The Five Action Cards

Cards, Build, Animals, Association and Sponsors on side I and side II, the X-token action and upgrades.

Each Action card works at the strength of its slot (1–5), plus 1 per X-token you spend. Side I is the starting side; side II is the upgraded one.

Upgrading Action cards

There are 4 upgrades in a game: on the Conservation track (2 points — or hire a worker instead), on the Reputation track, and for your second partner zoo and your second university. Flip the card of your choice to side II; it stays in its slot and works from your next action. Five cards, four upgrades: you will never upgrade them all.

Cards

Side I — move the Break token 2 spaces, then either draw from the deck (the table on the card gives how many for your strength, at most 3, and whether you then discard 1 from your hand) or, at strength 5, snap : take any 1 card from the display, whatever your reputation.

Side II — move the Break token 2 spaces, then take cards from the deck and/or from the display within your reputation range , in any order, as the upgraded table allows. Snapping works from strength 3. Your reputation can now go past 9.

The display is only refilled at the end of your turn. There is no hand limit during your turn; it is checked in the break.

Reputation range and the display

The display has 6 folders numbered 1–6 next to the Reputation track. A card is within reputation range if it is on the folder level with your Reputation counter or below. When cards are taken, at the end of the turn the rest slide down towards folder 1 (keeping their order) and new cards fill the top.

Reputation : bonuses next to the track are taken once when you reach them. Space 10 needs the upgraded Cards card. At 15, every further reputation step gives 1 appeal instead. The discard pile may not be searched.

Build

Side I — build exactly 1 building up to size , paying 2 money per space: a kiosk , a pavilion , a standard enclosure (sizes 1–5) or the Petting Zoo (size 3, one per zoo).

Side II — build several different buildings with a total size up to the strength, paying for and placing each in turn; adds the Reptile House and Large Bird Aviary (size 5 each, one of each per zoo) and lets you build on the upgrade-icon spaces.

Building rules:

• Your first building must touch the border of the map; every later one must share an edge with a building already there.
• Not on rock or water, not overlapping, not past the edge.
• A kiosk must be at least 3 spaces from every other kiosk (2 empty spaces between).
• Standard enclosures go in empty side up (yellow edge, showing their size). Special enclosures look the same on both sides.
• A covered placement bonus is taken at once (before the next building); “after finishing” effects wait for the end of the action.
• A pavilion gives 1 appeal when built. Kiosks pay income in breaks.
• Covering every building space of your map (all but rock and water) gives 7 appeal at once.
• Unique buildings only come from Sponsor cards, never from this action.
• [Marine] Both aquariums can be built with side I; they need to touch water (Aquariums).

When you build a Reptile House or Large Bird Aviary you may move matching animals into it straight away (only now): mark their spaces with player tokens and flip the smallest occupied standard enclosure that fits each animal back to empty.

Animals

Side I — play up to the number of Animal cards from your hand that the card’s table allows for your strength. For each animal, in turn:

1. Check conditions on its left edge (partner zoo, icons, reputation…).
2. Pay its cost . Each partner zoo of its continent saves 3 per matching continent icon. Money the animal earns comes later — you need the full cost first.
3. Fill an empty enclosure at least the size shown, next to the rock or water it asks for, and flip it to occupied. Or use a special enclosure (below).
4. Place the card beside your zoo map.
5. Score: advance appeal (and conservation or reputation if shown), then its ability — at once, unless it says “after finishing”.

Side II — you may also play animals from the display within reputation range, paying the folder number on top of the cost; at strength 5 you may first gain 1 reputation, which already widens your range. Animals with the upgraded-Animals condition become playable.

Special enclosures: Petting Zoo animals only live in the Petting Zoo; reptiles may use the Reptile House and some birds the Large Bird Aviary, marking the spaces shown on the card with player tokens. Water and rock needs apply to them too. Special enclosures.

Association

You need an active association worker on your notepad. Put it on a task whose value is at most your strength. If you already have 1 worker on that task, place 2; with 3 already there, the task is closed to you until the break. Other colours don’t matter.

Task	Value	What it does
Reputation	2	+2 reputation
Partner zoo	3	Take one from the board, of a continent you don’t have; at most 4, the third needs side II
University	4	Take one you don’t have: reputation, research icons , or hand limit 5
Conservation project	5	Support a project on the table, or play one from hand and support it

Side I — exactly 1 task.

Side II — several different tasks with a total value up to the strength (each with its 1 or 2 workers). A new Conservation Project card may come from the display within reputation range (pay the folder number). Plus 1 donation: pay the lowest visible amount in the donation area, cover it with a player token and gain 1 conservation point . You must have done at least one task that action; once only the last space is left, each donation costs 12.

Partner zoos lower animal costs and add a continent icon. Universities give reputation, research icons and the only way to a hand limit of 5. Conservation projects.

Sponsors

Side I — play exactly 1 Sponsor card from your hand whose level is at most your strength and whose conditions you meet; or move the Break token spaces and take that much money (even if the token needs fewer steps).

Side II — play several Sponsor cards whose levels add up to at most strength + 1, from your hand or the display within reputation range (pay the folder number), one after the other; or move the Break token and take twice the money. Sponsors with the upgraded-Sponsors condition become playable. Sponsor cards.

X-token action

Instead of any of the five actions: choose any Action card, move it to slot 1 as usual and take 1 X-token . Strength and upgrades don’t matter; not allowed if you already have 5.