African Lion Enclosure at Zoo Simon Bolivar, 12/04/14

Home to the zoo's sole non-Costa-Rican-native mammal.

That's what i imagine cat enclosures might have been looking like in the early 1900's,...Archaic!

If not even earlier, to be honest...

Zoo Simon Bolivar shows a few points of promise, but overall it is still a long way off being a good zoo.

No wonder Costa Rica has been attempting to shut down its zoos. It is images like the one above that give zoos a bad rap.

What I found frustrating was that every so often there was a slight indication that at least one person there knows what they're doing (the signage is good, for example). But they need a major cash injection, to expand the big cat enclosures and aviaries in particular, that I just don't think is going to come. The site is small and undulating - I think it has only stayed free for the zoo because it would be difficult to build human housing on - and I think the only real chance for change on the big cats will be after one (or both!) has died or been moved on.

The zoo staff know what they are doing.

Just they do not get the municipal / city funding the zoo adequately.
The government policy in this case to me is a head-in-the-sand tactic.

Yes, theses bars look brutal, but overall it looks better than most of the 'bad' enclosures. It has a platform, some logs, dry floor (even sand and not concrete). It is far from perfect, but better than I am used for such zoos.

What is the current situation with the proposed anti zoo laws?

My understanding is that the zoos have been quite recently told they can stay open for at least the next 10 years.

Since the lion has moved (and later died) this enclosure is now being used for education purposes.