Fun facts:
-Night Hunters is probably the largest collection of nocturnal predators around.
-This building once held the largest collection of small cats in the world.
-From 1952 to around 1984, the building held lions, hyenas, leopards, foxes, weasels, and more.
Is this exhibit unchanged from its previous incarnation in the Cat House? The enclosures in Night Hunters are really not much of an improvement and I've heard from some ZooChatters that in some cases the exhibits are actually worse than they were before.
This exhibit is completely unchanged from the Cat House other than the reversed lighting. It is home is a single female caracal who is of older age, and I do not see the zoo replacing her when she passes on. Many of the enclosures have stayed much the same as in the Cat House, but I would have to disagree with the statement that the exhibits are worse. All of the animals that moved from the Nocturnal House are now in much larger exhibits than before, and the enrichment for the animals has also improved. I also have to say that the educational factor of the exhibit is very nice and very interactive. The four worst exhibits in the building, this one, the bobcat one, the Siberian lynx one, and the owl one, are all home to single animals. The cats are both older, and I do not see them being replaced. In the case of the owl, it is taken off exhibit periodically and allowed to fly around behind the scenes. Night Hunters, to me, seemed to be a "quick fix" for the cat and nocturnal animal housing, and it is pretty disappointing all-in-all.
Here's the breakdown of the nocturnal house animals.
Potto-Nothing really changed except the exhibit idea is really cool.
Aardvark/Galago/Flying Fox-They went from a 10*10*7.5 ft exhibit to the largest exhibit in the building and it is perfect for them.
Vampire bats-Their space was multiplied about 8* more, including 2 different exhibits.
Bearcat-The animals got 4* more space then their original exhibit.
Fennec fox-In terms of size ratio, the foxes got the most space (minus vampire bats). They also got 4* more space and is a big improvement from their 2*2*2.5 tank.
As said in the couple photos near this one, no, none of the indoor animals have outdoor access. I wouldn't exactly call this a pit, the idea of the exhibit suits the animal's needs but the size is too small.
As much as I like the zoo and the staff, this exhibit is inexcusable. It should have been converted into a reptile house.
There are nocturnal exhibits in Jungle Trails and these alone are more than many zoos have.
