Certainly doesn't look on picture but it is true it's hard to grasp how bad/good an exhibit looks like from a single picture. Is there more to it than that picture or is that literally all they have?
Are we arguing over a domestic Guinea pig exhibit? It's irrelevant to most of us anyway! The only question is 3-0 or 2-1 Beauval! I think the Echidna just about avoids 3-0
Really? Seriously? Are you even asking this question? Domestic animals matter just as much in a zoo as say, a monkey or tiger.
Let's stay focused on the substance, not the process. Domestics are a valid part of the discussion. It's up to individual voters to decide what, if any, weight they put on them when considering their votes.
I think, and I may be wrong, in fact most people will probably disagree with me, that Beauval should win 3-0. I tend to think that domestic taxa are slightly less important than normal taxa because they can be recreated again, whereas wild taxa can't. If all the primary colours in the world run out (representing the wild taxa) then we won't be able to recreate them (that is, without DNA techniques etc...) Anyway, it has already been established that Beauval wins 16-11 in taxa or 16-12 if you include the guinea pigs. However, something we haven't touched on is conservation projects. Here are some of Beauval's projects in-situ: Works with bat organizations in France to record censuses of their population, capture and tag and release them back into the wild in uninhabited areas to fuel new growth in the area, allowing the redevelopment of the populations. Tags Giant Anteaters in Brazil in order to follow their movements and understand them better, hence helping to combat the road kills that have taken place recently in greater numbers. Works with Woodland Park zoo to create safe zones for the tree kangaroos to move around their native Papua new Guinea. This allows the population to recuperate without worries about deforestation etc... Works with SDZ to ensure the survival of koalas in Queensland, also working to cure koalas with certain diseases developed in the species. They also protect Giant armadillos in Brazil, giving them a safe future. It studies their wild behaviour, their usage of land, the destruction of their habitat, especially in the Pantanal, and uses this data and information to start informed initiatives to save this charismatic species. This has further persuaded me to vote 3-0, along with the enclosures. This is because the sheer number, breadth and different areas of the world is impressive. They have ex-situ projects as well, they have native mammal efforts and they also have many in-situ projects. Would be interested to see what St Louis has to offer...
