Inhabitant finally on view at the third time of asking! The other half of the exhibit is densely planted and even in winter it is not possible to see the back of the exhibit.
The concrete has no effect on the animal's lifestyle, and the enclosure is huge and lush. Lol, the last thing Aspinall would do is spend precious money replacing a concrete wall to make it look pretty.
The concrete has no effect on the animal's lifestyle, and the enclosure is huge and lush. Lol, the last thing Aspinall would do is spend precious money replacing a concrete wall to make it look pretty.
@ZooLeopard - The concrete element is entirely minimal. The back of the exhibit is concealed from view from dense planting, even in the middle of the winter. I don't see that the animal is going to care one way or another about the concrete - it can see over it anyway - this is a ha-ha NOT a pit. The main area of the exhibit is as high as (or slightly higher than) the top of the barrier at the front of the exhibit.
Pfft. It's like snowleopard reversed: Don't give a naturalistic exhibit with a moat that gives a clear view, give it a fence instead...
It's a great enclosure! Have you seen it?
Excuse me, but how can someone who regularly praises colchester call this a shoddy exhibit. It is, in my opinion, one of the best enclosures at Howletts and is actually one of the few exhibits where the barriers are obscured - why does it matter that it is not wood and wire?
I would echo Ash's question - have you seen this in person? The exhibit is a patch of scrub woodland with a barrier around it. The barrier (unlike most at Howletts) allows uninterrupted views of the animals.
How is this 'shoddy'?? Surely this is better than the other Howletts exhibits because of this barrier? Just as good an animal habitat but with better viewing?
And you are (of course) entitled to it - but I'm still interested to know if you have seen the exhibit in person, because this really doesn't show the whole exhibit. Not by a long chalk.
Here's another angle - note the thick vegetation at the back - the housing I mentioned is hidden by the trees at the left-hand-side.
