Difficult Saigas and Habitat Design

[Moonfox]

Hey guys!

Saiga seem to be a nightmare to keep in captivity. They run at 80kph, can’t stop or change direction quickly, and are easily triggered by the sight of a perceived threat. In captivity, they often die from collisions with fences (even more than other ungulates). They also get wiped out by disease very often, so even though they breed easily, a population can be decimated by an outbreak. Males kill females and calves if they aren’t separated during breeding season.

They’re usually kept in small enclosures with no rocks/shelter/anything else to run into. The habitat barriers are tall and present a visible barrier to prevent the Saiga from seeing anything spooky. They don’t seem to care about noise, only sight.

San Diego had them in a big safari habitat in the 80’s and they were mostly ok. Saiga are not usually displayed to the public because guests freak them out.

With all that considered, how would you realistically design your habitat for them? I’m thinking a big open savannah, with a moat around the whole thing so that they would slow down in water before they could hit a fence (has anyone tried that in real life? Does it work, or do they drown?). Viewing area is limited to one-way glass in small sections. Small trees that wouldn’t have big trunks to run into… and let’s assume our vet team are absolute magicians and prevent any disease outbreak.

Would love to hear how you would address the Saiga’s unique challenges in your zoo!

 

[Pentoleaf]

I'm planning a bowl-shaped habitat with the slope around the edge gradually increasing in incline. Soft bushes and grasses will be planted at the base of the slope.

Along the top will be a loose net fence that should minimise impacts if any saiga manage to maintain speed past the slope. Set slightly further back from the net fence will be a guest barrier fence. The guest barrier will vary between rocks, various wooden constructions, and one-way glass.

The angle of the habitat should hopefully allow good viewing for guests while obscuring views for the saiga.

The main bowl habitat will connect to 2-3 off-exhibit habitats. These habitats will have less pronounced bowl slopes with the same loose net fences as the main habitat.

There will be slight, half-moon alcoves in each habitat to provide a place to gentlely corner saiga when they need to be caught for trasport (from research, saiga do better when hand-carried to new locations vs being herded).

The habitats will be planted with grass, low bushes, and small trees. Shelter for animals and feeding stations will be provided by tarps strung between trees and posts mounted outside of the habitat perimetre. One of the off-exhibit habitats will have a simple wooden shelter with three open sides and heat lamps for ill individuals.

 

[Moonfox]

I'm planning a bowl-shaped habitat with the slope around the edge gradually increasing in incline. Soft bushes and grasses will be planted at the base of the slope.

Along the top will be a loose net fence that should minimise impacts if any saiga manage to maintain speed past the slope. Set slightly further back from the net fence will be a guest barrier fence. The guest barrier will vary between rocks, various wooden constructions, and one-way glass.

The angle of the habitat should hopefully allow good viewing for guests while obscuring views for the saiga.

The main bowl habitat will connect to 2-3 off-exhibit habitats. These habitats will have less pronounced bowl slopes with the same loose net fences as the main habitat.

There will be slight, half-moon alcoves in each habitat to provide a place to gentlely corner saiga when they need to be caught for trasport (from research, saiga do better when hand-carried to new locations vs being herded).

The habitats will be planted with grass, low bushes, and small trees. Shelter for animals and feeding stations will be provided by tarps strung between trees and posts mounted outside of the habitat perimetre. One of the off-exhibit habitats will have a simple wooden shelter with three open sides and heat lamps for ill individuals.

A bowl shape is a really smart idea! Definitely want to go with tarp shelters as well, I think they make the most sense.

I’d love to see pictures when you’ve built it

 

[Firestar97]

I'm currently designing my own Saiga Enclosure. Not viewable by the Public besides a Webcam (just thought though that maybe it could work with a Bridge high above them at the Edge of the Fence?) with a high wooden Barrier, covered in Sacks filled with Hay and other soft Materials.
One Thing I just thought about: could it work to keep them calmer by keeping them together with other Grazers like the Przewalski Horse?

 

[Marvinb]

I'm currently designing my own Saiga Enclosure. Not viewable by the Public besides a Webcam (just thought though that maybe it could work with a Bridge high above them at the Edge of the Fence?) with a high wooden Barrier, covered in Sacks filled with Hay and other soft Materials.
One Thing I just thought about: could it work to keep them calmer by keeping them together with other Grazers like the Przewalski Horse?

A raised platform where guest can look at them at the distance via binoculars might be a way

 

[Firestar97]

A raised platform where guest can look at them at the distance via binoculars might be a way

It's a bit odd that we don't have Binoculars in the Game yet

 

[Doran]

One Thing I just thought about: could it work to keep them calmer by keeping them together with other Grazers like the Przewalski Horse?

