Research sounds like a side system, but it's tied to almost everything: thriving animals, better toys, more education boards, fewer diseases and easier breeding. If your zoo has stalled at a star rating, research is often the reason.
Who does the research?
Vets. They work out of the research centre. When a vet researches an animal, they walk to its habitat to study it, then back to the research centre to write it up. That walking is why where you put the research centre matters.
The four kinds of research
| Research type | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Species | Knowledge about each animal: fertility boosts, thriving requirements, education fact sheets, and the option to make release groups |
| Diseases | Makes that disease show up less often, and helps treatment |
| Enrichment | New toys and feeders, such as the mud bath, underwater toys and plant-eater feeders |
| Education | New education items, such as interactive education boards |
Species research levels
Each animal has its own number of research levels. Clown anemonefish only have 3, and the third one boosts their fertility by 30%. Most bigger animals have 5.
As you go up the levels you'll unlock things like:
- Fertility levels: animals breed more easily.
- Thriving requirements: the extra things the species needs to go above 100% welfare. They're revealed one at a time.
- Release groups: you can now make groups of that species for wildlife reserves.
- Education content: for example, a fact sheet you can show on info screens.
Some examples of what research revealed:
- The blacktip reef shark needed underwater toys researched before its first thriving requirement could be met. Once done, it wanted a lattice ball.
- Meerkats had their last requirements (an extra burrow and better food) hidden until their research finished.
- The sable antelope's level 2 research revealed both its thriving requirements: grassy decorations and spreading-crown trees.
Why is my research blocked?
Some research levels are blocked until you do something out in the world. The most common reason is that the game wants you to release that species into a wildlife reserve first, and sometimes into a specific reserve:
- Grey wolves and Eurasian brown bears needed a release in the Sweden reserve.
- Black wildebeest and sable antelope research moved on after releases in the Great Rift Valley.
- Flamingos, zebras and hyenas were blocked until they'd been released.
The research panel shows "progress blocked" along with the reason. If you see it, open the reserve that species belongs to (even an empty one) so you can see what release group it needs.
Disease research
Researching a disease makes it appear less often in your zoo. A good habit:
- When a new disease shows up, have one vet research it while the others treat the sick animals.
- Diseases that affect lots of species, like cowpox, are worth researching early.
- One zoo researched every disease on the list over time, after which outbreaks became rare.
Enrichment and education research
- Enrichment research is where many thriving requirements come from. The mud bath needs research before you can place it, and so do underwater toys for sharks.
- Education research, such as interactive education, unlocks extra boards and items. That helps any "increase education" goal in Career mode.
Speeding research up
- Put a research centre in every work zone, close to the habitats. Vets lose a lot of time walking back and forth otherwise.
- Hire or train more vets. Trained vets work faster. New vets are expensive to hire, so training your existing ones is often better value.
- Research what you'll use next. Start with species whose other thriving requirements you've already met, and diseases that are actually showing up.
- Don't forget new arrivals. It's easy to buy a species and never research it. The research screen lists everything in your zoo.
When everything's researched
Once every species and disease is done, most of your vets will sit around doing nothing. That's a good moment to let a couple go and save on wages, at least until you add a new species.