What common "basic" zoo animals are still missing from the game?

[TheYeti]

I see chevrotain and shoebill mentioned here a lot but as far as I know they are anything but common nor basic.

What I don’t see enough is however are vicuña and Eurasian white storks.

It all depends on regions. Many North Americans will mention the North American river otter and sandhill crane, which I have personally never seen. For Aussies, koalas and kiwis may be stock animals while they're pretty rare in Europe. Meanwhile, Europeans consider raccoons typical zoo animals, while Americans see them as pests. I've seen quite some animals mentioned here (Eurasian wild boar, barbary macaque, vicuña and wapiti come to mind) that I don't recall ever seeing in zoos despite having visited quite a number in Europe, Brazil and Singapore.

From my experience in Singapore (and I assume this goes for much of Southeast Asia), chevrotains and crowned pigeons are among the most common zoo animals as they are easy to keep, fit in with other animals and are especially great to display in walkthrough aviaries/jungle domes.

 

[premierfong]

America Black Bear, Black Rhino, Dromedary Camel, Walrus and much more.

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

It all depends on regions. Many North Americans will mention the North American river otter and sandhill crane, which I have personally never seen. For Aussies, koalas and kiwis may be stock animals while they're pretty rare in Europe. Meanwhile, Europeans consider raccoons typical zoo animals, while Americans see them as pests. I've seen quite some animals mentioned here (Eurasian wild boar, barbary macaque, vicuña and wapiti come to mind) that I don't recall ever seeing in zoos despite having visited quite a number in Europe, Brazil and Singapore.

From my experience in Singapore (and I assume this goes for much of Southeast Asia), chevrotains and crowned pigeons are among the most common zoo animals as they are easy to keep, fit in with other animals and are especially great to display in walkthrough aviaries/jungle domes.

Thats not his point though.
It has nothing to do with regions as chevrotains while not super uncommon are still rather niche in all zoos, not even knacking 50 worldwide acording to zootierliste and zoochat and the shoebill is well documented in only 10 zoos worldwide, heres a reddit post that keeps up to date on all the shoebill infos

https://www.reddit.com/r/ShoebillStorks/comments/6djkcd

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/ShoebillStorks/comments/6djkcd/a_comprehensive_list_of_all_the_places_in_the/


Both of these animals miss the point.
Are they cool? Yes, but they are no where near a staple like a pelican, porcupine, more monkeys or the white stork would be

 

[Karen F]

I guess it depends what country/continent you are from. I also see coati mentioned but have never seen them in zoos in my country.

 

[Chuditch]

For Aussies, koalas and kiwis may be stock animals while they're pretty rare in Europe.

There are no kiwis kept in Australia. They’re a very common zoo animal in NZ though, as expected.

For Australian zoos, native animals like Tasmanian devils, echidnas, bilbies, additional macropods and many reptile and bird species are all more common than any remaining choices for exotic species, but almost none of these would be considered zoo staples from a global perspective. The most common remaining exotic mammals kept in Australia (judged by being in 10 or more zoos) would be:

• Dromedary
• Alpaca
• Domestic water buffalo (arguably replaceable with the wild species we already have)
• Other domestics, especially goats
• 3 tamarin species
• 2 marmoset species
• Bolivian squirrel monkey
• Tufted capuchin
• Sumatran tiger (if we’re counting subspecies - I’m content with the Bengal)
• Serval
• Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo (although often kept alongside native wildlife, they’re still technically an exotic)

A lot of these also fit the bill as basic zoo animals on a global scale (especially those poor South American primates), while others, like the tree kangaroo, do not.

 

[KönigDerKaffeebohnen]

I guess it depends what country/continent you are from. I also see coati mentioned but have never seen them in zoos in my country.

Thats the problem with anecdotal evidence.
Imo for a staple, they should really be atleast in 80 zoos, big time recognisable and if possible even more common.
After all only a fool would argue against the african dwarf goat in this context, the most common zoo animal world wide

 

[SalamAnders]

I'm talking about animals which are extremely widespread in zoos (as in found in hundreds of zoos) but are not in the game.

If we stick to the topic, then it isn't really region based, since some regions don't even have a hundred zoos.

 

[yoav_r]

If we stick to the topic, then it isn't really region based, since some regions don't even have a hundred zoos.

Yes I was speaking of a global capacity.

 

[Spiderhawk]

So before I got educated in AZA, this was what I thought of when I thought zoos.
Giraffes, gorillas, lions, elephants, birds, monkeys, bears, sea lions and tigers.
My local zoo growing up the Beardsley zoo has Amur tigers, some monkeys, birds and bears. All other animals are NA and SA with some Asian reps. Going to the Bronx zoo and the Smithsonian I got sow all the above as if it was the “typical zoo animals”.
In my AZA days I learned the difficulty and controversy of some animals and emphasizing on animals native to the zoos country.
Anyway from what I have seen in NA zoos that are not currently in game. Variety of new world monkeys, American black bears, American River otter, rodents of all types and sizes, birds of course, dromedary, various deer that we don’t have. A lot of exhibit critters in particular woodland critters.

