This photo shows maybe 20% of the entire space for gorillas at the zoo, and it is the one and only time that I've seen an ape habitat come close to replicating Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo. Are the gorillas difficult to see? Definitely. Is the enclosure packed full of enrichment items for the apes? Definitely. Lush, green, naturalistic, gorgeous, detailed, realistic, brilliant habitat complete with a canopy covering provided by the grove of trees that dot the landscape.
The money that is available to maintain this absolutely brilliant exhibit is amazing, and the sheer size of the two gorilla enclosures at Disney's Animal Kingdom is breathtaking. I only wish that more zoos around the world had such money at their disposal, and DAK receives over 8 million visitors a year that pour cash into their huge bank account.
its not just cash snowleopard - disney co. have the "imagineers" a team that include talented artists and engineers that design everything physical that is disney.
the simple fact is they hire more talented people than zoo do.
its not just cash snowleopard - disney co. have the "imagineers" a team that include talented artists and engineers that design everything physical that is disney.
the simple fact is they hire more talented people than zoo do.
True, but the team assembled to design Animal Kingdom prominently included one of the world's best-known zoo design firms. It's been interesting to see that the members of that team, who have since gone on to create their own firm, have attempted to create Disney-like exhibits at a number of zoos, with mixed success (an example being the "Asian boat ride" at Columbus Zoo). Disney's imagineers practice great attention to detail, and have the design skills and--yes--the money to make it work. Not so much the case in places like Columbus, or even Busch Gardens, where the Disney "formula" has been attempted.
its not just cash snowleopard - disney co. have the "imagineers" a team that include talented artists and engineers that design everything physical that is disney.
the simple fact is they hire more talented people than zoo do.
If someone sees photos of London Zoo's "Gorilla Kingdom" they might think it looks like a half-decent exhibit. It seems to me that it might even be an average gorilla habitat with nothing truly terrible about it. But then when someone sees something like the Bronx's "Congo Gorilla Forest" or Disney's "Pangani Forest Trail" then all of sudden there is a shift in the thinking and the London Zoo's gorillas seem to be getting the shaft. Once greatness is achieved then mediocrity can be criticized.
