Zoo of the Future: A Photographic Gallery of Innovation in Zoological Gardens of the World

[Jurek7]

I agree that the gelada exhibit at Bronx zoo is very good, as are several others. I chosen the above ones, because I focused on the topic of vertical space with primates living over the heads of ungulates. Although one can say that the animals no longer share the same space, so this is not really a mixed exhibit In this case, Poznan exhibit was an illustration of a not usual species mix, and Wroclaw exhibit simply had photos illustrating the concept especially well

Bronx zoo exhibits will appear later in this thread, but for different reasons, and one more of the exhibits mentioned before will appear, too

 

[Jurek7]

13. Beluga sturgeon, Kattegatcentret
Overlooked local threatened species

One might believe that the animals in the developed Europe are well known, well protected, and that zoos have little potential for something new. Not. There are surprisingly many overlooked animals and conservation needs.

Sturgeons are a whole group of fish which became so rare in Europe, that they were completely forgotten as native species. Yet, before they were wiped out for meat and caviar, shoals of several species of these giant, armored, ancient fish migrated from the sea up European rivers to spawn.

Beluga sturgeon Huso huso is native to Italy, Balkan Peninsula and further east, coming from the Adriatic and Black Sea to breed in Po and Danube, making epic migrations up to 1700 km upstream. It has a prehistoric appearance, attains the age of 100 years and a size of over 7 meters and 1500 kg in weight. There are also ancient records of even larger ones, overturning boats trying to catch them. Why such a monster is not more popular in aquaria and in the public imagination?

Photo: @Hanjo

It dwarfs an arapaima and competes with the great white shark for the title of the biggest predatory fish. Nowadays, most belugas are dwarfed, with individuals of an average size of 'only' 2 meters.

Photo: @KevinB

The future of sturgeons depends on fishery centres and preventing fish poaching. The beluga sturgeon is present in 14 EU and 6 non-EU European zoos.

Beluga in another aquarium. This is apparently an older individual, which changes from a long nose typical for other sturgeons and juvenile belugas to a blunt face typical of mature belugas. By the way, beluga whale is a misnomer, named after the beluga sturgeon. Photo: @birdsandbats

Other species:
There are surprisingly many such overlooked animals in Europe. Balkan lynx Lynx lynx balcanicus is a genetically distinct subspecies of lynx, confined to a small area in Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and formerly Montenegro and Greece and numbering just 27-52 adult and subadult lynx.

Lynxes breed well in zoos, and an insurance population or a reintroduction program could be done, like it was done for other subspecies of Eurasian and Iberian Lynx in Western Europe. Alas, none exists at present. There is a lynx in Tirana Zoo of apparently this subspecies.

Alleged Balkan Lynx in Tirana zoo by albinfo, open source Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Greater spotted eagle Clanga clanga is a vulnerable raptor which just reaches Central Europe, with a handful of pairs breeding in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland. Some of these few birds winter in Western Europe. This bird s so rare that most pairs are mixed species, paired with the more common lesser spotted eagle or hybrids.

A good case would exist to supplement the population with released eagles. A project of boosting productivity of chicks by transplanting eaglets from two-chick broods to other nests, or raising and releasing them was discussed, but nothing came of it. There are rescues in nine European and EAZA zoos, but no attempt has been made to breed or release them, even by falconry centres.

Photo: @Jakub

Pyrenean Desman Galemys pyrenaicus from Spain and Portugal and Russian Desman Desmana moschata from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are members of the mole family, semi-aquatic and visually striking with their proboscis-like noses. Both are endangered but not kept in any zoo. This is only a taxidermic model:

Photo: @Fishapod

Many threatened species are small, suitable even for a little collection. Bavarian Pine Vole Microtus bavaricus living in Germany and Austria was not discovered by science until 1962, then in its only known habitat was destroyed. In was rediscovered in 2000, and still no concrete protection plan exists in the wild. The first Bavarian Pine Vole appeared in zoo in 2021 and first bred in 2022. In 2023, the offspring was already sent to 3 more zoos. Hopefully, in future, the species will be secure. It is only one of 9 threatened small rodents found in Europe.

