Every continent has now got at least one pack but one of them, Asia, only got a pack based on the relatively small region of Southeast Asia. I would love to see some more representation of animals from the Himalayas and also further north in Asia. This animal pack includes species from the mountains, steppes and forests of Central and Eastern Asia. Because I hope that a desert pack will be forthcoming, I have decided not to include animals from the western parts of Asia such as Arabia.
Without further ado, these are my animal choices.
1. The Amur leopard
One of the two confirmed carnivores in the pack, this is the most requested subspecies of the second most requested animal on the meta wishlist. They mainly inhabit broadleaf forests in eastern Russia and northern China and generally live in the same range as the Siberian tiger. They are the most commonly-kept leopard subspecies in both European and North American zoos; on the latter continent it is often kept as a replacement for other subspecies like African leopards. They are a critically endangered subspecies and there have been plans made for zoo-bred leopards to be part of a potential reintroduction project. The leopard would add another climbing species to the game and would probably complete the big cat representation. They could potentially be the flagship species for the Northern Asia Animal Pack.
2. The Przewalski's horse
The other potential flagship species is the fourth most requested animal from the meta wishlist. Przewalski's horses are an endangered species from the deserts and grasslands of Central Asia, with some populations either roaming freely or living at great liberty in parts of Europe including Ukraine, Hungary and France. This would add a second equid to the game that is very different from the plains zebra in appearance. They are very famous for their history of zoo conservation, with animals from zoos in Europe, North America and Australia all being used to return them to the wild in Mongolia. Because of this work, they have been progressively down-listed from 'Extinct in the Wild' to 'Endangered'. They still have a very strong showing in world zoos - 836 horses live in 77 EAZA zoos, AZA report 118 in 21 American zoos while Australia has about 60 spread between four zoos.
3. The golden takin
Another reasonably common request on the meta wishlist is the takin. This subspecies, endemic to the Qinling Mountains of China, has been chosen primarily for its very bold colour. This subspecies would be able to use the same biomes as the giant panda, as they occur in the same area. Takin are keen climbers and should be able to use the rock enrichment that comes with the Europe Pack. They have a strong captive presence in China as well as Japan and Russia, there are 57 golden takin that live across 13 zoos in Europe and a newly-arrived breeding herd in San Diego. Although they can be mixed with other species, I think they would not get an enrichment bonus with any of them as takin can sometimes be a bit pushy and aggressive.
4. The yellow throated marten
My personal favourite species, which I think would be an ideal small carnivore to represent Eastern Asia. They occur outside this area as well, living in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia and should be able to use the taiga, temperate and tropical biomes in the game. They are the largest and probably the most colourful of the martens, are active mostly during the day and live in social groups which is almost unique for this group of often small, nocturnal and solitary animals. They would add another climbing species to the game and would add a third mustelid that is very different to either the diving otter or the burrowing badger. Their combination of positive traits make them fairly regular in European zoos, with 34 different places keeping them in sometimes very large open-topped enclosures.
5. The Himalayan monal
This is the first of two habitat birds, one of the bigger and certainly the most colourful species of pheasant. They live at high altitude and should be able to use the taiga biome; there are no species currently in the game that would be suitable for mixing with. These birds do have the advantage of being suitable for walkthrough displays, having quite low space requirements and being hardy to low temperatures. They normally live in pairs during the breeding season but in non-breeding situations can live in quite large groups. Although listed as Least Concern, they are still threatened by hunting and the destruction of their habitat by damming. They are a popular and commonly-kept bird in captivity, with at least 141 zoos in Europe alone housing them.
6. The bar headed goose
The other Central Asian bird species is the most commonly-kept of all the exotic geese, the bar headed goose. These birds breed on the steppes of Asia before migrating across the Himalayas to winter in northern India and parts of Indochina. This means they should use the aquatic, grassland, temperate and taiga biomes in the game. A major point in the favour of these birds is their utility - they can be used in ornamental lakes, their relatively unaggressive nature makes them suitable for walkthrough enclosures and they are able to be kept in mixed enclosures with a huge variety of other species - real examples include Indian rhinoceroses, Malayan tapirs, Bactrian camels and greater flamingos. This species can tell the story of animals benefiting from humans - they have learned that grain stubble is good food and are increasing in numbers, especially in Tibet.
