Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
The remains of the carcass should be removed before it starts to become rotten to avoid any unpleasant smell and any danger to the animal you are feeding it to ,would be good zoo practice
Zoo of the Future: A Photographic Gallery of Innovation in Zoological Gardens of the World
- Thread starter Jurek7
- Start date
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
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.
In the 1970s it was still common practice to feed live food to reptiles, particularly to fussy snakes,I did until a brilliant reptile keeper (John Foden)at Drayton Manor told me that the risks to the snake can be very serious he knew from experience that there were better and safer ways to encourage feeding17. 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.
18. Wild boar can fly, Chimelong Birds Park
Diversity of animal behaviour
Photo: @George_Renard
Animal shows are common in zoos. This photo illustrates that making animals active is more interesting for visitors than rare species. And that zoos underestimate the diversity of behaviours of animals. At least one naturalist claimed that wild boar, in fact, are more intelligent than red foxes and wolves. And, although they are not impalas, they still can jump and swim well. Wild boar are adaptable, and often inhabit mountains and marshes, reedbeds and seashores. There, they must climb steep slopes or cross wide rivers and sea bays.
Similar exhibit:
Jászberény Zoo keeps their wild boar on an exhibit with a large water part, and feeding sessions with food thrown in water are evidently popular.
Photos: @Orycteropus
I usually skip animal shows, and they are not very often photographed on Zoochat. Did anybody see any other unusual but natural behaviour on animal shows?
Diversity of animal behaviour
Photo: @George_Renard
Animal shows are common in zoos. This photo illustrates that making animals active is more interesting for visitors than rare species. And that zoos underestimate the diversity of behaviours of animals. At least one naturalist claimed that wild boar, in fact, are more intelligent than red foxes and wolves. And, although they are not impalas, they still can jump and swim well. Wild boar are adaptable, and often inhabit mountains and marshes, reedbeds and seashores. There, they must climb steep slopes or cross wide rivers and sea bays.
Similar exhibit:
Jászberény Zoo keeps their wild boar on an exhibit with a large water part, and feeding sessions with food thrown in water are evidently popular.
Photos: @Orycteropus
I usually skip animal shows, and they are not very often photographed on Zoochat. Did anybody see any other unusual but natural behaviour on animal shows?
I assumed the greater danger would be pests like rodents, stray cats, etc.
Dr. Loxodonta
Well-Known Member
And also probably before serious bacteria could get in.
19. Pantanal exhibit, Szeged Zoo
The use of natural landscape in zoos 1.
Photo: @antonybig
This zoo created a simple but the world's best exhibit for Brazilian tapirs and capybaras. There are complaints that the animals are difficult to see, but no wonder! It is additionally remarkable because shallow swamps and reedbeds, although important wildlife habitat, are very rare in zoos.
Photo: @Orycteropus
This is an example of a rather rare sight in the zoo world - putting an existing landscape into the best use. Most zoos having a patch of swampy ground would probably drain it, turn into deeper water or leave it unused. Szeged zoo resisted it and created a great exhibit with minimal modification.
Photo: @Orycteropus
The Pantanal in Szeged Zoo reminds me of something personally. When I was a child and saw a swamp, a lake or a rocky hill, I imagined how it would look with some interesting animals in it. Szeged zoo made it a reality.
Similar exhibits:
Pantanal is the worlds largest tropical wetland, located in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. There giant otters whistle and pull piranhas out of shallow channels completely choked with water vegetation. Chester Zoo turned the former sealion pool into a natural habitat full of fallen logs, reeds, algae and water lilies, which the giant otters spared. And there is a great indoor exhibit, too.
Photo: @Nisha
Photo: @twilighter
A lake in a zoo can be a boring exhibit for some swans and ducks. But a number of zoos turned natural water features into exceptional exhibits. Poznan Nowe Zoo is one of the very few zoos in the temperate climate that give tapirs access to a natural pool. This is best appreciated on a video:
Zoos which covered existing ponds with a net and created great aviaries include Ohrada in Czechia. The incredible walkthrough aviary in Sigean is shared by over 30 species of African birds and American alligators.