Photo: @remar

Cyclades blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera schweizeri is endemic to four small islands in Greece. This one is present in zoos, but there are 5 critically threatened and 12 endangered land reptiles and 5 critically threatened and 10 endangered amphibians in Europe. Most are endemic to small regions, in Southern Europe or Mediterranean islands.

For example, Golden Alpine Salamander Salamandra atra aurorae, from a small area in Italy, is colorful and critically endangered. This plump and colorful critter is one of amphibians that arouse mostly positive feelings among common people. Unfortunately, none is present in zoos currently, and no photo exists on Zoochat.

Photo: @Tomek

Rhone Steber Zingel asper which requires clean, stony, fast flowing waters, survived in 4 tiny sections of rivers in France and Switzerland, isolated by dams. Recently, four zoos keep this species, mostly for education purposes. There are as many as 174 threatened freshwater fish in Europe, mostly confined to just one small section of river, lake or wetland.

Photo: @NRJMelvinT

The USA have its share of forgotten threatened species. For example, there are Hawaiian honeycreepers, like this Maui Parrotbill Pseudonestor xanthophrys.

Photo: @JaxElephant

 

[Batto]

Cyclades blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera schweizeri is endemic to four small islands in Greece. This one is present in zoos, but there are 5 critically threatened and 12 endangered land reptiles and 5 critically threatened and 10 endangered amphibians in Europe. Most are endemic to small regions, in Southern Europe or Mediterranean islands.

Funny enough, I'm in negotiations with Citizen Conservation to establish a coordinated breeding project for this species in the near future. Never say never.

 

[Jana]

Greater spotted eagle Clanga clanga is a vulnerable raptor which just reaches Central Europe, with a handful of pairs breeding in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and Poland. Some of these few birds winter in Western Europe. This bird s so rare that most pairs are mixed species, paired with the more common lesser spotted eagle or hybrids.

A good case would exist to supplement the population with released eagles. A project of boosting productivity of chicks by transplanting eaglets from two-chick broods to other nests, or raising and releasing them was discussed, but nothing came of it. There are rescues in nine European and EAZA zoos, but no attempt has been made to breed or release them, even by falconry centres.

Photo: @Jakub

Same project for closely related lesser spotted eagle is being implemented in Germany for like 2 decades and with sparse results. They hand-raise second chicks from remaining wild German nests, but also collect chicks in Poland and Baltics. Absolute majority of released birds die during their first migration over Mediterrain sea due to their inability to find Bospor (or other) straight.

To start working on a release program for greater spotted eagle would be unwise as long as Germans don´t find some working solutions to this problem. Otherwise, to build a captive breeding program, rope a dozen or so zoos in, then release chicks free with great media fanfare only for them to drown themselves on live stream within weeks - might not be popular.

BTW: GSE species used to breed in my country in middle of 19th century, we have two preserved chicks with exact location of collection spot stored in regional museum. Unfortunately it seems it got localy extinct not only due to persecution but also due to losing its preffered habitat (light permanently flooded forests with minimum human disturbance). Reintroduction here would be futile if we can´t recreate its habitat first.

 

[Jurek7]

Same project for closely related lesser spotted eagle is being implemented in Germany for like 2 decades and with sparse results. They hand-raise second chicks from remaining wild German nests, but also collect chicks in Poland and Baltics. Absolute majority of released birds die during their first migration over Mediterrain sea due to their inability to find Bospor (or other) straight.

To start working on a release program for greater spotted eagle would be unwise as long as Germans don´t find some working solutions to this problem. Otherwise, to build a captive breeding program, rope a dozen or so zoos in, then release chicks free with great media fanfare only for them to drown themselves on live stream within weeks - might not be popular.

BTW: GSE species used to breed in my country in middle of 19th century, we have two preserved chicks with exact location of collection spot stored in regional museum. Unfortunately it seems it got localy extinct not only due to persecution but also due to losing its preffered habitat (light permanently flooded forests with minimum human disturbance). Reintroduction here would be futile if we can´t recreate its habitat first.

Greater spotted eagle is different because it is a short distance migrant usually not crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and the birds could be released / transplanted between nests in areas already occupied. Lesser spotted eagle is a long distance migrant, and young birds released in Germany in areas without adults were, indeed, often lost. In areas with an existing population they successfully followed adults on migration.

