Interesting walk-thru exhibits

Taronga Zoo's creatures of the wollemi exhibit is a large walk-through exhibit that has some mammals and reptiles too. Including playpus, rock wallaby, echidna, turtles and lizards.
 
Ree Park in Denmark has a South American walkthrough exhibit with rheas, llamas and Patagonian cavies. Not sure if that's especially unusual, but it's the only zoo where I have tried this, and it was nice to see such enormous birds up close.
 
I'm sorry if this information turns out to be false, but a photograph in the South Lakes gallery has led me to believe they have a walk-through enclosure with yellow anacondas. Can someone confirm this?

Also, more definate walk-through enclosures:
Colchester: Currently building a new South American walk-through that will house silvery marmoset, Geoffroy's marmoset, golden lion tamarin, Linne's two-toed sloth and the long-tailed tamanduas. I understand some other collections (London) have similar setups.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
I'm sorry if this information turns out to be false, but a photograph in the South Lakes gallery has led me to believe they have a walk-through enclosure with yellow anacondas. Can someone confirm this?
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Yes you are correct - it is a area of bark with a pond with no barriers separating it from the public.
 
Wow! :eek: You'd think there would be a whole load of problems with an enclosure like that (e.g theft, the snakes biting people)
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Colchester: Currently building a new South American walk-through that will house silvery marmoset, Geoffroy's marmoset, golden lion tamarin, Linne's two-toed sloth and the long-tailed tamanduas. I understand some other collections (London) have similar setups.
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Yeah, marmosets, tamarins and sloths are pretty much standard for a South American walkthrough exhibit with mammals.

DesertRhino150 said:
Wow! :eek: You'd think there would be a whole load of problems with an enclosure like that (e.g theft, the snakes biting people)
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About them biting people; I actually don't think this is that big of problem. First off, most snakes (I guess also yellow anacondas) and animals in general only bite you if they feel threatened, like if you break their intimate sphere. And most average zoo-goers would rather pet a cute, fuzzy marmoset than these "nasty" and "slimy" snakes. I wouldn't wonder if far more people have been bited by marmosets and tamarins, simply because guests tend to break the intimate sphere of these species more.

About theft: Well, yeah, could be a problem. In Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo in Denmark there is the snake walkthrough "Slangetemplet" (the snake temple). Besides all the snakes being harmless to humans, they are also relatively easy to get hold of again, should they be stolen (most rare species is probably the carpet python). Only problem is that when the rock pythons - which live in a separate exhibit in the temple - have youngs, they live freely in the temple when they are small. It's not allowed for private owners to keep rock pythons in Denmark, so it wouldn't be good if they were stolen.
Back to the topic, as far as I know yellow anacondas are pretty easy to get hold of again, aren't they? Even though safety measures should be taken, like having a keeper in the exhibit.
 
munster have a walk through colobus enclosure which is pretty cool!:)
 
Slightly off-topic I know, Krefeld has free-roaming (juvenile) Colobus (i.e. a human walk-through for monkeys). Basically the mesh on their enclosure is huge and they squeeze out. The zoo are aware, there's signs explaining the issue, and seem to have reached a sensible conclusion that it's low-risk for all parties (and a great novelty for visitors).
 
Al said:
munster have a walk through colobus enclosure which is pretty cool!:)
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Interesting. I hadn't heard of any walk-through colobus enclosures. In fact the only old world monkeys that I knew were in walk-through enclosures were macaques.

Also doesn't a zoo in Australia have cassowaries in a walk-through aviary with other birds? Seems like a pretty risky idea.
 
siamang27 said:
Also doesn't a zoo in Australia have cassowaries in a walk-through aviary with other birds? Seems like a pretty risky idea.
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Melbourne Zoo does BUT they're only in half of the exhibit and in that half the visitors are on boardwalks a good 2 metres off the ground. There could be others but this is the onlt one i know of.
 
Another South Lakes Walkthrough include ones with 3 emus which walk on the path and another with flamingoes (although it is on a walk way)
 
That does sounds neat, do the Colobus monkeys mind their own business or do they come up to the visitors?
 
Woburn has a Wallaby and Rhea walk thru. I've seen a Rhea in a strop and found it terrifying, those things can have your eye out if you look at them funny, I stood close to the door while my companions walked round and bolted out when one started to run!! The wallabys are very tame though, and a small white youngster was trying to get attention from me, I have to admit it got a tickle on its ear.
 
The British Wildlife Centre has a walk-through red squirrel/ muntjac enclosure.....
 
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