Stressed animals

[Laura_91]

Why do animals not seek out shelter when they're stressed? I have springbok and they are constantly stressed but I have to pick them up and move them to shelter. I know its because there is a viewpoint above the enclosure but its a big enclosure and they insist on going near this even when stressed.

 

[PaulaM]

I had this problem with a lot of animals when I'd try to do a overhead guest path. There was a suggestion to put a lot the "Do Not Disturb" signs along the path but I haven't tried that yet. I just removed it. They need a one way glass panel you can use on overhead paths, like there is for enclosures.

 

[Laura_91]

I have do not disturb doesnt seem to do much. Because its a big African enclosure I need over head but I just don't understand why when they're stressed they stay where they are and just be stressed. There is 3 shelters in the enclosure

 

[Firestar97]

I've heard Environment Speakers do also help a bit. But I don't know if that's really true. I would try to place a few of them in the Areas where the Animals get stressed

 

[jcp011c]

I cannot tell you how many times I got stressed over how often my bongos would get stressed. Have done everything short of moving their habitat to another area of the zoo and starting it from scratch. I have put so many caves, shelters (all able to be accessed), and rock walls up for them to hide as well as the normal speakers and signs and 1 way glass, and they still get stressed. Maybe they should, I don't know, go hide in one of the hiding spots rather than stand about in the 10% of the habitat that isn't a hiding spot.

 

[Chante Goodman]

Hey all! The team would like to learn more about this issue. Would you be able to share screenshots in this thread so we can take a look? We can then decide if we require save files or additional help then too to try and get this resolved!

 

[Kitty1337]

I've had this issue too. I tried adding ambience speakers, although I don't think it helped much. I pretty much got rid of most of the sightlines except for the main guest viewing area, which is a one way glass panel.

 

[[PS4] Filthymick420]

Just put some xannies in their water, they'll calm down

 

[XT]

My experience, after many hours of misery, is that - no matter what else you do - if the paths around the exhibit are busy with guests (ie: crowded), the animals will be stressed. I have bongos and tortoises and they're fine - but they're both on less traveled paths. My flamingos, usually very tolerant, are in a central location with paths on all sides of their exhibits. There's plenty of shelters and etc but every time it gets crowded in the zoo, they get stressed. My jaguars, shy animals, are usually okay because their habitat is on a less busy area - though when the place gets crowded, they get stressed for awhile. Basically, the only solution I've found is to have the animals off whatever the main drag of your zoo is.

 

[Roxxsmom]

I have do not disturb doesnt seem to do much. Because its a big African enclosure I need over head but I just don't understand why when they're stressed they stay where they are and just be stressed. There is 3 shelters in the enclosure

There seems to be a general issue in the game with animals "freezing" and not moving away from things that stress them, even in larger enclosures. It also happens sometimes when the animals get too hot or cold. Even in enclosures I've covered extensively with heaters or coolers, there's always an animal that finds that "too hot" or "too cold" corner and hangs out In that tiny sliver of unsuitable temperature. I've also gotten animals that are hungry or thirsty but won't move to the food or water source, or the occasional animal that is swimming but won't leave the water, and I get the "animal is hungry or thirsty" message. Sometimes it's because they seem to be stuck, but other animals in their enclosure don't have the same issue. I don't know if this is supposed to reflect a real dynamic that occurs in zoos with stressed animals that have conflicting needs in an artificial environment, or if it's due to a programing dynamic.

I don't know how much of the "animal is stressed" dynamic happens because of glitches. I had a bear once who was "stuck" in his shelter and was infinitely stressed, in spite of the ambience speakers I had instialled, but once I moved him to another location in the enclosure, he seemed to "reset" and was fine from there on out. I've never had any luck with elevated walkways for lemurs, though. They always get stressed, no matter how many signs, speakers, and sheltered areas I give them away from the walkway. Maybe it's a line of sight thing because they climb.

 

[Laura_91]

Ive put some one way glass into my enclosure but not as a habitat barrier and hid it behind some elephant grass. This seems to have helped but obviously isn't the look i was going for

 

[Laura_91]

This is my habitat

 

[KellyL]

For shy species, I build my elevated path running along the very outside of their solid habitat barrier. As soon as I unlock one-way glass, I add that glass to the solid barrier and raise the height up up up, higher than its adjoining elevated path, so that guests must look thru that glass to see the shy animals. Maybe not very elegant, but seems to work great for shy critters and lets me keep them on elevated paths w/o any major problems.

 

[Aramar]

I had to add today a glass to my flamingo habitat because they were all super stressed. They have foliage to hide, a big rock, the waterfall item, a big shelter on the right and a small shelter on the left, the sign for not disturbing... but nothing worked and I ended up putting the one side glass barrier. It doesn't look bad, but I've never seen a flamingo lake hidden with glass barriers in real life zoos.