"Basic" zoo animals that should not be left out in the game

[Kolikokoli]

It is amazing to have "big" and popular animals like tigers or giraffes but I think that "low profile" animals are those that make the zoo lively and realistic.

Those are animals you can find in any zoo (at least in Europe) and I think they should not be left out from the game:

• Meerkats
• Llamas
• Przewalski's horse
• Goats
• Parrots (Macaw, Cockatoo, Lorikeet...)
• Birds (Pheasant, Stork, Emu, Cassowary, Swan, Owls, Ibis, Eagle, small birds like Goldeneye duck, pidgeons etc.)
• Porcupine
• Fennec
• Kangaroo
• Smaller wild cats (like Sunda leopard cat)
• Armadillo
• Otter
• Seal

I would also loved a more scientific approach to plants. Add education boards (basically just small info boards) about specific plants/trees. This is also very common thing in EU zoos.

 

[Swjosdotschka]

I second all of them, though where I live the Armadillo isn't really common in zoos. All the others are, though, so nice list.

 

[NZFanatic]

I mean, for a lot of places it's a relative question. Some animals are staples for zoos; I'd say PZ has most of them covered, but there are still a handful missing:

- Meerkat for sure. Literally don't think I've ever been to a zoo that didn't have meerkats (and I have been to a lot of zoos, all over the world).
- Some kind of river otter. Usually it's always the Asian small-clawed otter, but North America seems to use their own otter more in zoos.
- White or black rhinoceros (usually white). I'm actually amazed that they missed this one out of the base game, even in favour of the Indian, but I suspect they won't wait too long to give it to us.

Birds are a given (also, why make the distinction between parrots and other birds?) but that's a whole other discussion.

 

[Kolikokoli]

I mean, for a lot of places it's a relative question. Some animals are staples for zoos; I'd say PZ has most of them covered, but there are still a handful missing:

• Meerkat for sure. Literally don't think I've ever been to a zoo that didn't have meerkats (and I have been to a lot of zoos, all over the world).
• Some kind of river otter. Usually it's always the Asian small-clawed otter, but North America seems to use their own otter more in zoos.
• White or black rhinoceros (usually white). I'm actually amazed that they missed this one out of the base game, even in favour of the Indian, but I suspect they won't wait too long to give it to us.

Birds are a given (also, why make the distinction between parrots and other birds?) but that's a whole other discussion.

Sadly, there are only two female of northern white rhinoceros in the world. Najin and Fatu, both from zoo in my country - Dvůr Králové . But in the game is Indian rhino, which is ok for me and I don't actually crave for other types of rhinos.
I separated parrots and other birds because I wanted to add more parrot species and didn't like multiple brackets at once

 

[NZFanatic]

Sadly, there are only two female of northern white rhinoceros in the world. Najin and Fatu, both from zoo in my country - Dvůr Králové . But in the game is Indian rhino, which is ok for me and I don't actually crave for other types of rhinos.
I separated parrots and other birds because I wanted to add more parrot species and didn't like multiple brackets at once

I'm talking about the Southern white rhinoceros, which is the most common rhinoceros species in captivity. The Indian is a niche species - they are kept in a number of zoos but not commonly. Realistically I don't think the game is complete without African rhinos.

 

[paul78]

Totally agreed this game definitely needs one of the two African species if not both. The Indian rhino is amazing but if I was going to a zoo and wanted to see a specific rhino species it would be white first. Black rhino second and then the Indian rhino.

 

[Kolikokoli]

I'm talking about the Southern white rhinoceros, which is the most common rhinoceros species in captivity. The Indian is a niche species - they are kept in a number of zoos but not commonly. Realistically I don't think the game is complete without African rhinos.

I know, I just got sad.

 

[NZFanatic]

Totally agreed this game definitely needs one of the two African species if not both. The Indian rhino is amazing but if I was going to a zoo and wanted to see a specific rhino species it would be white first. Black rhino second and then the Indian rhino.

I always dreamed of going to the Cincinnati Zoo and seeing their Sumatran rhinos, but they're stopping that programme now I believe (or already have). I really liked seeing the Indian rhinos in Edinburgh Zoo, too, as we only ever get the southern white rhinoceros in NZ zoos. But as much as I love seeing the more 'exotic' rhinoceros species, in-game I feel that the African rhinos really need to be there, and the eastern or south-western black rhinoceros is definitely endangered enough to warrant inclusion (moreso than the Indian, even).

 

[NL_Mutso]

I think at some point, it was 50/50 in our country (indian/Southern white Rhino), while in most German zoos it was/is the Southern White Rhino.

Personally I think, in the end, more people would be more satisfied with the Southern white rhino than the other 'exotic' rhino species.

 

[AlexVonHumbug]

I think at some point, it was 50/50 in our country (indian/Southern white Rhino), while in most German zoos it was/is the Southern White Rhino.

Personally I think, in the end, more people would be more satisfied with the Southern white rhino than the other 'exotic' rhino species.

wikipedia says, that white rhinos are no zoo-animals anymore, because breeding programms didnt work. the breeding programms seem to be in east-africa only. it says, that in most zoos, its now the Diceros bicornis (black rhino). but i am very confused by the trivial names in different languages, some uses white and black others the shape of the horn to distinguish them. scientific names are so much better but unfortunately that may change as well ^^. but, we also have the westafrican lion subspecies in game, so maybe that could also be the case for another rhino.

