I find it confusing that all animals from the tropical, grassland and desert biomes aren't able to cope with the temperature of the biome they are found in, is this a bug, I don't know, I just want to know why this is.
Why do animals in their preferred biome not cope with the temperature of said biome
- Thread starter RedPandaReggie
- Start date
It's always so annoying with the Grey Seals. If they would at least go into the Water once it gets too hot but instead I get Protesters even though they are in the temperate Biome and very close to their natural Environment. I don't know if it is just a bit colder on the Coast but they really should at least go into the Water instead of suffering for no Reason and giving me a bad Reputation
Hayo @RedPandaReggie! The team are interested in hearing more about this from the community. Would you be able to drop in the thread the animals that are giving you any issues regarding the temperature and we will take a look into it!
So far I have only played with coolers and heaters in a tempred biome, but I remember when the Australian pack dropped, that the australian animals couldn't cope with the heat in their own biome in Australia.
I also expierience that animals will walk onto the edge of the habitat, where coolers or heaters do not reach a few centimeters, just to complain. They don't seem to natuarally search for a way to cool / heat themselfs. And wow, protesters are fast! (I wish we could turn them off in sandbox without turning welfare off, because the timeframe between an animal having welfare issues and them turning up is way too short). Asian black bears where the ones who liked to suffer at the edge of the habitat instead of using aalll the rest of the cooled down habitat.
I also expierience that animals will walk onto the edge of the habitat, where coolers or heaters do not reach a few centimeters, just to complain. They don't seem to natuarally search for a way to cool / heat themselfs. And wow, protesters are fast! (I wish we could turn them off in sandbox without turning welfare off, because the timeframe between an animal having welfare issues and them turning up is way too short). Asian black bears where the ones who liked to suffer at the edge of the habitat instead of using aalll the rest of the cooled down habitat.
When the Aussie pack came out, I watched a youtuber build a zoo in the Aussie red sand map and biome. He received a warning that one of his habitats was not in its ideal temperature. He exclaimed, "What??? You're Dingoes, for crying out loud! You live here!" He was annoyed but he started placing coolers. Too late. Protestors arrived. The Dingos were too hot in their own continent/biome. 
Sure
It is every animal in the Tropical Biome, Desert Biome and the Grassland Biome but for some reason it only occurs in Franchise for me and sometimes in other things
Aren't the Temperatures in the tropical Biome reaching up to 40°C which is unrealistic anyways? I'm pretty sure 40°C can only be reached in Deserts
Nope, I've experienced 40+°C numerous times where I live and I don't live in a desert (shrub-steppe/grassland and taiga, all in Canada no less).
Tropical areas do sometimes reach 40°C - though not as often as higher latitude areas, especially inland (continental) areas. I live in a temperate climate (Melbourne, Australia) and used to live in a cold(ish) temperate area (Hobart, Australia) and, in both expect to experience days above 40°C pretty much every summer - there was one just a few days ago in fact.
When the Aussie pack came out, I watched a youtuber build a zoo in the Aussie red sand map and biome. He received a warning that one of his habitats was not in its ideal temperature. He exclaimed, "What??? You're Dingoes, for crying out loud! You live here!" He was annoyed but he started placing coolers. Too late. Protestors arrived. The Dingos were too hot in their own continent/biome.
Zoos often have to deal with animals native to the area they're in experiencing temperatures beyond their limits - they do this by providing areas of shade, water areas, heaters and indoor areas. This might seem odd, since the animals can survive in the wild in the same location.... So why is this true? In the wild, animals have more space available, providing a great deal of variation in subclimates (e.g., temperatures deep into forested areas are more stable and experience less extreme temperatures than at the forest edge or outside the forested area) - animals can seek out the warmest / most sheltered / coolest areas for themselves (although, in extreme conditions some / many may die or suffer negative health effects - for example look up how heat waves affect bat colonies in northern Australia). In captivity, however, they have far more limited options, hense the need to supply shelters etc. even for species indigenous to the area. Nevertheless, the game does go a bit far in this respect.
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All I just don't understand is that animals from Tropical, Desert and Grassland Biomes can't cope with the temperature, primarily because the temperatures are a little high anyway, but also the African Grassland should at least be more green because they aren't always dry. There should be at least some sort of contrast system separating the wetter grassland from dry and scrubland and forested areas of the biome, more variety. But back to the point is animals from those biomes should be able to cope with those temperatures by default.
