As a Canadian, I find it interesting that of the big three zoos (Toronto, Calgary, Assiniboine Park) here, only Calgary holds them - and they’re still overshadowed by the grizzlies, plus the eventual polar bears. For all of the American facilities that hold North American black bears, how many emphasize the species as an exhibit centrepiece?
Climbing is a behavior that tends to be more common in young bears anyways, so as the bears aged it'd make more sense for the climbing behavior to decrease. It could also be something that climbing isn't a behavior the bears "want" to be doing, per say. In the wild, climbing behavior in bears is tied to functions (i.e. foraging, protection for younger bears), it may be a behavior that, while it's important to give the bears a choice to climb, may not occur much in captivity due to decreased need.
So it is my fault now . To be clear I would never add this one to a must see list, I doubt whether it is an effective habitat for the bears and boy is it ugly.... With mock rock being an American staple, there are a lot of more tasteful examples, I would guess, to display your American's love for concrete. I really cannot fathom what went through the minds of the people that designed, approved and paid for this thing... Tropic World is a different beast, which is worth showcasing as a piece of zoo history. In my opinion this thing seems a better example for "what happens when zoo architects suffer from brain farts".
As ZooChats #1 concrete enthusiast, I was expecting you to appreciate this entry. I remembered your comment on @Coelacanth18’s travel thread and I honestly thought you were being completely serious, but I do want to clarify it did not influence my decision to put it on the list. I think I've made myself pretty clear on why I chose it so I won’t reiterate my arguments, but I will admit that this is definitely not the best black bear exhibit in America. Several much better ones will appear later on this list like others have mentioned, although I maintain this ones inclusion based on how unusual and interesting the design is.
36. African Rift Valley Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, CO Opened: 2003 Size: 2.5 Acres (1 Hectare) Inhabitants: Giraffe, Grant’s Zebra, Okapi, Red River Hog, African Lion, Guereza Colobus, Meerkat, Rock Hyrax, African Spurred Tortoise, Leopard Tortoise and various birds. Zoos in unconventional locations often face unique challenges when it comes to exhibit design; for example, being on a mountain 6,714 feet above sea level. If done well however, it can make for an experience far more exciting than it would be in a traditional setting. The rift valley is a unique sight in the American zoo landscape and one of the more interesting takes on an African savanna you'll find. The entire area is built on a narrow slope at the lowest point of the zoo and while there are attempts at theming like the standard thatch huts and a large artificial baobab, the enclosures themselves are largely functional. The giraffe paddock is rather basic in appearance, but enhanced by an imposing mountainous backdrop that is genuinely stunning. The herd is always quite large as the zoo has been one of the most prolific giraffe breeders on this side of the pond with over 200 calves born since the 50s. The adjacent hoofstock paddocks are pleasant, but not very large and in general most of the individual enclosures here are a bit on the small side. With that said, the zoo has gotten creative to maximize usable space, as almost every enclosure can be seen from multiple vantage points at different elevations and some make use of the steep terrain to create multi-tiered habitats like the lion exhibit. Luckily there are future plans to revamp the complex which will include an extension of the giraffe yards and additional mixed-species exhibits upon other enhancements. @MGolka @Baldur @snowleopard @MGolka @MGolka Similar Exhibits: None. However, I would like to highlight another complex at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo that focuses on African megafauna. Encounter Africa is just up the hill from the Rift Valley and together they make up a cohesive series of uniquely designed African exhibits. Elephants and rhinos are highlighted here, presented in exhibits with even more stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The elephants in particular have a two acre paddock out of view from guests where they have full access to tall trees and dense vegetation. @MGolka @MGolka @wilson
Hmm. You know, it isn’t a black bear exhibit, but the grizzly exhibit at Lake Superior Zoo has similar elements with multiple viewing levels and an abundance of faux rockwork. Probably better for animal welfare, less visually interesting than Knoxville’s. I still think Knoxville’s presentation and oddity make it worth a spot on this list.
Quick suggestion: For when it's not obvious, a quick caption saying what animal an exhibit for would be appreciated with the photos. This certainly seems like an impressive exhibit, but a few of the exhibits pictured I have no idea what species they are for, since I've never visited this zoo and they can't be seen in the photos.
Except there's nothing memorable about LSZ's black bear exhibit. As in, I was just there a month ago and literally cannot remember seeing a black bear exhibit at all!
I compared it to their grizzly exhibit, not a black bear exhibit. Although their black bear exhibit is heavy on the rockwork from what I remember.
Sure, I can do that for the larger complexes with multiple enclosures if that's something people would find helpful. In the case of the African Rift Valley, the photos are the following: 1. Zebra exhibit in the foreground, giraffe exhibit in the background 2. Giraffe Exhibit 3. Okapi Exhibit 4. Red River Hog Exhibit 5. Lion Exhibit
Do the high altitude affect the animals in any way? The view itself its enough to put in on the list though, looks great.
If someone were to ever make a list of "America's 50, or 100, or whatever, Most Scenic Zoos," there's no doubt that Cheyenne Mountain would be pretty close to the top. The view from Shrine of the Sun at the top of the park is breathtaking
Forgot as in, not exactly put them as the main star of an attraction. I mean, we have the We Bare Bears trio (Grizzlies, Polars, and Pandas) who gets all kinds of spotlight in zoos, not alot in Black Bears.
I'm honestly gonna bet we'll be seeing Water's Edge: Africa to be featured in this list as well. I know people are sick of African themed exhibits and stuff, but Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is definitely among the best zoos in US to fully utilize their landscape to truly make one hell of a spectacular complex. Even without the animals themselves they set it apart by being featured in one of the most beautiful sceneries you can find anywhere in a zoo, not something that you can easily say for a lot of african complexes out there.
One of my favorite stories about design is the story of the iconic stretching room at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. When designing the Haunted Mansion attraction Imagineers were faced with a predicament: how to connect the mansion facade with the rides show building which was on the other side of a railroad. The answer: an elevator that went below ground and continued the attractions queue beneath the railroad. This created the iconic idea for the stretching room pre-show. Without the obstacle of the railroad there never would have been the idea for the stretching room. I personally believe obstacles and rules inspire creativity and outside of the box ideas. Cheyennes exhibits, especially the Rift Valley, embody this idea. The zoos complex geography forces designers to get creative about how they design exhibits, thus creating interesting exhibits. Cheyenne absolutely deserves its place on this list and I wouldn’t be surprised if another Cheyenne exhibit was mentioned in this list.
How many AZA zoos have native continental USA species as their main attraction? Black bears aren't rare, aren't exotic, don't have the size or reputation that grizzlies have (any they barely inhabit the lower 48). Mountain lions are rarely given star status and they have more of a reputation than black bears do.
To be fair Grizzly Bears once inhabited much of the lower 48 states, it's only the least 100 years or so that they've been pushed out of all but northern Washington, Idaho and Montana, as well as Greater Yellowstone.
