Why zoo layouts are so confusing
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 чер 2023
- How do zoos organise their animals? Is it to help you find your favourite species, to push an education or conservation message, or maybe something else?
Footage filmed on location
Paradise Wildlife Park: www.pwpark.com/
Additional footed used with permission. - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
The San Diego Zoo's Elephant Oddyssey always struck me as exceptional in taking a paleobiogeographical approach to its layout, including informational placards and statues of extinct Pleistocene megafauna alongside their extant relatives. The setup also allows for the seamless inclusion of often overlooked native species alongside the traditional elephants and big cats
Don’t think I’d seen this before. Looks like a really interesting approach to interp and design. Thanks for pointing it out!
I like the theming of The Marco Polo Trail at Roger Williams, basically their Asia section with an added history lesson.
I play planet zoo and these tips are really helping me!
Glad to hear it! I'm old school, still running with Zoo Tycoon 2, as my computer sound like its about to explode when I try and run the graphics on Planet Zoo!
@@zoobletheryou need to get yourself a good pc and do Planet zoo videos about layouts! Or even videos on Zoo tycoon! 😍
I play PZ as well (and make PZ videos) and I love these videos for the same reason 😊
I actually really like Zoo Tycoon 1 😭
Planet zoo is such a great game! Like zoo tycoon upgraded!
For the biographical layouts, my local zoo (Fresno Chaffee Zoo. CA) found a really good solution. The zoo has multiple exhibits based on such (African Adventure with African savannah animals, Kingdoms of Asian with Asian animals, soon their Sea Lion Cove area will be expanded to include mountain lions, grey wolves, bald eagles, river otters, sea lions of course, and other California native species for a California themed exhibit) but will also be adding “conservation corridor,” an exhibit which will house the zoo’s reptile house and animals that don’t fit geographically with the rest of the zoo’s layout like the zoo’s lemurs, Galapagos tortoises, giant anteaters, macaws, etc. Instead the theme is animal conservation and their depleting environments.
I’ll take a look at that! Sound like an interesting idea if they can make it work for the species they hold!
My favorite zoo exhibit wing is from my local zoo, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. It always stood out to me growing up that Wild Florida was given an equal chair at the table so to speak next to Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia. It brought my attention to conservation efforts and the beautifully diverse range of species right here in my own home state. I think it’s a wonderful idea for a zoo to not only focus on world wide conservation efforts but also to key in on the very place the zoo is located. It really made the idea of conservation come to life for me. Made it feel attainable. For example, after seeing the manatees in recovery at the zoo from motor boat accidents, whenever our family was out on my dad’s boat, I made sure to warn him about not going too fast in the creek (which he probably would have done anyway because I got my love of animals and wildlife from him, but as a kid it felt like I was doing my part).
I also love their African Savannah loop. They’ve got some species housed together, but even the ones that are separated kind of feel like they’re all in one big area because of the way the elevated pathway winds through them all.
My local zoo being the Smithsonian, I really like the Amazonia exhibit. It has really great immersion, like they just grabbed a slice of the amazon river and put it inside a building.
Just checked it out. Looks like a great mix of immersion alongside the amphibian displays! Really cool mix of species being shown.
My favorite is when there is a slight mix, like having a primate house, but also an asian section, I think it can be more effective in the long run
Will certainly allow for flexibility in collection planning moving forward.
@@zooblether that's another advantage, if you run out of space in one section you can easily put a lot of species in a different one
you help me make more realistic zoos in planet zoo. you do a way better job at explaining stuff than planet zoo content creators
good job
Wow, thanks! My laptop can’t cope with planet zoo 😅 , but I grew up on zoo tycoon, the various expansions and the mods created by others! A mix of admiring the zoo tycoon 2 modders and then years in the actual zoo industry has exposed me to all sorts. Kind of tough to create a video about where to put the drainage point of animal houses, but that’s the kind of dull stuff that really matters to keepers 😂
Whenever I watch the videos on the channel, I can't help but think the audience crossover for people who play Planet Zoo/Zoo Tycoon has to be pretty sizable, heh
Best exhibit I've personally seen is Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest. While this exhibit does focus on a fairly narrow geographic range, I do agree with you on biome-type exhibits, and wish that style was more common in zoos.
I was very young when I went to the Bronx so only vaguely remember it! Rivers Edge at St. Louis zoo is probably one of my favourites. Loosely based around water ways, but includes a range of species and taxa from all over the world! Worth checking out online at least!
@@zooblether I went to STL Zoo once, and it was a number of years ago now (before I really started to keep track of Zoo visits), but River's Edge is certainly a respectable complex. I wouldn't rank it as one of my favorites though because there is a real lack of signage and other Interpretive elements, which draws away some of the educational potential the exhibit has. All of my favorite exhibits have really strong Interpretive messaging in them and a big educational focus, which is why Congo Gorilla Forest really stuck out to me.
The Marco Polo Trail at Roger Williams is an interesting themed area.
In the Memphis zoo they had a part for cats that like water so they had the tiny river cats right next to the tigers, it was super interesting to see the diversity in wild cats like that
My local St. Louis Zoo has an area called The River’s Edge with the idea of the visitor slowly going on a safari into the wilderness as they take a winding trail along, well, the river’s edge. I am sure you can see how flexible this idea is. It’s also really cool
Hey, I actually worked there as a research intern many years ago! The research dept. was half way through rivers edge just before the cheetahs! There’s a side road behind the scenes for staff access. But I always took the “public” route just to get my daily fix!