Just because something is an animal's natural biome, doesn't mean they are comfortable in every temperature and type of weather this biome might offer. Many primates seek cover for the rain in rainforests. Lots of desert animals are nocturnal because the sun gets too hot doing the day. Some animals hibernate doing the winter, other doing the summer. Amphibians often prefer wet chill weather and so on. Plenty of animals can't cope in every temperature their natural environment got to offer. Believe it or not, but animals out in the wild probably rarely have a 100% score in welfare. Nature is rough, and even more so now because of climate changes and so on.
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But the foliage makes no difference for animals
The foliage, or any shade, slightly lowers the temperature in the shaded area. Should be more, but it does a bit.
But if I understand correctly the issue is that despite being given the opportunity to do so, the animals in game don’t seek cover or shade despite it being provided. So ‘welfare’ goes down and protestors arrive despite the animals living in an appropriate climate with suitable housing.
My tropical Animals seem to always go inside when it gets too cold. But the Seals don't even think about going into the Water when it is too hot
This has been a feature that has bugged me since the start - I really don't like the fact that we have to use these heaters and coolers at all. Temperature issues are fine in and of themselves (though the obvious solution for Sandbox Mode is to make it so that turning off welfare also prevents temperature from being an issue at all), but they shouldn't be so severe; for example, as others have pointed out, if you have an animal that is getting too hot, simply seeking out shade should be enough to mitigate the problem until the temperature drops on its own. Likewise, a lot of animals cope with heat by simply basking (not just reptiles, all animals bask to some extent). This way they aren't using energy, aren't becoming dehydrated, and aren't all that bothered by the heat.
More to the point, animals do adapt to new environments pretty well in zoos. Where I live the temperatures can get pretty damn cold in the winter, but my zoo's lions manage to cope with it without the need for random outdoor heaters. They do have some heating in their den, but they still spend a lot of time outside and catch the sun when it's shining to warm up. I also remember when Singapore Zoo bred their polar bears and discovered that the cub had a thinner coat than its parents - within one generation it had adapted somewhat (of course they've stopped housing polar bears as of now, due to other health issues brought on by being in a tropical climate, but that was mostly due to humidity and a difficulty with regulating temperature rather than the temperature itself).
Zoos also don't pluck animals right out of their natural habitats anymore, for the most part. They come from other zoos where they were born and where they are already used to certain environments.
More to the point, animals do adapt to new environments pretty well in zoos. Where I live the temperatures can get pretty damn cold in the winter, but my zoo's lions manage to cope with it without the need for random outdoor heaters. They do have some heating in their den, but they still spend a lot of time outside and catch the sun when it's shining to warm up. I also remember when Singapore Zoo bred their polar bears and discovered that the cub had a thinner coat than its parents - within one generation it had adapted somewhat (of course they've stopped housing polar bears as of now, due to other health issues brought on by being in a tropical climate, but that was mostly due to humidity and a difficulty with regulating temperature rather than the temperature itself).
Zoos also don't pluck animals right out of their natural habitats anymore, for the most part. They come from other zoos where they were born and where they are already used to certain environments.
Exactly. I appreciate it is about creating a challenging game play mechanism but I only play sandbox (although I still get reindeer complaining about being too hot for example) because so many of these requirements are completely unrealistic and have nothing to do with how real animals are cared for in real zoos and how they can thrive in settings very different to those experienced by their wild counterparts.
I've heard that Reindeer are extremely sensitive to high Temperatures, so I think this is realistic
If I remember correctly, Zoo Hannover even have heaters for their polar bears. As NZFantatic already explained, animals that live in another biome do indeed accommodate to temperatures. Humidity is more of a problem it seems.
Now, it's a game and I understand that it needs challenges. However, I wish it would be more realistic ones, like animals in a herd not getting along, more challenging breeding, less visitors during bad wheather etc. Real challenges zoos are facing. No animals that struggle in their natural biome and no animals that need exotic plants to have a high welfare
But in all honesty, I don't think this game will ever have realistic challenges. However, as far as I know it's a feature that animals try to seek warmth or cold when necessary so I'm hoping that the current situation can be tweaked at least.
Now, it's a game and I understand that it needs challenges. However, I wish it would be more realistic ones, like animals in a herd not getting along, more challenging breeding, less visitors during bad wheather etc. Real challenges zoos are facing. No animals that struggle in their natural biome and no animals that need exotic plants to have a high welfare
But in all honesty, I don't think this game will ever have realistic challenges. However, as far as I know it's a feature that animals try to seek warmth or cold when necessary so I'm hoping that the current situation can be tweaked at least.