Praque Zoo

Unfortunately, not really. The species was doing well due to local internationally supported in-situ projects, but recently declined in numbers due to several reasons, among others sudden death of several individuals (mostly young males), poaching and removing of sand banks to use the sand as building material.
Gharial - Gavialis gangeticus: Species Information - ARKive
 
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The enclosure at San Diego looks very good... I thought reptile alley was supposed to be relatively poor...
 
Actually Reptile Messa is well designed, the animals are in very natural exhibits with plenty of space....and the frog exhibits are fascinating..theres outdoor exhibits for iguanas and tortoises too...
 
The 2008 book "America's Best Zoos" ranks the San Diego Zoo as #1 in the nation for its outstanding, open-air reptile house and adjacent reptile mesa. I visited San Diego in 2006 and was hugely impressed with the quantity of reptiles there, and the "mesa" portion at the back of the actual reptile house was arguably the best part of the entire exhibit. Huge galapagos tortoises and an array of lizards are visible there, and in such an amazing zoo the reptile collection more than holds its own.
 
@docend24: Medical training or training in general to improve the husbandry for both animals and staff (like going from one enclosure to another on command) doesn't turn a (zoo) animal into a "dummy".
 
I didn't want to be harsh I´m just not a fan of too much training at all. I want to see animals in their natural beauty not with a man poking them with a stick and shouting "Water, water". I understand there can be rituals etc. live enrichment, some kind of communication (especially with apes and other pretty intelligent animals) but in my opinion this should not go beyond necessary things and things for special situations (which makes things easier in case of necessary evacaution etc.).

I don't think zoo visitors should see a man poking gavial, crocodile, any reptile at all. They can feed them more subtle way and unless there is something to be done because of the husbandry there should be no interference - imho.
 
@docend24: From my point of view & experience, medical training can be a great alleviation for both animals and staff. In the best case, I don't have to knock the animal down, corner it or wrestle it to the ground for routine and minor procedures. If well done, this means less stress and risks for both animal and staff and makes some new forms of husbandry possible. It can even help to avoid problems and achieve better treatment, like teaching apes to bring lost items or their youngs to the keeper. The training seems even to be appretiated by the animals themselves-otherwise they wouldn't approach and follow the commands. Especially in terms of "intelligent" species, may they be primates, parrots or Komodo Dragons, such training might even serve as mental exercise to fight boredom. And by doing so, the zoos can actually really contribute in terms of education and scientific research-see observations on Cuban crocodile behaviour and intelligence. To achieve such positive conditioning, the learning patterns have to be repeated, using different training devices such as staffs. "Poking" is clearly the incorrect description of the zookeeper's careful usage of his staff in the video.

Animals in a zoo exhibit don't live in an impenetrable stasis field where nobody has access. The zoo staff has to work out-and inside the exhibit and quite often, with the animals themselves. Therefore, training alleviating the necessary work for all involved is, "imho", wise and reasonable.

If You don't want to see such training, better watch animals in the wild-or just visit the exhibit outside the training sessions, to see their "natural beauty"...;)
 
Training (if done correctly) can definitely be very benefical for:

- Animal physical and physcological well being
- Keeper/animal bonding
- Allow keepers and medical staff to inspect for problems before they become serious

The only thing to be mindful of is the line between positive reinforcement and "dancing bear" type training, this was clearly the former...
 
We do a great deal of training with our orangutans with some very beneficial results. One of the animals has chronic respiratory problems and has to be nebulized everyday. This wouldn't be possible without the training. Also, just this weekend we discovered while brushing the female's teeth that she has a broken tooth. We wouldn't have seen this without having trained her to open her mouth.
 
Rookeyper said:
One of the animals has chronic respiratory problems and has to be nebulized everyday. This wouldn't be possible without the training. Also, just this weekend we discovered while brushing the female's teeth that she has a broken tooth. We wouldn't have seen this without having trained her to open her mouth.
Click to expand...

Her chest and teeth problems aren't because of the public supplying cigarettes are they..?
 
That would never happen would it?;) Aren't all zoo visitors perfectly well behaved and respectful? Our zoo is non-smoking and no one ever breaks that rule. I'm sure the cigarette butts we find on the grounds are brought in by the sea gulls or Canada geese! Besides, our orangs are behind glass!
 
Ha Ha, very droll... I'm told the eldery lone chimp at Auckland Zoo knows which keepers smoke and has become quite adept at begging (after hours of course)...
 
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