Louisville Zoo, multi-species rotation exhibit

Z

zooman

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I heard about this exhibit today. It has been open since 1995!!!
Louisville rotates 5 species orangutan, siamang, tapir, bairusa and Sumatran tiger through four different habitats on a random basis.

A five year study found that the rotation concept, non-stressful and enriching to all the animals.
The enclosures increased activity levels and showed animals demonstrating natural behaviors not previously observed.

What a great idea.
Who has seen this?
Why have other zoos not followed this example?
Any photos?
 
In "The ultimate zoo" series I saw this great exhibit (at least) in concept...I don't know if it works really well.
 
Okapkipr provided a link to the much-discussed topic of exhibit rotation, and I for one am an enormous fan. Only the Louisville Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in North America have created rotation exhibits thus far.
 
The new Savanna in Dallas will be a rotation exhibit with four habitats, 3 accessible to elephants and 2-3 accessible to giraffes and hoofstock. The animals will be rotated throughout the day to allow them to walk over longer distances.
 
Denver Zoo will definitely be rotating Indian rhinos, Malayan tapirs and Asian elephants, but that still has another couple of years to go before it is even close to opening. The Point Defiance Zoo, just south of Seattle, is different because the enclosures are not adjoining or even at times adjacent to each other. There is often a space between the exhibits, and the list of Asian animals is provided for visitors. One never knows what will be in a specific enclosure on any given day.
 
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