What Zoo Animals will you keep in a ''Micro zoo''?

I'm not saying don't have Pygmy hippos , but gazelles and large antelope are a big no in my opinion. But if you can give them adequate space, by all means put them in

 

The problem is the African exhibits. I know how a rainforest exhibit would work, but savanna is a needed induction and most savanna animals are large.

 

Since when are they mostly large?

 

Well , since they evolved. Let's take a typical African savanna environment. Kruger National Park. Here's the list of most animals in the park-
aardvark
African bush elephant
Chamca baboon
Ground pangolin
Cape porcupine
Marabou stork
Cape vulture
Ostrich
Traansval lion
African leopard
Cheetah
Serval
Caracal
Viverrids
Mongooses
Jackals
Bat eared fox
Wild dog
Otters
Ratel
Hyenas
Zebras
Rhinos (black and white)
Hippos
Various antelope( including duiker)
Warthogs
Giraffe
I challenge you to create a South African savanna exhibit for a micro zoo with these animals

 

I'm glad this thread is being typical of zoos and showing a huge bias to mammals and a few 'spectacular' birds, it is good that it is more representational of zoos. I'm sure there are more beetle species* than the amount of animals you list there, but alas they do not have 'cute' babies, so who cares about them...

You have listed far from most of the species found in the park, none of which would exist without the thousands of species you don't list. Considering I found a checklist stating there are 451 species of bird found in the park**, including vagrants, you are very, very far away from the number of the taxa...

I have absolutely no interest in designing one.

*I have done no research but I imagine there are many more.
** https://www.sanparks.org/docs/parks_kruger/conservation/scientific/ff/checklist_birds_knp.pdf

 

Fair enough. I will say that I neglected to name some birds (southern ground hornbill, red billed qualaea, whatever you want) but as you said, mammals bring profit, more than insects.... So I will try to do a savanna exhibit. See how you like it!

 

This exhibit will not be included in my zoo- I'm just doing it for Macaw16's benefit. I won't waste my time on putting dimensions, this is just for example.

African Bush-
South African Springhare
Serval
Banded Mongoose
Blue Duiker
Southern Ground Hornbill
Martial Eagle
African Cuckoo
Red-Faced Mousebird

 

This is an interesting topic because you could actually start a small zoo like this

 

I'm going to continue my micro zoo now. I've already got the main plaza and African aviary done, so I'm on African Kopje.

The path from the plaza leads to a large pile of rocks, with trees and many boulders. The first exhibit is in between two boulders. It is a rock outcrop with a den in the back. The exhibit contains 1.1 Rock Monitor. This is the summer exhibit. It is about 12m^2 ( 4 by 3 meters. ) a door in the back leads to the winter exhibit of the same dimensions, with a heat lamp and such. It is vewiable from a glass panel on the side of one of the boulders. A path from that exhibit leads to an exhibit characterized by more rock outcrops. It is netted over. Ot has a small artificial termite mound in it. It is about 12m^2, like the rock monitor exhibit. It has a wintering den at the bottom, and another larger one higher up. The exhibit contains 1.1 Red Billed Hornbill and 5.5 Dwarf Mongoose.

I'll post more later.

 

Next up on the path is an exhibit with a large acacia tree or something in the back, and many grasses and rocks for the inhabitants to climb on and sit in. A small pool runs at the bottom of the enclosure. It is made to look like the pool is a depository of rainwater in a reply crater, when it is actually a pool for drinking. The exhibits is not netted over, but the inhabitants are prevented from escape by way of a dry put along the exhibits, made of the same rock as the rest of the exhibit. The exhibit is a large size of 40m^2 It contains 2.3 Vervet Monkeys. ( I stink at doing square meters! Tell me if this isn't enough to hold them, tell me with any animal!)
The next exhibit is large, with many rock outcrops and fallen tree branches. Many bushes exist and two dens. The exhibit is 88m^2. It contains 1.2 Klipspringer and 2.4 Yellow-Spotted Rock Hyrax.
The next and final exhibit is the largest, maybe in the zoo. It has 200m^2. It contains 1.1 ( or maybe 0.1) African Leopard. The exhibit has a pool, acacia trees, dead branches, and rocks. This is the final exhibit in African Kopje. Pls tell me if my exhibit sizes are good!

 

Next up is the Nigerian Hippo River exhibit.
You enter the exhibit through a set of wide double doors, like that of a Nigerian castle. The path leads down over a bridge over a river. The path follows the river, going down to the first exhibit. It is under a fake fallen log hollowed out, with a glass terrarium on the right. It's about 15m^2 (5 by 3 meters) and has 1.1 African Brush-Tailed Porcupine. They have logs to climb on and vines. The next exhibit is also staying in the log, with the only light being red. It is 3 by 3 meters, and 5 meters high. It has vines and is densely planted. It contains 0.1 (or 1.1) Golden Potto. The exhibits now exit the log, coming to a large netted over exhibit, like the lion-tailed macaque cage at the San Diego Zoo. It is 78m^2, with many climbing branches and logs, and a stand in the middle, and densely planted with a single small tree. It has a pool taking up 15m^2. It contains 2.2 Drill.
There are three more exhibits. One is on the left, and netted over. It is 9m long and 5m wide (45m^2?) It is netted over, with many bushes running through it. It contains 1.2 Black Duiker. The last two exhibits are 70m^2 and 130 m^2, respectively. They contain 1.2 Red River Hog and 1.1 Pygmy Hippo

 

Different tanks... I'm not stupid

 

I've had a fantasy since shortly after moving Austin of starting a small, donation-supported zoo called "The Littlest Zoo in Texas," ideally near the center of Austin (there's a lot of land in East Austin, for example). Austin has two small zoos, one of which started as a pet sanctuary and one of which has a number of large and expensive animals; both are on the suburbs and focus on animals outside Texas.