Yellow-billed Storks engage in their favorite trick, fishing next to crocodilians while always been just outside the strike like. Photos: @Antoine
Two urban zoos deserve a special mention for using ponds to make more space for land animals. Gdansk Zoo enclosed a whole pond in the lion exhibit, making rather ring shaped. Lions don't use water, but the exhibit became much bigger because of including the whole shoreline. Frankfurt Zoo renovated its old cat house with limited outdoor space because of the nearby lake. The zoo built a viewing bridge over the lake and created a tiger exhibit from the whole land available together with a water moat / pool, the part of the lake.
Semi-aquatic ungulates which enclosures contain natural ponds or lakes include Malayan tapirs at Zlin, moose at Columbus and several others, Pere David deer at Haute Touche, waterbuck at Dvůr Králové, Nile lechwe at Beekse Bergen and barasingha and sitatunga at Whipsnade.
Photo: @ro6ca66
Haute-Touche Animal Reserve is an expanse of forest, meadows and pools which became excellent exhibits with little modification. Another dreamlike landscape with exotic animals wandering around a natural countryside. @lintworm
But think big! Le Pal created a fantastic hippo exhibit from a rather unremarkable shallow lake. Hippos need a filtering area, which is a natural wet area planted with marshland vegetation which filters out nutrients. Nile hippos have natural ponds also at Beekse Bergen, Longleat, Safari Madrid, Itatiba, and Taronga Western Plains Zoo among others. Pygmy hippos have access to natural ponds at Givskud, Plzen and Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve in the past.
Photo: @Antoine
The use of natural landscape in zoos 1.
Photo: @antonybig
This zoo created a simple but the world's best exhibit for Brazilian tapirs and capybaras. There are complaints that the animals are difficult to see, but no wonder! It is additionally remarkable because shallow swamps and reedbeds, although important wildlife habitat, are very rare in zoos.
Photo: @Orycteropus
This is an example of a rather rare sight in the zoo world - putting an existing landscape into the best use. Most zoos having a patch of swampy ground would probably drain it, turn into deeper water or leave it unused. Szeged zoo resisted it and created a great exhibit with minimal modification.
Photo: @Orycteropus
The Pantanal in Szeged Zoo reminds me of something personally. When I was a child and saw a swamp, a lake or a rocky hill, I imagined how it would look with some interesting animals in it. Szeged zoo made it a reality.
Similar exhibits:
Pantanal is the worlds largest tropical wetland, located in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. There giant otters whistle and pull piranhas out of shallow channels completely choked with water vegetation. Chester Zoo turned the former sealion pool into a natural habitat full of fallen logs, reeds, algae and water lilies, which the giant otters spared. And there is a great indoor exhibit, too.
Photo: @Nisha
Photo: @twilighter
A lake in a zoo can be a boring exhibit for some swans and ducks. But a number of zoos turned natural water features into exceptional exhibits. Poznan Nowe Zoo is one of the very few zoos in the temperate climate that give tapirs access to a natural pool. This is best appreciated on a video:
Zoos which covered existing ponds with a net and created great aviaries include Ohrada in Czechia. The incredible walkthrough aviary in Sigean is shared by over 30 species of African birds and American alligators.
Yellow-billed Storks engage in their favorite trick, fishing next to crocodilians while always been just outside the strike like. Photos: @Antoine
Two urban zoos deserve a special mention for using ponds to make more space for land animals. Gdansk Zoo enclosed a whole pond in the lion exhibit, making rather ring shaped. Lions don't use water, but the exhibit became much bigger because of including the whole shoreline. Frankfurt Zoo renovated its old cat house with limited outdoor space because of the nearby lake. The zoo built a viewing bridge over the lake and created a tiger exhibit from the whole land available together with a water moat / pool, the part of the lake.
Semi-aquatic ungulates which enclosures contain natural ponds or lakes include Malayan tapirs at Zlin, moose at Columbus and several others, Pere David deer at Haute Touche, waterbuck at Dvůr Králové, Nile lechwe at Beekse Bergen and barasingha and sitatunga at Whipsnade.
