From Buenos Aires to Baltimore, all around the world there are hundreds of outdated bear pits. This grotto is typical of many, with mock-rock walls (with a bizarre-looking overhang), a tiny, insubstantial pool, an obvious door that is blocking the animals from retreating to the off-exhibit holding area, and a few dead logs tossed around. All of the green vegetation in the photo is outside the pit.
This pit is not so outdated than the others in South America! We have in 2010 Spetacled Bears living in cages with not more that 50 sqm with only concret for substrate.
All bears in South America have terrible steryotopic problems! Tongues hanging from is mouths, walking all day around, etc, etc...
Animal welfare never cames first! First is to make the visitors happy to see many animals as possible living in bad conditions!
I agree that the exhibit is not this particular bear pit is not top notch. Also that in most S.American countries animal enrichment does not come first and foremost.
However, it is doing an absolute injustice by armchair critics on the Buenos Aires Zoo to pretend ... otherwise! Lest we forget the old and recent history of Buenos Aires Zoo: management in train with the City Council is doing its utmost to improve conditions in the zoo and generally speaking operationally it is quite a well run zoo with quite a good scientific staff department to that. In the face of the economic crisis in Argentina and its impoverished labour communities this institution has stood its stone in time and despite all the economic bads has and continues to manage and support some 5-10 native species in situ programmes.
To be the devil's advocate - it is all a question of money. If S.American zoos had only the budget that most N.American put towards one exhibit the entire Zoologico de Buenos Aires could be a No. 1 spot zoo in no time.
