European wishlist

[Henkenstijn]

Living in Europe myself, i feel that the game is missing some european animals. I admit, there aren't that many great options (most animals are way too small for in game use) but i've made a small list. Just curious to hear what others think about it.

1. Red Deer. My absolute number one. We have statues of deers in game, but other then the reindeer we do not have a real deer.

2. Eurasian Lynx. Stunning looking smaller catspecies, very different from the cats we already have.

3. European Badger. Maybe not that common in zoos, but a beautiful looking animal and only found in Europe (ok maybe some in Asia)

4. Wild Boar. Large mammal, with lovely looking juveniles.

5. Alpine Ibex. Iconic animal for the Alps.

6. Chamois. Found in almost all mountains of Europe.

Outsiders:
Wolverine. Found in all the northern regions of the world, so maybe not really European, though there is a European subspecies.
Highland Cattle. Is found in multiple zoos, but is completely domesticated nowdays.

 

[Bearcat9948]

Living in Europe myself, i feel that the game is missing some european animals. I admit, there aren't that many great options (most animals are way too small for in game use) but i've made a small list. Just curious to hear what others think about it.

1. Red Deer. My absolute number one. We have statues of deers in game, but other then the reindeer we do not have a real deer.

2. Eurasian Lynx. Stunning looking smaller catspecies, very different from the cats we already have.

3. European Badger. Maybe not that common in zoos, but a beautiful looking animal and only found in Europe (ok maybe some in Asia)

4. Wild Boar. Large mammal, with lovely looking juveniles.

5. Alpine Ibex. Iconic animal for the Alps.

6. Chamois. Found in almost all mountains of Europe.

Outsiders:
Wolverine. Found in all the northern regions of the world, so maybe not really European, though there is a European subspecies.
Highland Cattle. Is found in multiple zoos, but is completely domesticated nowdays.

Question: Would you choose the Red deer just because it is a species of deer, and you would be glad to have any? Or do you specifically want the Red deer species, over say, a Fallow deer or Roe deer? I'm just curious is all

As far as the Wild boar is concerned, I would rather have the European jackal, Alpine marmot or Wolverine instead. Something a bit more unique

 

[Henkenstijn]

Question: Would you choose the Red deer just because it is a species of deer, and you would be glad to have any? Or do you specifically want the Red deer species, over say, a Fallow deer or Roe deer? I'm just curious is all

As far as the Wild boar is concerned, I would rather have the European jackal, Alpine marmot or Wolverine instead. Something a bit more unique

The Red deer is, for me personally, the deer i think of when i think of deers in general. Their antlers are beautiful and their roar could be a cool detail in the game.

The Alpine marmot is too small for the game i think. Wolverine would be fine for me, but it is arguable european. The European Jackal is a good option, you got me thinking about a different species, the Corsac fox, bit smaller, but a small carnivore could be an addition. Not sure if a Jackal is so much more unique then a Wild boar, but i get why you question the choice for the Wild boar.

 

[markun]

Wolverines are definitely European and are found in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia and I believe in the Baltic states too.

 

[Henkenstijn]

Wolverines are definitely European and are found in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia and I believe in the Baltic states too.

I know, but they are found in Asian and North-America too, so that is why it is arguable in my opinion.

 

[jcp011c]

There's another thread that discussed European animals and brought up quite a lot of good suggestions. I think after much consideration I'd go with: European Badger, Iberian Lynx, Alpine Ibex and Wild Boar. The Wild Boar wasn't as popular overall as the other three, but I like the idea of another porcine. If there was a 5th I'd say the Red Deer.

That said, if they were to put in a Wolverine instead of have it in North America, and a Crested Porcupine instead of Africa, since both of those do show up in Europe in smaller numbers, I wouldn't complain, definitely want to get those some way.

I think the main two I'm absolutely set on though are the European Badger and Alpine Ibex.

 

[Aramar]

Question: Would you choose the Red deer just because it is a species of deer, and you would be glad to have any? Or do you specifically want the Red deer species, over say, a Fallow deer or Roe deer? I'm just curious is all

I want to give my opinion too. I would definitely like to have the red deer species. For me, they are the deer that come to my mind when I think of a deer. Their size (including their antlers) is majestic.

Fallow deer are cute and I wouldn't mind having them in addition, but no instead of a big deer. Roe deer aren't interesting at all for me.