Photo: @ro6ca66
Haute-Touche Animal Reserve is an expanse of forest, meadows and pools which became excellent exhibits with little modification. Another dreamlike landscape with exotic animals wandering around a natural countryside. @lintworm
But think big! Le Pal created a fantastic hippo exhibit from a rather unremarkable shallow lake. Hippos need a filtering area, which is a natural wet area planted with marshland vegetation which filters out nutrients. Nile hippos have natural ponds also at Beekse Bergen, Longleat, Safari Madrid, Itatiba, and Taronga Western Plains Zoo among others. Pygmy hippos have access to natural ponds at Givskud, Plzen and Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve in the past.
Photo: @Antoine
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cerperal
Well-Known Member
Someone has to be a pedant so I guess it'll be me - Longleat's lake isn't natural, it was dug a few hundred years ago
Strathmorezoo
Well-Known Member
When I said "danger to the animals",I was pertaining to infection, most certainly bacterial
Last edited:
Lafone
Well-Known Member
19. Pantanal exhibit, Szeged Zoo
The use of natural landscape in zoos 1.
Photo: @antonybig
This zoo created a simple but the world's best exhibit for Brazilian tapirs and capybaras. There are complaints that the animals are difficult to see, but no wonder! It is additionally remarkable because shallow swamps and reedbeds, although important wildlife habitat, are very rare in zoos.
Photo: @Orycteropus
This is an example of a rather rare sight in the zoo world - putting an existing landscape into the best use. Most zoos having a patch of swampy ground would probably drain it, turn into deeper water or leave it unused. Szeged zoo resisted it and created a great exhibit with minimal modification.
Photo: @Orycteropus
The Pantanal in Szeged Zoo reminds me of something personally. When I was a child and saw a swamp, a lake or a rocky hill, I imagined how it would look with some interesting animals in it. Szeged zoo made it a reality.
Similar exhibits:
Pantanal is the worlds largest tropical wetland, located in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. There giant otters whistle and pull piranhas out of shallow channels completely choked with water vegetation. Chester Zoo turned the former sealion pool into a natural habitat full of fallen logs, reeds, algae and water lilies, which the giant otters spared. And there is a great indoor exhibit, too.
Photo: @Nisha
Photo: @twilighter
A lake in a zoo can be a boring exhibit for some swans and ducks. But a number of zoos turned natural water features into exceptional exhibits. Poznan Nowe Zoo is one of the very few zoos in the temperate climate that give tapirs access to a natural pool. This is best appreciated on a video:
Zoos which covered existing ponds with a net and created great aviaries include Ohrada in Czechia. The incredible walkthrough aviary in Sigean is shared by over 30 species of African birds and American alligators.
Yellow-billed Storks engage in their favorite trick, fishing next to crocodilians while always been just outside the strike like. Photos: @Antoine
Two urban zoos deserve a special mention for using ponds to make more space for land animals. Gdansk Zoo enclosed a whole pond in the lion exhibit, making rather ring shaped. Lions don't use water, but the exhibit became much bigger because of including the whole shoreline. Frankfurt Zoo renovated its old cat house with limited outdoor space because of the nearby lake. The zoo built a viewing bridge over the lake and created a tiger exhibit from the whole land available together with a water moat / pool, the part of the lake.
Semi-aquatic ungulates which enclosures contain natural ponds or lakes include Malayan tapirs at Zlin, moose at Columbus and several others, Pere David deer at Haute Touche, waterbuck at Dvůr Králové, Nile lechwe at Beekse Bergen and barasingha and sitatunga at Whipsnade.
Photo: @ro6ca66
Haute-Touche Animal Reserve is an expanse of forest, meadows and pools which became excellent exhibits with little modification. Another dreamlike landscape with exotic animals wandering around a natural countryside. @lintworm
But think big! Le Pal created a fantastic hippo exhibit from a rather unremarkable shallow lake. Hippos need a filtering area, which is a natural wet area planted with marshland vegetation which filters out nutrients. Nile hippos have natural ponds also at Beekse Bergen, Longleat, Safari Madrid, Itatiba, and Taronga Western Plains Zoo among others. Pygmy hippos have access to natural ponds at Givskud, Plzen and Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve in the past.
Photo: @Antoine
Nice exhibitry - Whipsnade also have a full lake area for the deer including Pere David which has two large ponds. Exmoor have a lovely area for their Sitatunga in a naturally marshy area at the bottom of the zoo, another good example as mentioned of making the most of the landscape and accommodating the species vs converting or letting it go to waste. Peak also use their marshy area for Sika deer which works well.
