Farm Animal Pack

[Nausicaaa 22]

Here my least favourite pack, but a good one to consider, the farm animal pack. It would be better as a scenery pack, but with more animals everything upgrades. There are 3 American representation (Holstein cattle, rhode red chicken and the guinea pig), 3 European (Miniature donkey, Merino sheep and Shetland pony) 1 Asian (Pot-bellied pig) and 1 African (Boer goat). No exhibit animals would be necessary in a pack of this style, maybye a snail, but you cannot put a guinea pig in a terrarium, maybye too small for them. This would be definitely my favourite representation of a farm/Petting zoo Pack .
I discarded animals like rabbits or ducks for possibilities and my like for this animals.

 

[Angeł]

Would buy this in an instant! Would 100% prefer the more recognisable and loved Scottish Highland Cattle over the Holstein, but certainly wouldn’t complain about the latter. I think we really need a pack like this to help create more realistic zoos!

 

[biggest_dreamer]

I like the idea of this sort of pack, but I also think it’s possible to do it while still coming across a tiny bit more exotic. I’d use Ankole watusi for the cattle option, since they can also be used in African savannah setups. Pot-bellied pig and miniature donkey are good. Nigerian dwarf goats would my preferred goat. I’d also like to see (miniature or otherwise) zebu or maybe alpaca, and I’d have no problem with capping the pack off with a rabbit and a waterfowl for some added variety.

I’d still like to see an exhibit species, though. It could be anything relatively mundane and common in the pet trade, such as the Eastern box turtle.

 

[DarthQuell]

Actually, I'd go out on a limb and make all the choices the "ancestors" of domestic species, such as, instead of domestic chickens, I'd go with red junglefowl

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Actually, I'd go out on a limb and make all the choices the "ancestors" of domestic species, such as, instead of domestic chickens, I'd go with red junglefowl

This is a fun idea in theory but I’m not sure how far you could actually take it. Like, wild boar and wild donkey are obviously reasonably popular, and I think the red junglefowl would go over decently well just because it’s a bird. Maybe the mouflon would work. But beyond that, we’ve already got an ibex, and the guanaco is only so different from the llama, and we’ve already got the closest thing to a proper wild horse (I know it’s not the actual ancestor in this case). Aurochs is extinct. I guess it could focus on birds, like with the wild turkey and maybe a duck or swan, but I’m not sure how it would end up looking overall.

Edit: hit post too soon

 

[Pentoleaf]

I really like the idea of a domestic or children's zoo pack! I think it could go a bit heavier into birds though -

1. Domestic turkey (NA)
2. Domestic muscovy duck (SA) or Black swan (Au)
3. Emu (Au)
All are popular petting zoo animals, are large enough to avoid traversable area issue, and could also be useful in non-petting zoo areas.

For the four mammals:
4. Vietnamese pot bellied pig is a great choice. Asian representation and very common in petting zoos
5. Nigerian dwarf goat is my prefered goat for pure cuteness
6. Highland cow or Shetland pony for European representation
7. Minature donkey or Dromedary depending on whether the cow or the pony is choosen, since I feel like two equids in a pack is stretching things.

Ex -  Goldfish or Bearded dragon two common, and also, unfortunately, commonly abandonned pets.

 

[Antimony96]

I'd go with some of the domestics that are both commonly kept in zoos and can work well with existing non-domestic animals. For instance, the Ankole-Watusi cattle is a common feature in mixed savannah habitats.

 

[avietar]

People really need to stop putting Holstein cattle into these packs.
Yes, I realize it's the standard dairy cow breed that's used on farms everywhere. But that doesn't make them the most suitable for a petting zoo pack. Holsteins have fragile health, are sweet but spooky, and are very high maintenance. They have very much been bred for milk production and that came at the cost of, well, everything else.

For a petting zoo cattle breed, you want a cow that is sturdy and healthy, low maintenance, and with a confident temperament that is friendly and gentle.

So no Holsteins, for the reasons mentioned above. No Jerseys, which have a feisty and fiery temperament.
Instead, pick a breed like the Lakenvelder, which is a cow that is often kept at petting zoos, a sturdy and round cow known for its calm and friendly disposition. Or a Scottish Highland, which is often kept in walkthrough parks because they are such easy keepers and non-aggressive.

So yeah, long story short: Petting zoo breeds should be chosen NOT based on iconic looks, but based on suitability for lots of human contact: sturdy and healthy, calm and friendly, easy maintenance.

 

[avietar]

Sorry about the rant.

 

[Angeł]

People really need to stop putting Holstein cattle into these packs.
Yes, I realize it's the standard dairy cow breed that's used on farms everywhere. But that doesn't make them the most suitable for a petting zoo pack. Holsteins have fragile health, are sweet but spooky, and are very high maintenance. They have very much been bred for milk production and that came at the cost of, well, everything else.

For a petting zoo cattle breed, you want a cow that is sturdy and healthy, low maintenance, and with a confident temperament that is friendly and gentle.

So no Holsteins, for the reasons mentioned above. No Jerseys, which have a feisty and fiery temperament.
Instead, pick a breed like the Lakenvelder, which is a cow that is often kept at petting zoos, a sturdy and round cow known for its calm and friendly disposition. Or a Scottish Highland, which is often kept in walkthrough parks because they are such easy keepers and non-aggressive.