7. The final option
The last choice for a habitat animal is more open - although there are many potential choices such as a Baikal seal (the only truly freshwater seal species), a bobak marmot or a mountain hare, I have narrowed this down to two animals:
First is the Bukharan deer, also known as the Bactrian wapiti. These are a large deer, intermediate in size between the fallow deer and moose. They are neither red deer nor wapiti, but instead are a species of uniquely Central Asian deer (Cervus hanglu). They are a particularly magnificent deer, with a pale off-white coat and both thick manes and huge sets of antlers in the stags. This is a true Central Asian species, living in places like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan where they inhabit temperate and desert biomes. They do have a captive presence, with at least nine zoos in Europe, one in Israel and two in the United States housing them (in fact, the AZA are recommending that Bactrian wapiti are used in place of North American elk in native wildlife displays). They also have a strong conservation story, as hundreds are being reintroduced to Kazakhstan in order to provide a prey base for the eventual release of tigers into the country.
The second option is the raccoon dog. This is one of only a few unique-looking canids not in the game yet. They inhabit temperate habitats along the coast of East Asia from Russia south to northern Vietnam and have also been widely introduced to Europe. They are kept in a number of Asian zoos, a tiny handful of places in North America and lots of European zoos, although breeding them in Europe is now banned because of their invasive potential. As well as having the unusual short-legged and very furry body shape, they are unique in being the only dog to truly hibernate (they often do so in badger setts, so should be able to use the new burrow) and one of only two dogs to regularly climb trees. One potential issue is deciding what taxonomy to use - the IUCN still only records one species of raccoon dog while other sources suggest that the mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese tanuki are two different species.
Exhibit. The Central Asian tortoise
There are not many options for an exhibit animal - there are obviously some species of newt like the fire-bellied and Kaiser's spotted newts as well as other amphibians such as fire-bellied toads, but there has been a real lack of reptile exhibits coming with DLC. Therefore, my choice is for the Central Asian tortoise, also known variously as the Horsfield's, Russian and steppe tortoise. They are a typical smaller species of Testudo tortoise that, although often kept in outdoor enclosures in zoos, is probably too small to warrant full habitat animal status in the game. They would be able to use the current desert terrarium design and are a threatened species that inhabits the same general area as the Bukharan deer.
So, would you want a Central Asian pack and are there any animals you would rather have?
Without further ado, these are my animal choices.
1. The Amur leopard
One of the two confirmed carnivores in the pack, this is the most requested subspecies of the second most requested animal on the meta wishlist. They mainly inhabit broadleaf forests in eastern Russia and northern China and generally live in the same range as the Siberian tiger. They are the most commonly-kept leopard subspecies in both European and North American zoos; on the latter continent it is often kept as a replacement for other subspecies like African leopards. They are a critically endangered subspecies and there have been plans made for zoo-bred leopards to be part of a potential reintroduction project. The leopard would add another climbing species to the game and would probably complete the big cat representation. They could potentially be the flagship species for the Northern Asia Animal Pack.
2. The Przewalski's horse
The other potential flagship species is the fourth most requested animal from the meta wishlist. Przewalski's horses are an endangered species from the deserts and grasslands of Central Asia, with some populations either roaming freely or living at great liberty in parts of Europe including Ukraine, Hungary and France. This would add a second equid to the game that is very different from the plains zebra in appearance. They are very famous for their history of zoo conservation, with animals from zoos in Europe, North America and Australia all being used to return them to the wild in Mongolia. Because of this work, they have been progressively down-listed from 'Extinct in the Wild' to 'Endangered'. They still have a very strong showing in world zoos - 836 horses live in 77 EAZA zoos, AZA report 118 in 21 American zoos while Australia has about 60 spread between four zoos.
3. The golden takin
Another reasonably common request on the meta wishlist is the takin. This subspecies, endemic to the Qinling Mountains of China, has been chosen primarily for its very bold colour. This subspecies would be able to use the same biomes as the giant panda, as they occur in the same area. Takin are keen climbers and should be able to use the rock enrichment that comes with the Europe Pack. They have a strong captive presence in China as well as Japan and Russia, there are 57 golden takin that live across 13 zoos in Europe and a newly-arrived breeding herd in San Diego. Although they can be mixed with other species, I think they would not get an enrichment bonus with any of them as takin can sometimes be a bit pushy and aggressive.