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.
I wanna throw my hat into the ring for this one, as this has been something I have discussed a lot with my studies
With ethics being ethics, its not often a right answer, but I think a lot of it has to do with subjects like live/carcass feedings and management euthanasia often being something that's always been "hush hush behind the scenes" kind of thing, since zoos have been originally much more for entertainment for education.
While animal welfare and conservation have become much important in zoos , there have been surveys that show (Ings, R.; Warren, N. K. & Young, R. J. (1997) that a large portion of guest don't have these concerns in mind, more about young kids/ squeamish people seeing blood and guts or how mammalian/cute/charismatic they are (more open to feeding live insects/fish compared to live rabbits ect). We humans do have a lot of bias towards what animals we consider okay to live feed, as most people have no issues feeding live crickets, but feeding a live cow or goat (or a certain giraffe) would very much raise some hairs
Zoos I think should be more open about things like this, as there are a lot of benefits to feeding large whole carcasses to large predators to promote more natural feeding and social behaviours and can be both education and entertaining, without the ethical and sourcing issues of getting large live animals, a best of both words in my eyes. I'm glad its a practice zoos are trying to do more, because the biggest issue with it really its that its never really been talked about or shown in zoos, and once it becomes more common it will become much less of an issue/
Longleat's lake isn't natural, it was dug a few hundred years ago
I included it, because it existed when the zoo was founded, so it is the use of an existing landscape so to say. And it is incidentally, the largest sealion pool!
By the way, I was surprised that zoos in the Netherlands, which is full of marshes, canals and larger and smaller waterbodies, have few remarkable exhibits showing wetlands and marshes. Perhaps it is too common landscape for the Dutch.
I just pointed that, at the same time, children actually love to see violence when they feel safe.
GTA, Mortal Kombat and COD probs show that haha, even though they are r-18 games
20. Guinea baboons cliff, Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno
The use of natural landscape in zoos 2.
Photo: @SivatheriumGuy
Many zoos have a steep slope or a cliff on the grounds. Some left it as useless. Others turned them into some of the greatest zoo exhibits. One example is Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno.
Photo: @Maguari
Cabarceno is located in a former open-pit iron mine covering a whooping 750 ha (1900 acres). Such a place might be a degraded post-industrial site worth only of turning into a rubbish dump. But a challenge was turned into an advantage and the zoo created magnificent multi-hectare enclosures with massive karst rocks.
On one of them lives a troop of over 30 Guinea baboons. Monkeys socialize in the safety of the cliffs, which is the favourite activity of baboons, or disperse to look for food on the grassland below. Other animals at Cabarceno which can use high cliffs include yaks, Eurasian lynx and a far too well breeding group of brown bears.
Photo: @Maguari
Similar exhibits:
The most obvious animals associated with rocky habitats are wild goats, sheep, gorals, takins and their relatives. A number of zoos have great caprid exhibits which use natural rocks. I could choose Prague with Caucasian ibex and aoudad, Highland Wildlife Park with markhor mixed with bharal or the walkthrough for chamois and Alpine ibex at Le Parc Animalier d'Auvergne.
I chosen bighorn sheep in two zoos: Phoenix and Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Both have enormous rocky outcrops on the grounds surrounded by fences. I like how contrastingly different the rock formations are: oval, reddish conglomeritic sandstone at Phoenix and sharp lines of grey granite at the Living Desert. Yes, I became interested and had to look up the rocks, too.
Photo: @geomorph
Photo: @Ituri
Snow leopards at Kolmården and Zürich zoo also have natural rocks. Zürich improved a natural cliff with landscaping, mountain vegetation of rhododendorns and theming. This is a sure candidate to any list of best zoo exhibits and has its own page on Zoolex. The exhibit is currently being remodelled, and the concern of Zoochatters seems to be that the zoo does not change anything which might spoil this fantastic exhibit. Where are these snow leopards?
Kolmården @JamesB
Zürich Zoo. @antonmuster
Bioparc Zoo de Doué la Fontaine, too, has a very a good snow leopard enclosure on natural rocks. I waited patiently to see hidden cubs go out of one of numerous crevices, like in the wild.
