It did strike me how empty it was. Not much cover but remove all traces all grass/plants/vegetation from most cat exhibits around the country and they may not look too dissimilar.
I think it just needs time to mature, it's only been standing 3 or 4 months.
I couldn't see any off show areas, but a lot of Banham is like that. When the Tiger Cubs were born they put a barrier round the viewing window to keep the public away.
I suppose if you look at it from another point of view it is very much like it would be in the wild.
There are no trees in the mountains so only a few logs and dead trees are here,Rocks there are plenty of making it more realistic but i agree for husbandary purposes an off show or sperate compound area should of been included for deceant seperation.
But i agree with Richie Hell like most new Enclosures it needs time to mature.
I suppose if you look at it from another point of view it is very much like it would be in the wild.
There are no trees in the mountains so only a few logs and dead trees are here,Rocks there are plenty of making it more realistic but i agree for husbandary purposes an off show or sperate compound area should of been included for deceant seperation.
But i agree with Richie Hell like most new Enclosures it needs time to mature.
I agree. It appears to me that they wanted to create a place like the barren mountains where snow leopards are found. A larger, taller rock climbing opportunity would have been nice, but perhaps was too expensive.
Is this a place with hot summers? In that case the animals would need shade. If it is cold then they don't
I just stumbled across an EAZA news magazine on their website which featured Province of the Snow Cat. Apparently there is an off show cubbing den, with infra-red cameras.
It appears to me that they wanted to create a place like the barren mountains where snow leopards are found. A larger, taller rock climbing opportunity would have been nice, but perhaps was too expensive.
It looks quite similar in design to the enclosure at Marwell. I too would prefer to see a much higher 'rockface' filling far more of the enclosure- the mesh roof is very high but seems pointless as it is just so much empty space as it is.
It can get hot in Norfolk during the high summer, but for much of the year, like Uk climate generally it is cooler, even cold in winter.
