Animals that Can't be Exhibited in Open Topped Enclosures?

On the topic of primates, Minnesota Zoo has their white cheeked gibbons in what is technically an open top enclosure, if you ignore the fact that it's in a larger building with a roof. They're really impressive climbers, swingers, and jumpers... who hate water. Gibbons can't swim and hate water, so the MN zoo gibbon enclosure is basically an island surrounded by a (not terribly deep, but pretty wide) moat. They've got ducks and flamingos who live in the water and it all seems to go well. The only issues they've ever had have occurred when the gibbons float across the water using large leaves as boats- something easy enough to manage with a watchful eye and some pruning shears.
 
filovirus said:
On the topic of primates, Minnesota Zoo has their white cheeked gibbons in what is technically an open top enclosure, if you ignore the fact that it's in a larger building with a roof. They're really impressive climbers, swingers, and jumpers... who hate water. Gibbons can't swim and hate water, so the MN zoo gibbon enclosure is basically an island surrounded by a (not terribly deep, but pretty wide) moat. They've got ducks and flamingos who live in the water and it all seems to go well. The only issues they've ever had have occurred when the gibbons float across the water using large leaves as boats- something easy enough to manage with a watchful eye and some pruning shears.
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I'm familiar with gibbon/primate islands, and I must say they impress me very much! I was fortunate to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo some time ago and see their lovely gibbon island (the best exhibit at the zoo along with its California condor and bald eagle exhibits). Coincidentally, for a spec zoo I have been trying to figure out how to make a nice mixed species orangutan, gibbon, and small-clawed otter exhibit that combines the popular primate island exhibit with glass viewing. I made a thread about this under the spec zoo forums but never received a response. Perhaps you can have a look at it and offer me some advice on it? I'll be leaving the link to that thread right here in case you or anyone else get a chance to look at it. So I want to make a large exhibit where half of the exhibit is an island separated from the visitors path via a water moat, while the other half of the exhibit is covered with an extremely tall wall, one big enough that the gibbons can't leap over it. Beyond the wall are the indoor holdings and glass viewing for guests. This would create the best of both worlds, a visually pleasing "natural" island open-topped exhibit, plus glass viewing so visitors can have close interactions with the apes.

https://www.zoochat.com/community/t...rangutan-gibbon-mixed-species-exhibit.488535/
 
When Lincoln Park Zoo built Regenstein Center for African Apes, they described the intent was to rotate gorillas between all three habitats but chimpanzees only between the two mesh-topped enclosures as it was believed that the chimpanzee were too clever escape artists for an open-topped exhibit.

St. Louis Zoo is one of the only facilities in the United States with an open-topped jaguar exhibit, something that often arouses concern since they are known for their climbing abilities.
 
JVM said:
When Lincoln Park Zoo built Regenstein Center for African Apes, they described the intent was to rotate gorillas between all three habitats but chimpanzees only between the two mesh-topped enclosures as it was believed that the chimpanzee were too clever escape artists for an open-topped exhibit.

St. Louis Zoo is one of the only facilities in the United States with an open-topped jaguar exhibit, something that often arouses concern since they are known for their climbing abilities.
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Interesting, St Louis Zoo should probably change it if it arouses concern
 
Pine martens(or any marten species for that matter) are one of the best mammalian climbers and are also extremly resourceful. They would also be way to small and quick to be caught easily.
 
Tapirus Lar said:
Non flight-restricted birds
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FYI, it's typically frowned upon to comment on old threads (e.g., this one hasn't been used in eight months), especially without something really valuable to add. In this case, had you read the thread you would've realized that flighted birds were already discussed, meaning this post adds nothing new to the conversation. Flighted birds were already discussed, such as in the post below:

Osedax said:
There are several obvious animals that can never be kept in an open-topped exhibit - bats, most birds, butterflies.
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From the ZooChat guidelines for beginners (Found Here: Guidelines for Beginners)

ZooBinh said:
9) Do not bump old threads. There are many threads that have been inactive for months or even years. If you do not have anything of value to add to the thread, then don't post it. I have seen this with many new members lately. In my case (on this thread), than I am adding value, as I am pointing out some mistakes new members make by not reading the forum rules. If you are updating on a news thread, or updating a project, than it is considered a thing of value, but a random question or statement is considered bumping the thread, which is not adding a thing of value.
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Osedax said:
I don't understand why you quoted my post here? I didn't bump the thread - in fact, my reply was posted the day after the thread was created.
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Sorry- I realize my post was a little misleading. I meant that @Tapirus Lar's post:
Tapirus Lar said:
Non flight-restricted birds
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added nothing new to the conversation, as he bumped up the thread, when you had already discussed flighted birds on the first page. Apologies, my post wasn't intended the way I now realize it appears.
 
Neil chace said:
FYI, it's typically frowned upon to comment on old threads (e.g., this one hasn't been used in eight months), especially without something really valuable to add. In this case, had you read the thread you would've realized that flighted birds were already discussed, meaning this post adds nothing new to the conversation. Flighted birds were already discussed, such as in the post below:
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I am sorry:oops:
BTW I did read the thread, @Osedax told birds, however many birds are kept in open-topped enclosures [flight-restricted in some way] so I thought id make it clearer.
My apologies if just 'birds' was self-explanatory in some way I did not comprehend
 
Lastly, could rock hyraxes escape from an open topped enclosure? I've never seen an open topped rock hyrax enclosure before. And again, would they be able to escape if it had overhead crossing, like leap down from it and scatter off?[/QUOTE]
i know that the Bronx, the living desert and San Diego all have hyrax in open toped enclosures
 
Conor McGarry said:
Lastly, could rock hyraxes escape from an open topped enclosure? I've never seen an open topped rock hyrax enclosure before. And again, would they be able to escape if it had overhead crossing, like leap down from it and scatter off?
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i know that the Bronx, the living desert and San Diego all have hyrax in open toped enclosures[/QUOTE]
Edinburgh used to hold rock hyraxes in an open topped enclosure, but not anymore. The enclosure was big and had large walls around as was on a hill, so there was no chance they could escape.
 
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