The only alternative I wouldn't mind for a red deer would be a Père David's deer, but I still prefer the red one to give more representation to Europe.

 

[FoxyDee]

Nice list! Would probably change the wild boar for the red fox, just because we still do not have a fox species.

 

[markun]

I know, but they are found in Asian and North-America too, so that is why it is arguable in my opinion.

But the red deer is also found in Asia and North Africa, the Eurasian lynx in Asia, the badger in Asia, the wild boar in Asia and North Africa and introduced populations all over the place and chamois in western Asia.

I'm not saying it makes them bad choices, quite the opposite but the wolverine isn't unique in being not only European.

 

[PeppyPepp]

I would absolutely love a European pack. I know people sometimes say we don't have "interesting" animals, and while we don't have tigers roaming our woods or elephants walking the grasslands of Europe, I believe we have quite a lot of animals that would make a great addition to Planet Zoo.

Speaking of deer, I would also go for the red deer specifically because it's such a staple of our woods, and as @Aramar and @Henkenstijn said, it's the first animal I think of when someone mentions a deer.

I would love to see a pack with Euroasian lynx, wild boar, red fox, red deer, and Alpine ibex. All of these are pretty exciting to me and would be very happy if they could be added to PZ one day.

 

[random goat]

In all honesty, at this point in time I really hope we don't get another 4 animals continent DLC. If said DLC had 6 animals at least then let it happen! And ofc Europe would make the most sense, even before NA.

Lynx is not negotiable, whether it's the Iberian or the Eurasian.
A deer is not negotiable either. I wouldn't mind between red and fallow.
A caprid is a must too. I would prefer the Alpine ibex over the chamois or the Iberian ibex.
The 4th slot could be more open to discussion, that's why we really need 6 or more. European badger, red fox, Alpine marmot, wild boar, common genet, Scottish wild cat... or even the gray seal. I wouldn't even mind a 2nd caprid (chamois) in an European DLC, as you guys might deduce from my nickname

 

[NZFanatic]

Iberian lynx, alpine ibex, European fallow deer, and perhaps a wildcard inclusion of the barbary macaque would be quite fun. Failing the macaque I'd honestly be happy with a red fox even if they aren't popular zoo animals, or the European badger.

I always pick the fallow deer over the red deer because IMO every pack should come with at least one walkthrough animal, and the fallow deer fits that bill pretty perfectly. I'm sure it'd be generally safe to walk through red deer habitats as well but I have confirmation bias with the fallow since I've worked in a zoo that had a fallow deer walkthrough before (they also allowed visitors to feed them barnyard pellets).

I also prefer the Iberian lynx to the Eurasian due to its conservation status, and the ibex to any other caprid because it's iconic.

For an exhibit animal, I always choose the scheltopusik (European legless lizard). They're by-and-large the most unique European reptile I think.

 

[Jeminyne]

In all honesty, at this point in time I really hope we don't get another 4 animals continent DLC. If said DLC had 6 animals at least then let it happen! And ofc Europe would make the most sense, even before NA.

Lynx is not negotiable, whether it's the Iberian or the Eurasian.
A deer is not negotiable either. I wouldn't mind between red and fallow.
A caprid is a must too. I would prefer the Alpine ibex over the chamois or the Iberian ibex.

I like these picks. I'd say a Europe DLC could also come with the Moose or Wapiti, and those two would be a better choice for the "big deer." For smaller, prettier, more gracile ones, I'd say leave that for the Asia DLC. But Fallow is pretty unique, actually... and at this point I'd be happy to get any deer.

 

[Jeminyne]

I know, but they are found in Asian and North-America too, so that is why it is arguable in my opinion.

Now that I think of it, the Arctic pack came with animals that aren't only found within the Arctic circle. So it's unlikely there's a requirement that the species must only be found on the continent in question.

 

[Aramar]

For an exhibit animal, I always choose the scheltopusik (European legless lizard). They're by-and-large the most unique European reptile I think.

I didn't know that animal and, I'm sorry, but I don't like it at all. I would prefer a fire salamander, a common toad or even a Mediterranean chameleon as exhibit animals.

 

[nutrit]

Fallow deer is not even originally from Europe it’s the invasive species from Middle East. It was introduced for the purpose of hunting during the Roman period. I wouldn’t be happy for their supposed inclusion in the supposed European pack.

In my opinion the most iconic species of Europe are:
Iberian lynx and Alpine Ibex

The rest is very debatable and I would be very happy with any other European species.