I wish zoos had more moderate climate animals. As an European I wish I could see an opossum in a Zoo but I guess they're not as profitable as tropical animals.
The Philadelphia Zoo has a taxonomic layout. There's a reptile house, a big cat exhibit, a bear exhibit, a primate house, and a birdhouse. There are a few exhibits that are biogeographical and some that are just there. Growing up, Big Cat Falls at the Philadelphia Zoo was always my favorite, but as I age, I'm finding a lot of indoor exhibits are my favorites due to year-round access. They can be rainforests, primate houses, birdhouses, or reptile houses.
Really great video, loved it! :D
Now, I thoroughly agree that all three approaches have their pros and cons. Something I've noticed (at least in Europe) is that some zoos that were originally arranged taxonomically (Tierpark Berlin, Barcelona Zoo) are trying to become biogeographical; that seems to be the latest trend.
As someone who draws fantasy zoos a lot, I often change between the three, and, when I arrange the zoo geographically, I often find myself building the reptile house, bird house, nocturnal house etc. In areas that are prolific in these animals. Both South America and Southeast Asia are great themes for bird houses, but an African-themed reptile house will give you a lot more options than a strictly European one, for example.
Hey Alan, nice observations! I think with old taxonomic exhibits changing type works well. 10 species in old style enclosures to 5 species with appropriate welfare standards always feels like the visitor is getting offered less. That switch to geographical makes sense if it lets you bring in different types of animal within the same footprint as before!
There are so many underrepresented bird, reptile and invert species that “limiting” yourself to one area can be a really good way to get some nice displays too! It avoids the “common” pet shop style reptile and invert houses that so many zoos seem to have.
@@zooblether I think that reducing the number of species per area in zoos is an increasing necessity, especially in older urban zoos like London's. Still, I think the taxonomic arrangement still holds water; Berlin is doing an amazing job at it to this day with the renewed big cat house!
It is true that lots of reptile house are becoming a bit homogenized due to the prevalence of some species in captivity and the rarity of others. However, I feel there are always ways of changing things up, and keeping doors open! Heck, some zoos even get "lucky"; the Barcelona Zoo, which has had an impressive reptile collection since the 70s, got influxes of new species from confiscations of smuggled animals, especially Asian turtles. These rescues, while solving one evil, often inadvertently help enrich a zoo's collection.
I enjoy the Minnesota zoo tropics building because of its continental and biome organization. I also love how many enclosures in the area are constantly changing to ensure a rotation of species for educational values.
there should be way more people watching this
Thanks for you kind comment! Much appreciated.
I personally like a biogeographical layout for any zoological facility, it feels more organised to me
“African” koala 😂
Not to be confused with the North American koala
Rotterdam zoo has a new masterplan where they have parts of the world like congo, africa plains and asia but also 2 conservation areas.
I think this is great because the conservation areas could house animals all over the world that needs offspring the most.
It also makes it easier to get animals that dont fit anywhere else.
Just had a look, seems like a great idea. My Dutch isn’t great. Does it say whether that species list is finalised? And whether they will have a rolling collection? Obviously 2050 is a long time, but in regards to a captive population maybe not that long. Is the capacity of the areas fixed at those species or will there be space for more species 10-15years down the line? With “priority species” identified by TAGs constantly changing it’ll be exciting to see how beneficial this flexible “area” can become!
@@zooblether well you asked they perfect person because I was at the last reading of the Director.
They already have one area for cold blooded animals Wich has some enclosures for longer durations like Fransisco Gartner snake.
But I'd say 50% of the enclosures are made to have a rolling collection.
Mainly offspring of animals from backstage wich is awesome for a zoo with so many animals not visible for public.
The species list is not finalized, mainly because gorrilas (famous from the Bokito escape) are leaving the zoo so they didn't have a riot😂 (was first time with security present).
Probably the mammal and bird Conservation section is gonna have some species that are longer residents that don't have place in the new area plans.
With some enclosures that perhaps can hold transfer animals.
It's all a guessing game right now, when you look into this spectacular zoo you'll understand.
It wouldn't be the first time they brought something new to the world of zoo's.
South America's Pantanal at the Houston Zoo is superb!
I strongly prefer Biogeographical exhibits. They're more immersive and do a better job of educating the pubic about individual species place in nature, and the threatened wild places they depend on for their survival. By contrast, Biotype exhibits can give the false impression that tigers, toucans and okapis all live together in the same generic rainforest.
Yeah I definitely agree about the pros and cons of both, although I’ve seen several biogeographical organisations with an “odd” species thrown in. Often based on recommendations from working groups on high priority species. It’s a catch 22 then. A suitable exhibit, species which need focus/support and an organisation structure which starts to fall apart as the park develops/new developments are built or a shift in management.
@@zooblether PS) I really hate it when zoos exhibit species without signage explaining what it is and where it's from. This is especially frustrating when the exhibit itself gives no indication of its origin.
I like how the Bronx Zoo sets up their spaces by region compared to taxonomic group
Yeah, I think any organisation style “can” work, if the zoo plans and implements it well. Long time since I was at the Bronx, so can’t remember much of it!
Nice video
Hey this video just popped up in my home feed, maybe you’re up to something, keep it up
Zoo360 at philadelphia zoo