Creature Feature: Managing a Zoo

Hayo Zookeepers!

We're fast approaching the launch of Planet Zoo 2 on 13 October (phew, where have the months gone?), but we still have a little bit of time left for one final Creature Feature.

What better way to round-up this series, than with a look at what keeps the lights on, animals fed and the bills paid at your zoos - the management!

A World of Conservation

Before we get into the day to day management of your zoos and Wildlife Reserves, let's zoom out a little to meet another new feature coming to Planet Zoo 2.

The Planet Hub is a brand-new way to manage your international conservation network and establish new zoos and Wildlife Reserves.

From this single point, you can quickly view and visit your locations across the globe, whether you're playing in Career, Sandbox or Franchise modes.

Within the Planet Hub you can also manage your trading, storage and research across all your locations within your current game mode, making it easier than ever to run your network of zoos.

No need to leave your current save and head back to the main menu either - the Planet Hub can be opened at any time while playing, allowing you to seamlessly hop around the world.

Duty of Care

Your job in Planet Zoo 2 is to create a zoo which entertains and educates guests, while also caring for its animals and aiding conservation.

Each animal you house in your zoo has its own welfare requirements which you will need to meet, including providing access to food and water, enough space, appropriate terrain and plants, and a fulfilling social and enrichment environment.

Learn more about creating homes for Planet Zoo 2's new animal types in our Creature Feature articles on Aquariums and Aviaries.

You'll need to keep all these things in mind when building habitats and a support network for your animals in order for them to have a high standard of welfare.

In Planet Zoo 2, we've introduced a step beyond simply meeting the welfare needs of your animals with the new Thriving state.

Going the extra mile to create a truly natural and enriching environment for your animals will enable them to thrive in your care, living longer and encouraging guests to donate more to your zoo as they appreciate the efforts you've made.

To achieve Thriving status for an animal you'll need to first invest in research to get a better understanding of the species and what they need when living in the wild.

An Unforgettable Day Out

Guests are essential to the success of your zoos, earning the cash you need to care for your animals and expand your zoos.

Just as with the animals, your guests also have needs which must be met if you want to keep them happy and give them a positive experience in your zoo.

Guests will need access to toilets, food and drink, and places to rest to keep them happy during their visit. Fail to keep them happy and they may leave early or even ask for a refund.

They are also, of course, interested in the animals in your zoo and want to learn more about them!

You can educate your guests by hiring Educators to give Animal Talks, placing education items around your zoo, including speakers, boards and web cams, even set up tours!

Guests will also want to get a good view of the animals themselves, so you'll need to design your habitats with this in mind. Although, there's a fine balance to be found as your animals will need space to hide away from guest view at times to recoup and avoid becoming stressed.

Animal Welfare is as important to your guests as it is to you, with guests disliking seeing animals with welfare issues.

If your animal welfare falls too low, you may even see some protesters arrive in your zoo and setup outside your habitats, making other guests aware of the poor welfare and possibly upsetting them to the point where they leave.

Keeping the lights on

Meeting the needs of your animals and guests requires building support facilities around your zoo.

Facilities in your zoos carry out a range of different functions, such as meeting guest needs, caring for animals, providing transport and giving you a source of income.

Depending on what you've built within your zoo, you'll also need to keep your facilities powered and habitats supplied with water from a network of filters and pumps.

Reflecting the design of many modern zoos, you don't need to hide your staff facilities and utilities away from guests. They'll enjoy seeing your Vets and Keepers hard at work caring for animals.

However, Guests and staff do like to spend their time in a scenic zoo and you can make use of the hundreds of scenery pieces available to decorate your facilities and improve their happiness.

Giving a Helping Hand

You won't be entirely on your own when it comes to keeping your zoo running, thanks to the staff you work alongside!

Staff can be hired to fill various roles including:

• Caretakers to keep the zoo clean and tidy.
• Keepers to feed and care for your animals.
• Mechanics to keep your facilities and habitats in tip top condition.
• Vendors to serve guests at shops and restaurants.
• Vets to treat sick animals and conduct research.
• Educators to give talks and, well, educate your guests!

Once hired, your staff will complete relevant jobs around your zoo and keep the wheels turning. They can also be assigned to specific Work Zones which you can create, splitting your zoo up into manageable chunks.

You'll need to keep your staff happy in their jobs, unless you want to see them quit!

Providing staff with training, paying them a high enough salary and keeping their workloads manageable will all help to keep them satisfied with a career at your zoo.

The bottom line

Managing a global network of zoos and Wildlife Reserves requires investment, both in cash and in research.

When you expand your zoo, adopt animals or hire staff, you'll need to pay out of your cash balance. Your zoo will also have various running costs to pay, from staff salaries to energy bills.

Maintaining a positive cash flow will be the key to keeping the gates of your zoo open for the long run. Luckily you have plenty of tools in your arsenal to help you do this, from adjusting ticket prices and selling souvenirs to encouraging guests to donate.

Your zoos can also run marketing campaigns for each of your animals to bring in more guests (at a cost) or, if you're particularly strapped for cash, you can take out a loan for an immediate influx with an attached cost in interest.

On top of the financial side of your zoo, it'll be important to invest your vet's time in research to learn more about the animals under your care, unlocking new items, improved welfare options and even the chance to release these animals to the wild in a Wildlife Reserve.

Discover more about Wildlife Reserves in our previous Creature Feature.

Learn More 

Measuring Success

Ultimately, the overall success of your zoo and the fruits of your labour as a manger can be seen in its Zoo Reputation score.

Compared to the original Planet Zoo, Zoo Reputation has been streamlined in Planet Zoo 2 to be a clearer representation of how your zoo is performing overall.

This now gives your zoo a rating out of 5 stars, based on your performance in four areas:

• Animal Husbandry - how well your zoo is looking after the animals, including their welfare and whether they are thriving.
• Sustainability - how sustainable your zoo's infrastructure it is, including the number of recycling bins and renewable power.
• Guest Education - how successfully your zoo is educating visitors, including the average education of guests and the use of education topics about the animals in your zoo.
• Guest Experience - the quality of your guest's visit, including their happiness, the decoration of your zoo and the diversity of the animals you care for. To help you meet these goals, we've packed your zoo with statistics galore, covering everything from your finances and through to trends in what your guests have been thinking.

Managing the Ultimate Zoo

With all the new features coming to Planet Zoo 2, including fully aquatic animals, birds and wildlife reserves, our focus on management was to keep it familiar to existing players while sanding down a few of those rougher edges.

For fans of the original Planet Zoo there will be lots to recognise when you start managing zoos in October, but for new players or those coming back around, we've aimed to make it all a lot more accessible and easier to get to grips with. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty to learn for our veteran Zookeepers!

So there we have it! We've loved digging a bit deeper into Planet Zoo 2 with the Creature Feature series, but never fear, we've still got plenty more in store for you on the website as we strap in and get ready for launch!

Planet Zoo 2 is available to pre-order now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Join the conversation and keep in touch by following our social channels, subscribing to our mailing list (for an exclusive in-game reward) and watching closely for updates on the website.