 

[paul78]

That’s news to me. I thought the southern white rhino did much better in captivity then it’s northern cousin. Even breeding readily at a lot of zoos. Surprisingly it says only 777 white rhinos in captivity world wide. I thought those numbers would be in the lower thousands honestly. I still hope to see both black and white rhinos in the game at some point.

 

[NZFanatic]

wikipedia says, that white rhinos are no zoo-animals anymore, because breeding programms didnt work. the breeding programms seem to be in east-africa only. it says, that in most zoos, its now the Diceros bicornis (black rhino). but i am very confused by the trivial names in different languages, some uses white and black others the shape of the horn to distinguish them. scientific names are so much better but unfortunately that may change as well ^^. but, we also have the westafrican lion subspecies in game, so maybe that could also be the case for another rhino.

You're looking at the northern white rhino, a subspecies. The southern white rhinoceros is successfully bred literally all the time in captivity. My local zoo has been successfully breeding them for years.

 

[paul78]

The northern white rhino was extremely difficult to breed in zoos. To be fair tho I think it was too little to late as a lot of the animals in the breeding programs were old. There is a plan in place tho San Diego Zoo had a artificially inseminated southern white rhino. The plan is to have a north/south hybrid in a couple yrs and then a pure northern species 10-20 yrs from now.

 

[NL_Mutso]

The different species makes a bit unclear to find specific info, news about the Northern White Rhino (almost extinct) are abundant.
Overall search results looks in the favor of the Southern White Rhino, there aren't that many zoos with the Black Rhino.
Same argument for quite a few results: White Rhinos are more docile/social, adapt better to the food and therefore more suited for zoos.
Black Rhinos do well in nature reserves..

90 zoos in Europe have Southern White Rhinos, and across Europe approx. 10 births every year.
Can't find anything about the numbers in Europe for the Black Rhino.

Burgers Zoo (Netherlands), Serengeti-Park Hodenhagen (Germany), Knowsley Safari Park (England), ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (England) en Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) are in the top 5.. Burgers Zoo had 11 births in 22 years.. Apparently they like bad weather

In general, Southern White Rhinos do breed poorly in captivity, in the same article they actually explained some:

• Growing of cysts on ovaries
• A lot of males are infertile
• Egg cell issues
• Hormonal suppression by the mother, so the female offspring only gets fertile when they move to another zoo/park.

There are more conservation efforts from zoos for the Black Rhino in recent years..
Either way, Black or Southern White Rhino - they can add any of those 2.
I'm not picky, but Javan/Sumatran Rhino would not be my first choice...

 

[NZFanatic]

I'm not picky, but Javan/Sumatran Rhino would not be my first choice...

The Javan rhino has never been successfully kept in captivity. I'm not sure why Zoo Tycoon chose to add it to the game in both iterations of the title, but in the interest of realism I'd rather it was left out. Cincinnati Zoo is the only zoo I know of ever to successfully keep and breed the Sumatran rhinoceros and they are no longer doing it AFAIK. That said, I'd be okay with having the Sumatra rhino in the game, because it is an incredibly unique relic species and if it was successfully kept once it could be again.

Of course, in my opinion one of the African species is more pressing and important at this point, so if they intend on adding another rhino any time soon I'd rather it was the southern white rhinoceros or a subspecies of black rhinoceros (the southwestern or eastern seem to be the most common in captivity for the black species).

 

[NL_Mutso]

The Javan rhino has never been successfully kept in captivity. I'm not sure why Zoo Tycoon chose to add it to the game in both iterations of the title, but in the interest of realism I'd rather it was left out

ZT1 made some strange decisions.

The Emperor Penguin (very rare in RL captivity) was also able to kill most other animals...

 

[NZFanatic]

ZT1 made some strange decisions.

The Emperor Penguin (very rare in RL captivity) was also able to kill most other animals...

I think the emperor penguin killing everything was just a bug that they kept in because everyone loved it. Then of course the easter egg of the killer penguin in Extinct Animals was included due to that. I also believe they included the emperor penguin in ZT1 purely because it was the only penguin species large enough to be passably rendered with the game's 2D graphics.

 

[Cynogale bennettii II]

Regarding the rhinoceroses, the most recent reports from EAZA (concerning the year of 2018), recorded the following number of individuals and holding collections for the three present rhinoceros species:

Southern white rhinoceros - 316 individual animals housed in 80 zoos
Indian rhinoceros - 80 individual animals housed in 31 zoos
Black rhinoceros - 93 individual animals at 24 zoos

So the white is by far and away the most commonly-kept species, in Europe at least. It should also be noted that the white is very commonly kept in mixed-species enclosures, while for the black rhino mixes are an exception rather than the norm (exceptions include black rhinos mixed into one of the big savannah paddocks at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a mix with Guinea baboons at one of the UK zoos and a mix with cheetahs at Leipzig Zoo). My home zoo has a breeding herd of white rhinos (including a calf born just a few weeks ago) that live with giraffes, zebras, kudu, ostriches and crowned cranes.

I honestly couldn't choose one from the other for inclusion - either would be an ideal addition to the game.

 

[paul78]

I agree I’ll also take either one in game. I’d be vey happy with both but one or the other is fine. I love the way the white rhino looks and the social aspect of these creatures which makes them great community exhibit animals. The black rhino although less impressive in appearance is still a favorite of mine also it is shy in comparison tho. As a matter of fact I have a black rhino exhibit in my current zoo. Although I don’t necessarily think it will be available anytime soon I have a good feeling about it due to the decor in planet zoo.