Not many people mention Wisent - probably because it’s so similar to bison - but believe me it’s a different animal that I would very much like to see in the game, especially because of it’s amazing conservation status and history. And would also perfectly fit to make an ideal clone animal.

I would never say that the European animals are not interesting or dull. Look for example at this amazing representation of mammals of Spain and Portugal. Full of diversity and uniqueness. I feel like every single one of those animals would make a great addition to the game. Maybe expect another bear or wolf.

 

[Cynogale bennettii II]

Of the deer for a hypothetical European pack, I will advocate for the roe deer. This is my reasoning:

1. They are rather more common in captivity than I first suspected, with at least one source I have found listing 225 zoos around Europe with them (I know this is out of date, with at least one wildlife park not far from me getting their first one earlier this year).
2. While some European deer are widespread globally (moose) or possibly not native (fallow deer), the roe is almost entirely restricted to Europe, with only a small part of Western Asia also inhabited by them.
3. So far, most of the ungulates in Planet Zoo have been larger species while the roe represents a smaller species - the only ungulate of a similar size is the Thomson's gazelle. It would be nice, in my opinion, for a few more small species.
4. I think they are a beautiful deer species, with a brilliant rusty red coat for much of the year. Their fawns are probably one of the cutest animals Europe has to offer.
5. In captivity, they are considered docile enough to live in walkthrough enclosures and mixed-species exhibits. There is one walkthrough enclosure at a zoo in the Czech Republic that keeps roe deer with greater flamingos among other types of bird.

As for the other animals in a European pack, I would try and choose as many environments as possible. With roe deer representing forest environments, I would also pick the Dalmatian pelican (representing wetlands), the Iberian lynx (representing Mediterranean scrub habitat) and either Alpine ibex or Alpine marmot (representing mountainous habitat). As for the exhibit animal I would probably choose the ocellated lizard, as a threatened species that would actually fit into one of the current terrarium designs.

 

[Henkenstijn]

Fallow deer is not even originally from Europe it’s the invasive species from Middle East. It was introduced for the purpose of hunting during the Roman period. I wouldn’t be happy for their supposed inclusion in the supposed European pack.

In my opinion the most iconic species of Europe are:
Iberian lynx and Alpine Ibex

The rest is very debatable and I would be very happy with any other European species.

Not many people mention Wisent - probably because it’s so similar to bison - but believe me it’s a different animal that I would very much like to see in the game, especially because of it’s amazing conservation status and history. And would also perfectly fit make an ideal clone animal.

View attachment 196553

I would never say that the European animals are not interesting or dull. Look for example at this amazing representation of mammals of Spain and Portugal. Full of diversity and uniqueness. I feel like everyone of this animals would make a great addition to the game. Maybe expect another bear or wolf.
View attachment 196555

That is exactly the reason why I didn't choose the Fallow deer. A Wisent is to similar to a bison for me. I do not state that European animals are dull, but when you look at the picture you added, the colours are almost identical for all the animals. That is not as pleasing as most other continents. That is why for example I added the European Badger, their black and white fur looks amazing in comparison to the more brown coloured others.

 

[NZFanatic]

I didn't know that animal and, I'm sorry, but I don't like it at all. I would prefer a fire salamander, a common toad or even a Mediterranean chameleon as exhibit animals.

Yes, well, the fire salamander, common toad, and Mediterranean chameleon are all pretty boring compared to the legless lizard. Salamanders are found everywhere, African chameleons are far more significant and renowned, and any kind of toad would be dwarfed in significance by the goliath frog, which we already have. If they're aiming for something 'unique' from Europe then there really isn't any other way to go.

 

[nutrit]

That is exactly the reason why I didn't choose the Fallow deer. A Wisent is to similar to a bison for me. I do not state that European animals are dull, but when you look at the picture you added, the colours are almost identical for all the animals. That is not as pleasing as most other continents. That is why for example I added the European Badger, their black and white fur looks amazing in comparison to the more brown coloured others.

I really like badgers but I have a feeling they are just to small for me and not very popular in zoos. But I must admit I really enjoy their coloration.

I can not dispute the colors of European animals because for me it is the same for all the northern hemisphere species - NA or Asia. For me it is about the very unique character of our animals and the fact that I am from Europe and my own animals are very special for me.
Like a lot of people are crazy about NA animals but for me except for maybe puma they seem not so special at all - with all the respect.