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What to do with the Sacramento Zoo: Chapter II - Revenge of the Rarities

Discussion in 'Speculative Zoo Design and Planning' started by Hipporex, 15 Dec 2019.

  1. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I have too much free time. I'm also a huge Sacramento Zoo fan. Put those two together and this thread is the end results. This zoo exists in a what if society: What if, the Sacramento Zoo had to stay where it was? (For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about: The Sacramento Zoo is a 14.3 acre zoo located in William Land Park in Sacramento, California. The zoo is planning over moving to a much larger location within the next decade or so.) But I asked myself, what if this doesn't/can't happen? How will the zoo innovate and change to keep an AZA accredidation and attract vistors at the same time? Thus I give you the Sacramento Zoo and Aquarium.

    Key:
    • Light Brown: Buildings
    • Dark Green: Behind-the-scenes
    • White: Paths or outside the zoo
    • Orange: Exhibit within "New World"
    • Dark Brown: Exhibit within "Giraffic Park"
    • Light Blue: Exhibit within "Madagascar"
    • Purple: Exhibit within "Apes of Asia"
    • Pink: Exhibit within "Birds of the World"
    • Light Blue: Exhibit within "The Catwalk"
    • Red: Exhibit within "Cheetah Crossing"
    • Tan: Exhibit within "Okapi Trail"
    • Peach: Exhibit within "Red Panda Forest"
    • Yellow: Exhibit within "Echidna Outpost," "Reptile House," or for Animal Ambassadors
    • Light Green: Grass and other plants not with an exhibit
    • Black Numbers: Exhibits
    • Blue Numbers: Building, statues, etc.
    *map dimensions are very obviously not to scale
    *also I messed up at numbering which is why some numbers are seem out of place
    *sorry for cruddy coloring
    *I'm busy today so I'll have to continue this later or tomorrow

    upload_2019-12-15_12-0-21.png
     
    Last edited: 15 Dec 2019
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  2. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Okay, let's pretend that first map isn't there. This one is slightly more "correct."
    • Light brown: Buildings
    • Grey: Behind-the-scenes
    • Light green: Grass and other plants not with an exhibit
    • Purple: Apes of Asia
    • Largest diamond on the bottom: Big Blue World (aquarium)
    • Orange: Big Cat Row
    • Third building from the left in the bottom right corner: Biodiversity Center (small animal building)
    • Another shade of light green: Birds of the World
    • Red: Cheetah Crossing
    • Yellow: Echidna Outpost
    • Light blue: Giraffic Park
    • Dark brown: Madagascar
    • Dark blue: New World
    • Large building behind "Echidna Outpost": Nightlife (nocturnal house)
    • Tan: Okapi Forest
    • Pink: Red Panda Trail
    upload_2019-12-16_18-34-42.png

    Here is a map of the current zoo for perspective:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 17 Dec 2019
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  3. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Apes of Asia
    Theme: Southeast Asia and tropical Oceania
    Exhibits: 6
    Species: 7

    upload_2019-12-16_19-31-19.png

    • The two exhibits on the right: This space is currently home to 3 exhibits, 1 housing mongoose lemur siblings and 2 housing roadrunner siblings. These old exhibits would be demolished and two new exhibits would be home to a male and female Matschie's tree kangaroo.
    • The exhibit on the left: Where the male red river hog currently lives, would be modified and expanded, and become home to a southern cassowary.
    • The big exhibit in the middle: Where the common chimpanzee currently lives, would be modified and expanded, and become home to the Visayan warty pig and the zoo's two white-handed gibbons.
    • The exhibit above the previous exhibit: Current Sumatran orangutan exhibit. Would be modified and expanded and would remain home to orangutans but also become home to Asian small-clawed otters. The circle coming out of the exhibit represents a sky trail to be used by the orangs like at other zoos.
    • Elongated exhibit, next to orang exhibit: The old gibbon exhibit would be demolished and a new aviary would be built to house a rhinoceros hornbill.
     
  4. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Interested to see what you come up with, liking what you've already changed. Looks like several species would return to the zoo after varying periods of absence, and ones I'd be happy to see return.

    Only part I'm not currently following is where you're getting the space to 'modify and expand' some of these exhibits in Apes of Asia.
     
  5. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    • Southern cassowary exhibit: New exhibit would expand a tad bit into the exhibits on either side and maybe take over some of the pathway. Plus the moat would be filled in.
    • Sumatran orangutan/Asian small-clawed otter exhibit: Moat would be filled in and the little alcove with the primate busts would go to the exhibit.
    • White-handed gibbon/Visayan warty pig exhibit: Honestly it would probably stay the same size.
     
