I think what is making most people critical of these enclosures is not that they appear to have been created on a tight budget, with keepers 'doing their best' to enrich and furnish the enclosures, but quite the opposite, that there was money for very sleek design and very specific furnishing. Which doesn't appear particularly flexible to change or the addition of enrichment devices.
I worked in similarly-sized spaces with small carnivores and primates, basically glass or wire-fronte cages with solid wood backs and sides, and we didn't have the budget for huge exotic plants, we had to rely on nearby farms letting us clear branches or logs which we'd hand or pile up in ever-changing exhibits for the species we worked with. I would argue that although a few willow or oak branches or some logs hanging by bungee rope are quite as aesthetically refined, the regular source of new smells, bugs, and shapes to investigate, feed from or scent mark made for calmer, more stimulated animals. That sounds like a contradition, but I mean with periods of activity there could be periods of real rest as opposed to lethargy.
Obviously you can overdo it, and I think clouded leopards especially don't appreciate keepers trudging into their enclosure several times a week and changing everything round, but I would like to see these spaces 'breathe' a little bit, as they almost look like static models of zoo enclosures. Plus, of all the species to have to share (alternate) enclosure space with another large cat (Pumas), clouded leopards really aren't suited.
Didn't the RSCC start of with one or two pairs of clouded leopards? I thought they produced cubs? Did the female arrive pregnant from Howletts or were they concieved at the RSCC? What happened to them?
I don't know about them breeding, but they did have a pair and the male killed the female, hence them not getting him a partner. I think they'd be good to give the gibbons a new cage (should they get extra land) and alter the gibbon cage next door to the clouded leopard cage to give him another enclosure. Should they get a breeding pair this extra cage would act as a separation facility, and it would give both the leopards more room if they were compatible to live together.
Its just incredibly uninspiring. I have no doubt that the animals are well cared for and could live with the size (roughly simliar to other enclosures for clouded leopard) but come on.....would it cost much more to fill it out a bit and do the walls really need to be prison-grey?
I think I'd have to agree with that bit. The size is okay but it is amazingly empty for a retiring forest species.. Before anyone says 1. that is because they want the animal to be visible, or 2. 'the plants haven't had time to grow yet' 1. the absence of plants won't alter the animal's behaviour and it will still find a hiding place if it wants to and 2. there are just a few clumps of bamboo and nothing else seems to have been planted.
If this was my enclosure I would have planted it out far more densely and added more logs and branches for climbing generally, both of which would camouflage/hide the walls as well. They could go and have a look at Howletts enclosures down the road. That is the main shortcoming in my opinion.
That's been noted I went hear yesterday, this has been improved with a fe more (large) palms and bamboo and a lot more climbing frames. It's much better, as is the tapir enclosure. It has a fair bit of shade now the trees are in bloom, but the pool is very small. The snow leopard enclosure is stupid though, I said it's bigger than it looks in the pics but it's not.
There is a big difference between constructively critisising a place and slating it for every minor fault it may have. All zoos are generally aware of there short comings in whatever areas they are without so called experts picking wholes in it. Any improvements made in any zoo certainly don't come from someones negative opinion on here. I completely understand and respect that everybody has the right to comment their feelings and thoughts on whatever matter is discussed on this site but what annoys me is that some people do not give the zoo or the staff any credit. The animals in this zoo are superbly looked after by a great team of animal staff and all animals are in great shape. Some enclosures may not be up to peoples ideals but who are we to judge, we are not the people who care for these animals day in day out. We don't know what each individual animal, its history is character. The staff i know care very deeply for the animals in their care and they know best. The owner has done a great job so far with all the renovations and I know when all his plans go ahead that this zoo will be one of the very best in the UK. I admire his determination and passion for the zoo and the trust and the sheer level of insitu conservation work that is being done. A large chunk of the budget compared to alot of larger zoos! In my opinion please just think before you comment, this is a great site but with so many nice and friendly people on it who generally just want to talk about zoos, find out the gossip and have questions answered at what point did it turn into a slagging off site full of bitterness.
Ok right you're a keeper. Nobody is criticising the keepers on here. As a former keeper I know these enclosures weren't designed by keepers. There is a lack of keeper freedom in furnishing these enclosures IMO. It's ridiculous to suggest (noone has, just sayin) that a bad zoo is because of bad keepers. No zoo owner would recruit poor keeping staff, it's the budget and control of the animal husbandry that affects what the visitor sees.
Would you like your Belfast Sun Bears and Malayan tapirs to go to the RSCC as it is right now?
Because I think they would be going to far inferior enclosures if that happened.
But it's fine for the Sun bears to be housed like that because they are 'rescued'......
Nobody had anything short of praise for this establishment until people started visiting and seeing the exhibits. There are a lot of keepers, former keepers, animal behaviouralists and others who use this site and it is snobbery to assume all posters are ignorant of what it is like to run or work in a zoo.
I have great respect for everyones opinion and apologise if I came across as a snob in any of my comments. I realise that you are indeed someone very passionate about your feelings all I think is that asumptions are being made which are inpolite and unfair. Constructive critisim is a great thing in alot of ways but your comments are more or less attacking the owner of this particular zoo without knowledge of a bigger picture. I would be interested to learn of which super zoo or zoos that you worked in that were perfect.They all may have minor faults in different peoples opinions. Perhaps when your lifes work is laid out for us to critisise and you aren't hiding behind an username you would be a little less quick to ridicule other peoples dreams. That would be a nice thing to do wouldnt it. Profesional or not every one is equal on this forum in my opinion and deserves to be treated with some respect.
