. I still want to do this stuff and I hope one day I'll be able to/have the energy to, but I am not getting my hopes up at all at this point.

 

Everything I said was from personal experience with mental health issues, actually.

 

I have done a bit more thinking and I am looking at things differently than I was yesterday, when the situation was still a bit more heated. Taking stuff away from myself is not going to help me get better, I have now - once more - realized and is also not warranted for the error I made, however stupid it was, but that I have also corrected, although at a substantial energetic expense.

With regards to the fantasy zoo things, I am going to try to continue with those whenever I am able to energy and time-wise, but I will be whittling down my ideas and ongoing projects to something more manageable and less overly ambitious, but still somewhat like the last few projects I did complete.

 

Good for you!!! I am glad that you were able to think things through a little bit more!!!

 

For the last few months other activities and personal issues such a gallery postings and research, mental health and stress-related struggles and issues with the health of my pets (chickens) kept me away from working on my Amazon project. Recently I was finally able to complete the fourth and last part of it.

I am not completely satisfied with the design I came up with for this area, as I am for example unsure about the proportions and some of the animal mixes, but it was the best I could do.

Realms of the Amazon - The Realm of the Boto and the Caiman

Realms of the Amazon - The Realm of the Boto and the Caiman by KevinB posted 16 Oct 2021 at 3:58 PM

The striped lists below represent the different species kept in one of the areas. The different species in mixed exhibits are listed under the same stripe.

The design was drawn in such a manner that in the galleries only a general outline of the exhibit areas and off-show areas was drawn, without outlining or locating specific exhibits. I did it this way as it would otherwise have been impossible to get a design done.

Below I will as some further discussion on the different exhibits, although those will be relatively limited for my standards.

Boto and manatee exhibits

Species list

Boto or Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis geoffrensis)

Amazonian manatee, turtle and fish pools: Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), Arrau turtle, Giant South American river turtle or Giant Amazon River turtle (Podocnemis expansa), Pirapitinga or Red-bellied pacu (Piaractus brachypomus), Butterfly peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris), Disk tetra (Myloplus schomburgkii), Banded Leporinus (Leporinus fasciatus), Zebra shovelnose catfish (Brachyplatystoma tigrinum), Bigtooth river stingray or Tocantins River ray (Potamotrygon henlei), Silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), Ripsaw catfish or Cuiu cuiu (Oxydoras niger) and Lyre-tail pleco (Acanthicus hystrix)

Description

A series of five pools, three for the botos and two for the Amazonian manatees, turtles and fish, set in a greenhouse-type structure. The pools will be set in such a way that the water level is at or above visitor eye level, as in the Rio Negro exhibit at Zoo Duisburg (link included below) and will feature several large viewing acrylic windows as well as above water viewing areas. The pools will have partially sandy floors and partially hard floors, and will feature some large artificial branches and tree parts as structural materials and to recreate the environment of a flooded forest in the Amazon biome. The manatee pool will also feature several sets of islands and beaches for the Arrau river turtles to bask and lay eggs.

Rio Negro at Duisburg, 17/06/19 - ZooChat
Rio Negro at Duisburg, 17/06/19 - ZooChat
Rio Negro - view towards Orinoco dolphin exhibit 011219 - ZooChat

There will be an off-show area with off-show separation, medical and training pools for the botos and manatees, turtles and fish. Every main pool will also feature a publicly viewable feeding dock.

Aviary, Neotropical otters and Marsh deer

Species list

Aviary: Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla), Grey-cowled wood rail or Grey-necked wood rail (Aramides cajaneus), Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias), Amazon green-rumped parrot, Delicate parrotlet or Santarem passerine parrotlet (Forpus passerines deliciosus), Pale-vented pigeon (Patagioenas cayennensis) and White-headed marsh tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala)

Neotropical otter or Neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis)

Marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) [Mostly a species of areas south of the Amazon biome, but also occurs in parts of the Southern Amazon, such as in the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park and surrounding areas in the Madre de Dios department of Peru.]

Description

The aviary will be a wetland-based aviary with live plants of various types and heights and pools lines with open beaches and areas with wetland vegetation, both indoors and outdoors. Suitable feeding and nesting areas will be provided for all species.

The Neotropical river otter exhibit will have two underwater viewing areas (indoors and outdoors) and will consist of a series of pools and creeks of varying depths, surrounded by sandy and grassy beaches and land areas with planted areas and logs as structural materials.

The indoor housing for the aviary and the otters will be set within the boto/manatee greenhouse. There will be an off-show area with off-show holding and separation areas for the aviaries and the otters.

The two marsh deer paddocks will feature pools of varying depths, surrounding and surrounded by grassy land areas and islands with scattered trees and clumps of wetland vegetation like reeds. Indoor housing will be provided in a relatively simple brick barn.

Aquarium gallery

Species list

- Large fish lagoon: Pirarucu, Arapaima or Paiche (Arapaima gigas), Redtail catfish or Pirarara (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus), Ripsaw catfish or Cuiu cuiu (Oxydoras niger) , Golden dorado, River tiger or Jaw characin (Salminus brasiliensis), Black pacu or Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), Tiger sorubim (Pseudoplatystoma tigrinum), Giant wolf fish (Hoplias aimara), Discus ray, Manzana ray or Ceja ray (Paratrygon aiereba), Gilded catfish or Jau catfish (Zungaro zungaro), Silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and Lyre-tail pleco (Acanthicus hystrix)
- Ocellate river stingray or Peacock-eye river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro), Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus), Tucunare peacock bass (Cichla monoculus), Redhook myleus or Redhook silver dollar (Myloplus rubripinnis), Black Prochilodus (Prochilodus nigricans), Black arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) and Adonis pleco or Polka dot lyre-tail pleco (Acanthicus adonis)
- Xingu River ray, Black diamond stingray, White-blotched river stingray or Polka-dot stingray (Potamotrygon leopoldi), Flag-tailed Prochilodus or Kissing Prochilodus (Semaprochilodus insignis), Pink-tailed Chalceus (Chalceus macrolepidotus) and Amazon sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
- Chocolate cichlid or Emerald cichlid (Hypselecara temporalis)
- Parrot cichlid (Hoplarchus psittacus)
- South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa)
- Green severum cichlid (Heros efasciatus)
- Demon eartheater (Satanoperca jurupari) and Scobinancistrus aureatus
- Red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)
- Black piranha or Red-eye piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus)
- Violet line piranha or Gery's piranha (Serrasalmus geryi)
- Uaru cichlid or Triangle cichlid (Uaru amphiacanthoides)
- Speckled pavon, Speckled peacock bass, Painted pavon or Three-barred peacock bass (Cichla temensis)
- Brycon amazonicus and Tiger river stingray (Potamotrygon tigrina)
- Geophagus altifrons
- Marbled swamp eel, Neotropical swamp eel, Marmorated swamp eel or Mottled swamp eel (Synbranchus marmoratus)
- Red-finned pike cichlid (Crenicichla johanna) and Pearl river stingray (Potamotrygon jabuti)
- Threadfin acara or Heckel's thread-finned acara (Acarichthys heckelii) and Royal panaque or Royal pleco (Panaque nigrolineatus)
- Amazon leaffish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus)
- Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) and Spotted headstander or Pearl headstander (Chilodus punctatus)
- Teardrop angelfish or Dwarf angelfish (Pterophyllum leopoldi)
- Blue discus or Brown discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus), Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), Cockatoo dwarf cichlid (Apistogramma cacatuoides), Firehead tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri), Sterba's corydoras (Corydoras sterbai), Marbled hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata), Panda catfish (Corydoras panda) and Royal tetra (Inpaichthys kerri)
- Red discus or Heckel discus (Symphysodon discus), Agassiz's Dwarf Cichlid (Apistogramma agassizii) and Glass tetra (Moenkhausia oligolepis)
- Green discus (Symphysodon tarzoo) and Beacon fish, Beacon tetra, Bead-and-tail light tetra or Head-and-taillight tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer)
- Flag cichlid (Mesonauta festivus)
- Serpae tetra, Red minor tetra, Jewel tetra or Callistus tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques), Bronze Corydoras or Green Corydoras (Corydoras aeneus) and Zebra pleco (Hypancistrus zebra)
- Bleeding heart tetra (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma)
- Three-banded lizard tetra (Iguanodectes geisleri)
- Black phantom tetra (Hyphessobrycon megalopterus)
- Bucktooth tetra (Exodon paradoxus)
- Retroculus lapidifer
- Black-tailed payara (Hydrolycus armatus)
- Peruvian freshwater sole (Hypoclinemus mentalis)
- Farlowella gracilis
- Banjo catfish or Guitarrito (Bunocephalus coracoideus)
- Golden nugget pleco (Baryancistrus xanthellus) and Leporellus vittatus
- Bicuda pike-characin (Boulengerella cuiveri)
- Arowana tetra (Gnathocharax steindachneri) and L306 (Panaqolus claustellifer)
- Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi), Ornate tetra (Hyphessobrycon bentosi), Cochu's blue tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui), Skunk Corydoras (Corydoras arcuatus), Starlight bristlenose catfish or Bushymouth catfish (Ancistrus dolichopterus) and Silver hatchetfish, Spotfin silver hatchetfish, Spotted hatchetfish or Platinum hatchetfish (Thoracocharax stellatus)
- False rummy-nose tetra (Petitella georgiae), Lemon tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) and Clown Peckoltia (Peckoltia vittata)
- Striped Raphael catfish or Chocolate catfish (Platydoras armatulus)
- Brown Hoplo or Kwi kwi (Hoplosternum littorale)
- Three-lined Pencilfish (Nannostomus trifasciatus)
- Sailfin Pim or Achara Catfish (Leiarius marmoratus)
- Pictus catfish (Pimelodus pictus)
- Freshwater needlefish Potamorrhaphis labiatus
- Anablepsoides rubrolineatus
- Largescale Four-eyed Fish (Anableps anableps)
- Banded knifefish (Gymnotus carapo)
- Black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons)
- Gymnorhamphichthys hypostomus
- Electric eel (Electrophorus varii)
- Electric eel (Electrophorus voltai)
- Amazon puffer (Colomesus asellus)
- Candirú-Acú (Cetopsis candiru)
- Candiru (Vandellia cirrhosa)​