There was already a proposal to raise nestlings of greater spotted eagles in Poland in the 1990s. The idea was never returned to, even after 30 years and several successful projects with other birds of prey in Europe.

 

[Lafone]

I'd also mention the white stork project as an example of conservation partnership in action with a threatened species.

White Stork Project

It's amazing to see the young storks at Cotswold Wildlife Park each year that will go on to join the project birds and be released (33 in 2023). Obviously these are not forgotten as a species but it shows the potential for similar initiatives to be effective.

There are also good programmes for harvest mice and others, showing the potential for small rodent conseravation as mentioned and a great opportunity for zoos to highlight the essential conservation / local area and local environment message.

 

[Jurek7]

White storks will be mentioned later and another English zoo and another large bird will get its own title.

 

[Jurek7]

14: A lookout place for tigers, Philadelphia Zoo
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 1

Photo: @TinoPup

Animals in zoos often have different preferences than in the wild, or they find things to do which they don't do in nature.

For example, polar bears in zoos dislike winter blizzards and prefer to hide in cosy spots. Wild polar bears swim hundreds of kilometres, but in zoos they prefer wading in shallow water, unless enticed by food. Anecdotally, one polar bear in a zoo even liked to climb trees. Apes in zoos discover so many possibilities that keepers cannot believe that was all possible.

This creates a small ideological dilemma for zoos: should zoo animals behave like they do in the wild, or should zoo animals behave like they want? This does not always have to be the same.

This dilemma is unsolvable, because zoos have no obvious practical benchmark to verify which approach is better, and animals don't understand such abstract questions. Maximally wild-like behavior is preferred for animals which are meant to be directly reintroduced to the wild, but most zoo animals will never be reintroduced (although their descendants might be).

Photo: @blospz

Big cats like to rest on elevated places with a good view of their surrounding. Some zoologists compared them to people watching television. This includes tigers, which is interesting. Tigers are lowland and terrestrial animals and are not reported to regularly use any elevated structures in the wild. For lions, leopards and cheetahs, it can be argued to be a normal part of their behavior, because they climb rocks, trees or termite mounds in the wild.

Overall, big cats do it so consistently, that a good case exists to mandate raised watchpoints, platforms or hills in zoos as an enrichment. In the meantime, many zoos created such high watchpoints for their big cats.

Photo: @Atrox1214

Philadelphia Zoo combined the interest of animals and the interest of visitors to create well-known overhead passageways named Zoo 360. Tigers often rest directly over visitors heads. However, note that I am not enthusiastic when passageways try to compensate for the lack of proper, spacious enclosures. Nevertheless, for tigers, a view from above is certainly a welcome behavioral enrichment. And visitors, of course, love it.

Photo: @TinoPup

Similar examples:
Overhead passages are paralleled by several other American zoos. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens have an especially carefully designed complex of exhibits for tigers, with several other special viewing opportunities for visitors.

Jacksonville Zoo @Moebelle

Cleveland zoo @Moebelle

For some reason, British zoos usually build raised wooded platforms, and zoos in German-speaking countries rarely have elevated places for tigers. Perhaps this is an example of local zoos copying each other. However, Frankfurt zoo, which excels in naturalistic design, actually put a real tree trunk instead of an artificial construction, which tigers often use.

Paradise Wildlife Park: @Big Rob

Blackpool Zoo: @Big Rob

Tigers in zoos show at least one more difference to wild ones. They are more sociable. Wild tigers are described as solitary, in contrast to closely related lions. Zoo tigers often like each other, and males sometimes even help care for the cubs.

Australia Zoo @WhistlingKite24

 

[Kalaw]

White storks will be mentioned later and another English zoo and another large bird will get its own title.

Random and unlikely suggestion, but putting it here so that I can feel good about myself if I am right - Slimbridge with its six species of flamingos, being complete taxonomic representation of a crowd-pleasing group of animals?

14: A lookout place for tigers, Philadelphia Zoo
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 1

Photo: @TinoPup

Animals in zoos often have different preferences than in the wild, or they find things to do which they don't do in nature. For example, polar bears in zoos dislike winter blizzards and prefer to hide in cosy spots. Wild polar bears swim hundreds of kilometres, but in zoos they prefer wading in shallow water, unless enticed by food. Anecdotally, one polar bear in a zoo even liked to climb trees. Apes in zoos discover so many possibilities that keepers cannot make their mind about them.

