Western Pond Turtles Exhibit

Is that hotwire in a turtle exhibit? I'm not sure that I've ever seen such a thing! Also, are those paddle boats in the background?

You're right. It looks like hotwire. Probably it's there to prevent visitors from grabbing turtles? And you are also right about paddleboats. You cannot see this on the photo, but this exhibit is on a small hill, and directly behind this hill is a lake with island for lemurs. The grayish shed you can see at the back is actually located on that island.