Description

The aquarium gallery will be a relatively simple industrial-style concrete and metal structure with maximum resistance to structural water damage. It will feature skylights to provide natural light for the tanks. The visitor areas in this building will be relatively dark, in any case darker than the tanks.

Whenever possible the tanks will be planted and the bottoms will consist of sand or darker, peat-like substrates. When the species kept do not allow for live plants branches and trees parts and some rocks will be used as structural materials.

The tanks will differ greatly in size, depending on the inhabitants. The largest tank, housing Arapaimas and other very large species, will be an open-topped lagoon (with appropriate protection to prevent visitors from falling or jumping into the tank or throwing objects into it, and to prevent fish from jumping out) with large skylights and an acrylic viewing tunnel.

The aquarium gallery will feature two education areas focusing on Amazonian freshwater habitats, as well as a room displaying breeding/nursery facilities and some of the filtration and water quality and temperature control systems, of course with the necessary education included.

Invertebrate gallery

Species list

- Amazonian tricolor centipede (Scolopendra viridicornis)
- Golden apple snail or Channeled apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
- Spike-topped apple snail (Pomacea diffusa)
- Dilocarcinus pagei
- Amazon zebra shrimp or Amazon tiger shrimp (Euryrhynchus amazoniensis)
- Amazon river prawn (Macrobrachium amazonicum)
- Megalobulimus popelairianus
- Sultana sultana
- Epiperipatus brasiliensis
- Heterophrynus batesii
- Thelyphonellus amazonicus
- Mastigoproctus colombianus
- Amazonian black scorpion (Tityus obscurus)
- Ecuadorian brown velvet tarantula (Megaphobema velvetosoma)
- Colombian giant redleg tarantula (Megaphobema robustum)
- Goliath bird-eater tarantula (Theraphosa blondi)
- Burgundy Goliath bird-eater tarantula (Theraphosa stirmi)
- Yellow-banded pink toe tarantula or Amazonian pink toe tarantula (Avicularia juruensis)
- Yellow-kneed skeleton tarantula or Skeleton leg tarantula (Ephebopus murinus)
- Brazilian white knee tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata)
- Purple tree tarantula (Tapinauchenius violaceus)
- Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria fera)
- Silver garden orb-weaver (Argiope argentata)
- American golden orb-weaver or Golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes)
- Peruvian black beauty stick insect (Peruphasma schultei)
- Cranidium gibbosum
- Leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes
- Lowland Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules ecuatorianus or D. ecuatorianus)
- Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus)
- Tropical shield mantis (Choeradodis rhomboidea)
- Callibia diana
- Stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula​

Description

The species in this gallery will include insects, crustaceans, arachnids, molluscs and others. The exhibits will be set in a greenhouse-type structure and will consist of forest-based terrariums or Amazon freshwater habitat aquariums, appropriately sized and furnished for the different species. For solitary species (for example the arachnids) multiple individuals may be displayed in adjacent terrariums. Again a room displaying breeding and climate control facilities and an education area will be featured in this gallery.

Amphibian gallery

Species list

- Cane toad (Rhinella marina)
- Amazophrynella bokermanni
- Pebas stubfoot toad (Atelopus spumarius)
- Upper Amazon glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium munozorum)
- Mission golden-eyed tree frog or Amazon milk frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)
- Amazon climbing salamander or Amazon mushroom-tongue salamander (Bolitoglossa palmata)
- Linnaeus' caecilian (Caecilia tentaculata)
- Cayenne caecilian (Typhlonectes compressicauda)
- Giant monkey frog, Giant leaf frog, Waxy-monkey tree-frog, Blue-and-yellow frog or Bicolor tree-frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor)
- Clown treefrog, Beireis' treefrog or White-leaf frog (Dendropsophus leucophyllatus)
- Reticulated treefrog (Dendropsophus reticulatus)
- Tiger-striped leaf frog (Callimedusa tomopterna)
- Suriname horned frog or Amazonian horned frog (Ceratophrys cornuta)
- Spix's horned treefrog (Hemiphractus scutatus)
- Manú poison frog (Ameerega macero)
- Blessed poison frog (Ranitomeya benedicta)
- Spot-legged poison frog (Ameerega picta)
- Brazil-nut poison frog (Adelphobates castaneoticus)
- Rio Madeira poison frog or Amazonian poison frog (Adelphobates quinquevittatus)
- Brazilian poison frog or Spotted poison frog (Ranitomeya vanzolinii)
- Ranitomeya uakarii
- Ranitomeya amazonica
- Three-striped poison frog (Ameerega trivittata)
- Yellow-banded poison dart frog, Yellow-headed poison dart frog or Bumblebee poison dart frog (Dendrobates leucomelas)
- Blue poison dart frog or Blue poison arrow frog (Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus")
- Smooth-sided toad or Spotted toad (Rhaebo guttatus)
- Resplendent Cochran frog (Cochranella resplendens)
- Ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus)
- Yasuni rain frog (Pristimantis aureolineatus)
- Ecuadorian forest toad (Rhaebo ecuadorensis)
- Common Suriname toad or Star-fingered toad (Pipa pipa)
- Amazonian monkey frog (Agalychnis hulli)
- Red-headed poison frog (Ranitomeya fantastica)
- Paradoxical frog or Shrinking frog (Pseudis paradoxa)
- South American common toad (Rhinella margaritifera)
- Amazon River frog (Lithobates palmipes)
- Sumaco horned treefrog (Hemiphractus proboscideus)
- Tukeit hill frog (Allophryne ruthveni)
- Red-skirted treefrog (Dendropsophus rhodopeplus)
- Shreve's Sarayacu tree frog (Dendropsophus sarayacuensis)​

Description

Similar in conception to the invertebrate gallery, with forest and wetland-based terrariums and aquariums based on rainforest streams set within a structure with large greenhouse roofs providing natural lighting. An education area and a display of breeding and climate control facilities will also again be included. Special attention will be paid in this area to the sensitivity of amphibians to environmental change, on the Chytrid fungus issue and on the invasive capacities of certain Amazonian species, such as the cane toad, in environments to which it is is not native.

Reptile gallery

Species list

- Black caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
- Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) and Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis)
- Spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) and Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis)
- Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)
- Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
- Dark-spotted anaconda or De Schauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei)
- Amazon Basin emerald tree boa (Corallus batesii)
- Amazon tree boa or Garden tree boa (Corallus hortulana)
- Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor)
- Brazilian rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria cenchria)
- Catesby's snail-eater or Catesby's snail sucker (Dipsas catesbyi)
- Amazon puffing snake or Yellow-bellied puffing snake (Spilotes sulphureus)
- Chicken snake, Yellow rat snake, Tiger rat snake, Caninana or Serpiente tigre (Spilotes pullatus)
- Indigo snake (Drymarchon corais)
- Amazon banded snake (Rhinobothryum lentiginosum)
- Lora or Parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla)
- False water cobra (Hydrodynastes gigas)
- Forest flame snake, False coral snake or Calico snake (Oxyrhopus petolarius)
- Mount Roraima Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus ruruima)
- Common lancehead or Fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox)
- South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta)
- Two-striped forest pit viper, Amazonian palm pit viper or Green jararaca (Bothrops bilineatus)
- Amazonian toad-headed pit viper (Bothrocophias hyoprora)
- Aquatic coral snake (Micrurus surinamensis)
- South American coral snake (Micrurus lemniscatus)
- Ornate coral snake (Micrurus ornatissimus)
- Green iguana (Iguana iguana), Red-headed Amazon side-necked turtle or Red-headed Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis erythrocephala), Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) and Golden tegu or Colombian black and white tegu (Tupinambis teguixin)
- Crocodile tegu (Crocodilurus amazonicus)
- Giant ameiva (Ameiva ameiva)
- Amazon bark anole or Orton's anole (Anolis ortonii)
- Banded tree anole or Transverse anole (Anolis transversalis)
- Broad-headed woodlizard or Guichenot's dwarf iguana (Enyalioides laticeps)
- Rainbow whiptail (Cnemidophorus lemniscatus)
- Elegant Eyed Lizard (Cercosaura argulus)
- Two-striped mabuya (Varzea bistriata)
- Many-colored bush anole (Polychrus marmoratus)
- Collared tree lizard, Collared tree runner or Harlequin racerunner (Plica plica)
- Forest whiptail (Kentropyx pelviceps)
- O'Shaughnessy's gecko (Gonatodes concinnatus)
- Red worm lizard (Amphisbaena alba)
- Big-headed Amazon River turtle (Peltocephalus dumerilianus)
- Amazonian Mata-mata (Chelus fimbriata)
- Amazon toadhead turtle (Mesoclemmys heliostemma)
- Six-tubercled Amazon river turtle (Podocnemis sextuberculata) and Northern caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis)
​

Description

Similar to but much larger than the invertebrate and amphibian galleries and with separate climate control systems for the large exhibits and the smaller terrariums that will be featured in the different sections of this gallery. All of the exhibits will be based on Amazonian forests, wetlands and riverbanks. Some of the larger exhibits (crocodilians, iguana/tortoise/turtle exhibit) will be placed in a fully climate controlled sections, including the visitor areas, in order to be able to make these exhibits partially open-topped to allow viewing unobstructed by windows. The fencing of course will be appropriate to ensure visitor and animal safety. This gallery will also feature a breeding and climate control display area and education areas.


This finally concludes my project on the Amazon. I have already started research for my project on the Congo - which I hope to keep a little smaller and hope to do a little faster than this project. I might at some point also post smaller projects, but currently have none being developed for this thread. I am not however giving any guarantees with regards to size, scope or timing of new projects. But I do hope to realize some more.

 

Here I finally am with a new project. Today I present the first part of my project "Expedition Congo".

Expedition Congo - Forests

Introduction of project and part

This project will focus on the fauna of the Democractic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly known as Zaire and Belgian Congo.

This project will be presented in three parts:

• Forests
• Wetlands
• Woodland savannas

Today I present the first part, Forests, focusing on the lowland and montane rainforests of the DRC, as well as partially on the swamp and riverine forests (where some overlap with the wetlands part exists).

Design

Expedition Congo - Forests by KevinB posted 11 Dec 2021 at 8:55 PM

The concept of this design is the exhibits being viewed either from a large central walkway - which is shaped like the outline/silhouette of an okapi head - or from side trails branching off and returning to this central walkway.

Description and species list

In this description:

• Numbered lists correspond to numbers on the map.
• Dotted lists represent the different species housed in a mixed exhibit.
• Striped lists represent species housed in different exhibits within a complex, such as a bird house or herp house.

On the design map:

• Exhibits are drawn in green, with structural elements such as water, muddy areas, rocky areas, elevated areas not accesible to some species and overhead climbing structures drawn in different colors (blue, brown, dark brown and olive).
• Pathways and visitor areas are drawn in ivory white and peach (playground).
• Off-show animal and keeper areas are drawn in grey.
• Buildings other than the dome, the wall of which is drawn in dark blue, are drawn in brown.

Gorilla, monkey and duiker islands and Gorilla, monkey and duiker house

Description

The outside of this building will consist partially of rock walls, which will be part of the animal exhibit through climbing opportunities and alcoves or roofed areas providing shelter, as well as containing the passages between the indoor and outdoor exhibits, and partially of smooth finished outdoor walls, painted with conservation and rainforest-oriented murals. The roof of this building will be a green roof between large skylights providing natural lighting into the indoor exhibits and the visitor areas.

The islands will have a floor of lush grass and herbal vegetation with some hills to give some structure to the exhibits, and will feature rock structures, live shrubs and trees as well as climbing structures made from wooden poles and platforms, large tree parts and natural fiber ropes and nets. The islands will feature shelters and enrichment facilities. The islands housing duikers will also feature wooden shelters at ground level for the duikers.

The indoor ape and monkey rooms will have bio-active mulch floors and will feature climbing structures, shelters and enrichment facilities similar to those in the outdoor exhibits. The indoor housing for the duikers will consist of stalls with mulch floors, featuring logs and wooden shelters as structural materials and shelters.

The visitor areas will feature some field research camp theming and will also focus extensively on issues such as deforestation and bushmeat hunting.

The gorillas and monkeys will be kept in smaller or larger groups, while the duikers will be kept in pairs.

Species list

Eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

L’hoest’s monkey or Mountain monkey (Allochrocebus lhoesti)

Hamlyn’s monkey or Owl-faced monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni)

Southern talapoin or Angolan talapoin (Miopithecus talapoin) and Simpson’s blue duiker (Philantomba monticola simpsoni or P. simpsoni)

Dryas monkey (Chlorocebus dryas)

Powell-Cotton’s Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis cottoni) and Weyns’s duiker (Cephalophus weynsi)

Rainforest House

Description

This house will consist of a greenhouse building and an adjacent large aviary. The majority of this house will be taken up by a walk-through forest aviary, which will also have an extensive outdoor section. The rest of the building will be filled by a breeding center for Congo peafowl, a bird nursery with viewing windows and off-show bird areas with breeding and separation aviaries and food and enrichment prep, animal administration and food storage spaces.

The forest walk-through aviary will be a well-planted aviary, both indoors and outdoors, with creeks, pools, rocky outcroppings and mulch walkways. Different feeders at different levels and in different locations and suitable nesting and sheltering opportunities for all species will also be provided.

The Congo peafowl, a species difficult to breed in captivity and therefore rare in zoos, and vulnerable in the wild, will have a dedicated breeding center consisting of a series of tall, well-planted, mulch)floored indoor rooms for breeding pairs. Some will have viewing windows next to the walkways, some will only be able to viewed from a distance some will be fully off-show.

Species list

Walk-through aviary, indoor and outdoor

• Hartlaub’s duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii)
• Nkulengu rail (Himantornis haematopus)
• Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis)
• Handsome spurfowl (Pternistis nobilis)
• Blue malkoha or Chattering yellowbill (Ceuthmochares aereus)
• Rwenzori turaco (Gallirex johnstoni)
• Black-billed turaco (Tauraco schuettii)
• African olive pigeon or Rameron pigeon (Columba arquatrix)
• Splendid starling or Splendid glossy starling (Lamprotornis splendidus)
• Chestnut-winged starling (Onychognathus fulgidus hartlaubii)
• Prigogine's greenbul (Chlorocichla prigoginei)
• Yellow-crested helmetshrike (Prionops alberti)
• Western bronze-naped pigeon (Columba iriditorques)
• African green pigeon (Treron calvus)
• Archer's ground robin or Archer's robin-chat (Cossypha archeri)
• Bare-cheeked trogon (Apaloderma aequatoriale)

Breeding center for Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis)

Raptor and owl aviaries

Description

This area will feature five differently-sized aviaries with rocky outcroppings, dead trees, logs and branches, sheltered nesting platforms, live shrubs and trees, a floor of grass, mulch or sand, pools and shallow creeks, surrounding two wood-finished barns with sand-floored indoor mews featuring rocky outcroppings, dead trees and branches, indoor pools and sheltered nesting platforms. Some of the indoor mews will be viewable to the public.

Species list

1) Cassin's hawk-eagle or Cassin's eagle (Aquila africana)
2) Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
3) Black sparrowhawk, Black goshawk or Great sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus)
4) Congo bay owl (Phodilus prigoginei)
5) Shelley's eagle-owl (Bubo shelleyi)​

Parrot aviaries

On either side of a barn with mock rock walls will be two aviaries, fully made of coated metal, featuring extensive climbing structures made from logs, tree parts, branches and natural fiber ropes and nets, shallow creeks and pools, feeding and enrichmnt platforms and a floor with areas of grass, sand and mulch. Only some very tough and resistant live plants will be featured. Extensive enrichment facilities and facilities for nesting and sheltering will be provided. The indoor housing, which will be partially viewable, will have mulch floors and will feature similar structures.

These aviaries will house Congo African grey parrot, Grey parrot, Congo grey parrot or African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) and Red-fronted parrot or Jardine’s parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi gulielmi).

Okapi and Yellow-backed duiker outdoor paddocks and house with indoor paddocks

Description

A large portion of this Congolese forest area will be taken up by facilities to house a breeding group of okapis, which will also provide space from some more species.

The okapi outdoor paddocks have a grass or mulch floors and trees and shrubs to provide cover and shade and to evoke as much as possible the feeling and look of being on the rainforest floor. Feeding structures and shelters, made from wood and thatch, and areas with shrubs, inaccessible to the okapis but accessible to the duikers, will also be provided.

The indoor paddocks will be set in a large greenhouse and will be very similar to the indoor paddocks at the Rotterdam Zoo, of which I have linked some photos below. I did not however chose to, like Rotterdam has done, to mix okapis with birds, so the bird-related features would not be present. But the mulch-floored paddocks, surrounded by some tropical plants, with dark fencing and with logs and trunks in them would definitely be featured. The separation between animals and visitors will either consist of thin wires/mesh like at Rotterdam, or of tall glass walls. Another difference would be the presence of shelter areas for the duikers.

Okapi Indoor Exhibit - ZooChat
Indoor okapi paddocks (Nov 10th, 2018) - ZooChat
Indoor okapi paddocks (Nov 10th, 2018) - ZooChat
Indoor okapi paddocks (Nov 10th, 2018) - ZooChat

The duikers will have some indoor paddocks and an outdoor paddock entirely to themselves. A series off off-show paddocks and corridors will allow the okapis and duikers access to the different areas as appropriate.

Besides the okapis and duikers this house will also feature four indoor aviaries with sand or mulch floors, live plants and branches, housing four songbird species, and mixed indoor/outdoor aviary with a grass, sand or mulch floor, live plants and branches.

Species list

Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) and Western yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus silvicultor ruficrista)

Mixed aviary

• Great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
• Hartlaub’s duck (Pteronetta hartlaubii)
• Double-toothed barbet (Lybius bidentatus)
• Red-collared babbler or Red-collared mountain-babbler (Turdoides rufocinctus)

Okapi house indoor aviaries:

- Golden-naped weaver (Ploceus aureonucha)
- Yellow-legged weaver (Ploceus flavipes)
- Ituri Batis or Chapin's Batis (Batis ituriensis)
- Yellow-bellied wattle-eye (Platysteira concreta graueri)​

Carnivore/Insectivore exhibits

Description

These exhibits will consist of a series of netted metal outdoor exhibits and indoor rooms with live plants, climbing structures, shelters and feeding areas adjusted to meat the biology and ecology of the different species. For solitary species two adjacent full-sized exhibits will always be provided.

Species list

- Tree pangolin, White-bellied pangolin, White-bellied tree pangolin or Three-cusped pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis)
- Giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea)
- African golden cat (Caracal aurata)
- Giant forest genet (Genetta victoriae)
- Central African oyan or Central African linsang (Poiana richardsonii)
- Hammer-headed bat, Hammer-headed fruit bat or Big-lipped bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus)​

Nocturnal house underneath carnivore/insectivore exhibits and house

Description

The nocturnal house will be located in an underground space below the carnivore/insectivore exhibits and house, and will be accessible from that house through a staircase or an elevator.

The exhibits will be mulch, sand of leaf litter floored exhibits with climbing structures, shelters and feeding areas adjusted to meat the biology and ecology of the different species. For solitary species two adjacent full-sized exhibits will always be provided.

Species list

- Prince Demidoff's dwarf bushbaby or Prince Demidoff's dwarf galago (Galagoides demidoff demidoff)
- Dusky bushbaby or Matschie's galago (Galago matschiei)
- East African potto (Perodicticus ibeanus ibeanus)
- Bates's pygmy antelope (Nesotragus batesi)
- Water chevrotain (Hyemoschus aquaticus)
- African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus)
- Red-chested owlet (Glaucidium tephronotum medje)
- Bates's nightjar or Forest nightjar (Caprimulgus batesi)
- Egyptian fruit bat or Egyptian rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus)
- Franquet's epauletted fruit bat (Epomops franqueti)​

Herp house

Description

The outdoor of this two-story building will have dark bricks and a green/living roof surrounding the skylights above the top-floor terrariums. The terrariums of different sizes will be based on the undergrowth of a tropical forest and will feature mulch or leaf litter floors, pools, live plants and rocks and logs as structural materials. Basking, feeding, nesting and sheltering areas will be provided. The venomous snake exhibits will surround a special room with safety equipment, a viewing window and an educational display on venomous snake safety and antivenom production will be provided for the visitors. This building will also feature a small reptile nursery areas.

Species list

- Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica)
- Rhinoceros viper, Butterfly viper or River jack (Bitis nasicornis)
- Jameson's mamba (Dendroaspis jamesoni)
- Lichtenstein's night adder, Forest night adder or Olive-green viper (Causus lichtensteinii)
- African bush viper, Green bush viper, Variable bush viper, Leaf viper, Common bush viper, Tree viper or Hallowell's green tree viper (Atheris squamigera)
- Montane egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis atra)
- Calabar python, Calabar ground python, African burrowing python, Burrowing boa, Calabar boa, Calabar ground boa, Calabaria, Two-headed boa, West African burrowing boa or West African ground boa (Calabaria reinhardtii)
- Northern African rock python (Python sebae sebae)
- Ituri forest chameleon (Trioceros ituriensis)
- Johnston's chameleon, Johnston's three-horned chameleon or Ruwenzori three-horned chameleon (Trioceros johnstoni)
- Strange-horned chameleon, Rwenzori plate-nosed chameleon or Single welded-horn chameleon (Kinyongia xenorhina)
- Rhampholeon hattinghi
- Forest hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys erosa)
- Sawtail lizard or Western neon blue-tailed tree lizard (Holaspis guentheri)
- Sparse-scaled forest lizard (Congolacerta vauereselli)
- African tree toad (Nectophryne afra)
- African foam-nest tree frog or Western foam-nest tree frog (Chiromantis rufescens)
- Phlyctimantis verrucosus​

Bird House

Description

The walls of this building will consist partially of mock rock and partially of dark brick. The indoor aviaries, keeper areas and visitor area will have large skylights above them. The differently sized, forest-based aviaries will have sandy, grassy or mulch floors, shallow pools of creeks, dead branches and tree parts and live plants both indoors and outdoors. Suitable nesting, sheltering and feeding areas will be provided in each aviary.

