Hello everybody. i am landscape architect and i wanted to ask something about bearcats. i know that they dont jump ...and i saw in BestZoo sample that they have branch outside the enclosure with just a fence on the tree trunk. i was wondering if it is safe enough and can prevent them from scaping? can they just fall and be outside the enclosure! and in the guidlines it was mentioned that we should use unclimbable surface for boundries. what material could it be? glass? wood? i dont like to suggest anything like fence or cage or overhead net.... i would like to know your ideas. thank you all in advance ;-)
is there any minimum requirment for barrier hight? in the BMEL stated : Binturong (Arctictis binturong): Mindestens 25 m2 und 3,0 m Höhe bzw. 75 m3 pro Tier, für jedes weitere erwachsene Tier 5 m2 und 3,0 m Höhe bzw. 15 m3 mehr but i think it mean if there is a roof it shouldn't be lower than 3 m... and for open enclosure we dont need 3m high fences. am i right???
It would be-too-wrong if they fell. Honestly i think there's a possibility but it's low. They are arboreal climbers afterall and their instinct would likely prevent them from falling. Just like Singapore's orangutan are walking above people head i guess.
I mean, I've seen one fall. He was a juvenile ambassador animal we were taking out to play, so perhaps his coordination was still a work in progress. He didn't fall from a great height, so he was perfectly fine, but it can and does happen.
A smooth plastered wall can work well. I would´t go under 1,5m if you don´t use an overhang or wire on top. Can be combined with some dry ditch on animal side to lower the barrier in relation to visitors path. Continuos glass walls are not practical because keepers will need to clean it frequently and that will add to their workload. If you want, use one or two short sections of glass in otherwise solid wall at most exponed points to allow children to see animals without help of their parents. If you go with just wire, it can be just 50 cm high. Works well for mixed otter-binturong exhibit in Ostrava for years. Look.
What is shown in the video is an secondary electric wire fence with a plexiglass primary fence at the visitor rail. The wire looks like a later addition to keep animals out of visitors' reach