So yeah, long story short: Petting zoo breeds should be chosen NOT based on iconic looks, but based on suitability for lots of human contact: sturdy and healthy, calm and friendly, easy maintenance.

Completely agree - just because a species is the most RECOGNISABLE BY THE PUBLIC does not mean that it should be the one that makes it into the game. We’ve seen this with the sloth species! Although the Holstein looks like the poster child ‘cow’, it is not the most realistic choice. I think that the Scottish Highland is probably the most realistic choice, and the one I’d choose.

 

[Nausicaaa 22]

People really need to stop putting Holstein cattle into these packs.
Yes, I realize it's the standard dairy cow breed that's used on farms everywhere. But that doesn't make them the most suitable for a petting zoo pack. Holsteins have fragile health, are sweet but spooky, and are very high maintenance. They have very much been bred for milk production and that came at the cost of, well, everything else.

For a petting zoo cattle breed, you want a cow that is sturdy and healthy, low maintenance, and with a confident temperament that is friendly and gentle.

So no Holsteins, for the reasons mentioned above. No Jerseys, which have a feisty and fiery temperament.
Instead, pick a breed like the Lakenvelder, which is a cow that is often kept at petting zoos, a sturdy and round cow known for its calm and friendly disposition. Or a Scottish Highland, which is often kept in walkthrough parks because they are such easy keepers and non-aggressive.

So yeah, long story short: Petting zoo breeds should be chosen NOT based on iconic looks, but based on suitability for lots of human contact: sturdy and healthy, calm and friendly, easy maintenance.

Actually, this is a pack focused on farms, not petting zoos, but I understand your point of view. Friesian cows are somewhat fragile and skittish, and the Lakevender is a good option, its coloration is somewhat curious. Thank you for giving your opinion, it is always nice to read what people think.

 

[Brandon Gill]

Here my least favourite pack, but a good one to consider, the farm animal pack. It would be better as a scenery pack, but with more animals everything upgrades. There are 3 American representation (Holstein cattle, rhode red chicken and the guinea pig), 3 European (Miniature donkey, Merino sheep and Shetland pony) 1 Asian (Pot-bellied pig) and 1 African (Boer goat). No exhibit animals would be necessary in a pack of this style, maybye a snail, but you cannot put a guinea pig in a terrarium, maybye too small for them. This would be definitely my favourite representation of a farm/Petting zoo Pack .
I discarded animals like rabbits or ducks for possibilities and my like for this animals.
View attachment 322333

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, it could also include a Shetland pony ride as well but still excellent choice most all zoos have a petting zoo for adults and children.

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

Ah yes the american domestic breed of the holstein friesian cattle, which totally isnt from the dutch and german regions of holstein and friesland

 

[avietar]

Ah yes the american domestic breed of the holstein friesian cattle, which totally isnt from the dutch and german regions of holstein and friesland

Well, originally at least. But the HF was developed in the US and today it is very distinct from the Friesian black & white cow (Dutch Friesian), the stock it was developed from and that still exists today. I have a whole book on Friesian cattle history

Holstein Friesian cow. Tall, slender, elegant, long legs. A refined animal with primary purpose: supreme milk production.

Dutch Friesian (Friesian black & white) cow: smaller and stocky, rounder, shorter legs, rustic. A multipurpose animal for milk & beef production, with more emphasis on milk nowadays.

 

[Baryonix82]

• Cows: Ankole-Watusi // Highland Cattle // Texas Longhorn // Nguni Cattle (What I like most about the Nguni breed of cows is their variety of coat patterns and colors. It seems as if there are no 2 cows with the same coloration)
• Horses: Mustang // Shetland pony // Appaloosa
• Goats: Anglo-Nubian // African Pygmy Goat // Arapawa goat (CR)
• Sheeps: Romanov sheep // Gute sheep (male & female with horns) // Zwartbles’s sheep
• Pigs: Kunekune // Vietnamese Pot-bellied // Danish Protest Pig (Breeding populations exist in the Berlin Zoological Garden, the Hanover Zoo, the Tierpark Arche Warder near Kiel, in the ZOOM Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen, in Dalmsdorf (Mecklenburg), Hof Lütjensee, and on the Archehof Blumencron. The Dortmund Zoo and the Tierpark Krüzen house small populations too. At the moment, around 140 specimens are alive worldwide. The German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein supports preservation of the breed for its cultural value.
• Rabbits: Harlequin // Flemish Giant // Mini Lop
• Chicken // Ducks: Chinese silk chicken // Silverudd blue // Sussex // Orpington Duck // Saxony duck // Silver Appleyard (CR)
• Guinea Pig // Koi Pond [exhibition]

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Without even knowing all that’s been posted about cattle (which has been really interesting to read), I still would’ve preferred highland cattle over any of the more standard-looking ones. More than that, though, I still prefer Ankole watusi and zebu overall because of their versatility. Not nearly as recognizable, of course, but assuming they’re actually viable petting zoo species I’d love the added flexibility of being able to use them here or in African/Indian sections as desired.