My first real look at what the exhibit looks like - thank you for posting. Not sure I like the obviosly fake rock pile and large pipe sticking out - I suppose it is supposed to fit the silver mine them. But their other big cat exhibits are all 100% natural. If this is the direction the zoo's new head is going in (this being his first exhibit), I don't think I like it. I hope he doesn't ruin one of my favorite zoos, which I believe was run continuosly from its founding by the same woman until this new guy took over last year.
My first real look at what the exhibit looks like - thank you for posting. Not sure I like the obviosly fake rock pile and large pipe sticking out - I suppose it is supposed to fit the silver mine them. But their other big cat exhibits are all 100% natural. If this is the direction the zoo's new head is going in (this being his first exhibit), I don't think I like it. I hope he doesn't ruin one of my favorite zoos, which I believe was run continuosly from its founding by the same woman until this new guy took over last year.
This exhibit is actually quite spectacular. The "fake rock" doesn't look fake in context and the whole exhibit blends in with the surrounding Sonoran desert garden. This is the first desert themed jaguar exhibit that I have seen. I know that the Arizona Sonoran-Desert Museum had a jaguar, but it was in a conventional 1960s era zoo big cat cage. This exhibit is fully realized as a desert jaguar habitat in contrast to the "jungle cat" exhibits that one usually finds them in. It is spacious and was great to see the cat roaming around it. I would assess this as the best jaguar exhibit in California, although the new San Diego Zoo one is good too.
Yes the shots and videos I have seen of this exhibit from other angles do look pretty good. I look forward to seeing it in person one day.
The wild sonoran jaguars are now right in my backyard, so to speak. The latest camera trap photos show a male in the Santa Rita Mountains, which are the mountains that border the east side of the Tucson valley.
