Leopard Heights at Yorkshire WP, 28/10/14

This is the main exhibit which on this day the male (\'Drake\') had access to. Behind this exhibit is two smaller exhibits which the female (\'Freya\') had access to.

This is still my least favourite enclosure here- its spacious but remains very artificial looking. I would prefer a bit of sympathetic landscaping at ground level-a few mounds and boulders, some logs and longer vegetation with maybe a few birch and young oak trees/bamboo mixed in with the young pines. It would soften the whole aspect which to me remains very stark.

How much do the leopards utilise the climbing apparatus? It doesn't look as if it would be especially easy to climb (even for a leopard).

There are several photos of them resting on the little platforms so they evidently use them. The system of poles etc isn't very attractive but without much else its probably functional. I just think its too open and could be improved with more planting/landscaping.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, that forever-improving new zoo in England, has created a very functional leopard exhibit that in terms of height and square-footage is excellent. However, the overwhelming functionality of the enclosure is not exciting to some folks on this site. That being said, there doesn't seem to be any way to disguise the dominant fencing without the cats being offered a way to escape. Also, this exhibit will look much better five years from now, when some of the undergrowth becomes thicker. There is definitely potential with the 3 trio of leopard enclosures and one can only hope that a little more landscaping is added in the future.

Leopard exhibit examples:

Minnesota Zoo has a trio of Amur Leopard exhibits that are part of the Russia's Grizzly Coast complex. The expensive 2008 addition to the zoo cost around $30 million and for that price it is possible to construct a natural-looking set of habitats that both replicate the natural environment of the species as well as appeal to the "aesthetic beliefs" of zoo visitors.

Glass view:

http://www.zoochat.com/584/russias-grizzly-coast-amur-leopard-exhibit-378662/

Glass view:

http://www.zoochat.com/584/russias-grizzly-coast-amur-leopard-exhibit-378661/

Mesh view:

http://www.zoochat.com/584/russias-grizzly-coast-amur-leopard-exhibit-378659/

Utah's Hogle Zoo has a superb cat complex called Asian Highlands with 5 species, although again it was costly and features high-priced items such as simulated mud-banks and textured rocks.

http://www.zoochat.com/570/asian-highlands-amur-leopard-exhibit-195019/

There are Silver Birch planted in here Pertinax,but they have now shed their leaves so look considerably more bare than in summer. I agree that it could do with a large pile of boulders or some other sort of structure to make it more realistic,and I have expressed my views to a couple of the carnivore keepers ( hopefully if enough people put their views across it reaches the upper management.)

In regard to the Leopards using the structure then I have to tell you that they are constantly climbing up to the platforms through-out the day. They make good use of nearly every platform to give various vantage points depending on whats happening,such as feeding times of other animals around them,or the location of the female in regard to where the male is. It definitely isn't the most picturesque compared to the photos attached showing the Minnesota zoo exhibit,but that looks incredibly small. Even the Utah one looks pretty cramped.
I think people get a bit hung up on the looks of the exhibit.When you see it in person you just admire the Leopards and look at how they climb the structure and see how large a space they have to explore,and don't really notice the fences etc. ( Anyone who has seen it in the flesh want to back me up on that?)

Yes, I can see a silver birch tree trunk now you say that. So good news, some variation there and it will look better as the trees grow. Still hope they can break up the flat appearance of the enclosure though. As it is it still scores IMO more on the functional than the realistic/attractive.

I appreciate it isn't a million$ construction like those shown above( I prefer the Hogle one of the two) but its amazing how good landscaping helps even quite basic enclosures. Example; Twycross' previous covered Leopard enclosure(originally it held Tigers) was quite simple but well landscaped and a good exhibit IMO..

It wasn't me who queried that. I have seen a number of photos of them on the platforms so it was evident they use them frequently. There is no shortage of climbing opportunity here.

Well I hope you aren't referring to the horrid and tiny enclosure that the Amur Leopards are currently housed in? It looks to me like the old Chimpanzee enclosure with a few bits of tree trunk strips fixed to the frame work, a small opening where each cage ended and a mock waterfall stuck at one end. Twycross hasn't got a single quality or spacious exhibit,in my opinion,with the exception of the Elephants-maybe the coatis/bush dogs, Meerkats and the Snow Leopards. Even that seems to be more aimed at people coming to have a coffee as they abandon their kids in the play-zone rather than the paying guests of the zoo. ( The ironic thing is that from the photos I have seen,and my own visit,is that the 3 Leopards seem to spend most of their time on the grotesque pebble filled mesh structures at the zoo end window instead of the rest of the enclosure that looks lovely.)
Even the smallest of the 3 Amur Leopard enclosures at YWP dwarfs the one at Twycross i'm afraid. They really do look a lot better in the flesh.

I can't comment on the Twycross enclosure as I haven't seen it, however, the YWP enclosures look better in the flesh. The exhibit itself is set out nicely, four enclosures in total (however, I believe one isn't used or is very rarely used). A lot of visitors still find it hard to find the Leopard(s) when on display.

Regarding the use of the platforms, every time I have visited, the leopard has been either sat on or walking across the platform, so it is well used.