Just to clarify, there is zero hotwire along the base of the exhibit; zero hotwire attached to the fence in the middle; and zero hotwire along the top. Fellow ZooChatter "Black Rhino" and I were touring the zoo together and we both felt it was an extremely dangerous situation and the adjacent tiger exhibit is designed the same way. If a wild deer, or even a small child, was running around excitedly on the large lawn in front of the cage then what is there to stop a lion or tiger leaping to the top of the fence and dragging themselves over? Yikes!
If I was in that facility and there were big cats on the other side of the fence, I'd be very concerned for my safety. That's frightening.
I am sure the USDA has minimal fence requirements for big cats and I am surprised this is in compliance.
What is interesting is that the posts extend much higher, as if they intend to add more fencing up to that level. Maybe they will soon?
What is more alarming to me is if the big cats pounced on the fence say half way up, would it hold? the thin wire at the top would most likely give and the fence flop forward giving the animal extra impetus to push it's way out. It looks like a glorified tennis court to me and they aren't that strong I've seen them come loose from the top just with Yobs trying to climb them, never mind a heavy and exited big cat.
this photo gets stranger and scarier the more one looks at it. The netting on the fence in the foreground is held on to the horizontal top pole only by twists of fairly thin wire. The uprights which extend above the fence look like they are covered, as if there is meant to be electric wires running between them but there isn't. The fence at the rear of the enclosure looks to be probably the same height as the one in the front, but it doesn't have those extra-long uprights. But beyond that is another fence which does, but those uprights are connected by a horizontal beam at the top (and the fence running along the side of the enclosure - on the right of the photo - also has those top horizontals). It all looks like a half-finished, half-arsed job but they just put the cats in there anyway. I note also that the bottom of the fence is just a metal pole sitting on the ground.