Would be good to have some standard farm / petting animals, i.e. cows, pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, rabbits, guinea pigs and vitally ALPACAS.
Love an Alpaca, me.
Oh, and Capybaras!
Love an Alpaca, me.
Oh, and Capybaras!
Farm animals
- Thread starter CaptainPerhaps
- Start date
Yes, please! I'd love to make a petting zoo section for my zoo. I want llamas and horses in particular. (Or an alpaca.) I also love goats and sheep.
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The point is FUN. I mean, it's not like we're protecting endangered species in real life just by playing this game, now, are we.
There are a lot of "city farms" in the UK where kids can go and see alpacas, chickens, pigs, goats, horses etc. Just seems like a nice thing to add - obviously they would be marked as "Not at risk" in the Zoopedia.
There are some really rare breeds of farm animals ^^ You may not be able to release them to the wild, but you could still "save" the breed
In german zoos they almost always have a "Bauernhof" (farm) somewhere in the zoo with horses, cattle, pigs, sheeps, goats etc
There is a domesticated Status in the Zoopedia
Which for some reason in the German Version is called zahm which means tame. But a Animal that is just tame and a Animal that is domesticated are totally different
I would LOVE some highland cows they're so cute
Lots of domestic animals have conservation purposes, even if they aren't endangered themselves. Anatolian shepherd dogs are used to protect livestock from cheetahs (and so stop the cheetahs getting shot) in Southern Africa, American Mammoth Jackstock donkeys do a similar role in protecting jaguars in Central America and all over Europe a variety of domestic cattle (the Sayaguesa and Highland for example), horses (like the konik and Exmoor) and even domestic water buffalo are being released to replace native wild cattle, horses and buffalo that became extinct in history or prehistory. These are all animals kept in zoos somewhere and they could really add something to the overall 'feel' of a zoo.
Zoos aren't just about conservation, they're also about fostering a connection between humans and nature. Sometimes common animals that enjoy (or at least tolerate) people enable that better than endangered ones that are easily stressed. Animal ambassadors and petting zoos that allow guests to get up close to animals play a major role in fostering the emotional connection that leads to education and the desire to conserve the natural world. Domestic and tame animals are a core part of the modern zoo experience and zoo education programs here in the states.
I want Pygmy Goats and Geese that occasionally chase my guests XD
I want Pygmy Goats and Geese that occasionally chase my guests XD
Wild Turkeys! 
turkey's tend to chase people, at least the males do.Wild Turkeys!
Both my local zoos have domestic turkeys free-roaming. They aren't really all that aggressive (though I did see one chasing a guy in a wheelchair once).
Nearly every zoo I've ever been to has a "barnyard" section for the kids to interact with the animals. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing it in Planet Zoo, though not as a priority.
Not every zoo has a petting or barnyard type area.. Biologic and disease are part of the reason why some don't.. if a specific disease breaks from having domestic animals, and it gets to the animals that you are trying to so conservation for, it could be deadly.. not to mention costly.
That isn't actually true. You seem to be assuming that the domestic breeds kept in zoos are somehow subject to lesser/more infrequent vet care than the exotic species. Not at all. Every good zoo quarantines animals before they enter the main population specifically to ensure there are no diseases that can be passed on, and that includes domestic/farm animals for petting zoos. In any event, the biggest disease risk actually comes from animals outside of the zoo. Roaming cats pass on diseases in their droppings, wild birds can easily pass on diseases to captive birds, wild rodents and rabbits are a danger as well.
Many farm/sheppard animals are actually going instinct because of mass production and the international market. Conservation program sometimes also protect those as well to protect the genetic variety of a species. I think it's a good idea too.