This is such a big disappointment to me, especially since I have constantly been pushing the Swedish legislation on animal welfare in zoos here at ZooChat. It is possible that the combined size of the indoor and outdoor areas for the apes just about fulfills the legal requirements, but even if so, this is obviously not good enough.
Now you understand one of my original points why I was not in favour of such legislation, they have clear done the bear minimum instead of their best.
Maybe with not having the space requirements would of mean't that they would of provided a smaller out door area but could of afforded to plant the whole island up to give them some cover.
This is not really a new exbihit, just a new island , and it is just remodeled a bit. It has probably seen the looks the same since 1973. As it is now,
It is only temporary, and within a few years, the entire area be built on, right now there is no possibility to simply build the outside island bigger. To do that i think the whole great - ape house must be rebuilt.
They have plans to build a new area fore Chimps , Gibbons and Gorillas soon. I dont knew the details , so I cant say so much more. But i hope that they build both new outdoor and indoor enclousers.
Like rillekolmard said this is not really a new island. It is just a renovation of the old one which had become quite worn-down. The island looks better now than it did when this picture was taken (more plants, etc.) though it is still not adequate for a troop of gorillas.
I too have heard the rumours of Kolmården's new Ape House and it would be a logical choice for the next new exhibit. Let's just hope it doesn't include a rollercoaster!
Now you understand one of my original points why I was not in favour of such legislation, they have clear done the bear minimum instead of their best.
Maybe with not having the space requirements would of mean't that they would of provided a smaller out door area but could of afforded to plant the whole island up to give them some cover.
That is undoubtably a very interesting and certainly most reasonable argument/observation, but I will still stand by original view - that the minimum space requirements in Swedish law is something good. This very exhibit might just be the exception to the rule, but to 99% I think the law really works fine.
That is undoubtably a very interesting and certainly most reasonable argument/observation, but I will still stand by original view - that the minimum space requirements in Swedish law is something good. This very exhibit might just be the exception to the rule, but to 99% I think the law really works fine.
I look at some of these crappy little cages in the UK zoos "the size of a football field" (the entire zoo, not the cages) and sometimes think that this is not much better then what I see in these horrible "roadside zoos" in North America.
And then we are only discussing the supposedly civilised world.......................
Or are you simply fearing that if such a law was introduced in the UK, it would result in plain, grovel filled rectangles filled up with tiges and apes? If so, remember that the Swedish laws do not ONLY deal with size, it also requires lots of other stuff such as climbing opportunies (when relevant) etc. Lots of other requirements, in fact.
That is why I am so disappointed by this gorilla outdoor enclosure and I hope that the forumsters claiming it to be a temporarily solution is right.