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  6. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Big Blue World
    Theme: Oceans and rivers (it's an aquarium)
    Location on map: Largest diamond on the bottom
    Exhibits: 7
    Species: 14

    [​IMG]

    Having been inside this building when it was the "IKEA Discovery Room" I think there would be enough rooms for these tanks and for visitor viewing

    Right side of the room:
    • Blubber jellyfish tank
    • Coral reef tank (fake corals): Blue hippo tang; Chocolate chip sea star; Coral catshark; Cortez ray; Dog-faced puffer; Red lionfish; Snowflake eel; Yellow tang
    • Caribbean reef octopus tank
    Left side of the room:
    • Pacific lumpsucker tank
    • Kuda seahorse tank
    • Sea lamprey tank
    • West African lungfish tank
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2019
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  7. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Big Cat Row
    Theme: Big Cats (and a canid)
    Color on map: Orange
    Exhibits: 6
    Species: 4

    upload_2019-12-17_19-45-37.png
    • Jaguar exhibit #1
    • Jaguar exhibit #2
    Tikal and Sasha would rotate on a daily basis. This first exhibit would be the same as the current jaguar exhibit except with different viewing areas (with glass viewing) and the path in between South Lake and the exhibit would be ridded of to expand the exhibit. The second exhibit would take up the current Small Feline Courtyard.
    • Southern lion exhibit
    Would stay basically the same except maybe the glass would be pulled forward and maybe the middle wall would be fully pulled down.
    • Japanese raccoon dog exhibit
    Current giant anteater exhibit would be modified to hold a pair of raccoon dogs. Glass viewing would be pulled forward.
    • Snow leopard exhibit #1
    • Snow leopard exhibit #2
    Misha and Coconut, and Blizzard would rotate on a daily basis. Viewing would be replaced with glass. Current snow leopard exhibit would mainly stay the same. Former hyena exhibit would be heavily modified (including filling in the moat).
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2019
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  8. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Biodiversity Center
    Theme: Reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and small mammals
    Location on map: Third building from the right in the bottom corner
    Exhibits: 56
    Species: 70

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Blue: Large exhibit
    Orange: Medium exhibit
    Red: Small exhibit
    Green: Extra large exhibit
    *small exhibits are stacked because they are set up on on top of each other.
    *no construction would occur, rather the exhibits themselves would be modified to fit their new inhabitants (or in certain cases staying the same as the inhabitants wouldn't change).

    1. Carpet python; Green tree python; White's tree frog
    2. Fleischmann’s glass frog; Red-eyed tree frog
    3. Puerto Rican boa
    4. Cobalt blue tarantula
    5. Giant African millipede
    6. Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko; Sambava tomato frog
    7. Lesser hedgehog tenrec; Standing's day gecko
    8. Gaboon viper
    9. Smallwood anole
    10. Green mantella; Golden mantella
    11. Mexican alligator lizard
    12. Madagascar giant day gecko; Spider tortoise
    13. Black-and-roufous elephant shrew
    14. Curlyhair tarantula
    15. Goliath bird-eating tarantula
    16. Smoky jungle frog
    17. Rio Fuerte beaded lizard
    18. Eyelash viper
    19. Amazon milk frog; Aquatic caecilian
    20. Prehensile-tailed skink
    21. Tanzanian tailless whip-scorpion
    22. Orchid mantis
    23. Green-and-black poison dart frog; Phantasmal poison frog
    24. Giant desert centipede
    25. Giant desert scorpion
    26. Axolotl
    27. Hercules beetle
    28. King cobra
    29. Western pond turtle
    30. Minute leaf chameleon
    31. Western pond turtle
    32. Vietnamese mossy frog
    33. Rhinoceros ratsnake
    34. Phantasmal poison frog; Yellow-banded poison dart frog
    35. Chinese crocodile lizard
    36. Honduran spiny-tailed iguana
    37. Fiji banded iguana; Solomon Island leaf frog
    38. Banded archerfish; Tokay gecko
    39. Common blue-tongued skink; Magnificent tree frog
    40. European legless lizard
    41. Madagascar big-headed turtle
    42. Golden poison dart frog
    43. Tuatara *
    44. Giant horned lizard
    45. San Francisco garter snake
    46. Rubber boa
    47. Northern Pacific rattlesnake
    48. Common chuckwalla
    49. Giant garter snake
    50. Santa Catalina rattlesnake
    51. Unknown **
    52. California banana slug
    53. Foothill yellow-legged frog
    54. California red-legged frog
    55. California newt; California tiger salamander
    56. California tiger salamander; Western toad
    *This exhibit would be divided down the middle with a male and female on either side
    **Unknown because the zoo plans on putting a new species here but I don't know what it is
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2019
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  9. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I like this, especially how you've reopened all the exhibits for use again! I'd be very much in favor of the reptile house moving toward this!

    This match might give you some issues though, tenrecs are carnivorous, even if Standing's are pretty large in terms of day geckos...
     
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  10. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Maybe a species of small Madagascar tortoise then?
     
  11. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Probably... might not be enough floor space for both though? I wonder what species have been housed with tenrecs...
     