Zoo Doué is located in an active quarry. It is another ugly industrial site turned into a splendid zoo. The zoo has flexibility to dig and excavate new cliffs and pits, which become great animal enclosures and aviaries. The zoo uniquely has two levels, because one can wander on the former ground level or along the floors of the pits. Several tunnels, stairs and a lift connect the place.
Critically endangered red-fronted macaw and an example of a nesting niche for black-faced ibis @Maguari
An Inca tern encourages its chick to fly @Therabu
Doué is especially famous for giant walk-through aviaries made from pits covered with nets, which doubtlessly reduces the construction costs. They house many cliff-nesting birds: red-fronted macaws, burrowing parrots, mitred parakeet, Abdim's and black storks, northern bald and black-faced ibis, Egyptian and griffon vultures, inca terns and speckled pigeons. The famous South American aviary covers one hectare and is large enough to keep a vicugna to graze the grass short. One of smallest and most recent aviaries houses rock hyrax with several small and mid-sized African birds.
Photo: @Maguari
Not all rock-living animals are big and demand much space. Photo: @Antoine
I looked whether geladas, Francois langurs, common leopards, rock wallabies or klipspringers have natural rocks in any zoo, but it appears that they always have artificial ones. I wonder what rock-living animals could also be exhibited on natural rocks?
The use of natural landscape in zoos 2.
Photo: @SivatheriumGuy
Many zoos have a steep slope or a cliff on the grounds. Some left it as useless. Others turned them into some of the greatest zoo exhibits. One example is Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno.
Photo: @Maguari
Cabarceno is located in a former open-pit iron mine covering a whooping 750 ha (1900 acres). Such a place might be a degraded post-industrial site worth only of turning into a rubbish dump. But a challenge was turned into an advantage and the zoo created magnificent multi-hectare enclosures with massive karst rocks.
On one of them lives a troop of over 30 Guinea baboons. Monkeys socialize in the safety of the cliffs, which is the favourite activity of baboons, or disperse to look for food on the grassland below. Other animals at Cabarceno which can use high cliffs include yaks, Eurasian lynx and a far too well breeding group of brown bears.
Photo: @Maguari
Similar exhibits:
The most obvious animals associated with rocky habitats are wild goats, sheep, gorals, takins and their relatives. A number of zoos have great caprid exhibits which use natural rocks. I could choose Prague with Caucasian ibex and aoudad, Highland Wildlife Park with markhor mixed with bharal or the walkthrough for chamois and Alpine ibex at Le Parc Animalier d'Auvergne.
I chosen bighorn sheep in two zoos: Phoenix and Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Both have enormous rocky outcrops on the grounds surrounded by fences. I like how contrastingly different the rock formations are: oval, reddish conglomeritic sandstone at Phoenix and sharp lines of grey granite at the Living Desert. Yes, I became interested and had to look up the rocks, too.
Photo: @geomorph
Photo: @Ituri
Snow leopards at Kolmården and Zürich zoo also have natural rocks. Zürich improved a natural cliff with landscaping, mountain vegetation of rhododendorns and theming. This is a sure candidate to any list of best zoo exhibits and has its own page on Zoolex. The exhibit is currently being remodelled, and the concern of Zoochatters seems to be that the zoo does not change anything which might spoil this fantastic exhibit. Where are these snow leopards?
Kolmården @JamesB
Zürich Zoo. @antonmuster
Bioparc Zoo de Doué la Fontaine, too, has a very a good snow leopard enclosure on natural rocks. I waited patiently to see hidden cubs go out of one of numerous crevices, like in the wild.
Zoo Doué is located in an active quarry. It is another ugly industrial site turned into a splendid zoo. The zoo has flexibility to dig and excavate new cliffs and pits, which become great animal enclosures and aviaries. The zoo uniquely has two levels, because one can wander on the former ground level or along the floors of the pits. Several tunnels, stairs and a lift connect the place.