Species list

- Giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)
- Woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis)
- Black-casqued hornbill (Ceratogymna atrata)
- Red-billed dwarf hornbill (Lophoceros camurus)
- Neumann's coucal (Centropus neumanni or C. leucogaster neumanni)
- Black bee-eater (Merops gularis)
- Green-breasted pitta (Pitta reichenowi)
- Black-collared lovebird (Agapornis swindernianus)
- Nahan's partridge (Ptilopachus nahani) and Prigogine's double-collared sunbird (Cinnyris prigoginei)
- Latham's francolin or Forest francolin (Peliperdix lathami) and Rwenzori double-collared sunbird or Stuhlmann's sunbird (Cinnyris stuhlmanni)
- Buff-spotted flufftail (Sarothrura elegans) and Regal sunbird (Cinnyris regius)
- Eastern forest robin or Yellow-breasted forest robin (Stiphrornis erythrothorax xanthogaster or S. xanthogaster)
- White-headed robin-chat (Cossypha heinrichi)
- Yellow-mantled weaver (Ploceus tricolor)
- Shining drongo (Dicrurus atripennis)
- White-starred robin (Pogonocichla stellata)
- Many-colored bushshrike (Chlorophoneus multicolor graueri)
- Lühder's bushshrike (Laniarius luehderi)
- Cameroon crested guineafowl (Guttera plumifera plumifera) and Hairy-breasted barbet (Tricholaema hirsuta)
- Black guineafowl (Agelastes niger) and Yellow-billed barbet (Trachyphonus purpuratus)
- Grauer's broadbill or African green broadbill (Pseudocalyptomena graueri)
- Eastern wattled cuckooshrike or Oriole cuckooshrike (Lobotos oriolinus)​

Hoofstock house and paddocks

Description

A series of grassy or mulch-floored paddocks with pools and creeks, trees and shrubs for shade, shelter and cover, wood and thatch or rocks and dirt shelters, rocky outcroppings and muddy areas - with the proportions of for example the pools, the muddy areas and the extent of tree and shrub cover determined by the needs of the species kept. A central house made of textured concrete will contain the indoor exhibits, some of which will be viewable through windows from a small side trail.

The Selous's sitatungas housed in this section will also have access to the African forest elephant paddocks via a passage underneath the main walkway.

Species list

Selous’s sitatunga or Zambezi sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii selousi or T. selousi) [With access to African forest elephant paddocks]

Lowland bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus) and Eastern bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis castaneus or C. castaneus)

Giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni meinertzhageni)

Itombwe black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons hypoxanthus or C. hypoxanthus)

African forest elephant paddocks and house

Description

The largest exhibit in this area will also house the largest species native to the DRC: the African forest elephant.

The elephant paddocks will be encircled by a dense buffer of trees and shrubs for a large portion of their outline and will feature groves of large trees with trunks protected by metal bar cage structures, to provide shelter, shade and cover and to create as well as possible the image and feel of a "Bai", a term used in the tropical forest regions of Western and Central Africa for an often swampy natural forest clearing with or near a water feature, and sometimes with mineral-rich soil which animals will searc for in these areas.

The African forest elephants will have three outdoor paddocks: a large main outdoor (herd) paddock, a smaller secondary paddock and a bull paddock. The floor of the paddocks will consist of sand and mulch, and the paddocks will feature, aside from the tree groves I described above, large pools with islands, creeks and muddy areas, as well as feeding, enrichment and training areas and facilities. Covered shelters with concrete poles and green/living roofs will also be provided in each paddock.

The elephant house will have an outside of colored concrete textured like elephant skin or bark on surfaces visible to visitors and a roof with skylights and a partial green/living roof. The indoor housing for the elephant will consist of large sand-floored paddocks, two indoor pools and hard-floored separation and medical care paddocks.

Contained within the elephant house, with the outdoor exhibits sitting next to the access route, will be a series of netted small mammal exhibits with mulch floors, logs, branches and rocks as structural materials, live plants and suitable feeding, enrichment, shelters and nesting areas, when possible made from or partially covered with natural materials.

Species list

Main paddock, secondary paddock, bull paddock and house for African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis)

Elephant house small mammal exhibits (indoor/outdoor)

- Stuhlmann's elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon stuhlmanni)
- Four-toed elephant shrew or Four-toed sengi (Petrodromus tetradactylus)
- Western tree hyrax, Western tree dassie or Beecroft's tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis)
- Ruwenzori sun squirrel (Heliosciurus ruwenzorii ituriensis)
- Fire-footed rope squirrel (Funisciurus pyrropus)
- Emin's pouched rat, Emin’s giant pouched rat or Forest giant pouched rat (Cricetomys emini)​

Bonobo islands and house

A large troop of Bonobos (Pan paniscus) will live in a facility consisting of two large and a smaller island, similar to the gorilla islands but with larger and more extensive climbing structures as well as shelters and enrichment facilities at different elevations and a series of indoor rooms, corridors and holding spaces with climbing structures, rocky outcroppings and partial mulch and partial hard floors, four large ones of which will be viewable to visitors. The outside walls of the bonobo house will consist of plastering with natural colors or walls painted rainforest-related murals. the building will have large skylights.

River Hog Café, Terraces and Playground

A small restaurant selling food and drinks that can be eaten indoors or outdoors in a terrace area with view of the buffalo/hog/mangabey exhibit. Playground nearby.

African forest buffalo, Red river hog, Golden-bellied mangabey and raptor exhibits and house

Description

The large forest buffalo, red river hog and mangabey exhibit will be moated island exhibit with a grassy or mulch floor, featuring a creek and muddy areas as well as elevated areas only accessible to the monkeys, with climbing structures and connected to each other and directly to the indoor housing via overhead climbing structures above the living space for the buffaloes and hogs. Logs, rocks, feeding structures and thatched roof shelters will be provided as structural and accommodation for the buffaloes and hogs.

Indoor housing for these species as well as five raptor species will be provided in a mock rock-walled building. The indoor paddocks for the hogs and buffaloes will consist of mulch-floored or straw-covered hard floored paddocks and stalls, with some logs as structural and enrichment materials and some sheltered dens for the hogs. Both species will have access to a small indoor pool. The indoor housing for the mangabeys will be similar to that of the other monkeys described above.

The raptor aviaries and their indoor housing will be very much like the raptor and owl aviaries described above, but with the difference that the indoor mews here are set in a larger animal house.

Species list

African forest buffalo, Red river hog and Golden-bellied mangabey island

• African forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus)
• Red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus)
• Golden-bellied mangabey (Cercocebus chrysogaster)

Raptor aviaries

1) Chestnut-flanked sparrowhawk (Accipiter castanilius)
2) Bat hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus)
3) Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
4) Congo serpent eagle (Circaetus spectabilis)
5) Crowned eagle, African crowned eagle or Crowned hawk-eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)


I hope this project and design were enjoyed. I hope to be back as soon as possible with a new design and project part to present.

 

Burgers' Mangrove - Mudflat - ZooChat

Today I present the second part of my project "Expedition Congo", the wetlands part.

Expedition Congo - Wetlands

Introduction and design

This part focuses on the wetlands of the DRC, including freshwater and mangrove swamps, rivers and lakes and swamp and riverine forests.

Expedition Congo - Wetlands by KevinB posted 3 Jan 2022 at 2:06 PM

The numbers and number/letter combinations in the list and descriptions below correspond to numbers on the map.

In the species lists:

• Dotted lists represent the different species housed in a mixed exhibit.
• Striped lists represent species housed in different exhibits within a complex, such as an aviary block or a row of aquariums.

On the design map:

• Exhibits are drawn in green, with structural elements such as water, muddy (nesting) areas or feeding areas, recessed or elevated areas for some species and overhead climbing structures drawn in different colors.
• Pathways and visitor areas are drawn in ivory white and peach (playground).
• Elevated canopy trails are drawn in olive brown lines.
• Underwater viewing areas are drawn in dark olive green near pools, with side trails running through these areas.
• Off-show animal and keeper areas are drawn in grey.
• Buildings other than greenhouses are drawn as brown shapes. The outline of greenhouses are drawn in dark blue lines.

1-15 Shoebill Swamp

Description

Placed around a central walkway, shaped like the outline of the head of a shoebill, the iconic species that also gave its name to this area, will be a series of exhibits, mostly aviaries as well as some mammal exhibits.