Having anything with saiga is horrible idea, especially something like horse lol.

 

[Firestar97]

Having anything with saiga is horrible idea, especially something like horse lol.

Thought either it will work really well or make everything worse

 

[Hugo98]

Maybe hand rearing the calves could be a way to make it possible to keep them more successfully in zoos. At least for gerenuks this worked AFAIK, the following generations of the hand reared gerenuks were much calmer even if they were naturally reared.
As for the game I would go with a dry moat, very limited viewing areas and a very soft fence (almost like rubber -> maybe using the nets form the Oceania pack?).

 

[Firestar97]

Maybe hand rearing the calves could be a way to make it possible to keep them more successfully in zoos. At least for gerenuks this worked AFAIK, the following generations of the hand reared gerenuks were much calmer even if they were naturally reared.
As for the game I would go with a dry moat, very limited viewing areas and a very soft fence (almost like rubber -> maybe using the nets form the Oceania pack?).

Don't have the Oceania Pack but the Fence is definitely soft. Nice Pieces from the Tropical Pack
Might post Pictures of it once it is finished

 

[Hugo98]

Don't have the Oceania Pack but the Fence is definitely soft. Nice Pieces from the Tropical Pack
Might post Pictures of it once it is finished

Can't wait for the pics. Out ouf curiosity: which pieces did you use for the fence?

 

[Marvinb]

Maybe hand rearing the calves could be a way to make it possible to keep them more successfully in zoos. At least for gerenuks this worked AFAIK, the following generations of the hand reared gerenuks were much calmer even if they were naturally reared.
As for the game I would go with a dry moat, very limited viewing areas and a very soft fence (almost like rubber -> maybe using the nets form the Oceania pack?).

But one would run into alot of other issues in that case. Like human raised animals tend to have difficulties fitting into social groups, therefore making it harder to breed them.
Probably also alot hard, if not impossible to release them into the wild in the future, both of which are massive problem when its comes to such endangered animals

 

[Firestar97]

Can't wait for the pics. Out ouf curiosity: which pieces did you use for the fence?

Don't know what they are called in the english Version of the Game. Those dark Bags from the Tropical Pack (Kind of look like rolled up Tents). Made a Wall out of them, which I've secured with Ropes.
Will probably try to finish it when both of my Birds are back in the Cage

 

[Hugo98]

But one would run into alot of other issues in that case. Like human raised animals tend to have difficulties fitting into social groups, therefore making it harder to breed them.
Probably also alot hard, if not impossible to release them into the wild in the future, both of which are massive problem when its comes to such endangered animals

Yes, those are things that could happen but in case of the gerenuks this wasn't really a problem AFAIK. They didn't hand reared every generation, just the first and for the rest it worked fine with natural rearing. And the hand reared ones also did fit into the social groups quite normally.
Then probably releasing the natual reared animal should still be doable.

 

[Firestar97]

Finished. Took a bit longer because I had Problems with my Mouse yesterday.
I found out that they follow the same Adult Rules as the Zebras, which means hopefully I will have a really big Herd someday.
I wish there would be more Shrubs from asian Grasslands and Deserts. Used Plants from different Continents to get it how I wanted

 

[wda1250]

Hey guys!

Saiga seem to be a nightmare to keep in captivity. They run at 80kph, can’t stop or change direction quickly, and are easily triggered by the sight of a perceived threat. In captivity, they often die from collisions with fences (even more than other ungulates). They also get wiped out by disease very often, so even though they breed easily, a population can be decimated by an outbreak. Males kill females and calves if they aren’t separated during breeding season.

They’re usually kept in small enclosures with no rocks/shelter/anything else to run into. The habitat barriers are tall and present a visible barrier to prevent the Saiga from seeing anything spooky. They don’t seem to care about noise, only sight.

San Diego had them in a big safari habitat in the 80’s and they were mostly ok. Saiga are not usually displayed to the public because guests freak them out.

With all that considered, how would you realistically design your habitat for them? I’m thinking a big open savannah, with a moat around the whole thing so that they would slow down in water before they could hit a fence (has anyone tried that in real life? Does it work, or do they drown?). Viewing area is limited to one-way glass in small sections. Small trees that wouldn’t have big trunks to run into… and let’s assume our vet team are absolute magicians and prevent any disease outbreak.

Would love to hear how you would address the Saiga’s unique challenges in your zoo!

Since i've seen they're so flighty by nature IRL and they stress so easily in game, my plan was to throw them on my Asian Monorail, where guests really can only see them from a distance for a few seconds. The more i read on this thread, I wonder how well my idea would work IRL since I'd think seeing a moving tram all the time would send them running