This is the fourth installment in a series of posts touring my British zoo, named Wild Americas. You can read an introduction for it here.
The third and final part of the Tropical House is the Desert House, home to desert critters such as the black-tailed prairie dog and gila monster. It's the smallest of the three houses. The immediate view upon entry can be seen below:
This house has more botanical exhibits than the other houses, mainly because the game has a lot of American desert plants. Here I've added an exhibit for the barrel cactus:
The Desert House features a winding stone path, bordered by desert rocks and plants. Here's another plant exhibit for the organ pipe cactus. They've been known to grow very tall (up to 26 ft or more) so I've planted them in a position where the ceiling is at its highest:
The path meanders its way towards a quartet of exhibits, as well as an open-topped enclosure. The exhibits have the same style as those in the rest of the Tropical House, only in a different colour to match the desert theme. The exit can also be seen directly ahead:
The exhibits belong to the giant desert hairy scorpion, gila monster, eastern diamondback rattlesnake and Mexican redknee tarantula. The tarantula is given the tropical biome by the game but it's Zoopedia states it also occurs in desert habitats:
The open-topped enclosure belongs to a coterie of black-tailed prairie dogs. It features a low wall for a clear view from above, as well as two glass windows:
The viewing window would allow guests to get more up-close and personal with the animals, as seen below:
I wanted the enclosure to fit in perfectly with its surroundings, so I used lots of sand, desert rocks and appropriate plants. The small gate in the corner allows keepers access to the enclosure; it's only implied, the functional one is hidden behind the tall door:
The exit leads you into a small foyer. From here, you can access the outdoor enclosures, but we'll save that for the next post!
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