This creates a small ideological dilemma for zoos: should zoo animals behave like they do in the wild, or should zoo animals behave like they want? This does not always have to be the same. This dilemma is unsolvable, because zoos have no obvious practical benchmark to verify which approach is better, and animals don't understand such abstract questions. Maximally wild-like behavior is preferred for animals which are meant to be directly reintroduced to the wild, but most zoo animals will never be reintroduced (although their descendants might be).

Photo: @blospz

Big cats like to rest on elevated places with a good view of their surrounding. Some zoologists compared them to people watching television. This includes tigers, which is interesting. Tigers are lowland and terrestrial animals and are not reported to regularly use any elevated structures in the wild. For lions, leopards and cheetahs, it can be argued to be a normal part of their behavior, because they climb rocks, trees or termite mounds in the wild.

Overall, big cats do it so consistently, that a good case exists to mandate raised watchpoints, platforms or hills in zoos as an enrichment. In the meantime, many zoos created such high watchpoints for their big cats.

Photo: @Atrox1214

Philadelphia Zoo combined the interest of animals and the interest of visitors to create well-known overhead passageways named Zoo 360. Tigers often rest directly over visitors heads. However, note that I am not enthusiastic when passageways try to compensate for the lack of proper, spacious enclosures. Nevertheless, for tigers, a view from above is certainly a welcome behavioral enrichment. And visitors, of course, love it.

Similar examples:
Overhead passages are paralleled by several other American zoos. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens have an especially carefully designed complex of exhibits for tigers, with several other special viewing opportunities for visitors.

Jacksonville Zoo @Moebelle

Hogle Zoo @elefante

Cleveland zoo @Moebelle

For some reason, British zoos usually build raised wooded platforms, and zoos in German-speaking countries rarely have elevated places for tigers. Perhaps this is an example of local zoos copying each other. However, Frankfurt zoo, which excels in naturalistic design, actually put a real tree trunk instead of an artificial construction, which tigers often use.

Paradise Wildlife Park: @Big Rob

Blackpool Zoo: @Big Rob

Tigers in zoos show at least one more difference to wild ones. They are more sociable. Wild tigers are described as solitary, in contrast to closely related lions. Zoo tigers often like each other, and males sometimes even help care for the cubs.

Australia Zoo @WhistlingKite24

When I visited Woburn Safari Park five years ago (almost to the day), I was shocked and amazed to see lions climbing trees. Having always associated them with open plains, seeing them scale trees with such elegance was remarkable - they clearly felt at home, so however unnatural, I don't see a problem with it. In my opinion, zoos should be more original with their enrichment and landscaping, as often times the animals find unexpected and welcome uses.

Sadly, for some animals in zoos, the opposite impact seems to occur. Wild orangutans spend almost their entire lives in trees, while captive ones are often worryingly terrestrial. There are some zoos, such as Chester, where this isn't the case, and I cannot help but wonder why this is. Is it something in their enclosure design, or simply that their orangutans happen to be more active?

 

[Lafone]

14: A lookout place for tigers, Philadelphia Zoo
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 1

Photo: @TinoPup

Animals in zoos often have different preferences than in the wild, or they find things to do which they don't do in nature.

For example, polar bears in zoos dislike winter blizzards and prefer to hide in cosy spots. Wild polar bears swim hundreds of kilometres, but in zoos they prefer wading in shallow water, unless enticed by food. Anecdotally, one polar bear in a zoo even liked to climb trees. Apes in zoos discover so many possibilities that keepers cannot believe that was all possible.

This creates a small ideological dilemma for zoos: should zoo animals behave like they do in the wild, or should zoo animals behave like they want? This does not always have to be the same.

This dilemma is unsolvable, because zoos have no obvious practical benchmark to verify which approach is better, and animals don't understand such abstract questions. Maximally wild-like behavior is preferred for animals which are meant to be directly reintroduced to the wild, but most zoo animals will never be reintroduced (although their descendants might be).

