Cheetah, November 2018

Nice and snug in one of its shelters and fully visible to visitors. With the return of dismal wintry weather, I'd like to see more species provided with outdoor shelters, particularly some primates. The mandrills used to have one until their climbing structures were revamped a couple of years ago. They are sometimes shut out in the elements while cleaning is going on and don't look as though they enjoy it. The orang islands area is one of the coldest places in the zoo when the weather's bad and their only protection is a doorway with flaps over it. The gorillas might venture out more if they had 'man caves'. Pertinax used to have one where he could watch the world go by. Shelters could face the visitors, like this one, but provide some warmth and privacy. Mandrills, for instance, would need more than one because of dominance issues.