I wouldn't want to see senior animals displaced by complete renovation/rebuild, but adding some landscaping to these old concrete exhibits would do wonders for the animals and the perception.
Senior animals should of course be treated well and live out their lives in safety and comfort. The chimps and polar bears seem to be senior animals from what you are saying. Hopefully once they pass then their exhibits will too.
How is the new hippo exhibit? Is it adequate, or just a proverbial coat of paint on the cramped old exhibit?
The last time I was at the SF Zoo was just before the last African elephant left, the tiger disaster, and the grizzly bear exhibit opened. I have read that there are new rhino exhibits. I really do want to see this zoo succeed.
There are many seniors, yes the Polars and Chimps, as well the Andean Bear, the female Black Rhino, the Grey Seal, more I'm sure. I don't have a problem with the landscaping issue for the most part except for the Andean Bear. The Polars could use the landscaping but if they were rotated as they should be there wouldn't be that much a problem. The Andean Bear is a real problem for me. He's precious and it breaks my heart. ... I'm sure the point you made is prob what the Management is unfortunately waiting for. which is wrong. ... The Hippo pool is much better and seems to be enough room as I have seen the Hippo run from his little meadow to the pool, so he seems to have a good amount of space for his actions. I don't think there was a meadow in the old exhibit as I only remember the two Hippos in the pol and they looked like they couldn't turn around even. I have heard the night quarters for both the Hippo and the RHino's isn't great. That its small and not much if any turn around room. ... The Black Rhino exhibit is curious to me. It doesn't seem all that different from when the Elephants lived there. As well the flooring is odd in that its mostly a hard compact sand type surface that seems like it would be too hard for an animal who stands most of the time and is that heavy. I actually thought that was part of the problem with the Elephants. That aside, recently there was an issue I brought to the surface regarding the negligence of oiling the female and the lack of rotation of the male and female between the front and back parts of the exhibit. The Zoo said that the female wasn't oiled because in the back part it wasn't feasible! There is more to the issue, but in respect to the exhibit, in hindsight because of this I think a better design for the space would have been a split of the yards side by side rather than front and back. So that both animals have access to the front and back, because it seems no matter which one is in the rear its seems bored and just lays down. .. Contrary to what some think, I want the Zoo to thrive. I love the Animals there and want them to have a place to live out their lives. Not have a ship of fools run it to the ground, which is what I fear.
From what I've heard, the Black Rhino's need oiling because their skin dries out easy. At one point in time, these Rhinos were oiled often and then it became obvious they were not being oiled at all, esp the female when her skin grew increasingly dry and chalky and eventually started cracking. They are now being oiled regularly.
All I can say is what has been my experience and the Rhino in the front is always up, moving around, visitor curious and the Rhino in the back is mostly laying down.
no, unless the small weedy growth gets wet int he rain, the surface is pretty much the compact sand/cement mix (?). there is a pool that is unused, i think because of the female's age.
