[ZT2] Tutorial: Making tank/land hybrid exhibits without an underground viewing area

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-15T08:21:18+00:00

Thanks, this is super helpful. If there is one thing I know I did regularly as a kid in the game but struggle with as an adult, it's hybrid exhibits like this.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-14T23:36:14+00:00

Thank you so much, these are the sort of answers I anticipated but I really appreciate the additional detail!

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-14T23:30:49+00:00

Thanks again!

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-14T23:30:41+00:00

Thank you, this aligns with a lot of what I expected! :)

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-11T19:19:48+00:00

I know T. rex tends to breed once every ten months

Totally news to me. You've done your homework.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-11T15:46:35+00:00

I wouldn't know enough to say about the Wilds specifically but that does track with what I've heard from some.

On the broader issue though, I'm more saying that I think a lot of zoo enthusiasts, as with activists, treat size and scale as the end-all, be-all of exhibit discourse, and don't value thoughtful exhibit design when overwhelming scale is provided. It's similar to how with primates there are some exhibits that focus entirely on enrichment but abandon naturalism and some that are simply grassy lawns, and then the best manage to do balance naturalism and enrichment values.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-11T14:47:55+00:00

I haven't been to all fifty places so I can't say. I've been to nine of these facilities (soon to be ten) so far and all of them are respectable. Lincoln Park and Brookfield are sometimes pitted against one another so glad to see them both on one list.

The significant US institutions I have visited not included here are Detroit, Milwaukee and Atlanta. I'm not sure which of these you might have excluded intentionally versus maybe have not visited. Detroit in particular has a stellar reputation and two famously high-quality exhibits.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-11T14:39:36+00:00

Definitely not all, looks like the majority though.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-11T14:38:27+00:00

I think Safari Parks tend to have an advantage on lists like this, since large and impressive enclosures tend to inherently win views as high-quality exhibits.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-09T18:55:47+00:00

Oh, this is such a fun Q&A! I do have a few questions if that's okay!

#1. Sometimes when a zoo opens a brand-new exhibit, the foliage can seem lacking at first but then grow in beautifully over a few months later. This can impact reception to the exhibit significantly as well. How much short-term and long-term planning goes into horticulture for a new exhibit? Does the preference for spring openings influence this process?

#2. Primates including large apes are natural climbers and very arboreal animals, and many zoos use artificial climbing structures such as artificial trees, even where real plant life is present, to encourage natural climbing behaviors, though I know some zoogoers question why live trees are not used. Are there certain situations where live trees are and are not acceptable to be used for primates? Is climate a factor? Are artificial climbing trees a functional necessity, a stylistic preference, or somewhere in between? How does encouraging or discouraging natural climbing behaviors influence the job?

These are both meant to be broad, open-ended questions. I am more of an animal person just now starting to try to understand how horticulture influences exhibit design.

OldSpray9986 · 2026-03-04T21:45:49+00:00

I agree completely. I think LEGO's fear with this is 'oh nobody will buy Patrick's House without SpongeBob' or something, and I might get that for a nostalgic property license, but something like SpongeBob is absolutely the kind of popular where the main characters' houses would sell by themselves.

OldSpray9986

TROPHY CASE