These bear pits look awful. Would you say they are among the worst in the country? What are some of the worst ones (still standing) you've seen? Of the ones I've seen Milwaukee, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh (gone thank god) are pretty bad.
@GraysonDP Little Rock has perhaps the absolute worst bear pits that I've ever seen, but the zoos that you mentioned would also be top contenders. Thankfully Pittsburgh rectified its "grotto situation" and Little Rock has plans to phase out the ancient pits as well. Back in 2010 Buffalo had some horrific bear enclosures before the recent transformation (and there was an actual sign there that said "Bear Pits") and Erie Zoo had some awful bear pits a few years ago and I believe that they are still in use.
@snowleopard I agree. The ones at Cheyenne Mountain and Gladys Porter look atrocious too. Not bear grottoes but the feline ones at Riverbanks, Lincoln Park, Tulsa and Rio Grande (although I haven't seen the later two) are pretty bad. What I meant to ask is how would you evaluate the ones at San Antonio?
@GraysonDP The grottoes at San Antonio Zoo are very poor as they are all cement and it cannot be great for the bears to be walking on such hard surfaces all day long. I know that the lion and tiger exhibits at the zoo had natural items spread over the concrete but as far as I know the bear enclosure in this photo probably looks identical all these years later. It needs a dramatic renovation.
What would appear to add to the frustration is that this grotto is actually rather large (or looks like it is). With the addition of enough substrate and a little more landscaping to break up the flatness, this would be not that bad.
The grotto no longer looks like this; in fact, all three grottoes at the zoo, while still having cement as base, do have sections of natural foliage and substrate. A good portion- perhaps 40%, including parts not seen in this photo, of this grotto now has dirt, grass, and/or trees. It's among the better grottoes I've seen. I don't know when any of them were updated but they look better than these photos from 2011.
@jayjds2 That is great news! The photo was uploaded in January 2011 but I did mention underneath the image that I visited the zoo on August 16th, 2010.
@snowleopard ah, that's my bad for not reading the whole thread. I don't know when these improvements took place, but the zoo has made many since Tim Morrow became director. The oft-complained about hoofstock paddocks are now all grassy, perhaps the same will happen to the bear grottoes. I understand it's been one of the historic societies in San Antonio hindering the advancement of the zoo. A lot of the zoo is old and considered historic and that means it can't be demolished and renovation opportunities are limited. The new director is working around this as best as he can, with pretty good success. Unfortunately, not much can be done for the old monkey cages other than emptying them, and that is the eventual plan for them. Major overhaul will probably never be possible, but the zoo has made many small improvements in the last year or two and I hope it continues to improve.
