ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
I was told the old tiger enclosure would need minimal alterations for the sun bears. What might need to be re-designed to make it more suitable?
Chester Zoo Islands - Opening and impressions
- Thread starter Nisha
- Start date
I was told the old tiger enclosure would need minimal alterations for the sun bears. What might need to be re-designed to make it more suitable?
It is extraordinary how design lessons go unlearnt.
Why do zoos still build enclosures where only a handful of people can actually see the animals at a time?
Why do zoos still install glass 'viewing' panels which only give you a view of yourself and other visitors?
Mind you, we have been drinking tea in the UK for hundreds of years, but they still produce teapots which dribble as much tea onto the table as into the cups!
ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
Although I can see crowds could still being an issue in the new orang exhibit (if the orangs are all located in just one part of the enclosure) I do think there is still significantly more viewing window and floor space. I like the tiered levels which will allow for better viewing opportunities if the orangs are on the ground, and I noticed there is keeper access above all viewing windows so most keeper interaction will be done high level rather than on the ground as before which should encourage more arboreal behaviours. I never like seeing orangs on the ground. As we've seen with the macaques I also expect the orangs wil try to access the plants through the wire mesh, again keeping them above ground and giving them a chance to display natural instincts and behaviours.
I would be interested to know if there are any other indoor orang exhibits that are deemed better than the new monsoon forest?
I would be interested to know if there are any other indoor orang exhibits that are deemed better than the new monsoon forest?
I'm not sure I'd actually agree with that. In RotRA there are windows that face along different planes, plus there are quite a lot of them into the Sumatran exhibits. Maybe some kind soul can count them.
I was a bit surprised by scant furnishing in orangutan and macaque exhibits. No grass, no natural tree trunks, few movable objects, no puzzles, and perhaps 3-5 times less 'furniture' than the space would allow. Enclosures look like 30 years behind eg. Leipzig. Happily, this can be changed relatively easily.
The orang exhibits are not complete yet.
There is grass starting to grow in the outdoor macaque exhibit with live trees and shrubs too, of course. There are natural tree trunks in the indoor exhibit too, see the Gallery. I expect further enrichment items will be added in due course.
Alan
ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
Having checked the photos of Leipzig's indoor orang exhibit I have to disagree that theirs is better than Chester. The Chester exhibit has not yet been completed, with all the ropes still to attach to the trees and to hang from the mesh above the enclosure. I think Chester's exhibit is better for the orangs because it allows them 360 degree use of their space. The mesh on the sides and above enables them to spend majority of their time very high up. All the feeds are scatter feeds at the very top of the exhibit allowing them to display natural arboreal behaviour. Leipzig only has the trees trunks/ropes in the middle of the exhibit and the orangs cannot climb up the sides or use the space from the top of their enclosure.
Having seen the orangs in their existing exhibit (which also has a 360 degree dimension) there is nothing more incredible than seeing the whole family hanging by one hand form the very top of the enclosure during a scatter feed. You just don't get that dimension from the Leipzig exhibit.
Worth noting that there will be 2 outdoor enclosures for the orangs. The most impressive, which has not yet been made visible to the public, contains a very large oak tree which I am told the orangs will have access to climb, so across the entire exhibit there will be a really good mix of enrichments and natural climbing opportunities.
With Islands almost finished, has it met or exceed peoples expectations or would you have preferred the original first part of the master plan.
I personally think they have exceeded what I was expecting, especially the overall theme and quality of the exhibits, but does make me want to see the HOA or something similar built. Maybe the zoo can start a crowdfunding scheme to fund it.
http://194.187.35.179/Planning/StreamDocPage/obj.pdf?DocNo=139145&PageNo=1&content=obj.pdf
I personally think they have exceeded what I was expecting, especially the overall theme and quality of the exhibits, but does make me want to see the HOA or something similar built. Maybe the zoo can start a crowdfunding scheme to fund it.
http://194.187.35.179/Planning/StreamDocPage/obj.pdf?DocNo=139145&PageNo=1&content=obj.pdf
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
Islands has been talked about to death here all summer as though it was a new Harry Potter series.
I've been a bit surprised at the nature of the posts after seeing numerous older posts on Zoochat from our UK members (mostly) deriding the expense of theming and its uselessness to the animals. Yet here we have an exhibit more costly and incorporating more fake rock and fake trees than all the UK zoo exhibits combined. Have I missed the great outcry against the waste? (I might have, I kind of lost interest during the long exchange about the partial opening and the admission price).
For a taste of the way theming in zoo exhibits has been discussed on Zoochat, se http://www.zoochat.com/2/different-zoo-traditions-europe-usa-87987/index4.html
I've been a bit surprised at the nature of the posts after seeing numerous older posts on Zoochat from our UK members (mostly) deriding the expense of theming and its uselessness to the animals. Yet here we have an exhibit more costly and incorporating more fake rock and fake trees than all the UK zoo exhibits combined. Have I missed the great outcry against the waste? (I might have, I kind of lost interest during the long exchange about the partial opening and the admission price).
