The "Catwalk" located on the roof of the Big Cat House. Here visitors can look down in the outdoor exhibits of jaguars, angolan lions and malaysian tigers.
July 2008
The "Catwalk" located on the roof of the Big Cat House. Here visitors can look down in the outdoor exhibits of jaguars, angolan lions and malaysian tigers.
July 2008
Is the idea of looking down on the exhibits an effective way of showcasing the animals? Sometimes it works (Woodland Park Zoo's orangutans) but at other times it somehow feels far too intrusive.
Actually, I think it gives a good overview of the exhibits as well as the zoo. As you can see there is a distance between the walkway and the net, so vistors can't look directly down at the cats if they are relaxing in the shade.
The problem is, cats don't like it to be viewed from above, and unfortunately, they have no hiding places in this tiny, horrible outdoor cages in this ugly , poor and bad lion house.
Even though I have not seen these enclosures myself, I tend to agree with Zebraduiker on principle. I always like the idea that the exhibited animals should have the possibility to look down on the visitors instead of the other way around. I would think that many species are benefitted from such a design. At least in some part of the exhibit they should be able to elevate themselves above the visitors and also have an undisturbed outlook on their surroundings ("psychologically borrowed space" I think this has been termed).
