Children's Zoo Pack
1. African pygmy goat, Capra hircus
This would be the smallest ungulate in-game, at around 25kg for an adult male. They are one of the most commonly-kept animals in captivity, regularly featuring in children's zoos but also in more general African areas (where they could be used to showcase the conflicts between livestock and wildlife). While they can be kept in big herds when being farmed, I think a group size of up to 30 individuals is appropriate for the game. They come in a huge variety of colours, but I would choose variants of the seven colours recognised in the breed standard - caramel with both white and black markings, brown, grey and black agouti, black with white markings and solid black. Also, to add interest and realism for building their enclosures, they should be able to use the climbing frame.
Continent(s) - Africa
Biome(s) - Grassland, Tropical
2. Bar-headed goose, Anser indicus
The most commonly-kept of all exotic geese, these would be the smallest habitat bird currently in the game. They are fairly docile as geese go, tolerating hand feeding and able to live in walkthrough enclosures in zoos. As well as walkthrough enclosures, they are very tolerant of living with other animals - they have been kept with Indian rhino, water buffalo, cranes, camels, tapirs, peafowl and flamingos among Planet Zoo species. While they form huge flocks on migration, they do live in smaller groups in captivity, with 25-30 individuals probably appropriate for the game. They are attractively coloured for a wild goose species, but have little variation between individuals. Another positive is they can be kept in many settings, including ornamental ponds and lakes, fountains, gardens and moats.
Continent(s) - Asia
Biome(s) - Aquatic, Grassland, Temperate, Tropical
3. Black-capped squirrel monkey, Saimiri boliviensis
Some children's zoos, like the newly-opened one in San Diego, keep small active mammals like primates to provide interest to visitors. While marmosets and tamarins are also possible, they are diminutive and also live in small groups - the squirrel monkey is slightly larger and can live in groups with over 100 individuals in, so they are my favoured choice. I would consider 100 individuals an appropriate maximum group size in the game. They are able to be kept in walkthrough enclosures and would have interspecies bonuses with capuchin monkeys and capybara (bonus points of they can climb on or groom the latter species). These would add an active, colourful and commonly-kept South American primate to the game.
Continent(s) - South America
Biome(s) - Tropical
4. European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus
Probably the flagship animal for this pack, the rabbit is a highly familiar and well-known small mammal that would also be the sole habitat species that is listed as Endangered in the wild. Rather than choosing a domestic breed and limiting potential options, I would choose the wild rabbit. While they mainly come in a standard brown colour, there are also black, albino and ginger variants in the wild, which could give the feel of domestic rabbits. This way, they could fit into many different parts of a zoo - as well as petting zoos, they could be displayed in a European wildlife section or in an Australian section to showcase invasive species. They would be able to burrow like prairie dogs and meerkats and can be kept in groups of up to 10 individuals (the size of most wild warrens).
Continent(s) - Africa, Europe
Biome(s) - Grassland
Wild black rabbit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/01/country-diary-black-rabbits-in-the-wild-1919
Wild albino rabbit: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...ino-rabbit-spotted-in-fermanagh/29160069.html
Wild ginger rabbit: Source: https://twitter.com/rebeccanaden/status/1318833005310476290
Walkthrough exhibit
Small parrots, consisting of three species from different parts of the world that can all be kept in walkthrough aviaries where visitors can feed them:
1. Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) Oceania - Temperate, Tropical: Least Concern
2. Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) Africa, Asia - Desert, Grassland, Temperate, Tropical: Least Concern
3. Sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) South America - Grassland, Tropical: Endangered
Foliage
The foliage in this pack have many functions, including plants that are tactile (adding to the 'petting zoo' feel of the pack), would allow the creation of unique features within a zoo or be used to improve the landscaping within a zoo:
Touch-me-not (Mimosa pudica) – North America, South America; Tropical
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Europe; Grassland
Crimson bottlebrush (Melaleuca citrina) – Oceania; Temperate, Tropical
Giant feather grass (Celtica gigantea) – Africa, Europe; Desert, Grassland
Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex) – Asia; Temperate
Maize (Zea mays) - North America; Grassland: Can be purchased as either a single plant or a dense clump, the latter allowing for the creation of mazes
Scenery
Not really decided on what sort of scenery to include yet, but I think one thing I would love to see are hay bales - they could improve the appearance of back-of-house areas, petting barns and even animal enclosures themselves.
