Antelopes: I think this is a group where we can really never have too many. With that in mind, it’s a bit of a shame we didn’t see any as DLC during the first two years. Year 3 brought it back around with three new antelope, two of which were very much needed (sorry Nile lechwe), so I would love to see Year 4 continue this trend. The blackbuck is probably the best overall choice, giving us our first Asian antelope and a very unique looking one at that. The nilgai would also be nice for those same reasons, but it’s a bit less striking and I believe a bit less prevalent in captivity, so it’s a much lower priority. As for African antelope, I think the addax is the best choice. Its white coat and unique wavy horns make it an incredibly unique option, and the facts that it’s both a desert dweller and critically endangered are icing on the cake. The greater kudu is a solid second choice there, though. It’s absolutely iconic and set apart by its large size. Either eland species would also work in that regard, but they’re less visually striking and also, I believe, a bit less common in captivity. I’m also a huge fan of the bontebok - another conservation success story (seriously, read up on how the entire species was saved thanks to farmers managing to corral up the last ones in the early 20th century) and an absolutely beautiful coat. As for other full-sized antelope, I wouldn’t hate the impala, Addra gazelle, or sitatunga but I’m not dying for them; I think the saiga isn’t really necessary and while I know they have their genuine fans they overall strike me as a meme pick; the gerenuk weirds me out but I guess it’s fine; the roan antelope and Arabian oryx would be acceptable only in a designated clones pack.
For smaller antelope, I’d strongly prefer a duiker over the alternatives. Red-flanked is my preference, but really any of the common species would be welcome. Kirk's dik-dik and the klipsringer are the two others worth mention, and while I wouldn’t be opposed to either, I much prefer the synergy that a duiker would bring to the existing roster. A klipspringer would feel out of place without rock hyrax or another mongoose species for support, but the duiker slots in perfectly with our okapi and next to our existing tropical Africa lineup. Meanwhile, the dik-dik just sort of exists as its own less desirable thing, lacking the synergy of the duiker or the rock climbing appeal of the klipspringer.
Viverroids: Well, I think the fossa speaks for itself. We don’t have any Malagasy carnivores in the game, and it’s by far the most popular and prevalent. Naturally, it’d also allow us to make a Madagascar section that’s more than just a lemur section, but it’s also a small arboreal carnivore that can stand on its own on that basis. Easy, obvious inclusion. I’d also be remiss to not mention my personal favorite ring-tailed vontsira here. They’re a stunning creature, but they’re obscure and only kept in a small handful of zoos, so they’re obviously far from essential. I just think they’re neat.
In the viverrid camp, I’d love to see one more. The African civet has its appeal, being a large-ish African ground carnivore that’s not a cat, dog, or hyena. But for my money, I think the common genet is hands down one of the most versatile species we could get. It offers African, Middle Eastern, and (introduced) European representation. It’s (again) a small arboreal carnivore. I’ve seen them feature in both tropical houses and desert houses. It’s the perfect filler animal in my eyes, and easily justifiable even given just one more year of support.
Turtles: We are so desperately far behind where we should be with these guys. Unfortunately, I also think that our exhibit slots are destined for bigger and more unique things this year, so it’s very difficult to justify even a single smaller turtle at this point, for as much as we ought to have them. I think a few more habitat species are the way to go, with the African spurred tortoise being the obvious frontrunner. It would be our first mainland tortoise, a desert species, endangered, and exceptionally common in zoos of all sizes. And while I don’t actually expect to get more than one more, tops, I do think the radiated tortoise might be the best option for a second addition. It would provide some much needed visual contrast with our otherwise very dull tortoises (this would include the African spurred), it’s critically endangered, and if paired with the fossa we could actually pull off a halfway diverse Madagascar area. I’ve seen arguments that these guys should be exhibit species given their size, but personally I’ve only ever seen them in open outdoor enclosures. I guess I also may as well bring up the alligator snapping turtle, a species I used to be very passionate about, but I’ve since lost most of my interest. Still, it would pair well with the alligator and be truly unique from anything else in the game, but their sedentary nature extends above and beyond what I’m interested in allowing for a habitat species. I wouldn’t be upset if we got it, but overall I’d much prefer additional land-based species. Also, I have 0 interest in a sea turtle, and think that even though they would technically work with our current habitat system, it isn’t remotely optimized for a nearly fully aquatic species.
Crocodilians: I think an African species would be nice to see, and I still think a slender-snouted crocodile what we should’ve gotten over the spectacled caiman. Can I justify a sixth crocodilian with as little as one year of support left, though? I’m not sure. It would be another medium sized species, somewhat visually unique and flesh out tropical Africa a bit, as well as cover the conspicuous absence of an African crocodile, but I’m just not sure it’s warranted when there’s so many other things to add. Either way, it’s preferable to the Nile crocodile, whose only real edge over the saltie as far as I’m concerned is being from Africa.
