With the inclusion of animals such as the Pangolin, Lehmann's poison frog and Bornean Orangutan, I think Frontier has a great chance to raise awareness of other critically endangered animals and their current recovery programmes. Putting the spotlight on these obscure animals would be fantastic!
Some examples I can think of:
Kākāpō
The worlds heaviest and only flightless parrot, they are a culturally significant animal to the Māori; who kept them for their feathers and as pets.
Javan Rhino
While I doubt we'll have them as a physical animal in the game (Their wild population is only around 60), mentioning the Javan Rhino would please me greatly. Every animal is being targeted for their ivory nowadays, and I'm not very optimistic about this species' future.
Gooty Tarantula
A pretty blue and golden tarantula only found in a 100km-square wide forest reserve, highly disturbed by nearby civil unrest and the exotic pet trade. Very common in captivity, but could be used as a decent example for why people should research their exotic breeders and how to prevent purchasing wild-caught specimens.
Saiga
This antelope could be a funny addition into the game. Just look at their snouts! These animals became critically endangered in 2015 when 60% of their population dropped dead from a bacterium that's becoming increasingly common due to climate change.
I know the game already has a few antelope species, but who can't resist their adorably ugly appearance!
Some ugly, undesirable animals are critical to the ecosystem's well-being more than other, prettier animals (I'm looking at you, Giant Panda!). I'd love for those to get attention too.
Some examples I can think of:
Kākāpō
The worlds heaviest and only flightless parrot, they are a culturally significant animal to the Māori; who kept them for their feathers and as pets.
Javan Rhino
While I doubt we'll have them as a physical animal in the game (Their wild population is only around 60), mentioning the Javan Rhino would please me greatly. Every animal is being targeted for their ivory nowadays, and I'm not very optimistic about this species' future.
Gooty Tarantula
A pretty blue and golden tarantula only found in a 100km-square wide forest reserve, highly disturbed by nearby civil unrest and the exotic pet trade. Very common in captivity, but could be used as a decent example for why people should research their exotic breeders and how to prevent purchasing wild-caught specimens.
Saiga
This antelope could be a funny addition into the game. Just look at their snouts! These animals became critically endangered in 2015 when 60% of their population dropped dead from a bacterium that's becoming increasingly common due to climate change.
I know the game already has a few antelope species, but who can't resist their adorably ugly appearance!
Some ugly, undesirable animals are critical to the ecosystem's well-being more than other, prettier animals (I'm looking at you, Giant Panda!). I'd love for those to get attention too.
Javan rhino was one of my favourite animals from Zoo tycoon 2, even if it was a bit unrealistic, since zoos do not keep them. Made their habitat a centerpiece of my tropical zoo with a small volcano. Wanted to re-do that zoo in PZ but the indian rhino do not fit well in rainforest zoo since it lives in grasslands. :F