Animals that should be walkthrough but aren't?

[horse14t]

I saw this news and figured I would update this thread. There was an unfortunate incident yesterday at a petting zoo in northwest Tennessee that I think demonstrates very well why camels (of any sort) should definitely not be included as a walkthrough animal.

Two men killed by camel at petting zoo in northwest Tennessee

The Tennessee River Valley News told NewsChannel 5 he confirmed a camel attack killed two men at petting zoo in northwest Tennessee.

www.newschannel5.com

The article clearly says that the camels got loose and were in the streets. Not within the petting zoo.
Any animal that's in such a stressful situation could become dangerous quickly.

 

[coatifan]

Any animal can be aggressive and violent if need-be. Red kangaroos are known to be very dangerous, but Frontier retroactively made them walkthrough animals because of demand. Looking at fatal attacks doesn't automatically mean an animal can't be a walkthrough animal.

That said, determining criteria for what should(n't) be a walkthrough animal will ultimately be up to personal opinion. Naturally, I'll be providing my opinion on what I'd like to see be permitted as a walkthrough species:
View attachment 295588
The green group are animals I'd advocate to be walkthrough animals, while the yellow group is animals one could make a reasonable argument for eligibility, but I'm not a strong advocate for such additions.

A shame to see you advocate against tiger walkthroughs, they're perfectly safe (also, are artic fox walkthroughs a thing in the real world? I'd assume they're either too easily stressed or too agressive -- though IMO the same applies to the fennec fox, and they're walkthrough in the game)

 

[leehonglocal]

So I got the Europe DLC and Fallow deer aren't walkthrough animals? Honest surprise here, but it's not the first time I was surprised that an animal isn't a walkthrough species.
So let's make a list, I'll update it with added suggestions. Feel free to add links to examples too, if you want.

List of animals that should be walkthrough species, but aren't right now:

• Fallow deer. Docile animals, not shy, actively seek out guests, often kept in parks as walkthrough animals.
• Reindeer. Domesticated, used for transport (pulling carts and sleds) and as livestock. Commonly kept in parks, kept as walkthrough animals, Christmas markets, lots of interaction with guests. Why these aren't walkthrough animals yet is beyond me. A counterargument is that the Reindeer in game represents the entire species including wild subpopulations. However, I wonder how inherently different the wild and domesticated subpopulations are in terms of temperament.
• European badger. Though perhaps too aggressive?
• Bactrian camel. The version in game is the domesticated species, so it stands to reason that they are walkthrough animals. However, Bactrian camels in game are quite small compared to their real life counterparts, and in real life camels can and have killed people apparently. Though Giant anteaters have as well, and they are still walkthrough animals in game.
• African penguin.

Either way, humans could hurt or do something wrong to walkthrough animals. Accidents could happen.

 

[SallinDaemon]

A shame to see you advocate against tiger walkthroughs, they're perfectly safe (also, are artic fox walkthroughs a thing in the real world? I'd assume they're either too easily stressed or too agressive -- though IMO the same applies to the fennec fox, and they're walkthrough in the game)

I'd personally assume that any sort of fox would be:

1. A significant bite risk.
2. An escape risk.

And as such they really shouldn't be walkthrough in a realistic setting! Same goes for badgers, I'd say, and doubly so. I've briefly worked with them before at two places - one zoo and one wildlife rescue, and even the keepers are not allowed to be in with them. They have to be shut out into another area while parts of the enclosure are cleaned, because they're just that aggressive and powerful.

Foxes will kind of run around and be like Why Are You In My House, and be pretty nosy about it, but on the whole if they're concerned about something they run away if they can. Badgers, on the other hand, if they think someone's invading their space, will roll up their metaphorical sleeves and forcibly remove you, because you're not even as big as a bear and anything less than that is fair game.

 

[XT]

Pretty much any sort of predator, isn't suitable as a walkthrough - penguins and many birds get exceptions because they're strictly fish or insect eaters and almost all birds are conflict avoidant if possible.

Mustilids of any flavor should never be petting/walk-through animals, along with primates; they're both much stronger than their size would indicate and tend to be agressive.

 

[sockeyejo]

almost all birds are conflict avoidant if possible

I kept chickens for years and a lot of cockerels that were meant to be kept for breeding ended up in the pot as they were savage! You suddenly appreciate their connection to dinosaurs when you've got one in your face, trying to peck your eyeballs out!