This is a row of large frames that will become very impressively-sized reptile exhibits in the near future. While at the park I had a 20-minute conversation with owner Dean Harrison and he explained that his plan was for full-length boas, pythons and even the park's Green-and-Yellow Hybrid Anaconda to have access to outdoor exhibits. Dean claimed that there wasn't another American zoo offering constricting snakes access to an outside area and he might well be correct as I've visited a few hundred U.S. zoos and I cannot think of one that has a boa or python in a large outdoor habitat.
Anything is better than this exhibit at another Arizona zoo:
No, only the sign. The zoo also has a "Sunglow Morph" Columbian Red-Tailed Boa and a terrarium with the following species all together: Blood Python, Madagascar Hognose Snake, Black Forest Cobra, Amethystine Python and Ball Python. A weird mixture!
There are also a few reticulated oddities: "Amelanistic" Reticulated Python, "Tiger Morph" Reticulated Python and "Lavendar Phase" Reticulated Python.
I agree as reptiles have often been neglected in even the greatest of zoos due to exhibit size that is appropriate for species. I do see challenges with this new exhibit design though as it defeats the whole purpose of a indoor terrarium: to find the animals easily and efficiently for feeding and medical purposes. With so much space, the animals could get lost from the keepers point of view and if it's an animal such as a large constrictor and venomous snake, it can be dangerous for the keepers. Also this design will probably only be able to be accomplished in zoos with a high amount of heat so they can stay out year round.
Just to clarify, they can be moved indoors when it gets cold. In spite of being in Arizona, Out Of Africa is high elevation and occasionally gets snow in the winter.
I hope he uses coated fencing of appropriate diameter to prevent abrasions and the animals getting stuck. I would also top the exhibits. Thinking they can't climb/slither out is ridiculous. Snakes can extend very far due to their muscles. I wouldn't trust any lizards if fenced in with no top. Most think fences keep them in or out. Here in the US, Snapping Turtles and Alligators have been known to climb over fences. If the fence isn't buried below grade, any tortoise with some size will push it's way through. Large exhibits are fine and all, but that leaves too many variables due to weather. Has to have a way for consistent temperatures to let the animals seek what they need. Boxes with supplemental heat could work. Many keepers in Arizona use it for lizards, turtles and tortoises. In Florida, they do get cool weather and keepers that keep snakes outside use heated boxes with no issues. Zoos are using design for animals these days with narrow exhibits that are long to keep animals in view whether awake or sleeping. I like to call it the "hippo effect". You have these long windows for hippos in the water and little land to turn around. These animals are massive, yet designers/zoos make exhibits to make them use the water. Even if on land, they are still close, there's no reprieve from prying eyes. Same could be said for Polar Bears. Besides concrete monstrosities and a dig patch or two, most, not all of the newer exhibits are 10,000-11,000 square feet or less. Speaking for Americans, most are lazy and want the animal up and doing something right near the viewing area. If the animal isn't they cry, complain, write blogs, blurbs, post on social media or else of how their trip was bad. I'd hate to go with those same people out bush searching for animals. Poor, americans. Oh, woe is them.