 

[Angeł]

I feel like this thread may have evolved into more of a ‘general wishlists’ thread. While it’s nice to see people’s wants for the game, a lot of animals I see listed here are FAR from ‘essential’.
I’d say if we are talking essentials, if we are talking A-Z instantly recognisable animals that are a staple of some of world’s most recognised zoos, there are only a few animals that can be classed as ‘essential zoo animals’.

• Two Toed Sloth
• Old World Porcupine
• More primates (e.g. Mantled Guereza, Spider Monkey, Tamarin)
• Flying Birds
• Aquarium Fish

I know that flying birds and fish are heavily debated topics in this forum, but without them in-game, we are limited from truly building ANY kind of zoo. I know, for example, how hard it is to build a city zoo without some kind of aquarium; most ones I’ve visited have some kind of building dedicated to fish or at least a few tanks. Ans birds, well they are self explanatory.

The sloth, porcupine and primates however are MUST HAVE additions for this year (for me). Sloths and porcupines are instantly recognisable, there is NOTHING quite like them in-game. And primates are a zoo staple, and our selection at the moment is poor.

I understand that there are so many more species whose absence from the game is saddening. Tassie Devils, Tree Kangaroos, Takin, Fossa, Muskox etc. They’d all be very nice and welcome additions this year, but I wouldn’t say any of them would be as much of a needed addition as those I’ve listed. I know, it’s all down to opinion. But really, I don’t think it’s hugely debatable that the animals listed are some of the most essential additions we could get to this game.

 

[igorvasconcelos]

I would say that:
Goats (markhor, takin, barbarian sheep, musk ox)
Cattle (Gauro, anoa, Eland, yak, ankole-watusi)
a pig in particular (red river pig)
primates (Mantled Guereza, Baboon, Gelada, Howler Monkey, Spider Monkey, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey)
small mammals (porcupine, civets, sloths, coati, mara, fossa)
deer (Père David’s deer, small deer)
turtles (Alligator snapping turtle, African spurred tortoise)
and, mainly, birds (Tropical birds, birds of prey, ducks, ibis, pelicans, chickens)

possibly: aquatic animals - which would require a new mechanic.
domestic animals for a pets area - goats, chickens, pigs, ponies, cattle, rabbits
more species for exhibition - snakes, lizards and tortoises

dispensable, but beloved by the public:
dogs (tanuki, bush dog)
felines (Pallas's cat, serval, ocelot, African leopard)

 

[paul78]

Basic zoo animals I think are missing in planet zoo in other words common zoo animals.
Black rhino- In zoos with rhino your pretty much going to see one of three species. Definitely needs to be in planet zoo and trails only the white rhino in zoo numbers.
Dromedary camel- Another very popular zoo species and more so then the Bactrian. Should have already been in planet zoo but very confident their coming at some point.
Baboon- reguardless of species it’s definitely common enough and should be in the game at some point.
Porcupine- another very common zoo animal as my local zoo has both the North American and African species.
Serval- pretty common in zoos and although not my first missing small cat breed I’d prefer definitely deserves at least a thought of being introduced at some point.
Pelican- another very popular animal that I hope gets in at some point.
Primates- preferably the howler and spider monkey although more are definitely welcome. In terms of popularity definitely deserving and two South American representatives.
Last Bear- whether it be the American black bear ( probably the most common), Andean, or Sloth I think another bear species should flesh out the final bear spot.
Sloth- a zoo without a sloth in honestly yet to see one.
Birds- I won’t include aviary birds although I definitely want them. There’s no denying there’s still plenty of popular terrestrial birds missing in PZ yet.
Clones or similar species- although not popular with many forum members I feel the addition of the blue wildebeest was a great one and definitely needed. The giraffe, flamingo, tiger, lion, zebra,etc all have other popular species frequenting zoos all over the world and are definitely a nice addition to me personally.

 

[nutrit]

Basic zoo animals I think are missing in planet zoo in other words common zoo animals.
Black rhino- In zoos with rhino your pretty much going to see one of three species. Definitely needs to be in planet zoo and trails only the white rhino in zoo numbers.
Dromedary camel- Another very popular zoo species and more so then the Bactrian. Should have already been in planet zoo but very confident their coming at some point.
Baboon- reguardless of species it’s definitely common enough and should be in the game at some point.
Porcupine- another very common zoo animal as my local zoo has both the North American and African species.
Serval- pretty common in zoos and although not my first missing small cat breed I’d prefer definitely deserves at least a thought of being introduced at some point.
Pelican- another very popular animal that I hope gets in at some point.
Primates- preferably the howler and spider monkey although more are definitely welcome. In terms of popularity definitely deserving and two South American representatives.
Last Bear- whether it be the American black bear ( probably the most common), Andean, or Sloth I think another bear species should flesh out the final bear spot.
Sloth- a zoo without a sloth in honestly yet to see one.
Birds- I won’t include aviary birds although I definitely want them. There’s no denying there’s still plenty of popular terrestrial birds missing in PZ yet.
Clones or similar species- although not popular with many forum members I feel the addition of the blue wildebeest was a great one and definitely needed. The giraffe, flamingo, tiger, lion, zebra,etc all have other popular species frequenting zoos all over the world and are definitely a nice addition to me personally.

Last bear? Why the last? I want all 3 of them just as we have all big cats right now. All are very different from each other and live in different biomes.