@snowleopard: how are the bear exhibits at the Oregon Zoo? The last time I visited was 1994 and my main memory of them was that penguins were being held in this part of the polar bear exhibit because the penguin exhibit was being renovated so the polar bears were in a disappointing concrete grotto, as were sun bears. The grizzly bears had a nice grassy exhibit which I think has now been converted to a lion exhibit? I think there are now American black bears at the zoo and no grizzlies?
@DAVID: The sun bear grotto is hideous, quite small, and downright awful. The polar bear enclosure is better aesthetically, but is 25 years old and houses a couple of elderly bears that are just as old. The master plan calls for a complete overhaul of the polar bear exhibit, as the current one is apparently incredibly hot in the summer months as the concrete maintains the heat and the bears have had issues with the rising temperature.
The grizzlies are long gone and Predators of the Serengeti (which is excellent) replaced the Alaskan Tundra zone. Black bears are featured in a $2 million exhibit in the Great Northwest section of the zoo, and for the most part the enclosure is decent although I don't like the large-scale use of chain-link fencing and in sections of the exhibit visitors are peering down at the bears.
