The series of nocturnal exhibits ”Night in the Woods” would deal with (mostly common) animal species living in Danish forests and gardens, from fireflies to foxes. ”Night in the Woods” would be composed of two parts: A tunnel and a dome-shaped biome. Need I say ”Night in the Woods” would be dimly lit? THE TUNNEL The tunnel would include a series of small aquariums which would show kids the invertebrates they know from underneath logs and rotten wood as well as other dark, moist places, and would explain to this young audience the biology and characteristics of the various invertebrates from forest and garden they know so well. These invertebrates could for instance include woodlice, pillbugs, millipedes, centipedes, snails (including the Roman snail), slugs (including the in Denmark infamous ”killer slug”, which is an invasive species), earthworms and various beetles. Nearing the end of the tunnel would be owls and mammals (one species per enclosure), namely barn owls, tawny owls, house mice, brown rats and a Danish bat species (I haven't chosen which one yet, but I'm leaning towards Eptesicus serotinus). The house mouse enclosure would be located next to the barn owl enclosure in a way it would look like they were connected, and both would be styled to look like an old barn with wooden background, haystacks and the like. The brown rat enclosure would resemble a sewer (no surprise there!) connected to an old, worn bathroom, creating a strange, gloomy atmosphere. Night is for sleeping, not walking around inside old homes, kids! THE DOME-SHAPED BIOME To create a very special atmosphere, I think I would create a quite unusual biome: A nocturnal biome with free-flying moths and fireflies! The audience would enter the biome (which would resemble a woodland habitat) through a door at the end of the tunnel with the invertebrates, owls and small mammals. The biome would be dome-shaped and partly illuminated by the fireflies (common glow-worm, Lampyris noctiluca), and the ceiling would resemble a starry, moonlit night. Inside the large biome would be eight enclosures, each containing one of the following species: Red fox, European badger, European polecat, European wildcat, European hedgehog, European mole and roe deer. Signs would describe each species, and each sign would be illuminated by pressing a button. The insectivorous animals would be behind a screen or other barrier to protect the moths. What do you think? Would this work, and would it even look good? I'm looking forward to hear your responses!
Nocturnal exhibits have their advantages and disadvantages. Serotine bats (Eptesicus serotinus), just as all other native European bat species, are European Protected Species; obtaining them isn't a piece of cake. Neither is displaying them to the public (insectivorous diet, hardly visible). That's the reason why most zoos rely on exotic species when displaying bats. Moths and fireflies won't last long and will need constant replacing. Roe deer in such confined space will do poorly. Red foxes will most likely soon develop stereotypical behaviour. Moles can be kept, but are also very tricky to keep alive.
