Set up a Research Centre
Place a Research Centre, connect it to a path your staff can use and supply power. A Small Research Centre holds one researcher; a Large Research Centre holds six.
Vets and Keepers carry out research. Animal care takes priority, so a member of staff may leave research to feed or treat animals.
Choose and assign a topic
- Open the Browser’s Research tab.
- Choose Species, Enrichment, Education or Disease.
- Read the topic’s requirements and rewards. Some topics require you to keep the species in the current zoo.
- Select Available Staff, choose a researcher and assign the topic.
- Follow progress in the Research menu, the staff member’s Info Panel or the Active Research notification.
You can pause research to reassign staff. Completion unlocks its rewards, and a Vet can continue into the next research tier when one is available. Research results are shared across the Hub.
What each research category does
| Category | What it helps unlock or improve |
|---|---|
| Species | Education topics, Release Groups, breeding bonuses and Thriving requirements |
| Enrichment | Food and toy enrichment used by different species |
| Education | Topics for guest education |
| Disease | Immunity to that disease in susceptible species |
Work through Wildlife Reserve research gates
Some higher species research requires you to release animals and research them in a Wildlife Reserve. Read the specific Research Gate rather than building every network type for every topic.
Observation Platforms should not overlap their coverage. Acoustic Monitors need the required ecosystem coverage, and Camera Traps must capture the requested behaviours. Build the network the topic calls for, then check its progress.