Asian Forest Sanctuary - Bamboo Forest

August 2009. Sumatran tigers, white-cheeked gibbons, siamangs, lowland anoas, small-clawed otters, malayan tapirs and crested porcupines rotate through a series of 5 exhibits. There are some mixed-species habitats, and zoo visitors never truly know what animal will be in each exhibit whenever they pass through the Asian Forest Sanctuary.

At the time of my visit this exhibit held a pair of white-cheeked gibbons, a pair of lowland anoa, and at least two small-clawed otters.

My memory of the exhibit is that this picture shows at least 75% of the enclosure.

while the rotating species thing sounds cool from what i can see in these photos it just results in exhibits that get hammered from all sides and are barley adequate for the needs for the various species

torie said:

while the rotating species thing sounds cool from what i can see in these photos it just results in exhibits that get hammered from all sides and are barley adequate for the needs for the various species

Click to expand...

You summed it up precisely.
The example in Louisville Zoo is no better.

It's not the concept that is flawed, just the execution. There's a lot still to be worked out.

Of the 5 exhibits in the Asian Forest sanctuary that feature rotating animals, only the largest (Waterfall Panorama) is truly excellent. The other 4 are all too small and limited to netted, basic enclosures that aren't totally satisfying. What is great is the idea of the rotation, where animals are not kept in the same area for the rest of their lives. Also, the signage at the zoo is excellent, and visitors read the signs to figure out what animals they are looking at.