For a taste of the way theming in zoo exhibits has been discussed on Zoochat, se http://www.zoochat.com/2/different-zoo-traditions-europe-usa-87987/index4.html
ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
Out of 50,000 trees and plants that were used in Islands there are only 6 fake trees (used in the orang enclosures as real trees would not survive more than a few days!)
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
Indoors as well?
I am not criticizing Islands, I am questioning whether the Zoochatters tastes have changed
jbnbsn99
Well-Known Member
Wait, there's a new Harry Potter series? Give me details!
ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
I think the whole joy of a forum like this is to be able to offer a critique of the UK's biggest ever zoo development, so no worries even if you do have criticisms - I just wanted you to know there are no fake plants!!
Without wanting to generalise it does appear from recent posts about the future of Chester (the long term plan is to split the entire zoo into 'themed' geographical zones) that our older zoochatters are less keen on this style of immersion and exhibiting. No offence intended just making observations and happy to be corrected!! But if you read the posts on the Chester thread in response to a post I put up last week it seems this is the case....
taun
Well-Known Member
I don't think so, have Chester attempted to hide everything no. Do I appreciate a new Tropical Realm type building? Yes (could be another barn full of trees and birds and I would like it).
There are fake trees in both the indoor and outdoor orang enclosures. there are also two very large fake tree stumps in the Monsoon Forest, hiding airshafts and heat exchangers (if I remember rightly).
As I wrote in the Gallery comments, it's hard to make an overall judgement on the styling of Islands until it is complete, because each area is rather different - and it is also so much larger and more complex than any other development in a British zoo that we don't have anything else nearby to compare it to. Give us time
Alan
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
There are fake trees in both the indoor and outdoor orang enclosures. there are also two very large fake tree stumps in the Monsoon Forest, hiding airshafts and heat exchangers (if I remember rightly).
As I wrote in the Gallery comments, it's hard to make an overall judgement on the styling of Islands until it is complete, because each area is rather different - and it is also so much larger and more complex than any other development in a British zoo that we don't have anything else nearby to compare it to. Give us time
Alan
well, still, no one seems to be aghast at the attention and expense paid to fakery and that is refreshing!
As to the role of landscape, I have great respect for the Chester team and am confident they made great decisions about planting.
I have been thinking about this question. Islands is still very much in development and I expect to see changes when I visit again today. These may be deletions as well as additions - I was happy to hear that the python sculpture has gone but of course it may reappear 
I think that once the last animals are settled in (be they orangs, tigers or babirusa) we ought to open nominations for two polls to find the best and worst features of Islands. I will try to photograph some of the elements which have not yet been featured here, and there are quite a few in spite of the best efforts of ZooChatters over the past few weeks. The scale and detail of this development is hard to grasp.
Alan
but of course it may reappear I think that once the last animals are settled in (be they orangs, tigers or babirusa) we ought to open nominations for two polls to find the best and worst features of Islands. I will try to photograph some of the elements which have not yet been featured here, and there are quite a few in spite of the best efforts of ZooChatters over the past few weeks. The scale and detail of this development is hard to grasp.
Alan
ChesterZooFan
Well-Known Member
I have been thinking about this question. Islands is still very much in development and I expect to see changes when I visit again today. These may be deletions as well as additions - I was happy to hear that the python sculpture has gone
I think that once the last animals are settled in (be they orangs, tigers or babirusa) we ought to open nominations for two polls to find the best and worst features of Islands. I will try to photograph some of the elements which have not yet been featured here, and there are quite a few in spite of the best efforts of ZooChatters over the past few weeks. The scale and detail of this development is hard to grasp.
Alan
I too was thrilled to see that awful fake python had gone, although I fear it was knocked off by a boat or unruly visitor rather than being removed for aesthetic reasons!
Love your idea about best and worst...there are so many elements that have surpassed my expectations and are quite breathtaking in their execution. But there are several aspects that I think let Islands down too.....will be interesting to see if we are all agreed on those??!
In other news....
Babirusa enclosure has now been heavily planted and the bare earth seeded, so think we are still a few weeks away from them moving over until the grass establishes itself.
Yellow back chattering lorikeets were on full view and living up to their name making a beautiful and noisy spectacle of themselves.
The anoas have decimated most of the planting in their enclosure.
Had another disappointing boat guide who wasn't very well informed. I think I may contact guest services with my feedback in the hope they invest in some more training.
Have to say I kind of don't really care (after the novelty of seeing it once) about the fake lake with boats and other 'theming' etc but maybe that's partly because I have been fortunate enough to travel (although not to this area) and see real places. I always assume the reason the hell-hole that is Las Vegas has fake Italy and fake Paris is because many of the people who go there will never get the opportunity to travel to those places.
Chester has to keep up with competing attractions and be able to attract people whose expectations have changed so maybe this is what you have to do.
I just want to see the animals in good and suitable environments.
Chester has to keep up with competing attractions and be able to attract people whose expectations have changed so maybe this is what you have to do.
I just want to see the animals in good and suitable environments.