The aviaries will be wetland-based aviaries with large pools and creeks with varying depths (depending on the size and ecology of the species housed, for example larger and dabbling or diving species will have deeper pools than smaller or wading species), surrounded by grassy or sandy backs and with grassy and sandy islands. The aviaries will also feature varying amounts of large herbaceous plants such as reeds, bulrushes, sedges, papyrus and tall grasses, shrubs and trees, with their size, number and placement depending on the needs of the species housed.

Aviaries housing smaller species will have smaller plants, and the aviary housing plovers and jacanas will also feature some floating plants such as water lilies. Suitable nesting areas and/or materials for nest building will be provided for all species. Additional structural features in exhibits will include rocks and logs. Additional features for perching species, like the smaller bird species and the eagles and owls, will include rocks, dead trees, logs and branches.

The aviaries that will not be walk-through aviaries will have viewing through mesh or through several sets of large viewing windows. These windows will have shade structures above them to prevent irritating reflections for visitors and protective measures to prevent birds striking them as much as possible. Only three aviaries in this area will be walk-through aviaries.

Solitary species will have two adjacent aviaries that will be able to be connected or separated as needed.

The grebe and diving duck walk-through aviary will feature an underwater viewing, so visitors will be able to truly observe the diving behavior of these species. This idea I got when I saw the exhibit linked below in the gallery.

Fishing birds exhibit (4 species) - ZooChat

The wetland mammal exhibits (number 12) will be either open-topped exhibits with wooden walls or plastered stone walls, or netted exhibits with wooden walls at the back and the sides, with pools, creeks, grassy and sandy banks, logs and rocks as structural materials, live plants, wooden climbing structures and wooden shelters. As most of the species at least potentially need solitary housing, so two exhibits that can be connected or separated as needed will be provided for all species.

The wetland mammal exhibits will surround a central building with wood-finished walls, to which the outdoor exhibits will be connected via stone tunnels underneath the walkway surrounding the building. The indoor mammal rooms will feature floors of mulch, sand, straw or wood shaving, indoor pools, logs as structural materials and wooden climbing structures and shelters. Some of these rooms will feature viewing windows, while some rooms and holding cages will be off-show.

The flamingo aviary (number 13) will feature shallow water feeding areas for the flamingos similar to the ones at Planckendael, linked below, as well as feeding areas with tubs placed on metal stands. The lesser flamingo breeding colony will also have several nesting areas with mud to build their nests from. Nesting areas for the ducks and other birds in this aviary will also be present.

Chilean fllamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) and Lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor), 2021-10-10 - ZooChat
Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) feeding - ZooChat

The indoor housing for the aviaries, aside from the shoebills, will be in wood-finished buildings with slate or thatched roofs with large skylights, and the indoor housing will have paved or sandy floors, sandy pools, areas with live vegetation, branches and logs for perching species and places with wicker dividers where the birds can hide from each other, or from visitors. All buildings will feature at least 1 viewable room and 1 off-show room for each aviary. Indoor viewing will be through windows or from an indoor viewing area in the largest building, with windows also being used there to separate birds and visitors. The shoebills however will have their indoor housing in a richly planted greenhouse with pools, like the shoebill house at Prague I have seen in the gallery.

Shoebill Enclosure - ZooChat
Waterfowl house - ZooChat
Shoebill house - ZooChat

Legend and species list

1 – Pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens), White-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus or P. carbo lucidus) and Black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala)

2 – Wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus)

3A – Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), first aviary

3B – Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), second aviary

4A – Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), first aviary

4B – Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), second aviary

4C – Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) indoor housing, greenhouse

5 – Crane, heron and ibis aviary

• Eastern grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps)
• Madagascar pond heron, Malagasy pond heron or Madagascar squacco heron (Ardeola idae)
• White-backed night heron (Gorsachius leuconotus)
• Rufous-bellied heron (Ardeola rufiventris)
• Olive ibis (Bostrychia olivacea)

6 – Smaller wetland birds

- Lufira masked weaver, Ruwet's masked weaver or Lake Lufira weaver (Ploceus ruweti) and Red-chested flufftail (Sarothrura rufa)
- Orange weaver (Ploceus aurantius)
- Water thick-knee or Water dikkop (Burhinus vermiculatus) and Papyrus gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri)
- Rosy-throated longclaw or Rosy-breasted longclaw (Macronyx ameliae)
- African pied wagtail (Motacilla aguimp) and Black crake (Zapornia flavirostra)
- Allen's gallinule (Porphyrio alleni) and Great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)
- Dwarf bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii)
- White-crowned lapwing, white-headed lapwing, white-headed plover or white-crowned plover (Vanellus albiceps) and Malachite kingfisher (Corythornis cristatus cristatus)​

7 – First waterfront walk-through aviary

• African jacana (Actophilornis africanus)
• Egyptian plover (Pluvianus aegyptius)
• African pygmy goose (Nettapus auritus)
• Marsh tchagra or Blackcap bush-shrike (Bocagia minuta)
• Swamp palm bulbul, Swamp bulbul, Swamp greenbul, Swamp palm greenbul, White-tailed greenbul or White-tailed palm greenbul (Thescelocichla leucopleura)
• Little grebe or Dabchick (Tachybaptus ruficollis capensis)
• Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
• Common greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

8 – Second waterfront walk-through aviary

• African finfoot (Podica senegalensis)
• White-browed coucal or Lark-heeled cuckoo (Centropus superciliosus)
• Black heron or Black egret (Egretta ardesiaca)
• Spot-breasted ibis (Bostrychia rara)
• African purple swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis)

9 – Third waterfront walk-through aviary, with underwater viewing area for grebes and diving ducks

• Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus infuscatus)
• Tufted duck or Tufted pochard (Aythya fuligula)
• Southern pochard (Netta erythrophthalma)
• Maccoa duck (Oxyura maccoa)

10 – African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

11 – Pel’s fishing owl (Scotopelia peli)

12 – Wetland mammal exhibits

12A and 12B – Spotted-necked otter or Speckle-throated otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)

12C and 12D – Aquatic genet (Genetta piscivora)

12E and 12F – Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)

12G – Central mammal house connected to exhibits with tunnels underneath walkway

13 – Lesser flamingo colony aviary – Lesser flamingos and duck

• Lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)
• White-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata)
• African comb duck or Knob-billed duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
• African black duck (Anas sparsa)
• Yellow-billed duck (Anas undulata)
• Garganey (Spatula querquedula)
• Northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
• Pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis rudis)
• Blue-headed coucal (Centropus monachus)

14 – Goliath heron (Ardea goliath), Wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) and Saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) house with indoor viewing area

15 – Saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)

16 - Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe Aviary

Description

The name for this aviary was derived from the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe wetlands site in the DRC, which is the largest Wetland of International Importance in the world recognized under the Ramsar Convention, a vast areas of lakes, streams, riverine wetlands and swamp forests more than twice the size of Belgium, with the center of the site being near the town of Mbadanka in the Équateur province of the DRC.

Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe - Wikipedia
Ngiri-Tumba-Maindombe | Ramsar Sites Information Service

The idea behind this aviary is rather obviously very much based on the buffalo/savanna aviary at Zoo Antwerpen, of which numerous images can be found in the gallery, and of which a very interesting overview with images, including of off-show areas, can be found at ZooLex, linked below.

ZooLex Exhibit - Cape Buffalo Aviary - Birds

This will be a massive aviary with two recessed paddocks for African forest buffaloes, surrounded by areas for the birds. The buffalo paddocks will have sandy, mulch or grass floors, thatched roof shelter and feeding areas, pools, creeks and waterfalls flowing from the higher level and mud wallows. The bird areas will feature pools, creeks, grassy and sandy areas, areas planted with wetland vegetation, shrubs and trees, dead trees and logs for perching, feeding areas and nesting areas.

The large animal building for this aviary will have a wall designed to resemble a river bank, partially muddy (through textured and colored plastering covering the building's facade) and partially vegetated (with planted integrated into the building's structure) on the aviary side, while the other sides will be simpler and will feature large windows to provide natural light into the indoor exhibits, surrounded by materials in earthy and natural green and brown tones.

As in the facility at Antwerp the indoor housing for the buffaloes will be found on the ground floor and will consist of communal paddock and individual paddocks. These paddocks will have straw or mulch floors, and one of the communal paddocks will feature an indoor pool. The upper floor of the building will contain the indoor housing for the birds, consist of paved or sand-floored rooms with shallow indoor pools, perches and platforms for nesting or sleeping. The second floor, like is the case at Antwerp, will also feature small entrance and separation aviaries with sand floors, small pools and perches between the bird indoor rooms and the main aviary, that will be able to be connected to or separated from the main aviary as needed.

