So, I think this Fantasy Zoo will be unique. It is a fictional zoo, in a fictional country. This fictional country, Palm Island, is supposed to be about the size of New Zealand's Stewart Island and located between the Philippines and Guam. It is a British colonial island and very well-developed economically. It's also home to unique wildlife, which I generally won't go into detail here about. Without further ado, let's begin with describing Palm Island's only zoo, the Tortoise Gardens! The Tortoise Gardens was originally founded in 1951 by tortoise enthusiast Robert Stanley to house his collection of Galapagos giant tortoises and Aldabra giant tortoises, which remain the principal attractions even today, roaming semi-freely in a park-like area constantly scrutinized for potentially poisonous species. The tortoises are bred on a small scale and the offspring either kept or sent to other reputable zoos across the globe. In particular, one female, Elsie Trot, was sent to the Galapagos for captive breeding and offspring reintroduction when it turned out she was a pure Espanola giant tortoise, and has only recently been sent back to the Tortoise Gardens after demand by locals. For an extra fee, visitors can pay to interact with and even feed the giant tortoises. But giant tortoises are not the only species on display at the Gardens. Ponds and habitat have been set up in some areas of the zoo to allow habitation by the Palm Island water skink, a highly adaptable insectivorous skink of up to 20 centimeters long which can also be kept and bred in private hands by licensed individuals, the only reptile which can be officially held as a "pet" (though rubber eels and axolotls are privately holdable amphibians, and there are technically no laws prohibiting the ownership of introduced house geckos). There are enclosures set up for the endangered (technically vulnerable) Palm Island dwarf crocodile, the world's smallest crocodilian at less than 4 feet long and just as at home on land as in water, the Palm Island rail, the Palm Island giant stick insect and more recently, endangered exotic species such as the cottontop tamarin, ring-tailed lemur, fishing cat and Fijian crested iguana. A small botanical garden is also present, though it does not sport too many species (a few endangered cycads and Norfolk pines are the most interesting). The park is accredited by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Typical zoo amenities such as a gift shop, cafe, bathrooms and a cafe are present. The cafe in particular serves many environmentally friendly dishes such as fried farmed oysters, coconut-based beverages and various tropical fruit dishes. No beef or pork is used in menu dishes, though sweet and sour chicken is available. What does ZooChat think of this creative exercise?
This almost reminds me of something which actually exists for conservation purposes, where Aldabra and Radiated Tortoises have been introduced to Rodrigues and some islands off Mauritius to replace the extinct endemic tortoises, with the aim of trying to recreate the forests. Specifically, in Rodrigues, the native forest trees have tortoise-proof lower foliage, so the idea is that the tortoises will eat the introduced plants and eventually the native forests will regenerate enough to cover the land again, with the additional factor that the seeds of the native trees have been shown to germinate better after passing through tortoises (when they eat the fallen fruits).
