Species Composition

In a way, designing a zoo and deciding which species to house is like creating a composition.  Imagine writing a story, with the chapters being habitats and the paragraphs and sentences being species and individuals.  It should flow from one section to the next, and readers should be captivated.  I have yet to visit a zoo that conforms to this exquisite style.
Some photos, out of order, from a zoo that I respect.

The Penultimate ZooVenture

An experience or idea that has been classified as "ultimate" usually means that this experience was amazing, beyond the norm, and uniquely exciting, even the best of its kind.  No other is necessary because the 'ultimate' is the best.

So what would be the Ultimate ZooVenture? Well, it would be whatever you imagine as the perfect zoo.  Whether this perfection lie in the absence of a zoo or in the happy housing of all of your favorite animals, you are the ultimate judge of what makes your zoo worthy of ultimate adventure status.

Since we live on Earth, perfection is a concept that lies just beyond reach, over the rainbow, so to speak. Or, as some may suggest, perfection is everywhere, and most things are perfect just the way they are.  Whatever your definition of perfect, of ultimate, there must, according to certain scientific principles, be something that is less, something that precedes the ultimate.  This is the penultimate.  The one that comes just before the better one.  The one that was previously the best, but has now been displaced by something better, or more final.  The thing that comes after the penultimate is the ultimate.  There is no penultimate without an ultimate.

So, what would be the PenUltimate ZooVenture?  Well, it would be the zoo you design using Zoo Tycoon 2 software, of course! Or, if you're an analytical type of person, it would be the zoo in real life that most closely resembles that zoo of your dreams.  In the context I wish to use, Zoo Tycoon 2 is used to create the zoo of my dreams (with the exception of the species selection... the real Dream Zoo is in my brain) and nothing would be better than this digital zoo other than the real life zoo itself.  

A real zoo where there is unlimited money, dodo birds, and mood-readers for every animal and person would be the Ultimate Zoo would it not? But since this is a computer game and dodo birds are extinct, Zoo Tycoon can only produce for me the inferior, but astonishingly awesome, PenUltimate ZooVenture.

Spring Time

Just as I encounter young teenage humans experimenting with their skills in courtship and pair-bonding by making out on street corners and other PDAs, I have witnessed similar behaviors at the zoo.  For many animals, spring is the season for finding a mate.  The sun is shining, the plants are growing anew, and love is in the air!

It's the breeding season for Magellanic penguins

In a zoo, the same is true, as behavioral instincts and hormones almost always rule over environmental consequences.  Zoo animals that are not approved or intended for breeding purposes are given contraceptives in order to avoid births of animals when space and resources are unprepared and limited  But when the zoo is ready and the birth control is stopped...well...

African wild dog mom (left) and dad (right)
relaxing with one of their 10 puppies 

The AZA's Species Survival Plan (SSP) aims to manage and conserve threatened and endangered species, usually those 'flag-ship' species that people tend to have an affinity for.  These are animal like tigers, dolphins, orangutans, toucans and green sea turtles, poison dart frogs, and pandas.  There are currently over 300 species approved for the SSP, and at least 18,350 threatened species worldwide, not even including more than 8,350 species whose conservation status is unknown (IUCN Red List).

Wombat mom and baby

With these statistics, 300 SSP species doesn't sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference, as the organisms that are approved for the SSP are usually those that are not only popular among people, but also play a critical role in their natural habitat.  As well as being flag-ship species, they are often also keystone species, or species that an entire biological community depends for proper functioning.  With this in mind, breeding threatened species in captivity can contribute significantly to the conservation of wild populations and habitats.

Young adult male Bactrian camel (right side, with dark hair) tries out some of his moves with pretty (patient) girl (left side, with lighter hair and lying down)

At my local zoo, and many others, zoo professionals encourage their SSP approved animals to breed.  The photos are of various zoo animals that are experiencing this spring fever, or have already boogied during the long winter.

A Magellanic penguin pair- these birds are usually
seasonally monogamous and at this zoo,
eggs and chicks are relatively common

Lion chases lioness in courtship display, this female was recently removed from contraceptives and has become fertile.  This zoo is hoping they will breed.

This year's Earth Day celebration involves a new DisneyNature movie African Cats and their conservation.  There's  also a new National Geographic adventure movie called The Last Lions, a dramatized account of lions in Africa.

Born Free... free as the wind blows...

A zoo birth is always a great event, worthy of prosperous celebration.  For many endangered species, zoos are the only hope for survival.  Unfortunately, it is these endangered species that often have the most trouble breeding in captivity because, well, they are not in the wild, they are not free.  When endangered species do successfully give birth in zoos, the babies become ambassadors for their wild cousins and eventually the need to collect wild animals for zoos is vanquished.

Such an encouraging, enlightening event has occurred during one of my ZooVentures.  A litter of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus) was born in a zoo.  They are just about four months old in these photos and they are intensely cute.

ZooVenture Introduction

A trip to the zoo is usually fun and exciting.  We get to see animals that we'd otherwise never see, we get to participate in activities we may otherwise never do, and we get to contribute to the global conservation efforts.  Overall, we get to enjoy a nice day outdoors while at the same time doing good for the world.

I enjoy going to the zoo also because there is so much to learn, both about the animals there and about people.  There are signs to read, animals to observe, docents and keepers to talk to, and also other visitors to watch and to talk to, and sometimes this makes for very interesting human behavior.  Depending on the perspective that one takes, the zoo can offer a unique adventure every time one visits.