Definitely one of the best zoo in USA (as shown in photos). Finally, there is a north-american park without fake rock or millions of dollars spent for visitors with its huge and unnecessary tropical houses. Natural exhibit, just natural ! Thank you Snowleopard
And NC Zoo has three giant tropical houses (One for birds, one a desert habitat and the now nearly-empty African pavilion, a huge structure similar to those in Toronto, Minnesota etc. that is now obsolete).
For the tropical greenhouses, with the exception of ocelot exhibit in the Desert Building, they are only dedicated to birds or small reptiles. I am not against the existence of tropical buildings, but when we see tapirs or great apes without access to outdoor, while millions dollars have been spent for the visitors'immersion, it's demoralizing...
This seems a very arbitrary way to evaluate the adequacy of captive care--it's okay for small animals but not large animals to be in indoor facilities? It's okay to place tropical animals in colder environments rather than to keep them in spaces that more closely reflect the temperature and humidity ranges of their natural habitat? Agree that many indoor rainforest displays include interior exhibits for large animals that are arguably too small and lacking in spatial diversity, but I'd much rather be a lemur "confined indoors for life" in Zurich's Masoala exhibit than to be one huddling for warmth on a patch of mowed grass outdoors in any of a number of Northern zoos.
The masoala exhibit is tuff to beat, i was personally amazed at how much was spent for so few mammal species. Not only a great exhibit for visitors and animals it also contributes to conservation in a real and tangible way, a quote from zoolex "Thanks to generous donations by visitors and revenues from sales at the Masoala shop and restaurant(2% of which go to the Masoala Rain Forest in Madagascar) USD 100,000 - nearly one-third of the operating budget for the Masoala National Park - were covered during the first year of operation. In addition to support provided for the park security staff, rice-field irrigation and rice storage projects are funded as means of preventing further burn-clearing. "
I think you and I have actually found common ground there, reduakari. I am not claiming to know the answer, and I have no problem with animals being kept inside (as longs as conditions are suitable), but I can't see why a mouse lemur or striped mouse should need less fresh air than an elephant or a hippo? And indicently I would also prefer to be a lemur in Masoala than in a standard exhibit with outdoor access.
Compare what is comparable ... Masoala is (for me) the most beautiful tropical greenhouse in the world simply because all the animals are free and enjoy one hectare of vegetation...Lemurs are not confined in an indoor exhibit, they room freely in the building ! I only criticize the greenhouses simply built for the visitor and not for the animals : In Omaha or Brookfield, there is a huge waterfall, a beautiful restaurant, many big animals ... But see tapirs, hippos, gorillas in indoor exhibits, without outside, it's sad ! Several zoological studies have shown (in Basel for exemple) that primates absolutely need an access to outside ... And I like that in North Carolina: Money is not foolishly spent to built huge buildings and closed the animals indoor only for public enjoyment .. The animals live just in natural enclosure... In the wild, have you ever seen bears live near fake rocks with electric to Protect trees and make all this "pretty" for the visitor ? No, They live in the forest, that's all. And Rather Than Spending money to build beautiful windows or fake rocks, it would still be easier and better suited to offer a simple and Gigantic forest to the bears ? And keep the money for conservation and protect them in-situ? THIS is my vision of the exhibits...