  12. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Well according to this, Standing's day gecko. Tropics Trail - Standings Day Gecko and Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec Exhibit - ZooChat. But maybe given the small size of the exhibit, bringing back the Peters' keeled plated lizard, the species the gecko's were originally mixed with would be the best idea.
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2019
  13. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Huh, didn't see that one, but I did find a mix with Veiled Chameleon. Well, maybe a Standing's/Tenrec mix would work, or could go back to the plated lizard. Your call, your redesign. ;)
     
  14. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Birds of the World
    Theme: Avain dinosaurs (AKA birds)
    Location on map: Green below vet hospital
    Exhibits: 5
    Species: 14

    upload_2019-12-17_21-17-8.png
    • African pygmy falcon aviary
    • Southern white-faced owl/Spur-winged lapwing aviary
    • Lady Ross’s turaco aviary
    • Plains-coloured amazon aviary
    • Walk-through aviary: African pygmy duck; Crested coua; Hawk-headed parrot; Jambu fruit dove; Luzon bleeding-heart; Northern helmeted curassow; Northern red-billed hornbill; Victoria crowned pigeon
    • Kea
    Four independent avaires would go in a line alongside the left side of the walk-through aviary. Each one would be approximately the size of the zoo's current Azure-winged magpie/Himalayan monal aviary. The kea aviary would be the largest independent aviary and would be situated in between the walk-through and the vet hospital. The walk-through aviary would be approximately the size of the African one at the San Francisco Zoo or the generic one at the Sequoia Park Zoo.
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2019
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  15. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I've long wished Sac would put in a walk-through aviary... Hypothetically they could do it right where you suggest, with fairly little effort I'd think. I like your species lineup too, though you might want to move the Kea, given their predatory nature.
     
  16. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Smart idea.
     
  17. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Cheetah Country
    Theme: Southern Africa
    Color on map: Red
    Exhibits: 3
    Species: 4

    [​IMG]

    • Southeast African cheetah exhibit
    This exhibit used to hold cheetahs and it would be renovated so it could hold cheetahs again. Where the tawny frogmouth exhibit is would be placed a safari-style vehicle, half in the cheetah exhibit, half out the exhibit. So cheetahs could lay on the bed while people sit in the cab.
    • Rock hyrax/Rosy-faced lovebird exhibit
    This exhibit would be built where the Australian "playground" is now.
    • Naked-mole rat exhibit
    Where the laughing kookaburra exhibit is now would become an outdoor shed with naked-mole rats.
     
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  18. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Echidna Outpost
    Theme: Australia
    Color on map: Yellow
    Exhibits: 3
    Species: 4

    [​IMG]
    • Laughing kookaburra/Short-beaked echidna/Tammar wallaby exhibit
    The current river otter exhibit would be expanded (it would be squared out giving the inhabitants more land space) and modified (including put netting over it) for the new species.
    • Ackies dwarf monitor exhibit
    • Woma python exhibit
    An outdoor shed with two tanks would be constructed in front of the behind the scenes area for the echidna.
     
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  19. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Giraffic Park
    Theme: Africa
    Color on map: Light blue
    Exhibits: 5
    Species: 10 + 1 hybrid

    upload_2019-12-18_20-5-46.png

    In all these instances, the moats would be filled in.
    • Pygmy hippopotamus/Wolf’s guenon/Zebra tilapia exhibit
    2/3rds of the current bongo exhibit would be converted into, well, this. It would look like the exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, complete with underwater viewing. It's probable it'd have to take away some of the current pathway.
    • Abyssinian ground hornbill/Eastern bongo (female and calf) exhibit
    The remaining 1/3rd of the current bongo exhibit and 1/3rd of the zebra exhibit would go to a new bongo/ground hornbill exhibit.
    • Savanna exhibit: Common ostrich/Eastern bongo (male)/Grévy's zebra/Masai giraffe/Reticulated giraffe-Rothchild’s giraffe hybrid
    • African spurred tortoise exhibit
    • Meerkat exhibit
    The remain zebra exhibit would be added to the giraffe exhibit. The current giraffe deck would be demolished in favor of a much less space consuming one. Beneath the deck would be the night housing for the meerkats and spurred tortoise exhibits. The meerkat exhibit would be a tad larger than the current location and the tortoise exhibit would be about the same size. Both exhibits would allow you to see the ungulates behind them.
     
    Last edited: 19 Dec 2019
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  20. Hipporex

    Hipporex Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Location:
    California, United States
    Zone: Madagascar
    Theme: Madagascar (well no duh)
    Color on map: Brown
    Exhibits: 7
    Species: 8

    [​IMG]

    • Black-and-white ruffed lemur exhibit
    • Coquerel’s sifaka exhibit
    Lemur exhibits would remain unchanged
    • Radiated tortoise exhibit
    Current Crested coua exhibit would be demolished and a small exhibit for radiated tortoises would be constructed.
    • Lesser hedgehog tenrec/Panther chameleon exhibit
    • Madagascar tree boa exhibit
      Flat-tailed tortoise exhibit
    • Madagascar hissing cockroach exhibit
    An outdoor shed with four tanks would be constructed where what is currently a small grass patch.
     
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