Update 1.13
Animal behaviour: Piggybacking
This update allows baby animals of certain species to ride on the backs of their parents. During this animation, the requirements of the baby (hunger, thirst etc.) do not change, while the adult can continue to feed and drink as normal. The species that get this behaviour are (unless mentioned, all babies ride only on their mother's back):
Guest behaviour: Petting and feeding walkthrough
A new gate type allows visitors to enter walkthrough habitats with species that can either be stroked or fed. Some animals are only amenable to being stroked, some can only be fed and some can be both stroked and fed. The animals included in this update are:
Stroking only
Capybara
Llama
European rabbit
Feeding only
Bar-headed goose
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvsDyzKil0
Rainbow lorikeet
Rose-ringed parakeet
Sun conure
Stroking and feeding
African pygmy goat
As well as the new gate, there is a feed wagon, where visitors can buy a small cup of feed for the walkthrough animals which can be fed. They need to be placed near to the entrance to the petting/feeding walkthrough habitat, or the walkthrough exhibit in the case of the small parrots, as visitors will bin the food if they do not find a place to use it quickly enough.
New facility: Non-walkthrough exhibits
This update simply allows the current walkthrough exhibit to be turned into a non-walkthrough. In this setting, visitors can view through any of the four walls, provided they are within sight-lines of the path. This would allow the bats, butterflies and the small parrots to be kept in a more standard aviary without having crowds of people moving through the display.
Alternative: Viewing dome
This allows the placement of a glass dome which can accommodate up to six visitors at a time within an animal enclosure. After placing the dome, an entry area has to be placed within a set distance of the dome to allow visitors to access it. The dome can also be placed underwater, for viewing animals such as penguins and seals. I am basically imagining something like the example pictured here:
1. African pygmy goat, Capra hircus
This would be the smallest ungulate in-game, at around 25kg for an adult male. They are one of the most commonly-kept animals in captivity, regularly featuring in children's zoos but also in more general African areas (where they could be used to showcase the conflicts between livestock and wildlife). While they can be kept in big herds when being farmed, I think a group size of up to 30 individuals is appropriate for the game. They come in a huge variety of colours, but I would choose variants of the seven colours recognised in the breed standard - caramel with both white and black markings, brown, grey and black agouti, black with white markings and solid black. Also, to add interest and realism for building their enclosures, they should be able to use the climbing frame.
Continent(s) - Africa
Biome(s) - Grassland, Tropical
2. Bar-headed goose, Anser indicus
The most commonly-kept of all exotic geese, these would be the smallest habitat bird currently in the game. They are fairly docile as geese go, tolerating hand feeding and able to live in walkthrough enclosures in zoos. As well as walkthrough enclosures, they are very tolerant of living with other animals - they have been kept with Indian rhino, water buffalo, cranes, camels, tapirs, peafowl and flamingos among Planet Zoo species. While they form huge flocks on migration, they do live in smaller groups in captivity, with 25-30 individuals probably appropriate for the game. They are attractively coloured for a wild goose species, but have little variation between individuals. Another positive is they can be kept in many settings, including ornamental ponds and lakes, fountains, gardens and moats.
Continent(s) - Asia
Biome(s) - Aquatic, Grassland, Temperate, Tropical
3. Black-capped squirrel monkey, Saimiri boliviensis
Some children's zoos, like the newly-opened one in San Diego, keep small active mammals like primates to provide interest to visitors. While marmosets and tamarins are also possible, they are diminutive and also live in small groups - the squirrel monkey is slightly larger and can live in groups with over 100 individuals in, so they are my favoured choice. I would consider 100 individuals an appropriate maximum group size in the game. They are able to be kept in walkthrough enclosures and would have interspecies bonuses with capuchin monkeys and capybara (bonus points of they can climb on or groom the latter species). These would add an active, colourful and commonly-kept South American primate to the game.