Critically endangered red-fronted macaw and an example of a nesting niche for black-faced ibis @Maguari
An Inca tern encourages its chick to fly @Therabu
Doué is especially famous for giant walk-through aviaries made from pits covered with nets, which doubtlessly reduces the construction costs. They house many cliff-nesting birds: red-fronted macaws, burrowing parrots, mitred parakeet, Abdim's and black storks, northern bald and black-faced ibis, Egyptian and griffon vultures, inca terns and speckled pigeons. The famous South American aviary covers one hectare and is large enough to keep a vicugna to graze the grass short. One of smallest and most recent aviaries houses rock hyrax with several small and mid-sized African birds.
Photo: @Maguari
Not all rock-living animals are big and demand much space. Photo: @Antoine
I looked whether geladas, Francois langurs, common leopards, rock wallabies or klipspringers have natural rocks in any zoo, but it appears that they always have artificial ones. I wonder what rock-living animals could also be exhibited on natural rocks?
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Dr. Loxodonta
Well-Known Member
This, in my opinion, looks like an utterly incredible habitat for this species! This enclosure allows the baboons to live a more natural way, in larger troops.
Zurich has Geladas and Snow Leopards in natural cliff exhibits
I thought that the cliff in Plzen is too heavily modified and the steep slope in Zurich (also Dudley etc) is not really a cliff. But you are right, if I counted artificial pits in Doue, they are countable. Especially Plzen is not exceptional, but is an example how a zoo can use a small cliff without spending a fortune.
I will mention the cheetah run at San Diego Safari park later in a slightly different context.
21. Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, Plettenberg Bay
The use of natural landscape in zoos 3
Photo: @Bonobo
These twin facilities in South Africa are special. Monkeyland is a giant multi-species primate enclosure, which covers 12 hectares of native forest and includes a 128m long suspension bridge. It can be seen only on guided walks. Ring-tailed and black-and-white ruffed lemurs, red-backed bearded sakis, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, tufted capuchins, black howlers, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, vervets, and white-handed gibbons live there together. The forest currently holds over 500 individual primates.
Capuchins have a real forest there. In smaller enclosures they slowly tear plants apart, with their instinctive drive to seek insects hidden in dense vegetation and bark crevices. Photo: @Bonobo
The lone Spectacled Langur may no longer be at the zoo. Photo: @Bonobo
Birds of Eden is the world's largest walk-through aviary, covering 2.3 hectares and at places 50 m high, since it is built over a valley. It covers a patch of native forest and originally kept mostly donated unwanted birds. There are ca 190 species, including several macaws, amazons, cockatoos and grey parrots. And also large flying foxes and blue duikers.
Photo: @Kudu21
Macaws and other large parrots often get the short stick at zoos. In the wild, they are intelligent, both sociable and spacing themselves apart to nest, and fly large distances to forage in forest crowns. Very few zoos keep big parrots in large aviaries, allowing them to really fly.
Photo: @Bonobo
This place is wonderful, and I hope for more followers. However, there are problems in this type of exhibits. Managing aggression and health issues in a large communal enclosure or aviary is difficult to hopeless. In a temperate climate, a serious problem is building aviaries strong enough to withstand heavy snowfall and storm winds. Also, parrots use their massive beaks not only to open palm nuts but also to cut normal mesh and destroy various technical installations.
Photo: @Jaguar_X
Unfortunately, such places will always be relatively rare. Zoos are forced to be where their visitors are. This means mostly big cities and limited space. The recent trend in society is that urban people stop owning cars and travel less long distances or abroad. This will only switch the focus further towards city zoos and can put a strain on existing countryside zoos. Few outstanding places like Monkeyland would not support zoo animal populations or flow of money to wild conservation.
But this is still a great place to visit!
Similar exhibits:
Probably the closest experience are Lemur Forests at the Duke Lemur Center, which is not really a zoo. It is the world's leading university institute dedicated to study and breeding of prosimians, with the most species and largest groups of several endangered lemurs in human care. It has multi-acre fenced areas of existing forest holding a changing selection of lemurs. The area is open only on guided walks and there are several elevated observation decks. Keepers leave food so visitors see quite a lot of activity, although seeing all lemur species currently living in the forest is not guaranteed.
Photo: @Arizona Docent
Photo: @jayjds2
Walkthrough forest enclosures for some monkeys are at La Vallee des Singes and Apenheul, among others. Several small European institutions called monkey forest or monkey mountains keep Barbary macaques in fenced patches of native forest. They include Trentham Monkey Forest, Montagne des Singes, Affenberg Salem and Affenwald Malchow.
