Planet Zoo 2 management
The management layer is where a zoo either holds or collapses: welfare, research, staff and the running costs behind each habitat.
Planet Zoo 2 manages animals individually, so the management layer is granular: temperature, terrain, space, social groups and enrichment are checked per habitat, and food cost is charged per animal.
The three systems worth understanding first
| System | What it controls | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Welfare | Temperature, terrain, space, social, enrichment, health | /management/welfare/ |
| Research | Which care items and habitat objects exist for a species | /management/research/ |
| Staff and cost | Keepers, vets, food bills and facility upkeep | /franchise-mode/ |
What the Zoopedia already tells you
- Temperature band — a habitat value, checked continuously.
- Terrain ranges — painted surface percentages, not decoration.
- Space — land area, shelter area, or deep water area depending on enclosure type.
- Group limits — a mixed range and a per-sex cap.
- Food cost — a periodic charge per animal, published per species.
Care & lifecycle pages
- Thriving — welfare above the minimum
- Enrichment — food and habitat items that count
- Nutrition — feeding and food costs
- Social groups — group size and per-sex caps
- Environment — temperature, terrain, water, shelter
- Animal health — symptoms and checks
- Vet care — facilities, staff and fixed bugs
- Genetics — what the Zoopedia publishes
- Transport — boxing and moving animals
- Storage — capacity and overflow
- Acquisition — market, breeding, scenarios
Guides
Welfare and thriving
Read a warning and fix it in the right order.
Read guideGuideResearch
Why research comes before the second habitat.
Read guideGuideWelfare debugger
Tool: warning category to fix order.
Read guideGuideFranchise mode
The online economy side.
Read guideGuideHabitats
Build rules per enclosure type.
Read guideGuideBreeding and release
When to breed and when to release.
Read guideFAQ
Common questions about this topic.
What does welfare actually check?
Temperature, terrain mix, space, social group and enrichment, plus health. Each category maps to a value published in the Zoopedia.
Is food cost per animal or per habitat?
Per species record, shown as a periodic expense. Buying a larger group multiplies that charge.
Do research and welfare interact?
Yes: research unlocks the care and enrichment items that welfare checks depend on, so research usually comes before expansion.