Continent(s) - South America
Biome(s) - Tropical
4. European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus
Probably the flagship animal for this pack, the rabbit is a highly familiar and well-known small mammal that would also be the sole habitat species that is listed as Endangered in the wild. Rather than choosing a domestic breed and limiting potential options, I would choose the wild rabbit. While they mainly come in a standard brown colour, there are also black, albino and ginger variants in the wild, which could give the feel of domestic rabbits. This way, they could fit into many different parts of a zoo - as well as petting zoos, they could be displayed in a European wildlife section or in an Australian section to showcase invasive species. They would be able to burrow like prairie dogs and meerkats and can be kept in groups of up to 10 individuals (the size of most wild warrens).
Continent(s) - Africa, Europe
Biome(s) - Grassland
Wild black rabbit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/01/country-diary-black-rabbits-in-the-wild-1919
Wild albino rabbit: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...ino-rabbit-spotted-in-fermanagh/29160069.html
Wild ginger rabbit: Source: https://twitter.com/rebeccanaden/status/1318833005310476290
Walkthrough exhibit
Small parrots, consisting of three species from different parts of the world that can all be kept in walkthrough aviaries where visitors can feed them:
1. Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) Oceania - Temperate, Tropical: Least Concern
2. Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) Africa, Asia - Desert, Grassland, Temperate, Tropical: Least Concern
3. Sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) South America - Grassland, Tropical: Endangered
Foliage
The foliage in this pack have many functions, including plants that are tactile (adding to the 'petting zoo' feel of the pack), would allow the creation of unique features within a zoo or be used to improve the landscaping within a zoo:
Touch-me-not (Mimosa pudica) – North America, South America; Tropical
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Europe; Grassland
Crimson bottlebrush (Melaleuca citrina) – Oceania; Temperate, Tropical
Giant feather grass (Celtica gigantea) – Africa, Europe; Desert, Grassland
Chinese parasol tree (Firmiana simplex) – Asia; Temperate
Maize (Zea mays) - North America; Grassland: Can be purchased as either a single plant or a dense clump, the latter allowing for the creation of mazes
Scenery
Not really decided on what sort of scenery to include yet, but I think one thing I would love to see are hay bales - they could improve the appearance of back-of-house areas, petting barns and even animal enclosures themselves.
Update 1.13
Animal behaviour: Piggybacking
This update allows baby animals of certain species to ride on the backs of their parents. During this animation, the requirements of the baby (hunger, thirst etc.) do not change, while the adult can continue to feed and drink as normal. The species that get this behaviour are (unless mentioned, all babies ride only on their mother's back):
- American alligator
- Black-and-white ruffed lemur
- Black-capped squirrel monkey
- Bonobo
- Bornean orangutan
- Chinese pangolin
- Colombian white-faced capuchin
- Gharial (only rides on the father's back)
- Giant anteater
- Japanese macaque
- Koala
- Mandrill
- Red ruffed lemur
- Ring-tailed lemur
- Western chimpanzee
- Western lowland gorilla
Guest behaviour: Petting and feeding walkthrough
A new gate type allows visitors to enter walkthrough habitats with species that can either be stroked or fed. Some animals are only amenable to being stroked, some can only be fed and some can be both stroked and fed. The animals included in this update are:
Stroking only
Capybara
Llama
European rabbit
Feeding only
Bar-headed goose
Rainbow lorikeet
Rose-ringed parakeet
Sun conure
Stroking and feeding
African pygmy goat
As well as the new gate, there is a feed wagon, where visitors can buy a small cup of feed for the walkthrough animals which can be fed. They need to be placed near to the entrance to the petting/feeding walkthrough habitat, or the walkthrough exhibit in the case of the small parrots, as visitors will bin the food if they do not find a place to use it quickly enough.
New facility: Non-walkthrough exhibits
This update simply allows the current walkthrough exhibit to be turned into a non-walkthrough. In this setting, visitors can view through any of the four walls, provided they are within sight-lines of the path. This would allow the bats, butterflies and the small parrots to be kept in a more standard aviary without having crowds of people moving through the display.
Alternative: Viewing dome
This allows the placement of a glass dome which can accommodate up to six visitors at a time within an animal enclosure. After placing the dome, an entry area has to be placed within a set distance of the dome to allow visitors to access it. The dome can also be placed underwater, for viewing animals such as penguins and seals. I am basically imagining something like the example pictured here:
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