Trentham Monkey Forest: @Ste-W
World's biggest aviaries are listed in this thread. A new contender is Bird Paradise in Singapore which opened in 2023. It is the successor to the former Jurong Bird Park. The largest single aviary there is the Heart of Africa, which covers 1.55 hectares, significantly less than Birds of Eden. However, Bird Paradise has more aviaries and species. Most importantly, it has a much bigger focus on breeding threatened species, including such extreme rarities as Philippine eagles and Santa Cruz ground doves.
Shoebill in the Heart of Africa aviary @Zooish
Critically endangered Blue-throated Macaws: @Zooish
The use of natural landscape in zoos 3
Photo: @Bonobo
These twin facilities in South Africa are special. Monkeyland is a giant multi-species primate enclosure, which covers 12 hectares of native forest and includes a 128m long suspension bridge. It can be seen only on guided walks. Ring-tailed and black-and-white ruffed lemurs, red-backed bearded sakis, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, tufted capuchins, black howlers, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, vervets, and white-handed gibbons live there together. The forest currently holds over 500 individual primates.
Capuchins have a real forest there. In smaller enclosures they slowly tear plants apart, with their instinctive drive to seek insects hidden in dense vegetation and bark crevices. Photo: @Bonobo
The lone Spectacled Langur may no longer be at the zoo. Photo: @Bonobo
Birds of Eden is the world's largest walk-through aviary, covering 2.3 hectares and at places 50 m high, since it is built over a valley. It covers a patch of native forest and originally kept mostly donated unwanted birds. There are ca 190 species, including several macaws, amazons, cockatoos and grey parrots. And also large flying foxes and blue duikers.
Photo: @Kudu21
Macaws and other large parrots often get the short stick at zoos. In the wild, they are intelligent, both sociable and spacing themselves apart to nest, and fly large distances to forage in forest crowns. Very few zoos keep big parrots in large aviaries, allowing them to really fly.
Photo: @Bonobo
This place is wonderful, and I hope for more followers. However, there are problems in this type of exhibits. Managing aggression and health issues in a large communal enclosure or aviary is difficult to hopeless. In a temperate climate, a serious problem is building aviaries strong enough to withstand heavy snowfall and storm winds. Also, parrots use their massive beaks not only to open palm nuts but also to cut normal mesh and destroy various technical installations.
Photo: @Jaguar_X
Unfortunately, such places will always be relatively rare. Zoos are forced to be where their visitors are. This means mostly big cities and limited space. The recent trend in society is that urban people stop owning cars and travel less long distances or abroad. This will only switch the focus further towards city zoos and can put a strain on existing countryside zoos. Few outstanding places like Monkeyland would not support zoo animal populations or flow of money to wild conservation.
But this is still a great place to visit!
Similar exhibits:
Probably the closest experience are Lemur Forests at the Duke Lemur Center, which is not really a zoo. It is the world's leading university institute dedicated to study and breeding of prosimians, with the most species and largest groups of several endangered lemurs in human care. It has multi-acre fenced areas of existing forest holding a changing selection of lemurs. The area is open only on guided walks and there are several elevated observation decks. Keepers leave food so visitors see quite a lot of activity, although seeing all lemur species currently living in the forest is not guaranteed.
Photo: @Arizona Docent
Photo: @jayjds2
Walkthrough forest enclosures for some monkeys are at La Vallee des Singes and Apenheul, among others. Several small European institutions called monkey forest or monkey mountains keep Barbary macaques in fenced patches of native forest. They include Trentham Monkey Forest, Montagne des Singes, Affenberg Salem and Affenwald Malchow.
Trentham Monkey Forest: @Ste-W
World's biggest aviaries are listed in this thread. A new contender is Bird Paradise in Singapore which opened in 2023. It is the successor to the former Jurong Bird Park. The largest single aviary there is the Heart of Africa, which covers 1.55 hectares, significantly less than Birds of Eden. However, Bird Paradise has more aviaries and species. Most importantly, it has a much bigger focus on breeding threatened species, including such extreme rarities as Philippine eagles and Santa Cruz ground doves.
