America's 100 Must See Exhibits
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
It's really sad to see that Black Bear Falls is one of the few exhibits that focus on the arboreal life of black bears. It's almost like zoos forget that black bears climb trees.35. Black Bear Falls
Zoo Knoxville, TN
Opened: 2000
Size: 1 Acre (0.4 Hectares)
Inhabitants: American Black Bear
Compared to our counterparts in Europe, American zoos love mock-rock sometimes to a fault. Nowhere is there a better example of that than this black bear habitat. With more mock-rock filling this one exhibit than some entire zoos, this unorthodox enclosure is as effective as it is brutally unattractive. Despite its questionable aesthetics, it does succeed in creating a great and incredibly dynamic habitat for the bears. The space is not only dominated by gunite facades, but also by huge, equally ugly artificial trees that provide excellent verticality to the space. It’s built on a slope and the focus on the arboreal element of black bear life which is normally overlooked is excellent. The exhibit is viewed from a long, dark tunnel that has multiple viewing portals of varying sizes. While it's completely unconventional and certainly odd in appearance, for the animals it’s an excellent habitat that suits its inhabitants needs to a tee, even if it’s filled with enough concrete to build a small fallout shelter.
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
@Moebelle
Similar Exhibits: Another black bear exhibit with an overabundance of fake rock is at North Carolina Zoo, although the use of the surrounding wilderness does help to soften its appearance a considerable amount. Cincinnati Zoo's upcoming black bear habitat due to open this year will likely also share some similarities, with the rock facades of the old bear grottos being maintained as part of the project.
@Moebelle
I'm rather confused on why Knoxville's bear exhibit is included here, especially when these sort of comments are included:
There aren't even any photos of climbing bears in the gallery, but there are several derogatory comments about it such as not being as big as it looks, being a brilliant example of overusing mock rock, and that there are far better exhibits for American Black Bears.
For me, I don't understand what elevates it to a must see. It's a overdone grotto with more climbing opportunities than most.
There aren't even any photos of climbing bears in the gallery, but there are several derogatory comments about it such as not being as big as it looks, being a brilliant example of overusing mock rock, and that there are far better exhibits for American Black Bears.
For me, I don't understand what elevates it to a must see. It's a overdone grotto with more climbing opportunities than most.
I think there is definitely a level of ambition as far as the design of this exhibit goes - we're talking about an area that replaced their Marine Mammal section (polar bears and seals) of which the only remnants (penguins) were sent to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies on welfare + construction grounds. Showcasing local wildlife is one thing, and showcasing them in engaging and surprising ways is another thing. I do think the level of ambition the zoo used to heighten the "drama" of this exhibit space is evident, even if it inevitably comes with flaws. A forested hillside would have been much more economical (actually, something along the lines of Stone, ZooAmerica or even North Carolina would have worked just as well in my opinion), but I do get reasons why the zoo went with the design decisions they made. I personally wouldn't discount stuff like the hollow log or the vertical opportunities the bears have, and I wouldn't discount the zoo's ambition in displaying black bears in a creative and memorable way.
Must-see ≠ best, at least certainly not always. There are definitely many much better black bear exhibits out there and this exhibit is extremely odd visually as I've conceded several times in the profile. However, to call it another overdone grotto with more climbing opportunities is simply not true. It's an extremely unique take on a bear exhibit and it's on the this list not in spite of it's looks, but because of it. It's bizarre, imposing, eye-catching, while still be effective for the animals and a providing satisfying visitor experience with it unusual viewing viewing tunnel.
Personally, I was expecting this exhibit on here, and always thought it was considered the "gold standard" for NA Black Bear exhibits, both in terms of space and design. Granted I haven't actually seen it in person, and @pachyderm pro's description certainly didn't do much in the way of convincing everyone it's a worthy inclusion, but I still think that Black Bear Falls is a great exhibit for the bears, and certainly a worthy inclusion. For what it's worth, I for one don't think this is as ugly of an exhibit as some have made it out to be, and at least from photos find it to have an appealing, aesthetically-pleasing design.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
So what if the exhibit is a "grotto"? Grotto's are not inherently bad exhibits. They just tend to be on the smaller side with little enrichment. This exhibit is not at all like that. You're underselling how many climbing opportunities there are for the bears. It is the only exhibit I've seen(in person or by photos) that encourages climbing behavior from black bears. Most black bear exhibits are flat grasslands with a few trees and rocks. This is an exhibit that allows the bears to climb over the visitors. Combine that with unique viewing opportunities and you got a "must see" zoo exhibit.