Photo: @blospz

Big cats like to rest on elevated places with a good view of their surrounding. Some zoologists compared them to people watching television. This includes tigers, which is interesting. Tigers are lowland and terrestrial animals and are not reported to regularly use any elevated structures in the wild. For lions, leopards and cheetahs, it can be argued to be a normal part of their behavior, because they climb rocks, trees or termite mounds in the wild.

Overall, big cats do it so consistently, that a good case exists to mandate raised watchpoints, platforms or hills in zoos as an enrichment. In the meantime, many zoos created such high watchpoints for their big cats.

Photo: @Atrox1214

Philadelphia Zoo combined the interest of animals and the interest of visitors to create well-known overhead passageways named Zoo 360. Tigers often rest directly over visitors heads. However, note that I am not enthusiastic when passageways try to compensate for the lack of proper, spacious enclosures. Nevertheless, for tigers, a view from above is certainly a welcome behavioral enrichment. And visitors, of course, love it.

Photo: @TinoPup

Similar examples:
Overhead passages are paralleled by several other American zoos. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens have an especially carefully designed complex of exhibits for tigers, with several other special viewing opportunities for visitors.

Jacksonville Zoo @Moebelle

Cleveland zoo @Moebelle

For some reason, British zoos usually build raised wooded platforms, and zoos in German-speaking countries rarely have elevated places for tigers. Perhaps this is an example of local zoos copying each other. However, Frankfurt zoo, which excels in naturalistic design, actually put a real tree trunk instead of an artificial construction, which tigers often use.

Paradise Wildlife Park: @Big Rob

Blackpool Zoo: @Big Rob

Tigers in zoos show at least one more difference to wild ones. They are more sociable. Wild tigers are described as solitary, in contrast to closely related lions. Zoo tigers often like each other, and males sometimes even help care for the cubs.

Australia Zoo @WhistlingKite24

I think I am correct in thinking Twycross zoo is the only UK Zoo with a tunnel where tigers cross over the top of the public. Someone will correct me though if not!

The tigers also sit on the wooden frame and look down into the tunnel.

Thrigby also has a platform where you are next to the tigers on their high point so not just looking up.

Take a sneak peek through Twycross Zoo's new tiger tunnel

It's an interesting design, that one at Jacksonville in particular is amazing. It's great to see a variety of habitat designs and use of natural trees etc (the lions climb the trees at Whipsnade too). Most UK zoos seem to include some elevation for tigers and most also for lions. I guess the wooden platform design has as much to do with effective construction and cost as anything else. I think wild Bengal tigers use trees more than their Amur cousins in the wild but that probably reflects the nature of the terrain and their size.

 

[Jurek7]

Slimbridge with its six species of flamingos, being complete taxonomic representation of a crowd-pleasing group of animals?

You guessed right, but only half

Is it something in their enclosure design, or simply that their orangutans happen to be more active?

I feel it is the poor design of climbing structures, plus that many older orangutans never developed proper musculature in small cages. I plan a whole orangutan post.

Most UK zoos seem to include some elevation for tigers and most also for lions.

I think it may be possible to find which was the first zoo in the UK to install a platform for big cats, and which zoos followed and then.

 

[Jurek7]

15. Gorilla avoiding sun
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 2

Photo: @Moebelle

Continuing the topic of unusual behaviors of zoo animals. Gorillas in zoos often prefer their indoor exhibits and dislike outdoor exhibits provided to them, especially if they are open, grassy and sunny. One gorilla in Frankfurt allegedly went outdoors only once during several years. A not uncommon sight in zoos is a gorilla sitting in a small shaded area of its outdoor exhibit, like a film vampire hiding from the rays of sun.

Photo: @CindelP

Several ape enthusiasts have an impression that gorillas, compared to humans, dislike sun, dislike open spaces and dislike walking on grass. They also seem very sensitive to louder sounds. My suggestion is that this perfectly matches the real gorilla micro-habitat in the wild: shady, very dense understory of a secondary rainforest with a soft cover of dead leaves.

