I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed making this one, easily my favourite I have made so far.
Hispaniolan Hutia (
Plagiodontia aedium)
The formerly diverse endemic mammal fauna of Hispaniola (the Caribbean island on which Haiti is located) has been devastated by humans, with only two species of terrestrial mammals surviving the onslaught of habitat destruction, hunting and introduced species. The singular rodentian survivor is the endangered Hispaniolan Hutia. Being of a similar to the Meerkat, it would not be too small to add to the game and any chance for a rodent is a good one.
Hispaniolan Solenodon (
Solenodon paradoxus)
Hispaniola's other surviving terrestrial mammal and one of two living species of solenodon, a lineage of insectivores that diverged from other living mammals before the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. Like the hutia, it is also of substantial enough size to be added to the game as a habitat animal. But make sure your keepers take caution, for solenodons are among the select few species of mammal known to be venomous!
Roseate Spoonbill (
Platalea ajaja)
Widespread across South America and coastal areas of Central America, the southeastern USA and the Caribbean, the Roseate Spoonbill also calls Haiti home. This large and colourful wading bird would make a great addition to the game's limited avian roster.
Rhinoceros Iguana (
Cyclura cornuta)
Almost looking like a retro
Iguanodon depiction, complete with nose horn, this is one cool looking lizard. My personal preference would definitely be for this to be a habitat animal (my local zoo keeps them in a big open air enclosure), but given the other iguanas - including the equally large Green Iguana - are stuck as exhibit animals for now I thought it would only be fair if it was given the same treatment. Hopefully they will all be freed of their glass prisons in the future. This would also make the exhibit animal the largest species in the pack, which is quite the irony.
