Yeah it's big and very impressive, but does anyone else have a thing about nettles in enclosures?
I hate to see them, very few animals will eat them or even go near them (unless you are a goat), so they take up valuable space and dont look good.
I have the one of the 2 Sloth Bears fighting/sparring- I wonder if they were in here at the time? There's also one of a Himalayan bear on a tree platform/nest -in here too maybe?
Its a little ironic that when the ZSL Spectacled Bears were moved to Whipsnade they were kept in really small accomodation not far from this enclosure.
I have the one of the 2 Sloth Bears fighting/sparring- I wonder if they were in here at the time? There's also one of a Himalayan bear on a tree platform/nest -in here too maybe?
Its a little ironic that when the ZSL Spectacled Bears were moved to Whipsnade they were kept in really small accomodation not far from this enclosure.
Agreed. When the spectacled bears were moved from London to Whipsnade, the original plan was to keep them in this enclosure; I don’t know why it didn’t happen. Whipsnade is definitely my favourite UK zoo, but the old spectacled bear accommodation was one of the worst Whipsnade exhibits.
It is interesting that some Brits are ranking this as a truly terrific exhibit, and I've always been impressed from the many photos that I've seen over the years. In North America many of the great bear habitats feature either underwater viewing or are multi-acre enclosures. Woodland Park and Minnesota both have amazing grizzly bear exhibits that are naturalistic and have underwater viewing, while Vancouver, Northwest Trek, Zoo Montana and other zoos have grizzly enclosures that are 1-2 acres in size. There are also probably 20 polar bear enclosures in North American zoos that have underwater viewing, but of course those bears are regarded as semi-aquatic mammals. What is the size of the Whipsnade brown bear exhibit? Is there more than one unobstructed overlook or any viewing areas (like glass windows) besides the metal fencing?
It is interesting that some Brits are ranking this as a truly terrific exhibit, and I've always been impressed from the many photos that I've seen over the years. In North America many of the great bear habitats feature either underwater viewing or are multi-acre enclosures. Woodland Park and Minnesota both have amazing grizzly bear exhibits that are naturalistic and have underwater viewing, while Vancouver, Northwest Trek, Zoo Montana and other zoos have grizzly enclosures that are 1-2 acres in size. There are also probably 20 polar bear enclosures in North American zoos that have underwater viewing, but of course those bears are regarded as semi-aquatic mammals. What is the size of the Whipsnade brown bear exhibit? Is there more than one unobstructed overlook or any viewing areas (like glass windows) besides the metal fencing?
The main viewing is from the raised walkway from where this photo was taken; there is also a small viewing window added in recent years to the fence you see here (the viewing are is just out of frame to the right).
I honestly don't ever remember seeing a brown bear exhibit with underwater viewing - only for Polars.
This exhibit is full of dense foliage and must be around an acre, I'd say - it's hard to judge as it's impossible to see the back from most angles!
EDIT: had a look on Google maps and I'd say the exhibit was approx 80m x 80m, making it around about 1.5 acres.
