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Maguari

Polar Bear exhibit at Brno, 27/05/10

A very odd, steep exhibit. One bear was stereotyping quite a bit in the morning, but when we returned they were both looking a lot more relaxed. Only goes to show how cautious you should be about judging animals on one visit to the enclosure. (when we wnet back, one of the bears was having great fun tossing and pouncing on an enrichment device consisting of just two sticks tied together - a great example of value-for-money enrichment). That said, it's hard to imagine the bears using the whole area of this exhibit due to the gradient. The pool is actually pretty deep from watching the bear playing, and there is a small area of ice in one corner. Very odd.

Polar Bear exhibit at Brno, 27/05/10
Maguari, 13 Jun 2010
    • Maguari
      A very odd, steep exhibit. One bear was stereotyping quite a bit in the morning, but when we returned they were both looking a lot more relaxed. Only goes to show how cautious you should be about judging animals on one visit to the enclosure. (when we wnet back, one of the bears was having great fun tossing and pouncing on an enrichment device consisting of just two sticks tied together - a great example of value-for-money enrichment).

      That said, it\'s hard to imagine the bears using the whole area of this exhibit due to the gradient. The pool is actually pretty deep from watching the bear playing, and there is a small area of ice in one corner. Very odd.
    • Chlidonias
      is this viewed from both the top and the front? It is similar to Wellington Zoo's (NZ) old bear pits which were similarly steep in a sort of stepped form, with a moat along the front wall. They were viewed only from the front path.
    • Maguari
      The viewing is just from the top and a small platform partway down one side (where this shot was taken), though it looks as if there may have been viewing at the bottom as well in the past - don't know if anyone can confirm that?
    • Jana
      This bear pit was built 50 years ago (for brown bears, polar bears moved in just recently). At that time, the whole zoo consisted of just a few cages and aviaries on both sides of a single visitor path running horizontaly under this pit, so it was constructed to view the bears only from the bottom.
      When the zoo was growing, that old visitor path was closed and the old enclosures were used as quarantene and off-show facilities and later were demolished. This bear pit stayed almost the same the whole time, only the house was reconstructed (to create a cubbing den suitable for polar bears) and the viewing platform on the top was added.
    • Maguari
      Thanks for that Jana. :)
    • Jacobea
      You would have to make the fencing more secure somehow and perhaps fill in most of the pool, but I could see some sort of mountainous or rock face dwelling animal utilise this enclosure and especially that slope better than polar bears could.

      Something like ibex, maybe some macaque species? Would also make a better display IMHO, since, from this photo at least, it has a very pit like feel to me.

      Just my opinion :eek:
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  • Category:
    Zoo Brno
    Uploaded By:
    Maguari
    Date:
    13 Jun 2010
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    Comment Count:
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