Polar bears exhibit

Wild Arctic is an arctic themed complex (opened in 1999) for arctic wolves and, here, polar bears. Two animals (a pair) live in this large wooded enclosure with a 800 000 L pool and an underwater-viewing (40 m).

I get a good feeling about this exhibit even if this photo doesn't show much.

For a sense of scale, there appears to be a sleeping bear near the shoulder of the woman in the picture.

To the left of the waterfall it appears that the "woods" are off-limits due to a hot wire fence?
Maxime's other pictures of the exhibit show the space to the right of this view, though

But what is the little fenced high platform on the left? Do keepers come with a ladder and give presentations or feeding enrichment from there?

Yes, most of the small "forest" are off limits to the bears due to hotwire. The enclosure looks a lot better and bigger on thi picture then it is in reality.

Baldur, I've uploaded some other photos of this exhibit ;-)

Yes, Yassa, the wooded part isn't accessible to the bears due to hotwire. It's an interesant exhibit (big pool, good-looking for visitor) but the land part is very small and it's a better enclosure for visitors than for bears...

Zooplantman, you're right, the little plattform is for the feeding presentation (keepers give some fishes to the bears from this plattform).

Merci, Maxime

I think this is true of much of La Fleche; nonetheless, it's an attractive zoo, and this is still a good polar bear enclosure (if not a great one). The enclosure for black leopards seems to me to be a perfect design (from the visitors' perspective). I like the fact that they have thought about what it is that the visitor actually sees. if they could tie this in with more consideration for the needs of the animals, this zoo would be up there with nearby great places such as Doue la Fontaine, Beauval and the the Vallee des Singes - three zoos which are certainly amongst Europe's very best.

Yes, it's absolutely that, Scooty Mangabey ! Le Zoo de la Flèche is only a commercia zoo with species for visitors (black panthers, white lions...), enclosure for visitors (very aesthetic but lots of hotwire...), no conservation for animals...

I would not bash La Flèche that much. It is not ONLY a commercial zoo (manly, yes). There are also animals not "only for ordinary visitors" like Fishing Cats, Turkey Vultures, Maned Wolves or Bongos f. e.

But I have to admit, that I thought that the exhibits (specially for Polar and Brown Bears) are better then they are obviously in reality. I didn't knew that the exhibit space is that much limited by hotwire.