The mesh in these exhibits is so dense they might as well use solid metal panels! It's nearly impossible to see through. They use this same material on many of their small bird aviaries as well, I guess to keep sparrows out, but it's ugly there too. I guess this keeps children from poking their fingers in as panda/serval snacks, but it is really unsightly (and unimaginative).
CZJimmy: I agree with you 100%. I know that the children's section has its fans, but on both of my visits to the San Diego Zoo I found that area to be extremely poorly designed and lacking for such a wonderful establishment. There are too many cages like the red panda one on this thread, and if I were the director I'd bulldoze the area and start from scratch. It is really surprising that the zoo does not have a better children's area, and along with the grottoes in dog and cat canyon this constitutes the weak link in the San Diego exhibitry practices.
As has been stated. This enclosure is not in the Children's Zoo. It is across the road from the giant pandas and a little bit to the south. It housed binturong on my last visit.
I am aware that the red panda cage is not in the children's zoo, but the mesh on the lemur/monkey/red panda enclosures near the giant pandas is far too thick for photographers. Also, it is bizarre to have the world famous San Diego Zoo with tiny wire cages right near the excellent Sun Bear Forest area of the zoo. I am always puzzled when zoos continue to open brand new, multi-million dollar exhibits while doing nothing about antiquated cages.
Big new exhibits draw in the always needed big attendance numbers. And at least at the S.D Zoo, the elephant exhibit was top on the list of exhibits that needed renovation. I agree though, it would be nice if these smaller cages were updated as well.
Curiously, the "tiny wire cages" in and around Sun Bear Forest were built several years AFTER Sen Bear Forest opened! I think it might have been to temporarily house animals displaced by construction of Monkey Trails. But as always every cage at San Diego zoo will be filled with some species, even if it makes no geographical sense. It really takes away from an otherwise very nice exhibit complex.
Straying a bit off topic here... but the "temporary" primate cages in bear canyon, aren't they on the other side of the "temporary" panda grotto that now houses sloth bear and spotted hyenas? I'm just trying to remember and I can't quite locate them. But I don't remember them being visible from in Sun Bear Forest.
On the note of the less than gorgeous wire cages. Tearing them down costs money, and then you have fewer places to keep animals. Replacing them with something more aesthetically pleasing costs even more money, and empty cages turn off guests.
It is fresh in my mind because I just visited, the primate cages are right in the middle of bear canyon just up the hill a couple yards from the entrance to sun bear forest. It was kind of weird to see colobus monkeys cramped into a tiny cage when San Diego Zoo has a brilliant enormous mesh habitat for them in Monkey Trails & Forest Tales.