Wild gorillas are not normally photographed in their typical micro- habitat, because of all this shade, specks of light and invading leaves and branches. As those who had an opportunity to make a gorilla trek know, one must wait until one moves to the relative open. Photo: @Hix

Similar species:
Several other rainforest animals are even more intolerant to bright sun than gorillas. Cassowaries in sunny enclosures easily develop eye cataracts. All Malayan tapirs in Australian zoos went blind. But note, that blindness for a tapir is like losing the sense of smell for a human.

A wild Southern Cassowary briefly leaves the shady rainforest undergrowth @Hix

Sumatran rhinos, when they lived in Cincinnati zoo, had custom shade structures installed over their paddock. While it is not as crucial as improper food or a social system, it would be interesting to check whether other animals native to rainforest floor may be similarly sensitive in zoos.

Photo: @Moebelle

Photo: @snowleopard

 

[Corbett477]

MOST zoo visitors are certainly cautious, just like most are respectful and don't break zoo rules. The majority does not equal all visitors though, unfortunately. At the zoo I used to volunteer at, I had a woman scream at me for "telling her how to raise her child", because I politely asked her to stop her child from climbing up the fence of the bear exhibit. Granted, that's the only case I had someone do something extremely irresponsible in a zoo, out of hundreds of days spent in them. Idiots unfortunately exist, and I don't think an exhibit such as this one would be successful in all places, given different cultures surrounding rule-following and zoo visitation. Plus, all it takes is one bad egg for this exhibit to go extremely poorly.

I agree. A perfect example as to how much damage a single individual could do would be the recent security breaches at the Dallas Zoo. If someone is willing to force their way through exhibit barriers to potentially steal, harm, or even just touch an animal, it's easy to imagine how they could do the same - and maybe more effectively - in an exhibit where the animals are easily within reach.

 

[tigris115]

15. Gorilla avoiding sun
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 2

Photo: @Moebelle

Continuing the topic of unusual behaviors of zoo animals. Gorillas in zoos often prefer their indoor exhibits and dislike outdoor exhibits provided to them, especially if they are open, grassy and sunny. One gorilla in Frankfurt allegedly went outdoors only once during several years. A not uncommon sight in zoos is a gorilla sitting in a small shaded area of its outdoor exhibit, like a film vampire hiding from the rays of sun.

Photo: @CindelP

Several ape enthusiasts have an impression that gorillas, compared to humans, dislike sun, dislike open spaces and dislike walking on grass. They also seem very sensitive to louder sounds. My suggestion is that this perfectly matches the real gorilla micro-habitat in the wild: shady, very dense understory of a secondary rainforest with a soft cover of dead leaves.

Wild gorillas are not normally photographed in their typical micro- habitat, because of all this shade, specks of light and invading leaves and branches. As those who had an opportunity to make a gorilla trek know, one must wait until one moves to the relative open. Photo: @Hix

Similar species:
Several other rainforest animals are even more intolerant to bright sun than gorillas. Cassowaries in sunny enclosures easily develop eye cataracts. All Malayan tapirs in Australian zoos went blind. But note, that blindness for a tapir is like losing the sense of smell for a human.

A wild Southern Cassowary briefly leaves the shady rainforest undergrowth @Hix

Sumatran rhinos, when they lived in Cincinnati zoo, had custom shade structures installed over their paddock. While it is not as crucial as improper food or a social system, it would be interesting to check whether other animals native to rainforest floor may be similarly sensitive in zoos.

Photo: @Moebelle

Photo: @snowleopard

I hard agree with this. I think it's no coincidence that the gorilla exhibits considered the best (Woodland Park, Bronx, Disney) are heavily shaded and I get kinda disappointed when I see it not being taken into consideration.

 

[Jurek7]

16. Bathing takin, The Wilds
Zoo animals showing novel behaviors 3

Photo: @Moebelle

Another novel behavior of some zoo animals is bathing and swimming. This takin at one of the six large ungulate pastures in The Wilds safari park is no exception. Takins in zoos enjoy entering water without any apparent reason. They wade, bathe, and swim if their exhibits have a water moat, a pool or a lake. They are different from related ungulates such as wild goats, sheep, serows or musk oxen, which don't voluntarily enter water. Wild takins inhabit steep mountains where pools or lakes are rare. They are not known to enjoy bathing in the fast, rocky streams and rivers in their natural habitat.