Unlike the exhibit at Antwerp in this complex indoor viewing will be provided through viewing windows at ground level (for the buffaloes) or next to an elevated canopy trail. Also unlike the exhibit at Antwerp the aviary will also feature an elevated canopy trail. These trails will have metal basic structure, with wood used for the flooring and fencing of the walkways.

Next to the building will be an off-show service area and some off-show aviaries. This area will include the heavy equipment accesses to the building and aviary.

Legend and species list

16A – Bird and visitor areas

16B – African forest buffaloes, Main paddock

16C – African forest buffaloes, Secondary paddock

16D – Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe bird and buffalo building

Species list:

• African forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus or S. nanus)
• Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis)
• Abdim’s stork (Ciconia abdimii)
• Woolly-necked stork or White-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus)
• African openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus)
• Purple heron (Ardea purpurea)
• African spoonbill (Platalea alba)
• Hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
• African darter (Anhinga rufa)
• Western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis or B. i. ibis)
• Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta)
• White-crested tiger heron or White-crested bittern (Tigriornis leucolopha)
• Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
• African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

Spoonbill Restaurant & Terraces, Playground

The restaurant will be relatively simple modern concrete and glass two-story building with artwork and images of animals both inside and outside, as well as on materials used such as tables and table tops, trays, napkins and drink mugs. The food offered will consist of sandwiches, salads and hot dishes and will be mostly vegetarian. The restaurant will also feature a large tank with rocks and logs housing Tanganyika tilapia (Oreochromis tanganicae) and Giraffe catfish (Auchenoglanis occidentalis). The restaurant will sit next to a large terrace area with large umbrellas with animal images, which will allow viewing into the aviary (through mesh netting). The playground area next to the restaurant will be partially water-themed.

17 – Manatee Mangrove

Description

This greenhouse will house species from the coastal mangroves and waters of the DRC's short coastline, with the main species being the West African manatee.

The manatee tanks, which will also house three fish species, will have a partially sandy bottom and will feature some logs and lage mangrove roots, sunken boats and two feeding and training jetties as structural materials. Viewing will consist of above water viewing and underwater viewing through a large curved acrylic window, set next to a recessed area with a small side trail. The two tanks will be able to be connected as needed, with the fish always able to move between the two tanks. There will also be off-show tanks for both the manatees and the fish.

Next to the manatee tank will be two mudflat and mangrove exhibits housing fiddler crabs and mudskippers, fenced by a glass wall. These exhibits will be very similar to the fiddler crab exhibit in Burgers' Mangrove, of which I have linked some images below.

Burgers' Mangrove - Mudflat - ZooChat
View of tidal mudflats and mangrove tree groves (Sep 16th, 2018) - ZooChat
View of tidal mudflats and mangrove tree groves (Sep 16th, 2018) - ZooChat
View of tidal mudflats and mangrove tree groves (Sep 16th, 2018) - ZooChat

A series of tanks with mangrove roots and logs as structural elements and a semi-aquatic terrarium, also with mangrove roots and logs and with muddy and sandy land areas, will house several fish species and softshell turtles. There will be a keeper area for these exhibits.

There will also be three wetland aviaries, located on either sides of the entrance to the mangrove house, a large aviary housing cormorants and herons and two smaller ones housing three smaller bird species. These aviaries will feature pools an creeks, grassy and sandy creeks and lots of live plants. The cormorant/heron aviary will have a deep pool, with underwater viewing areas for the cormorant both indoors and outdoors.

Legend and species list

17A and 17B – West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis), Monrovia doctorfish or Monrovia surgeonfish (Acanthurus monroviae), African moony (Monodactylus sebae) and Canary drum (Umbrina canariensis), Two tanks

17C – Open-topped mangrove and coastal mudflat exhibits

- West African fiddler crab (Afruca tangeri)
- Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus)​

17D – Tanks and aquaterrarium

- Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus)
- Guinean barracuda (Sphyraena afra)
- African moonfish (Selene dorsalis)
- African red snapper, Guinean snapper or African cubera snapper (Lutjanus agennes)
- African softshell turtle or Nile softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis)​

17E – Large aviary

• Reed cormorant or Long-tailed cormorant (Microcarbo africanus)
• Mangrove heron, Striated heron, Little heron or Green-backed heron (Butorides striata)

17F – Small aviaries

- Mangrove sunbird or Mouse-brown sunbird (Anthreptes gabonicus) and Carmelite sunbird (Chalcomitra fuliginosa)
- Swamp boubou (Laniarius bicolor)​

18 – Sitatunga Swamp

Description

Surrounding a central, partially wood-finished and partially plastered wall-finished building with a partial green/living roof and large skylights, will be a series of grassy paddocks with creeks and large pools with large, grassy islands, mud wallows, scattered trees and clumps of shrubs and marsh vegetation, thatched roof shelters and feeding areas. A larger and a smaller paddock, able to be connected or separated as needed, will be be present for each species. The paddocks will slope down towards the visitor area to form a dry moat area which the animals will be able to use.

The Western sitatunga and Allen's swamp monkey exhibit will be a fully moated exhibit with planted elevated areas, connected by climbing structures, for the monkeys and without access for the sitatungas, and islands and land areas, similar to the other hoofstock paddocks for the sitatungas, able to divide into two sections to separate sitatungas if needed.

The antelope and monkey house will have an indoor viewing area with glass viewing windows for some of the exhibits. The indoor exhibits for the antelopes will consist of communal and individual stalls with paved or mulch floors, separated by wood-finished metal fences and doors, such as in the examples linked below. Only the communal stalls and a few of the individual stalls will be viewable to the public. The monkeys will have two tall mulch-floored indoor rooms with wooden climbing structures, one off-show indoor room and holding cages.

African Hoofstock Stable - ZooChat
Antelope house - interior - ZooChat

Legend and species list

18A and 18B – Southern reedbuck, Rietbok or Common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum)

18C and 18D – Upemba lechwe (Kobus leche anselli or K. anselli)

18E and 18F – Western sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii gratus or T. gratus) and Allen’s swamp monkey (Allenopithecus nigroviridis)

18G and 18H – Defassa waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa, subspecies from K. e. defassa subspecies group or K. defassa)

18I – Antelope and monkey house with indoor viewing areas

19 – Hippos of Salonga

Description

The name of this area references Salonga National park in the Mai Ndombe, Equateur, Kasaï and Sankuru provinces of the DRC, one of the remaining places in the DRC where hippos can be found.

On either of a large greenhouse and wrapping around two trails will be two large hippopotamus exhibits with large, deep pools with paved or sandy islands and sandy or grassy land areas and mud wallows. One of the exhibits will have an outdoor underwater viewing area. There will be three viewable indoor exhibits with deep pools for the hippos, one of which will also have an underwater viewing area. The indoor land areas will be paved or sandy.

The hippos will be housed with fish - carps (admittedly a European species, but I don't think there's any species from the DRC that can be housed outdoors permanently) and tilapia species indoors, as in most of the examples I saw of hippo exhibit with clear underwater viewing areas, fish were mixed in with the hippos.

Spur-winged geese will be housed with the hippos, and the geese will have a separate small indoor and netted outdoor area with grassy or sandy land areas and pools.

The complex will also contain a series of off-show indoor paddocks, both land holding paddocks and exhibits with pools, connecting the different indoor exhibits and both outdoor exhibits and allowing the separation or merging of animals as needed, and an off-show outdoor paddock for the hippos.

The hippo house will also contain three large tanks with rocks, logs, some plants and lots of open swimming space, housing three large predatory fish species native to the DRC.

