My Fantasy Zoo

I will check it out! My fantasy zoo is a bit different to most as I try to keep it semi realistic. I look forward to reading your thread.

I'm going to keep on writing my zoo as it does me good to have something to focus on. Hope it's not too dull!

 

Behind the Secretary Bird aviary is a raised walkway that snakes up towards a large building called ‘Plains of Africa’. This building acts as the indoor housing for Rothschild's Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Lesser Kudu, Ostrich & Grey Crowned Crane. Walking into the building you enter onto a raised platform viewing area that looks over the stalls for the Plains of Africa animals. The Giraffes stalls are housed at the opposite end of the house, with the Zebra, Antelope and bird stalls working towards the viewing platform. To the right as you enter the building is a doorway that opens up on to a viewing area above some of the outside yards. This viewing area, which features benches, looks out over the large Plains of Africa paddock that has two extra viewing areas further up in the Zoo. Walking back into the inside viewing area and to the left of the main entrance is a glass fronted enclosure for Pancake Tortoises. Walking back out of the African section of the zoo, back to the path that worked its way along the bottom of the hill (with the Warthogs on your left) you come to the second viewing area for the Plains of Africa paddock. The viewing area is raised above the paddock and has information signs for each species running along the barrier. The paddock is a large grass paddock that features a watering hole, some rocks and starts to slope up the hill. The path then folds back on its self and heads towards the main viewing area for the outside Orang Utan enclosure. Unlike the Gorilla enclosure, the Orang Utan enclosure is covered with a flat caged roof to simulate a forest canopy. The path follows the enclosure at an angle as it slopes up the hill. Along the path there are glass viewing windows surrounded by wood cladding. The Orang Utan enclosure runs up the steep hill and features three levels. The bottom level down by the main Ape World building is covered in wood chip, the next level is hay, whilst the top level at the top of the enclosure is covered by grass. Each level is separated by fake rock and the whole enclosure features ropes and climbing structures.

 

Opposite the viewing area for the Orang Utan enclosure is a wooden walkway that leads out over the Plains of Africa paddock. The path leads to a large covered viewing area that looks over the whole enclosure. The base of the walkway is surrounded by fake rock and sand to keep the Giraffes a decent distance away. The covered viewing area is designed like an African hut and has loads of information signs about the six species that live in the Plains of Africa exhibit. The paddock slopes up behind the walkway and is surrounded by rocks. Walking back to the main path, you turn left, past one last glass viewing window for the Orang Utans, looking over the grass part of the enclosure. The path then zig zags up the hill when you come to a small glass viewing window looking up into a small enclosure that also climbs the hill. The glass window is situated in fake rock and gives you the first look into the hillside Rock Hyrax enclosure. On the left hand side of the window is an information sign for the Rock Hyrax. The path then bends back upon itself and leads to a large viewing area overlooking a paddock at the top of the hill. The paddock overlooks the Plains of Africa paddock and is home to an exhibit called ‘The Outback’. The viewing area extends from the path with wooden decking and overlooks the paddock. The Outback is home to Western Grey Kangaroo, Swamp Wallaby, Eastern Wallaroo and Emu. The large paddock has high wire fencing around it and features fake rock and a pool. From the decking viewing area you can see the paddock slope upwards. Up behind the paddock is another high wire fenced paddock that holds a pair of off show Brolga Cranes. The path then leads back from the paddock and works its way up between trees on your right and a larger viewing area into the Rock Hyrax enclosure. This viewing area is a large long glass panel in between fake rock. The enclosure features loads of fake rock, is well planted again and is home to a group of four. At the top of the Hyrax enclosure the path takes another zig zag and leads up to a large brick building that is the indoor housing for the Kangaroos, Wallaby’s, Wallaroos and Emus. The brick building was originally the White Rhino house, with the paddock being turned into ‘The Outback. Indoor viewing is from a large window in the side of the house.

