#zoos

Carl Hagenbeck – Scientist of the Day

Carl Hagenbeck, Jr., a German dealer in exotic animals and a pioneer in zoo design, was born in Hamburg on June 10, 1844.

Hi Apollo! Hope all is well. So I'm not a gamer, but I know that Planet Zoo is pretty highly regarded, and I believe they actually collaborated with the AZA on designing the game. Which is probably why this answer is a little more diplomatic than I expected.

Honestly though, I imagine keeping cetaceans out of the game is simply to avoid backlash. Ironic, considering you can keep elephants, great apes, large sharks, and other sensitive and complex species in the game. There's also the fact it's... a game. It's pretend. There are no real animals involved. What better way to explore what the ideal zoological cetacean habitat would look like than in a video game where there are no real animals or budgets to worry about? You could even build a sea pen! There have also been numerous recent scientific publications (namely the Cetacean Welfare Project) exploring what aspects of a cetacean's environment are most essential to their welfare. Why not build off of that?

The data center, DC BLOX, says that it would have no environmental impact. However, with the track history of data centers, many people (including the Nashville Zoo itself) are unconvinced of this statement. Even if their claimed are true, data centers still cause strain to water and energy supplies which would directly impact the health of the animals regardless.

So, if you could do something which would cost you nothing but your time and sign the petition created by the Nashville Zoo, the zoo, the animals, and I would all greatly appreciate it!

Much love!🥰

Link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/nashville-zoo-says-no-to-proposed-data-center