Legend and species list

19A – Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis) and Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) – First outdoor paddock

19B – Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), Redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli) and Tanganyika tilapia (Oreochromis tanganicae), First indoor exhibit

19C – Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), Redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli) and Tanganyika tilapia (Oreochromis tanganicae), Second indoor exhibit

19D – Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis), Redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli) and Tanganyika tilapia (Oreochromis tanganicae), Third indoor exhibit

19E – Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis) and Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) – Second outdoor paddock

19F – Hippopotamus service areas and off-show paddocks, indoor and outdoor

19G – Large aquariums for predatory fish

- Goliath tigerfish, Giant tigerfish or Mbenga (Hydrocynus goliath)
- Nile perch, African snook, Goliath perch, African barramundi , Goliath barramundi, Giant Lates or Victoria perch (Lates niloticus)
- Vundu catfish (Heterobranchus longifilis)​

19H – Separate indoor and outdoor space for Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis)
20 – Crocodile creek

Description

The final exhibit complex in this wetlands zone will be another greenhouse, dedicated to the housing of crocodiles, turtles and fish.

There will be three sets of two crocodile exhibits with large, tall viewing windows (also for safety reasons)with sandy land areas, paved islands, vegetated areas, some rocks and logs and boat wrecks above and underwater as structural materials, large pools with underwater viewing areas and off-showing holding areas. The smallest of the crocodile exhibits, for the dwarf crocodiles, will be more extensively vegetated than those for the larger crocodiles.

The building will contain an aquatic and herp nursery with small version of the crocodile and turtle exhibits and tanks for raising juvenile fish, with viewing windows.

The turtle exhibits will be similar to the mud turtle exhibit at Zoo Antwerpen, of which I have linked images below. The exhibits will feature sandy or paved land areas and islands and deep pools with underwater viewing areas with rocks and logs as structural elements.

African mud turtle and Sailfin lizard exhibit, 2020-09-20 - ZooChat
African mud turtle and Sailfin lizard vivarium, 2020-06-28 - ZooChat

The aquariums will feature aquatic plants for the species that are compatible with their survival or that need plants, while other species such as the cichlids, will be kept in tanks with rocks and logs as structural materials and structures providing shelter and hiding places. One of the tanks, the tank housing Caecobarbus geertsi, a troglobite fish species from the Thysville Caves system near Mbanza-Ngungu (formerly Thysville) in Kongo-Central (formerly Bas-Congo) province, DRC.

Legend and species list

20A and 20B – Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

20C – Aquatic and herp nursery

20D and 20E – Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus, Formerly included as a population in the West African slender-snouted crocodile M. cataphractus)

20F and 20G – African dwarf crocodile or Dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis osborni or O. osborni)

20H – Turtle exhibits

- Aubry's flapshell turtle (Cycloderma aubryi)
- Upemba mud turtle (Pelusios upembae)
- African helmeted turtle or Marsh terrapin (Pelomedusa subrufa)
- Central African giant mud turtle (Pelusios chapini)
- African keeled mud turtle (Pelusios carinatus)
- African dwarf mud turtle (Pelusios nanus)​

20I – Aquariums

- Mbu puffer, Giant puffer or Giant freshwater puffer (Tetraodon mbu) and Humphead cichlid, Front cichlid or Frontosa (Cyphotilapia frontosa)
- Six-banded Distichodus or Six-bar Distichodus (Distichodus sexfasciatus), Giraffe catfish (Auchenoglanis occidentalis) and African arowana (Heterotis niloticus)
- Upoto elephantfish (Campylomormyrus numenius)
- Cornish jack (Mormyrops anguilloides)
- Congolese pike (Hepsetus microlepis)
- West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens)
- Spotted lungfish or Slender lungfish (Protopterus dolloi)
- Forktail lates (Lates microlepis)
- Congo bichir (Polypterus congicus)
- Giant cichlid or Emperor cichlid (Boulengerochromis microlepis)
- Citharinus gibbosus and Ripon Barbel (Labeobarbus altianalis)
- Blue-spotted tilapia (Oreochromis leucostictus)​

20J – Aquariums

- Banded jewel cichlid (Hemichromis elongatus)
- Mango tilapia, Galilaea tilapia, Galilean comb, Galilee St. Peter's fish or St. Peter's fish (Sarotherodon galilaeus)
- African blind barb or Congo blind barb (Caecobarbus geertsi) [Darkened cave tank]
- Congo tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus), Blotched upside-down catfish (Synodontis nigriventris) and Petrocephalus grandoculis
- African tiger barb, African banded barb, Angola barb, Blue-barred barb or Fire barb (Enteromius fasciolatus) and African moon tetra (Bathyaethiops caudomaculatus)
- Boulenger's featherfin tetra (Bryconaethiops boulengeri)
- Congo puffer or Potato puffer (Tetraodon miurus)
- Southern mouth-brooder (Pseudocrenilabrus philander dispersus)
- Leopard bush fish leopard bushfish, Spotted Ctenopoma, Leopard Ctenopoma, Spotted climbing perch, Spotted leaf fish, Spotted cichlid or Spotted bushfish (Ctenopoma acutirostre) and Synodontis ornatissimus
- Freshwater butterflyfish or African butterflyfish (Pantodon buchholzi)
- Peters's elephant-nose fish, Elephant-nose fish, Long-nosed elephant fish or Ubangi mormyrid (Gnathonemus petersii)
- Ocellated Kribensis (Pelvicachromis subocellatus)
- Malebo Puffer (Tetraodon duboisi)
- African glass catfish ( Pareutropius debauwi)
- Zaireichthys brevis and Neolamprologus multifasciatus
- Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi
- Lionhead cichlid (Steatocranus casuarius) and Astatotilapia burtoni
- Princess cichlid, Princess of Burundi, Lyretail cichlid, Fairy cichlid or Brichard's Lamprologus (Neolamprologus brichardi), Tropheus species “Black Kiriza”, White spotted cichlid (Tropheus duboisi) and Cuckoo catfish or Cuckoo squeaker (Synodontis multipunctatus)
- Lemon cichlid (Neolamprologus leleupi)
- Variabilichromis moorii​

I hope this project and design were enjoyed. I hope to be back as soon as possible with a new design and project (part) to present. Constructive criticisms are welcome.

 

Can you give the numbers of animals, at least for the largest species (Hippos, Crocs...)?

 

I haven't really considered that aspect, to be honest. It might be something I have to address.

I would imagine the hippos would be kept in a herd, say one male and several females, possibly with calves. As far as the crocodiles go I would say at least a pair of each species, but potentially more individuals or multiple females.

 

Tonight I unfortunately have to bring the news that today I have had to decide to retire from speculative zoo work, with immediate effect and forever. I will not be completing my Expedition Congo project and I will not be doing any further future projects.

There are two majors reason for this decision. The first is the complete failure of my Expedition Congo - Woodland savannas projects - several ideas and designs have failed and I am at wit's end with it. There are still ideas, but I am completely failing to work them out and I no longer see any possible solutions, any chance of recovery or any future options. The other reason is that I no longer feel that my types of ideas, designs and projects sufficiently fit in with the desired new direction for the speculative zoo design forum, and that I am unable to adapt them towards new directions.

I am going to leave the speculative zoo work to others from now on, and I wish everyone who participates in it the greatest possible joy in doing so. If my work inspires or helps anyone with theirs I am honored by that.

To everyone who had read, looked at, liked or comment on any of my submissions, I wish to express my most sincere thanks and gratefulness. This has all been very much appreciated.

When I feel a bit better than I do right now I hope to continue my gallery postings, which I definitely plan to continue.

The moderators can do with this thread as they see fit, I will leave that to their wisdom.

 

I'm really sorry to hear that you are retiring the thread, and that you are having difficulty with the latest installment. I'm not going to try and persuade you to rethink given you appear to have made up your mind but this was just to say that I greatly enjoyed seeing your incredibly in-depth and insightful exhibits, and I would suggest that this thread is in fact not only well within the spec. zoo guidelines but exemplary within the category, and absolutely excels in the design and clarity aspects. Honestly, I thought your exhibits, your design, your maps, your ideas, your detail just frankly brilliant.

Thanks so much for sharing and I hope very much that you come back to this in due course when you are ready .

 

Terribly sorry to hear this sad news. In all honesty, I think one could argue that you have some of the best maps on the forum, so and everything else goes well beyond standards. I hope you come back to this.

 

I thank you both your nice comments.

Unfortunately I cannot see things the way you do. I am seeing a desire for highly realistic designs in terms of species selections and exhibit design and for great details and correctness in sizes and proportions of exhibits - something that I am just not able to do. And I saw an enormous need but no realistic way to improve my designs.

Even if I wanted to continue it is now already too late, as I have already destroyed all of my designs and notes.