PlaZooFan14
Well-Known Member
Can a mod put an expiration date on the poll. I forgot it again.
Best US Tiger enclosure
- Thread starter PlaZooFan14
- Start date
I’m pretty biased in my choice which isn’t on here but was mentioned already by @Arizona Docent and @Westcoastperson, the SDZ Safari Park Tiger Trail is one of my favorite exhibits. I never get bored going there, 3 different rotating yards. They vary in environment and vantage points for visitors to observe. It’s best to visit during the colder months due to more activity from the tigers but I love the design and immersive feeling, it’s one of the best exhibits done by SDZ Global in the past 10 years. Now if they only revamp Tiger River at the SD Zoo and who knows when that will be 
wait little aside here isn't it called Tiger Trail not Tiger River?Now if they only revamp Tiger River at the SD Zoo and who knows when that will be
The trail where you go through to see the tigers, tapirs, and fishing cat is called Tiger Trail. But the official name of the whole complex when it opened in the late 80s is Tiger River, there are signs at the entrance by the fishing cat exhibit of the name
Ok that's what I thought the situation could beThe trail where you go through to see the tigers, tapirs, and fishing cat is called Tiger Trail. But the official name of the whole complex when it opened in the late 80s is Tiger River, there are signs at the entrance by the fishing cat exhibit of the name
It’s not completely wrong either to call it Tiger Trail since they use the name Tiger Trail on the map since the tigers are the main attraction along that path and I’ve seen it called that on their social media pages, but from the signs I’ve see, the full name is Kroc Family Tiger River
@Julio C Castro As you may recall San Diego Zoo actually did revamp Tiger River a few years ago - they made it worse! They took the one yard and split it into two with an ugly fence across the middle. Years before that they also took away the lower pool and waterfall. When it was brand new, with grass throughout and both falls flowing, it was beautiful. Now it is a shadow of its former glory. However the terrain is so steep I am not sure what they could do. Honestly a steep slope like that is not conducive to tigers IMO.
I found some photos and your right it did use to look much nicer but I can understand why they had to include the fence to help separate tigers better. I just wish they had been a bitmore creative about it. maybe they could have made it an old temple wall or they could have covered it up with more flora
I seen an old photo of it and I think it was your photo, holy cow it is not anywhere to where it used to be! I didn’t know that the fence spilt it up up, I thought it was part of it before
They truly need to redo it all and demolition is in its future I bet. Given how SDZ Global is on a project overtime for the past 10 years, it’s only a matter of time to make another great tiger except one that is more cared for and will stand the test of time.
San Diego Zoo will also likely need to redo Tiger River because the path is too steep and narrow and does not comply with ADA regulations. Note how their newest redevelopment - Africa Rocks - took the steep canyon path and redesigned it as a wide path with gentle curves and gradients.
Here are two of my old slide scans that I posted in the gallery a while ago. (Please note the website I put on the photo corner is no longer valid). The first one is the middle looking straight across from the top of the bus that goes behind the visitor path (giving a higher and more straight-on vantage point). The second one is from the middle viewpoint (open air with no glass) and shows the waterfall on the left that is gone. To the left of this, which is the bottom glass viewing area, there used to be a pool but it is now just dirt.
Since we are discussing historic changes to tiger exhibits and Minnesota is a poll leader, I think it is appropriate to discuss the history of that exhibit. Those of you who have seen it knows it consists of one large exhibit (which was redone since my visit with I think closer glass viewing). On the opposite side of the hill it consists of a second massive exhibit that you look down on from a boardwalk. As big as these two exhibits are, they were originally combined as one truly immense exhibit. Also it originally opened not with Siberian tigers, but what were believed at the time to be Asian lions. However the AZA later determined that all so-called Asian (or Asiatic if you prefer that term) lions in the U.S. population were really Asian-African hybrids, so they phased them out. Minnesota then replaced them with Siberian (or Amur if you prefer that term) tigers. At some point either before or after this change they also put a fence at the top of the hill and made it two exhibits. The reason for this is that in the single massive exhibit there were so many places for the cats to hide that visitors kept complaining they couldn't see them.
Those photos truly capture the beauty of what is once was, wow... And I completely agree that it isn’t ADA complaint at all, I’m a young guy and even I have to watch out to not have a misstep when walking that trail so a total overhaul of Tiger River is needed with better walkways.Here are two of my old slide scans that I posted in the gallery a while ago. (Please note the website I put on the photo corner is no longer valid). The first one is the middle looking straight across from the top of the bus that goes behind the visitor path (giving a higher and more straight-on vantage point). The second one is from the middle viewpoint (open air with no glass) and shows the waterfall on the left that is gone. To the left of this, which is the bottom glass viewing area, there used to be a pool but it is now just dirt.
To give you an idea of how big the second Minnesota exhibit is, the one with the boardwalk, here is another slide scan from my visit years ago. This is taken with a 300mm telephoto lens which in most zoo exhibits would yield a full body closeup. Look how much foliage still surrounds the cat even at that amount of zoom!
That’s such a lush and enormous exhibits for tigers, it pulls you into their dense forest like habitats of Asia and easily blend in when they don’t want to be seenTo give you an idea of how big the second Minnesota exhibit is, the one with the boardwalk, here is another slide scan from my visit years ago. This is taken with a 300mm telephoto lens which in most zoo exhibits would yield a full body closeup. Look how much foliage still surrounds the cat even at that amount of zoom!
Minnesota zoo did original have tigers on exhibit when they opened in 1978, some theories i have as to when the lions fit into this is in the 80s or 90s (after they separated the two exhibits) they put the asiatic lions in one, and the tigers in another. Or the lions were a temporary thing in the 90s and the tigers were off exhibit.
The lions were in the exhibit with the balcony viewing with all of the foliage every time I ever saw them. As probably mentioned elsewhere, I doubt they were genetically pure Asiatic lions.
The tigers were always in another exhibit when I saw them which is still part of the tiger exhibit today.
I was Going to Choose Omaha, but then I saw it had two votes and I switched to my Hometown.
Omahas exhibit is good, but not as good as the likes of sdzsp, Minnesota, or Bronx. And plus the fact that it’s mainly temple themed, even though they have Amur tigers brings it down for me.I was Going to Choose Omaha, but then I saw it had two votes and I switched to my Hometown.
Its a lot bigger than the Picture suggests, but I figured Minnesota deserved the spot.