Interior looks fine, though perhaps not much plant growth, but it might help if the roof and side netting were covered in creeper as at Howletts- giving more security to the Clouded Leopards?
In answer to Pertinax's question, this picture by the date it was uploaded was taken shortly after the cloudys arrived at linton, and before they came this enclosure held a rather agressive black leopard 'Zoysa' who has since been moved to Exmoor to be paired with their female Ebony, during the break between getting the cloudys the enclosure was basically completely gutted out of vegitation as it was simply choatic in an atempt to get things growing again and to add more logs easier, During the Summer however the vegitation grew back within the enclosure and along the fencing and it was impossible to see the house and the smaller holding pen at the back, Great for the leopards but made the impossible chance of trying to see them even worse! And I have still not seen them in my many visits since they arrived!
And in answer to Dicerorhinus, This enclosure is basically a leopard enclosure, it is holding the Clouded Leopards temporarily but this situation may have changed for several reasons. Before Zoysa it housed Caracals and before that it may of been home to Lintons orginal Puma's or indeed other leopards, but as i say it is primarily a Leopard Enclosure and it makes a very good job of it!
I really don't have a problem with it! In my opinion it is much better than the "enclosure" at RSCC. Do you know how long Linton will have clouded leopards?
The Cloudys have been at the zoo since about January/February, And Zoysa must of left some point late last year... It has a rather 'lived in feel' being one of the oldest enclosures still in use at the Zoo.
I am sure that this enclosure was originally built for Pumas in the late 70's and know they bred successfully on at least one occasion,probably several times over the next 10 years or so. I don't remember visiting between the late 80s & about 1999, but by thenit housed Caracal, as Riziki has stated
You are right Pipaluk, Pumas were housed in this area at least (if its the same enclosure I don't know I've seen photos at the enclosure seems different, so it may have just been rebuilt after the pumas died and left the collection).
Do you have any photos from your old visits Pipaluk?
I'm not sure the framework is the original, but I think the house is,and its still the same irregular shape it was when the pumas were there, with the small cage at the rear for seperating the male. You used to be able to walk right around the enclosure when the pumas were there. The tiger enclosure was built much later. There was always a spotted & a black leopard in the enclosures opposite where the snow leopards are now (which was the lion enclosure then ) which were demolished a couple of years ago, they had a similar basic hut with window like this enclosure too.
I'm not sure whether I have any photos of Linton in the 70s but I'll have a look, I know I have some from London & Kilverstone at that time so since I visited Linton more regularly there's a fair chance I took some there too.
