In point of fact, I would contend not only that Chester's exhibit complex for Okapi is
better than the one at Wild Place, but that I suspect those people voting for the latter collection have been swayed by misleading photography and an automatic assumption that Wild Place must be better because it is the newest exhibit
and possibly also a desire to vote against Chester.
Firstly, although Wild Place
is certainly the second-best Okapi exhibit in the UK, a few points must be noted; it covers rather less space than the Chester exhibit complex does, at 2,100 m² in total as opposed to the 2,700 m² exhibit complex at Chester. Moreover, the complex is standing mostly empty, with several of the 5 paddocks mentioned by
@Ned currently unoccupied due to the fact the collection is down to 0,2 individuals..... and as already noted, these individuals occupy a rather small and pokey indoor shed. I am not sure which exhibits are occupied and which are unoccupied, so I don't know whether the current inhabitants have access to it, but judging from Google Maps the "large and very wooded" exhibit which Ned mentioned is 675 m².
Secondly, the exhibit complex at Chester is both larger and more lushly-vegetated than the single photograph provided by BZF would indicate; this image depicts approximately one-third of a single paddock and therefore does a poor job of representing the exhibit complex as a whole, which comprises the following:
1) A pair of linked outdoor enclosures connected to the main indoor house
2) A large onshow indoor paddock with offshow housing elsewhere in the house
3) A secondary indoor house which is entirely offshow
4) A semi-offshow outdoor paddock which is fed by the secondary house and can only be viewed from afar across a canal.
Currently, I believe the complex as a whole contains 2,2 individuals, plus a number of Red Natal Duiker which share the main house and paddocks. It is worth noting that the indoor viewing for the species is rather better in quality than is the case at other UK collections too - not only is the indoor paddock a lot larger than is the case elsewhere, but unlike elsewhere it comprises more than a mere stable pen. Moreover, the lighting in the indoor area is deliberately kept low, and viewing is obtained through scattered small windows and mesh, which helps to provide the inhabitants with some degree of privacy and areas within the paddock where they can avoid view, along with light levels closer to that found in their natural habitat.
Main paddocks:
Interior viewing window and portion of the onshow indoor paddock:
Semi-offshow paddock:
