Creating your own zoo is no small feat, especially if you want to avoid protests outside your exhibits. In Planet Zoo, your mission is to ensure the animals have the best possible lives until they are either released back into nature or live out their days comfortably in captivity.
Maintaining high animal welfare is essential not just for the animals, but also to keep your visitors satisfied and willing to support your efforts. Here’s a guide on how to ensure your animals are well cared for and how to manage their stress levels.
How to Check If Animals Are Stressed
To determine if your animals are experiencing stress, go to the animals section in the zoo menu or select the specific animal directly. This will open a menu showing the animal’s welfare status.
Each animal has a set of essential needs. These include:
| Animal Welfare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Welfare Need | Specific Needs | Description |
| Nutrition | Nourishment | The overall feeding status of the animal. |
| Last Meal Quality | The quality of the animal’s most recent food. | |
| Hydration | The amount of water the animal has consumed. | |
| Last Drink Cleanliness | The quality of the water the animal last drank. | |
| Social | Social Group | How many similar-aged companions are present. |
| Space | The area the animal has to move around, including swimming and climbing. | |
| Stress | The level of distress based on the fulfillment of their needs. | |
| Habitat | Cleanliness | The hygienic condition of the habitat. |
| Temperature | The habitat’s temperature in relation to the animal’s needs. | |
| Terrain | The type of materials found in the habitat. | |
| Plants | How closely the vegetation matches the animal’s natural environment. | |
| Hard Shelter | A safe place for the animal to retreat from view. | |
| Enrichment | Food Enrichment in Habitat | The number of interactive food sources available. |
| Toy Enrichment in Habitat | The variety of toys provided in their space. | |
| Interspecies Bonus | A benefit earned when different species coexist harmoniously. | |
Each need has a status bar indicating its condition. A green status means everything is good! If you’re concerned, you can hover over any specific need to find out what the animal needs more or less of to feel comfortable in their space.
How to Make Animals Less Stressed
There are numerous strategies to reduce stress among animals. Each habitat presents unique challenges as animals have specific preferences and requirements. Meeting these needs can take time and effort.
Build Better Habitats
Your first priority should be to enhance the quality of the animal habitats. Providing adequate trees and shrubs and ensuring the terrain is suitable are crucial. If their environment doesn’t resemble their natural habitat, animals will likely feel stressed.
Animals like chimpanzees, bonobos, and lemurs also require climbing structures to create a sense of space by allowing them to move vertically.
Use One-Way Glass
Consider implementing one-way glass barriers that allow guests to see the animals without them being aware of it. This setup enables your visitors to enjoy the view while keeping the animals relaxed. Some species may benefit more from this than others, but it is an effective way to prevent overexposure and stress. Feel free to adjust barriers as needed to incorporate this feature.
Provide Enrichment
A comfortable habitat is only part of the equation. Animals require stimulation too! Offering toys is essential for keeping them engaged and content.
Enrichment can range from simple toys to interactive feeders that pets can manipulate. Items like frozen fruit or tires can be great for many animals. You can browse the enrichment options in the habitat menu by species to find just the right fit for your animals!
