This is one of the smallest, ugliest lion exhibits in the nation, and a great example of how NOT to showcase spectacular carnivores to the public. As bad as it is I have to admit that it is actually superior to this crappy zoo's polar bear pit:
The whole $1 million renovation to fill the moats with dirt and put glass in front of the exhibits is a waste. They really should get rid of the area, or move the inhabitants and keep it empty until they have money to demolish that.
The grotto in the photo is now empty as the lions have been shifted elsewhere in the zoo. Their exhibit is being modernized by filling in the moat, reshaping the background and adding a substantial amount of natural substrate along with glass viewing windows. The polar bear grotto next door (see link below) is also empty as Patches the elderly female was sent to the North Carolina Zoo and the two empty grottoes will be transformed and netted over to provide homes for leopards and lynx.