It would only feature wildlife native to Texas, which considering that A. Texas is a big state and B. I've seen thirteen species of bird, two species of mammal (not counting humans and their dogs), three species of reptile, and one species of amphibian since I've moved here. Compared to the countryside I come from, it's a relatively impoverished ecosystem. There are a handful of species I think are absolutely obligatory, due to their interesting behaviors and/or natural history:

1. Virginia opossum
2. Nine-banded armadillo
3. Collared peccary
4. Pronghorn
5. Black-tailed prairie dog
6. Kangaroo rat (preferably Texas kangaroo rat)
7. Pocket gopher (preferably Texas pocket gopher)
   
8. Burrowing owl
9. Banded pigeon
10. Plain chachalaca
11. Prairie chicken (either species)
12. Phainopepla
    
13. Kingfisher (either ringed or green)
14. Texas horned lizard

Texas is home to a large number of charismatic carnivores, including raccoons, ringtails, coatis, jaguarundis, ocelots, and swift foxes, a bunch of neat rodents, and all sorts of birds and reptiles. The goal for the remainder of the selection would be to pick representative species which are charismatic and also interesting during the day. For example, I'd love to have ghost bats, nightjars of some sort and flammulated owls, but all of those are drab-colored and nocturnal (and microbats and nightjars are tricky dietwise), so they may not be good exhibit specimens, particularly for a small zoo.

 

I just thought you might be interested in an excellent example of an African savannah exhibit containing "micro" species that I have seen at Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic. I briefly comment on this exhibit in my review of the zoo in this post: https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/prague-and-pilsen-visit.427713/page-2#post-916623 and you can have a look in the Prague gallery for more pictures if you're interested.

The exhibit contains an area with - in my opinion rather attractive - theming of rocks and some plants with smaller species such as porcupines, honey badgers, mongooses, and ground squirrels as well as a building called 'Africa Up Close' with a variety of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, including a small nocturnal section and some particularly unusual reptiles and rodents.

I think this is a good example of how a "micro" African exhibit can be done very well indeed.

 

Hmmmmmm. Very interesting, LaughingDove. I've looked at the pictures and it's a very well run exhibit. I'd use this for a savannah exhibit, with maybe Dik-Dik/ Other small antelope!

 

There is a very nice small zoo in Sheldon should give you some ideas how many small animals can occupy a small space, and copying ideas from Drusillas would make kids want to stay longer in the absence of the big zoo animals. But suppose there are outbuildings on the land already, or maybe the climate allows it, reptiles and spiders and the like would be a good choice. Because space is a problem viperids, elapids and one or two huge constrictors would come in handy to market the zoo.

Mixing species would save space so large communal enclosures for birds and primates would be a good bet.

In short I would create a pleasant landscaped bird garden with reptiles and some small mammals (mongooses, NW monkeys, squirrels etc). I would market it at kids in the summer, pander to people's morbid fascination with venomous creatures, and ensure the gardens are relaxing for people of all ages out of the school holiday season.

 

What’s “morbid“ about being fascinated by venomous species-“reptiles“ or not?

 

You can't honestly deny the public are fascinated with snakes and big spiders for the same reason they love sharks, Nazis and serial killers on documentary channels. Collections need visitors and certain animals draw the public in where birds and the like won't. Where budget or space is too limited for gorillas and elephants, snakes fit the bill.

 

Oh, I can most certainly deny that rather insulting claim of yours-since you lumb together different aspects.
First of all, let’s clarify some things:
Reptiles =/= just snakes. And most certainly aren’t “big“ spiders in any way reptilian...^^
Secondly: not all snakes are venomous, believe it or not. And the majority of people keeping corn/king snakes, ball pythons etc. as pets should not be labelled morbid just for not solely falling for the stereotypical “cute, cuddly and fluffy“ pets (except as feed animals ) . Neither are most of those fine gents and ladies who actually keep venomous snakes. Like any sane individual, they do not like to be thrown together with nazis or serial killers. Unless they are the latter, but that might be more likely the case for German Shepherd owners...
If you define “morbid fascination“ as being interested in something lethal, then all equestrians, farmers or all those many big cat, polar bear, elephant or great ape (yeah, the aforementioned crowd drawers) fans here at ZC or at the zoos are morbid, too.
Thirdly, if you think all snakes are crowd pleasures, try showcasing a krait...

Reptiles, venomous or not, can be attractive to zoo visitors, depending on the species and the presentation. But to call this morbid isn’t very helpful in fostering positive public awareness for these animals and their supporters