4. The yellow throated marten
My personal favourite species, which I think would be an ideal small carnivore to represent Eastern Asia. They occur outside this area as well, living in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia and should be able to use the taiga, temperate and tropical biomes in the game. They are the largest and probably the most colourful of the martens, are active mostly during the day and live in social groups which is almost unique for this group of often small, nocturnal and solitary animals. They would add another climbing species to the game and would add a third mustelid that is very different to either the diving otter or the burrowing badger. Their combination of positive traits make them fairly regular in European zoos, with 34 different places keeping them in sometimes very large open-topped enclosures.
5. The Himalayan monal
This is the first of two habitat birds, one of the bigger and certainly the most colourful species of pheasant. They live at high altitude and should be able to use the taiga biome; there are no species currently in the game that would be suitable for mixing with. These birds do have the advantage of being suitable for walkthrough displays, having quite low space requirements and being hardy to low temperatures. They normally live in pairs during the breeding season but in non-breeding situations can live in quite large groups. Although listed as Least Concern, they are still threatened by hunting and the destruction of their habitat by damming. They are a popular and commonly-kept bird in captivity, with at least 141 zoos in Europe alone housing them.
6. The bar headed goose
The other Central Asian bird species is the most commonly-kept of all the exotic geese, the bar headed goose. These birds breed on the steppes of Asia before migrating across the Himalayas to winter in northern India and parts of Indochina. This means they should use the aquatic, grassland, temperate and taiga biomes in the game. A major point in the favour of these birds is their utility - they can be used in ornamental lakes, their relatively unaggressive nature makes them suitable for walkthrough enclosures and they are able to be kept in mixed enclosures with a huge variety of other species - real examples include Indian rhinoceroses, Malayan tapirs, Bactrian camels and greater flamingos. This species can tell the story of animals benefiting from humans - they have learned that grain stubble is good food and are increasing in numbers, especially in Tibet.
7. The final option
The last choice for a habitat animal is more open - although there are many potential choices such as a Baikal seal (the only truly freshwater seal species), a bobak marmot or a mountain hare, I have narrowed this down to two animals:
First is the Bukharan deer, also known as the Bactrian wapiti. These are a large deer, intermediate in size between the fallow deer and moose. They are neither red deer nor wapiti, but instead are a species of uniquely Central Asian deer (Cervus hanglu). They are a particularly magnificent deer, with a pale off-white coat and both thick manes and huge sets of antlers in the stags. This is a true Central Asian species, living in places like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan where they inhabit temperate and desert biomes. They do have a captive presence, with at least nine zoos in Europe, one in Israel and two in the United States housing them (in fact, the AZA are recommending that Bactrian wapiti are used in place of North American elk in native wildlife displays). They also have a strong conservation story, as hundreds are being reintroduced to Kazakhstan in order to provide a prey base for the eventual release of tigers into the country.
The second option is the raccoon dog. This is one of only a few unique-looking canids not in the game yet. They inhabit temperate habitats along the coast of East Asia from Russia south to northern Vietnam and have also been widely introduced to Europe. They are kept in a number of Asian zoos, a tiny handful of places in North America and lots of European zoos, although breeding them in Europe is now banned because of their invasive potential. As well as having the unusual short-legged and very furry body shape, they are unique in being the only dog to truly hibernate (they often do so in badger setts, so should be able to use the new burrow) and one of only two dogs to regularly climb trees. One potential issue is deciding what taxonomy to use - the IUCN still only records one species of raccoon dog while other sources suggest that the mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese tanuki are two different species.
Exhibit. The Central Asian tortoise
There are not many options for an exhibit animal - there are obviously some species of newt like the fire-bellied and Kaiser's spotted newts as well as other amphibians such as fire-bellied toads, but there has been a real lack of reptile exhibits coming with DLC. Therefore, my choice is for the Central Asian tortoise, also known variously as the Horsfield's, Russian and steppe tortoise. They are a typical smaller species of Testudo tortoise that, although often kept in outdoor enclosures in zoos, is probably too small to warrant full habitat animal status in the game. They would be able to use the current desert terrarium design and are a threatened species that inhabits the same general area as the Bukharan deer.
So, would you want a Central Asian pack and are there any animals you would rather have?
