Exactly as you described it, but the photo above perhaps shows only half of the actual exhibit size. I think that I could count on one hand the number of good quality snow leopard habitats in North American zoos.
Seattle, Bronx, LA, Oklahoma City, Sat Lake City, St. Louis, Colorado Springs, and Brookfield are the only decent Snow Leopard exhibits I could think of. 8 zoos out of probably 50 have adequate Snow Leopard exhibits
The exhibit has remained the same for as long as I can remember, but there was a renovation of the enclosure a few years ago. There were several visitor amenities added such as large graphics, a video and information posters outside of the habitat. If the "Asian Highlands" set of exhibits ever gets the greenlight then the Woodland Park Zoo will include new snow leopard, red panda, etc, habitats in that section of the zoo. "Asian Highlands" will connect up with "Northern Trail" to form a large loop.
Exactly as you described it, but the photo above perhaps shows only half of the actual exhibit size. I think that I could count on one hand the number of good quality snow leopard habitats in North American zoos.
Still a bit puzzled why you regard that Swiss enclosure to be particularily good! Isn´t the much larger enclosure at Kolmården Zoo in Sweden the best of them all?
Just hinking that otherwise, you and I seems more than most members here at ZooChat to be convinced that size of enclosure matters...
I remember seeing a snow leopard perched on its mountain edge at the Zurich Zoo and being blown away by how well the big cat blended into its environment, as well as how well the exhibit was designed. The snow leopard habitat at the Kolmarden Zoo in Sweden is also excellent, as is the Bronx Zoo's trio of enclosures. Space is of course a priority of mine, but seeing zoo enclosures in person is a whole different ballpark from gazing at online photos. I really need to see exhibits in the "flesh and blood" to rank them or make an executive decision.
Zurich and Bronx exhibits are designed cleverly to hide any obviousbarriers. The Kolmarden exhibit, while clearly large and varied, also clearly reveals the boundaries of the enclosure, which takes away from the overall impact. Also, from the photos the Kolmarden viewing areas are very much separated from the exhibit, whereas in New York and Zurich the public "immersion" is very convincing. A great exhibit is more than just providing big areas for animals--it is after all creating an experience for visitors too that should be considered
