Big cats indoors

NNM.

NNM.

Well-Known Member
Not too long ago, a small exchange was had on @snowleopard 's popular thread of all the mammals they've ever seen in zoos. It was about the Amur leopard exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, and how no one really liked it all that much. One of the issues is that it was fully inside the rainforest building Jungle World. There were bigger problems, but this still had me thinking.

I know the idea of keeping animals exclusively indoors, with no outdoor access, is a polarizing topic, but this is even more so for specific animals. What do people think of specifically keeping any kind of big cat completely indoors?

Personally, I think it depends on the cat. It was weird seeing tigers in an all-indoor exhibit at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver. Then again, that entire place was just kind of odd. It would also be bizarre and just kind of wrong to do the same for lions and snow leopards. I would say jaguars, but I believe they are kept inside in some establishments. Whether or not they are, I still don't really like the thought of it. Seeing as leopards are the smallest big cats, they're the only ones I can really see working in indoor exhibits, but I'm still not thrilled about it.
 
Loveland in Utah keeps Clouded Leopards indoors, habitat seems fine to me tbh, it does have a day night cycle and changing lighting within. Not to mention misting for plants often.

Then again, my experience when it comes to Clouded Leopard habitats is relatively small
 
Bunnyrich said:
Loveland in Utah keeps Clouded Leopards indoors, habitat seems fine to me tbh, it does have a day night cycle and changing lighting within. Not to mention misting for plants often.

Then again, my experience when it comes to Clouded Leopard habitats is relatively small
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Clouded leopards feel like they're only "technically" big cats, they're so much smaller than the Panthera species. They seem to be kept entirely indoors quite often.
 
What is the added value of keeping a big cat entirely indoors? Most mammals that are generally kept indoors are kept indoors for a reason (e.g. small & tropical). These reasons don't exist for big cats in the first place. For big cats it is unpractical to provide a large (or ideally for most species multiple) enclosures entirely indoors to start with.

More importantly, cats have acute hearing, sense of smell and, especially leopards, love to lounge with a view. An indoor enclosure is never going to deliver these stimuli in the way an outdoor exhibit can deliver (if done well). So from a welfare perspective indoors is going to be far worse than an outdoor exhibit.
 
lintworm said:
What is the added value of keeping a big cat entirely indoors? Most mammals that are generally kept indoors are kept indoors for a reason (e.g. small & tropical). These reasons don't exist for big cats in the first place. For big cats it is unpractical to provide a large (or ideally for most species multiple) enclosures entirely indoors to start with.

More importantly, cats have acute hearing, sense of smell and, especially leopards, love to lounge with a view. An indoor enclosure is never going to deliver these stimuli in the way an outdoor exhibit can deliver (if done well). So from a welfare perspective indoors is going to be far worse than an outdoor exhibit.
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That’s largely what I was thinking. It’s technically possible to do, but definitely not preferred.
 
Keeping big cats entirely indoors is something that has become incredibly rare in the modern zoo world. It seems almost ludicrous these days, yet there are still examples in a few zoos around the world. I don't see any good reasons for keeping big cats inside 24/7.

Seeing a white Tiger slumbering in a corner of this all-indoor 'ruined temple' exhibit at Downtown Aquarium Houston (USA) in 2015 was depressing.

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In 2012, at Downtown Aquarium Denver (USA), I saw 3 Sumatran Tigers in this all-indoor exhibit:

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NNM. said:
Not too long ago, a small exchange was had on @snowleopard 's popular thread of all the mammals they've ever seen in zoos. It was about the Amur leopard exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, and how no one really liked it all that much. One of the issues is that it was fully inside the rainforest building Jungle World. There were bigger problems, but this still had me thinking.

I know the idea of keeping animals exclusively indoors, with no outdoor access, is a polarizing topic, but this is even more so for specific animals. What do people think of specifically keeping any kind of big cat completely indoors?

Personally, I think it depends on the cat. It was weird seeing tigers in an all-indoor exhibit at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver. Then again, that entire place was just kind of odd. It would also be bizarre and just kind of wrong to do the same for lions and snow leopards. I would say jaguars, but I believe they are kept inside in some establishments. Whether or not they are, I still don't really like the thought of it. Seeing as leopards are the smallest big cats, they're the only ones I can really see working in indoor exhibits, but I'm still not thrilled about it.
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Snow leopards are smaller than leopards :p but I agree with you generally.
 
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