 

Following the path up from the Outback exhibit you come to a large circular viewing area overlooking an exhibit called ‘Wolf Ridge’ which is home to Iberian Wolves. This exhibit is located behind the Rock Hyrax enclosure and above the Orang Utan enclosure. ‘Wolf Ridge’ takes advantage of the hill side and wood in which the Zoo is located. The viewing area at the top of ‘Wolf Ridge’ is the only viewing for the exhibit and features one long concave glass viewing window. The enclosure features natural British trees, fake rocks, a pool and slops down the steep hill that visitors walk up from the African section of the Zoo. Just along from the Wolf viewing area the path can take you two ways, further on up the hill or turning right along a flat path that leads along the top of the Gorilla and Sun Bear enclosures. Located above the steep Gorilla enclosure is a building called ‘Gorilla Lookout’. The bamboo cladded building has automatic doors that lead you into a heavily planted indoor area. On your right you walk past an enclosure for Royal Pythons and come to a large glass window that looks down over the whole Gorilla enclosure. On the wall behind you, opposite side to the Royal Python enclosure is a couple of information signs and a live feed video from inside the Gorllia inside enclosure inside ‘Ape World’. Coming back out from ‘Gorilla Lookout’ turning right you come to a small viewing hut that overlooks the Sun Bear & Binturong enclosure. This is just a small wooden structure that is open to the path. However like ‘Gorilla Lookout’ there is a large glass viewing window. The flat path carries along the top of ‘Sun Bear Falls’ however the indoor housing for Bears, Binturongs and Primates is off show from the public.

 

A quick question, would be great for some opinions!

I believe there are Zoos here in the UK that keep Leopards together in one enclosure for example Twycross Snow Leopards and Banham Sri Lankan Leopards, is that an ok way to keep Leopards? I'm thinking of ways to redevelop the Leopard enclosure in my fantasy Zoo and I'm wondering if I can get away with just one outside enclosure.

 

Opposite the viewing area for the Sun Bears is a wooden ramp that leads up into another covered viewing hut. This is a bamboo cladded building with a large glass window and looks up into the Siamang enclosure. The Siamang exhibit is a hill side enclosure and features ropes, poles, fake rock and is covered by fine mesh netting. Opposite the glass window, is a large information sign informing visitors about the threats faced by the Siamang. There is then another ramp that leads out in front of the ‘Gorilla Lookout’ viewing area. Heading back to the Iberian Wolves, you turn right as the path leads further on up the steep hill. The path turns right, then left and you then reach another covered viewing area. On the right hand side is glass window viewing further on up the Siamang enclosure whilst on your left is a glass window looking into a hillside paddock. This top part of the Zoo is situated in a large wood and the hillside paddock features British trees. This paddock is home to a pair of Japanese Serow and a pair of Reeves Muntjac. The paddock, surrounded by hinge joint fencing, is only lined one side by the path allowing both species to hide away if needed. The house is situated at the bottom of the paddock and is a typical wooden structure. Reaching the highest part of the Zoo, on the right is the Red Panda enclosure. The Red Panda enclosure is on a slight slope, features wooden climbing structures and is heavily planted. The front of the enclosure is visitor high glass separated by wooden poles. Each pole is painted red and features Chinese writing, with each pole having a different name for the Red Panda. Opposite the Red Pandas is the indoor housing for the Siamangs. This building is cladded in wood and features an overhang allowing viewing into the Siamang house. The on show indoor enclosure features ropes, a hammock, walls painted in a jungle mural and features straw flooring.

 

Past the Red Panda enclosure the path twists right, then left and you arrive at the large free flight Eagle aviary. The aviary is cut into the hill face and features a drop below the path. The aviary makes use of natural rock and features a waterfall. The large aviary is home to a pair of Steller’s Sea Eagles and the whole aviary is covered in a fine mesh. The path runs around the aviary before you come to a smaller second aviary, this time housing a pair of Ural Owls. This aviary is more artificially decorated, featuring, fake rock, gravel and branches. In front of the Owl aviary, the path then drops and zig zags down a steep hill passing two enclosures in the process. On the left is the first of two netted Amur Leopard enclosures. The Leopard enclosure is only viewable from the path by large glass windows, one at the top of the hill, the next further down. The front of the Leopard enclosure is covered in wood paneling, and at each window is an information sign. The enclosure is heavily planted, features a stream, fake rock, climbing structures and is home to the male Amur Leopard. On the right hand side of the path that leads down from the Owls is a wooded hillside paddock home to a pair of Siberian Musk Deer & White Naped Cranes. The paddock is similar to the Japanese Serow paddock but is slightly smaller and is more wooded. The indoor housing for the Deer & Cranes is just down from the original viewing area for the Siamangs. At the bottom of the zig zag path, it starts to flatten out and you come to the third and final viewing window into the male Amur Leopard enclosure. The pool at the bottom of the enclosure come up above the base of the viewing window, giving semi underwater viewing into the pool.

 

To the right of the viewing window, you enter, through automatic doors into a building called ‘Leopards of the Black Water’. This building acts as the indoor housing for the Amur Leopard exhibit and is designed in the style of a Russian log cabin. There is one on show view den plus another off show den. The on show den is decorated with fake rock, logs, branches and substrate flooring. Opposite the show den is an interactive information sign and to the right is a large glass viewing window looking down over an aviary for Woolly Necked Storks. This aviary is similar to the Eagle aviary in that it features natural rock and has a stream and pool. The wooden indoor house for the Storks is down past the indoor housing for the Sun Bears and Monkeys from earlier in the Zoo. Walking out through another set of automatic doors on your left is the third and final part of ‘Leopards of the Black Water’, the second and larger outside enclosure. This enclosure has a large glass window surrounding the front of the enclosure and features heavy planting, more fake rock, climbing structures, a stream and a rock cave. This enclosure is home to the female Amur Leopard and like the male enclosure is also covered in netting. Opposite the female Leopard enclosure is a wooden hut with two aviaries either side. Directly opposite the Leopards is the aviary home to Moluccan Cockatoo and on the far side of the wooden hut is a larger aviary for a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbill. The path starts to flatten out gently as you walk on past the Hornbills and come to a long row of glass panels, looking up into the hilly Asiatic Lion enclosure. The hill slopes upwards from the path and the glass panels give great views up into the exhibit called ‘Lion Country’. This enclosure is a typical big cat enclosure, and is surrounded by more of the natural trees that make up the wood on the side of the hill. The enclosure features a pond, a wooden resting area, a cave and enrichment. Due to the nature of the Zoo, the Lion house is up behind the Lion enclosure so is off show. Walking past the Lions, with the path continuing to slowly flatten out you come to one of the biggest exhibits in the Zoo, ‘Tiger Kingdom’. You first come to a wooden viewing hut, looking into the first of two large enclosures for Amur Tigers. The path continues around the enclosure, which features a large pond and fake rock, where you arrive at the inside housing building. From outside of the building, under a covered viewing area you look into a large show den that is very similar to the show den for the Amur Leopards. The path then curves around the larger Tiger enclosure, which again features fake rock, a pond but also a cave and a climbing ramp until it reaches the far end of the enclosure where there is another wooden viewing hut. Both viewing huts feature large glass viewing windows for unrestricted views off the Tigers. Like the Lion enclosure, both Tiger enclosures slope upwards away from the main path.

 

Remembering back to earlier in the Zoo, to the ramp for ‘Fragile Forest’ the main path from the entrance leads on past the exhibit. On your left is the outside Geoffroy’s Marmoset enclosure and just past this is a large open plaza featuring a large fountain. On the opposite side of the plaza is the large 19th century mansion house, of which the grounds house the Zoo. The ground level of the mansion house houses the main Zoo restaurant (with a large outside seating area in the plaza), the upstairs is offices for the Zoo and the basement is the Nocturnal house. The Zoo carries on around the back on the mansion house that is just down from the second of the two Tiger enclosures. A gradual path that zig zags down the final part of the hill leads to a wooden house for Yellow Breasted Capuchins. The house has a glass viewing window and is slightly higher than the floor of the outside exhibit. Finally back on the flat, after the hillside part of the Zoo you come to a long glass viewing window that looks up into the Capuchin enclosure. The enclosure is a tall narrow wooden structure featuring ropes, hammocks, and substrate flooring. The path then leads away, with the Capuchin enclosure opposite where on your right is a small paddock backing onto the mansion house and on your left a larger paddock. The paddock on your right, surrounded by wooden fencing is home to Visayan Warty Pigs. The paddock features a mix of grass and wood chip and also features enrichment such as branches. The wooden indoor housing for the Warty Pigs backs onto the Capuchin enclosure. The paddock on the other side of the path is home to Philippine Spotted Deer. The enclosure is also surrounded by wooden fencing and is a grass paddock with branches and logs. At the end of the path you either go right around the far end of the Warty Pig enclosure of left past the Deer housing. Directly in front of the junction is wooden building which forms part of the Fossa exhibit.