The cage to the left was the first in the row of cat exhibits as you come into the zoo, and housed tigers. By 1988, I only remeber it housing a single 'bengal' tiger. Soon after that, the zoo acquired Sumatran tigers. These moved out of the tiger cage during the 1990s, shortly after the polar bears were put to sleep, and for a short time lived in the old polar bear pit before leaving the collection when Seal and Penguin Coasts was built on its site.
The cage in between was actually two cages if I remember rightly, and there was a fifth cage to the right of the lions. These all housed Persian leopards by about 1988.
Before the lion exhibit was extended over the whole site of the big cat enclosures, I don't think they held Asiatic lions. The ones in the photo would have been Bristol's last pair of African lions.
I often wonder why the zoo houses Kea by the lions as visitors go into the nocturnal house. The enclosure would be suitable for a bird or even mammal species from the same region as the Asiatic lions. Kea just seem to be a species they have always had.
Before the lion exhibit was extended over the whole site of the big cat enclosures, I don't think they held Asiatic lions. The ones in the photo would have been Bristol's last pair of African lions.
Correct, no Asian Lions before this area was redeveloped. In these cages I remember Lion, Tiger, Leopard and at one stage Puma. Never Jaguars though.
I never saw the Sumatran Tigers in these cages (not disputing they were there though,) only in the Polar Bear pit. They didn't seem to be at the Zoo very long, did they?
The Keas are in what used to be the Orangutan outdoor enclosure (modified). They may have already been there before the Asian Lions arrived?