For me, this would be very much a "must miss" exhibit rather than "must see". There is nothing in the photos or description given here which would make me want to see it in person, although if I was going to this zoo anyway then I would (of course) stop to look at it.
I was looking back at my Knoxville review to see how I described that bear exhibit, and I found this:
Now we all know who to point fingers at
I have mixed feelings about the exhibit myself, but one thing I can say about it: I can't even remember if I saw any bears in it because I was too distracted by giant concrete trees. Is that a good thing? I don't know, but it sure left a lasting impression. I'd chalk this up as a similar entry to Tropic World: it's worth seeing once, if only to find out once and for all how you feel about mock rock... because you really can't talk yourself into ignoring it here!
I'd also be curious to know how much the bears actually use that vertical space; maybe this selection would be more understandable to people if there was a known behavioral benefit, like with gorillas in Howletts-style cages. Regardless, it's a fascinating enclosure.
Now we all know who to point fingers at
I have mixed feelings about the exhibit myself, but one thing I can say about it: I can't even remember if I saw any bears in it because I was too distracted by giant concrete trees. Is that a good thing? I don't know, but it sure left a lasting impression. I'd chalk this up as a similar entry to Tropic World: it's worth seeing once, if only to find out once and for all how you feel about mock rock... because you really can't talk yourself into ignoring it here!
I'd also be curious to know how much the bears actually use that vertical space; maybe this selection would be more understandable to people if there was a known behavioral benefit, like with gorillas in Howletts-style cages. Regardless, it's a fascinating enclosure.
Last edited:
Hell I feel like zoos forgot about black bears in general.
I think this is the most straightforward explanation of your goals with this thread that you have articulated so far -- "extremely odd", "extremely unique", "bizarre, imposing, eye-catching", "unusual". I say this with affection and not disagreement -- comments like these are very clarifying. The quirkier exhibits are often the most surprising on the list.
Did I miss the viewing tunnel in the post's images?
I would definitely agree with this sentiment.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
When I walked in the viewing tunnel it looked like this:
Not sure where you're going with ambition here - I do understand what you're trying to say but the ambition and how it ends up looking don't always line up.
I can agree with this, though the two often go together.
Personally I'd give the gold standard to Northwest Trek or maybe Oregon from what I've seen, particularly if a few more climbing structures were added. Knoxville just is too much mock rock.
They aren't necessarily, I've seen a few that weren't bad at all (Woodland Park), though also a few that left a lot to be desired.
Yes - but how often are they climbing? None of the photos in the gallery show this, and it is only mentioned once from over a decade ago.
Agreed - I do wonder if hauling themselves up and down the concrete trees is hard on their claws and pads. Bark the claws can dig into and it still gives some wear but not like concrete would. Additionally are there any incentives given for the bears to use the vertical space? I haven't seen any enrichment in the photos I've looked at. Most black bears in trees seem to be either going up to get something or getting out of harms way, I've not observed them to be particularly arboreally inclined despite being capable.
It's difficult to answer these questions for zoos that few people visit, unfortunately. We do have reference from 2008 of the bears actively climbing throughout the exhibit, so it was definitely utilized at some point; given the 15-year gap since then, it's possible that the bears have either aged significantly or the novelty has worn off... or they do use the trees frequently and we just don't have enough data points to say.
Northwest Trek's bear enclosures are fantastic, as are most exhibits at that park (in fairness, the exhibits are mostly fenced-in pieces of already beautiful habitat). I didn't see any climb their trees, but I did see one scratch its back on a tree trunk!
The Oakland Zoo has an excellent black bear exhibit with full grown trees for them to climb dozens of feet. That is a model of black bear exhibit excellence.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
Oakland's entire California trail is superb. I would be very disappointed if it didn't make the list.
There's ~250 facilities in the USA with american black bears.
Thank you, that does help a lot with interpreting the exhibit as someone who hasn't been able to experience that exhibit in-person.