Lxnx

1980s

This looks like the same cages that also held the pair of Spectacled Bears that came from London. I remember the little brick arched doorways.

And the jaguars pictured in the London Zoo guidebook I mentioned.

Again, these enclosures needed work: too little height, and the dens were primitive. But with a little imagination this area could still be turned into a very nice set up for smaller cats.

Where in the park was this enclosure?

If you walk down the raised pathway between the bears and the wolverines towards the penguins, at the end of the path there is a flight of steps. Descend these and look right, and you ought to be able to discern a pathway, now fenced off . This was known as Ouseley Way, after the adjacent pond.

The row of smaller cat enclosures here, which housed over the years spectacled bear, plus Eurasian lynx, serval, caracal, puma, cheetah,snow leopard (first UK breeding in 1959), leopard and jaguar dated from the 1950s. Before that this area had been home to Whipsnade's original Wolf Wood.

Rumour has it that the area was closed to the public in the mid 80s after a ZooCheck creature enlisted an acolyte who was about 6' 9" tall, got them to lean over the safety barrier so that they could touch the wire-work of a cat enclosure, then took a photo and sent it it off to the local authority.

The latter were duty bound to instruct the zoo to either widen the safety barrier or close the area to the public. ZSL, perennially short of funds, chose the latter course

Thanks Ian.
That's a part of the park I've never explored. Not that there'll be much to see, but I'll have a wander the next time I'm down.