This zoo is not bad, but it isn't great. The leopard "cage" as you call it, should be much bigger, so should other exhibits. In many of the pictures I have seen lack of enrichment and the animals look bored. Providing clean pools for animals is a must! As for the plants, if the winters are harsh why keep tropical plants? Just plant hardy species from the area. There are many exhibits in Canada and the US that have pre exisiting plants in there exhibits, doing this means less of a chance for invasive species to take over. If the zoo wishes to keep tropical plants build a small "rainforest building" or something, that way visitors can enjoy the experiance year round. The design, and signage of exhibits is not bad at all, as well as the exhibits them selves. I would even visit this zoo if I was ever in the UK.
There is already a rainforest building, and the site this zoo was built on had no plants or trees, so they had to start from scratch. It's only been open 2 years and the plants haven't had time to mature or anything.
And yes, a lot of the exhibits are empty but they're being worked on all the time, and the owner is very passionate about his work there.
I apologize if my enthusiastic and deeply-felt personal opinions have offended you; particularly if they have been perceived as having nationalistic or jingoistic undertones. But I do not believe it is "hectoring" to simply "call it as I see it." And what I see, over and over again, is an acceptance or even celebration of crude, unsophisticated zoo design by many posters on this site.
Your reasonable and reasoned response makes me feel bad for my rather intemperate post, fired off in a bit of a huff half an hour ago when, instead of doing the work i should have been doing, I was allowing myself to get wound up by people who didn't share my (correct!) opinions about zoos. Sorry!
I think this is one where two groups will have to disagree. Who's to say who is right and who is wrong? And certainly some of that "crude unsophisticated design" gets my goat too. I suppose it's a bit like criticising your parents: it's okay to do it yourself, but if someone else does it you'd want to smack them in the chops.
One last thing I will say, though, is that the apparent ugliness of this place in these photos is, to a large part, brought about their having been taken on a dark, wet, wintery day. I'm sure pictures taken on an August early evening would look a whole lot more attractive.
Apologies, again, for personal nature of comments. I'm sure you're not a very odd person, as I suggested earlier.
But I don't get why the zoo would spend $1000 every year on tropical plants that will die over winter, why not plant elm, maple, etc trees that will live through the winter and for many years after! Even if they are being worked on the 2nd most important thing would be providing the animals with enrichment!
This photo has generated a lot of comments, and I have found it intriguing to read. I'd like to toss in my two cents, for whatever it is worth. The clouded leopard enclosure is obviously too small for the species inhabitating it, and the lack of hiding places or barely any foliage at all is alarming. Perhaps it looks much different in the summer and anyone arguing that fact might have a valid point. I'm not going to comment on the tiny grounds of the RSCC or even the Howletts gorilla exhibits as those two topics have been covered extensively on other threads, but strictly speaking about the clouded leopard exhibit I'd have to say that it is extremely disappointing in terms of both size and enrichment opportunities.
This photo has generated a lot of comments, and I have found it intriguing to read. I'd like to toss in my two cents, for whatever it is worth. The clouded leopard enclosure is obviously too small for the species inhabitating it, and the lack of hiding places or barely any foliage at all is alarming. Perhaps it looks much different in the summer and anyone arguing that fact might have a valid point. I'm not going to comment on the tiny grounds of the RSCC or even the Howletts gorilla exhibits as those two topics have been covered extensively on other threads, but strictly speaking about the clouded leopard exhibit I'd have to say that it is extremely disappointing in terms of both size and enrichment opportunities.
Half right, in my opinion.
Having visited this collection (without being very impressed) I agree completely about the bareness of this enclosure - which is typical of the RSCC. I am disappointed that I can see no improvement since August. I am surprised that the palm tree has died as I thought it was a Chusan palm, which are normally very hardy in the UK.
However I think this enclosure is a good size. It's always hard to judge this from a photo, particularly one taken with a wide angle lens from a raised viewpoint. Look at the bamboos, they are one of the larger species and show the height of the cage. If I remember correctly, the front is set at least 3 metres from the public walkway and the cage is at least 8m from front to back. Clouded leopards can do well in much smaller enclosures. I like the way the sides and rear are screened, which should suit such a nervous species, and I thought that this was one of the best enclosures in the collection. Having said that, I didn't see the clouded leopard either.
