Releases
Releasing animals
A release is the hand-off from zoo to reserve. It is the only path that turns breeding capacity into biodiversity stars.
Release rules are version-sensitive: 1.0.5 fixed Wildlife Reserves costing the wrong amount of Conservation Credits and disabled giraffe Quick Release in a career scenario because it removed animals from storage.
What a release assumes
- Maturity — juveniles are not release candidates; the species page publishes age of sexual maturity.
- Health and welfare — an animal that is failing welfare checks is not the one to move.
- Compatibility — the reserve already holds species; the animal page lists thriving and neutral companions.
- Capacity — releases compete with storage limits; surplus stock is a signal to slow breeding.
Release versus breed
| Question | Page |
|---|---|
| How do I produce a release candidate? | /guides/breeding-and-release/ |
| Is this animal ready to release? | /tools/reserve-readiness-checklist/ |
| What do releases do for the reserve? | /franchise-mode/reserves-and-rewilding/ |
| Which species support conservation work? | /animals/by-conservation-role/ |
A release checklist that matches the game
- Confirm the animal is past its species maturity age.
- Confirm the habitat values that produced it were correct — barrier, space, temperature.
- Run the readiness checklist and treat unknown as not-ready.
- Record the game version you released on, so a later bug report is reproducible.
FAQ
FAQ
Common questions about this topic.
Can I release juveniles?
No. Maturity is a published value per species; use the species page before choosing release candidates.
Do releases increase accreditation directly?
Releases feed the reserve, and the reserve's biodiversity rating is what accreditation reads.
Are reserve costs reliable now?
1.0.5 resolved Wildlife Reserves costing the incorrect amount of Conservation Credits.