Is that a public swimming pool? The enclosure is so utilitarian as to be almost boring...a missed opportunity for sure! Louisville Zoo has a Pygmy Hippo exhibit with a rocky, sloping stream and yet Pittsburgh opted for a dull, basic, functional design.
I have no issue with the pool, which looks quite large to me, but what about shade? I don't know what summer is like in Pittsburgh, but pygmy hippos are forest denizens and I don't imagine constant exposure to direct sunlight is healthy for them. Tapirs, for example, can easily become permanently blind in poorly-shaded enclosures.
@Coelacanth18 that was my only complaint also, the Pygmy hippo exhibit in Pittsburgh is the biggest I've seen it has both a large pool and a larger land area
@snowleopard And they spent all their money for rockwork on The Islands... Sheesh! Jon Coe did amazing work for the African Savanna portion, I'm sure he would have worked wonders if he designed this exhibit. From what I have seen, the Pittsburgh Zoo uses non-hardy tropical plants (which they could just use cold-hardy palms like Windmill Palms) and the animal enclosures are just utilitarian at best. "Jungle Odyssey" should really be called "shambled together rush-job for the summer crowds". I'm not discounting the fact that these enclosures are fairly decent for the inhabitants welfare-wise, but I'm just saying this zoo could really use a couple years of design work instead of this shambling-together.
Besides the obvious problem of it not looking like a jungle at all (which is only a problem because of the exhibit's name), the main problem I have with any of the exhibits in the complex is shade (though that is primarily a problem for the hippo). This exhibit seems to be one of the most spacious I've seen for the species, and while it would not look amiss in a community recreation center (due to the manicured lawn and crystal clear water), it is adequate in most other ways. Does anyone know the budget for Jungle Odyssey?