Shoebill in the Heart of Africa aviary @Zooish
Critically endangered Blue-throated Macaws: @Zooish
Even when not to this extent, I LOVE it when I see live trees in habitats for arboreal species. Detroit Zoo has some wonderful habitats for red pandas and wolverines which allow them to climb live trees in their habitats, and Toronto has some wonderful ones as well. Bronx's Congo Gorilla Forest is a more high-profile example of this, but still nonetheless does a great job allowing animals access to display naturalistic behaviors in a truly natural habitat.21. Monkeyland and Birds of Eden, Plettenberg Bay
The use of natural landscape in zoos 3
Photo: @Bonobo
These twin facilities in South Africa are special. Monkeyland is a giant multi-species primate enclosure, which covers 12 hectares of native forest and includes a 128m long suspension bridge. It can be seen only on guided walks. Ring-tailed and black-and-white ruffed lemurs, red-backed bearded sakis, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, tufted capuchins, black howlers, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, vervets, and white-handed gibbons live there together. The forest currently holds over 500 individual primates.
Capuchins have a real forest there. In smaller enclosures they slowly tear plants apart, with their instinctive drive to seek insects hidden in dense vegetation and bark crevices. Photo: @Bonobo
The lone Spectacled Langur may no longer be at the zoo. Photo: @Bonobo
Birds of Eden is the world's largest walk-through aviary, covering 2.3 hectares and at places 50 m high, since it is built over a valley. It covers a patch of native forest and originally kept mostly donated unwanted birds. There are ca 190 species, including several macaws, amazons, cockatoos and grey parrots. And also large flying foxes and blue duikers.
Photo: @Kudu21
Macaws and other large parrots often get the short stick at zoos. In the wild, they are intelligent, both sociable and spacing themselves apart to nest, and fly large distances to forage in forest crowns. Very few zoos keep big parrots in large aviaries, allowing them to really fly.
Photo: @Bonobo
This place is wonderful, and I hope for more followers. However, there are problems in this type of exhibits. Managing aggression and health issues in a large communal enclosure or aviary is difficult to hopeless. In a temperate climate, a serious problem is building aviaries strong enough to withstand heavy snowfall and storm winds. Also, parrots use their massive beaks not only to open palm nuts but also to cut normal mesh and destroy various technical installations.
Photo: @Jaguar_X
Unfortunately, such places will always be relatively rare. Zoos are forced to be where their visitors are. This means mostly big cities and limited space. The recent trend in society is that urban people stop owning cars and travel less long distances or abroad. This will only switch the focus further towards city zoos and can put a strain on existing countryside zoos. Few outstanding places like Monkeyland would not support zoo animal populations or flow of money to wild conservation.
But this is still a great place to visit!
Similar exhibits:
Probably the closest experience are Lemur Forests at the Duke Lemur Center, which is not really a zoo. It is the world's leading university institute dedicated to study and breeding of prosimians, with the most species and largest groups of several endangered lemurs in human care. It has multi-acre fenced areas of existing forest holding a changing selection of lemurs. The area is open only on guided walks and there are several elevated observation decks. Keepers leave food so visitors see quite a lot of activity, although seeing all lemur species currently living in the forest is not guaranteed.
Photo: @Arizona Docent
Photo: @jayjds2
Walkthrough forest enclosures for some monkeys are at La Vallee des Singes and Apenheul, among others. Several small European institutions called monkey forest or monkey mountains keep Barbary macaques in fenced patches of native forest. They include Trentham Monkey Forest, Montagne des Singes, Affenberg Salem and Affenwald Malchow.
Trentham Monkey Forest: @Ste-W
World's biggest aviaries are listed in this thread. A new contender is Bird Paradise in Singapore which opened in 2023. It is the successor to the former Jurong Bird Park. The largest single aviary there is the Heart of Africa, which covers 1.55 hectares, significantly less than Birds of Eden. However, Bird Paradise has more aviaries and species. Most importantly, it has a much bigger focus on breeding threatened species, including such extreme rarities as Philippine eagles and Santa Cruz ground doves.
Shoebill in the Heart of Africa aviary @Zooish
Critically endangered Blue-throated Macaws: @Zooish