Photo: @cubsmaster

Photo: @jusko88

Another zoo animal that takes pleasure in bathing is the spotted hyena. Wild hyenas have been observed bathing in the wild, although they often live in areas without any standing water. This distinguishes them African cats and canids which avoid water unless necessary. Interestingly, hyenas in Berlin Zoo, which were sometimes let to run in a lion exhibit with a moat, liked to go for a swim even in cold weather.

Photo: @HungarianBison

 

[Jurek7]

17. Carnivore kitchen, Karlsruhe Zoo
Depictions of nature in zoos

Photo @Dianamonkey

These photos illustrate the opposite approaches of zoos to the reality of nature. Modern society often idealizes animals and wilderness. BBC Nature habitually releases documentaries about carnivores without any scenes showing killing and blood (are they still documentaries?). Since zoos are supposed to be child-friendly, many zoos have an unspoken policy to hide the blood, meat and death from visitors. One Dutch zoo even satirized it in one year, producing an April Fools' Day video suggesting that it feeds lions with vegetables and fruit.

Public perception of large carnivores in Western zoos is idealized by shows like the Lion King. West Midland Safari and Leisure Park @MagpieGoose

But wait - people are often fascinated by the danger of nature and especially large predators. In Shenzhen, guests pay extra money to give meat and look into open jaws of tigers right in front of their faces.

Shenzen Safari park. Photo @animalman0341

This is one example of how animals, nature and zoos easily become influenced by ideas, ideologies or fantasies. Zoos have no practical function to most people, so an ideology can influence zoos without facing an immediate reality check. This sometimes complicates the work of zoos. If one shows nature as a green paradise, visitors may be more sympathetic towards conservation, but some will try to pet dangerous animals and others will object to conservation programs which involve culling invasive species. If one shows nature as a green hell, visitors are attracted by the thrill, but it can backfire, too.

Cincinnati Zoo made such a sign to placate critics @Moebelle

In my personal opinion, a zoo should show reality - nothing more, nothing less, and explain the reality of nature, including the predator-prey relationship. Although some media may try making controversy out of it, they will be silenced by the majority of people who understand the reality. Anyway, people for 40,000 years have been fascinated by carnivores without any cultural additions.

Photo @Reevesie

Woburn Safari Park seems to take this approach, feeding lions with a whole deer carcass in view of the visitors. In one Dutch Zoo, I observed how live rats were put into the terrarium of an Aruba rattlesnake on display. Visitors watched with interest all steps of the rattlesnake hunting - and all of them accepted this sight.

 

[Lafone]

I might be wrong but can’t see claws on the Shenzen tigers when zooming into that feeding wagon. Do they declaw them?

I agree zoos should show the reality of feeding their animals but they shouldn’t make a spectacle or a sport out of it and in my view the animals being fed to others should also have the highest welfare standards.

Some zoos sign about the feeding which I also think is good - people might comment at the sight of day old chicks or small new calves but helpful signs pointing out these are the by products of intensive farming for the cheap food the same people want to eat is helpful and educational. Both Hamerton and CWP have signs about that.

Anything that helps people contemplate their impact on the planet is useful - a bit more care and a little less selfishness would help with keeping all sorts of animals in better conditions as well as preserving them in the wild.

 

[snowleopard]

Feeding carcasses to carnivores was something that I practically never saw in all my years of visiting several hundred North American zoos. It was quite a shock to head over to Europe and see entire skeletons of horses and cows in enclosures with a variety of carnivores, especially Wolves and African Wild Dogs. It was fascinating to watch the feedings, but my only complaint would be the awful stench!

 

[Strathmorezoo]

In the early 1990s during my time at Dudley zoo ,the keepers were told to hide carcasses (rats mice day old chicks)when feeding birds of prey because some visitors were upset at thought that the birds were going to eat them. Silly rule because as soon as the birds found them, they picked them up, flew to their eating perch and happily scoffed them in front of who ever was watching them

 

[tigris115]

I think this is one of those things that needs a balanced approach because, while I approve of carcass feeding for carnivores, it can easily backfire if too big a deal is made of it.

And ofc you have the further extreme that is the live prey feeding you see in some Chinese zoos where a chicken or calf is thrown to the cats.