Animal Star Rating
Each animal has an Animal Star Rating that is rated out of 5 stars. This rating increases over time based on how well you look after your animal; a higher welfare will mean their star rating rises faster. An animal's lifespan also affects how easy it is to reach a 5 star rating. The better the animal's Longevity gene the more time there is for the animal to reach 5 stars.
Animal Breeding
Animal breeding is an important aspect of any zoo and it must be carefully nurtured and managed to control your animal populations.
Chance of Success
The chance of a successful mating encounter is based on a number of factors:
Appeal to Guests
Guests come to your zoo to see your animals and are attracted to different animals for different reasons.
The source of this attraction is the animal's Appeal and is based on a number of factors:
Species Appeal
Some species are just more interesting and therefore appealing to guests than others and will have a high Appeal score.
Animal Locomotion
Animals in Planet Zoo can move around their environment in a number of ways, these include:
- Walking
- Jumping
- Wading (shallow water)
- Surface swimming (commences when too deep for wading)
- Wading (submerged)
- Climbing
The species of animal will dictate which of these locomotion types are possible.
For instance primates cannot swim, elephants cannot jump, hippos can wade submerged but don't swim, and so on. For an animal to be able to traverse an area it must be able to fit through it.
Animal Lifecycle
In Planet Zoo animals transition from infancy into adulthood and if looked after well will live to a healthy old age.
The lifespan of an animal is affected by:
- Genetics
- Overall welfare throughout the animal's life
- Illness
- Injury
- Starvation and Dehydration
If you keep your animal in optimal welfare, treat illnesses quickly and limit injuries, they will live longer. When an animal dies, ensure there is a keeper or vet present to take away the body, and don't forget to check the social welfare of cohabiting animals.
Animal Health
There are two ways an animal can become unwell in Planet Zoo.
Infection
The primary sources of infection are:
- Contagion from other sick animals in the same habitat.
- Dirty habitats caused by a buildup of dung, rotting food, corpses, guest food and dirty water.
- Feeding from the ground.
Quarantining newly adopted animals will help to block new diseases entering the zoo, as it gives vets a chance to detect and treat diseases before they are introduced into the wider population.
Animal Welfare
Animals in Planet Zoo have four core needs:
- Nutrition
- Social
- Habitat
- Enrichment
These combine to affect the animal's overall welfare.
Animals with higher welfare will live longer, are less prone to illness, attract more guests and generate more donations. Animals with lower welfare can become sick and, in the worst cases, can even die. Poor animal welfare can also attract Protesters to your zoo.
Adopting Animals
Before Adopting an Animal
Before adding a new animal to a habitat in the zoo, you will need the following:
- A habitat.
- A Trade Centre facility.
- A power source.
- A vet or caretaker.
- Some cash or conservation credits.
Once the Trade Centre is powered (and connected by path to the habitat's gate), you're ready to start adopting animals!
How to Adopt an Animal
To adopt an animal:
Types of Animals
There are two kinds of animals in Planet Zoo. Each has its own trading area.
- Habitat animals – larger animals for example giant pandas and elephants.
- Exhibit animals – smaller animals such as the giant forest scorpion or Gila monster.
Maintaining Facilities
Mechanics maintain facilities to prevent them from breaking down, and can even repair a facility that has completely failed. Mechanics can do this as part of their normal patrol, but can also be summoned by using 'Call Mechanic' in the facility's info panel.