Wow, I wasn't aware that enclosure was that size. This zoo is high on my personal must-see list, but it is sometimes hard to find information about it... Would have been a golden opportunity to include an exhibit of this zoo in the list... France really seems to be the place (with Sweden) to have leopard enclosures with fully accessible trees. I saw the same in Thoiry and Parc Zoo du Reynou, though in the latter case, I had my doubts about the safety aspect .
Nordens Ark as a whole is extremely impressive and definitely worth a visit. The cat enclosures, including those for smaller cats, are outstanding and the use of a dramatic natural landscape definitely makes it a must-see. Viewing wasn’t as difficult as I thought it could be and it was an exceptional zoo visiting experience. A word of warning though, I have vertigo and a fear of heights so it was a real challenge for me to the linger here and this is a zoo which rewards those who are prepared to wait patiently at times. The walkways around the tigers aren’t as high up and there is also viewing of indoor areas and a second tiger enclosure where I had a quite thrilling close up encounter with a tiger which I haven’t experienced before.
And it seems to be quite the same with the snow leopards and amur tigers enclosures with other brillant exhibits for takins, ibex and asian black bears... Yes, some could have been there ! You're right regarding Reynou but the single leopard remaining there is now quite old so you risk nothing (was not the same 15 years ago when for my first visit I was really afraid ) Last thing : the Sri Lankan leopards in CERZA will receive a new enclosure this year so I expect a larger one (the previous was nice but too small).
I suspect that one of the reasons leopards and snow leopards often seem to get the short stick is exactly their climbing and jumping abilities, even greater than those of other big cats, and the challenge of safely fencing their exhibits without using full netting. Apparently it can be done, but even with the very nice looking exhibits shown here there is some fencing visible in a somewhat obtrusive way. Perhaps some zoos will chose netting over that for aesthetical or financial reasons. That said, I have seen a very decent netted leopard enclosure, the Sri Lankan leopard exhibit at Burgers. I believe that however the second outdoor exhibit is substantially less impressive, consisting of a substantially smaller cage. With regards to Antwerp I think three big cat species would be a bit over the top for that zoo, and I don't believe the tigers they want to get again can get as good an enclosure as the lions, so for the jubilee complex a climbing cat species (leopard or snow leopard) and some other climbing or mountain animals would seem to me more appropriate than two big cat species.
I have no way near enough of experience with the construction of zoo exhibit, but there is no way, that netted over is cheaper than just higher fence right?
When looking for inspiriration for my list, I picked up the snowleopard exhibit from Nordens Ark from the “Europe’s 50 must see Zoo’s” thread and added it my list of 60 exhibits (still stuck). Of course, it’s easier to create such an exhibit when you have rocks like that on your grounds but exhibits like that are amazing. I expect we will see another example soon enough out the most illusive Czech Zoo known to ZooChat
Auvergne is a well-hidden jewel among European zoos, it's fabulous with naturalistic exhibits for all the species hosted and a fantastic collection of caprines and deers. The big cat's enclosures deserve a special mention: tigers, snow leopards, and Amur leopards have large naturalistic areas, better than the majority of EAZA zoos. I suggest you visit it soon. This year they started also with giant anteaters...
That enclosure is fine, though I find it lacking in height. The two separation cages are smaller indeed (100-150 square metres each, with 3-4 metres in height). This is the leopard enclosure in Parc Zoo du Reynou, which makes CERZA seem like Alcatraz: But safety isn't the main priority there, given their way of keeping ring-tailed lemurs on their "island" And their polar bear enclosure also doesn't look too sturdy The problem with caprines is, as @jwer alluded, is that one of Europe's stellar exhibits houses them, so all the others play second fiddle, Auvergne is on the shadow list though for them
21. Bison houses Zoo Berlin, Germany Opened: 1905 Size: 1600 square metres Inhabitants: American plains bison, European bison Before the craze of creating enclosures aiming at representing the natural environment of its inhabitants, there was a long tradition of showing animals in enclosures representing the culture from their native habitat. Back in the days when cultural appropriation did not exist, these exhibits were a huge success. Director Heck described them as “wertvolle Glieder in der Reihe unser voelkerkundlich interressanten, lehrreichen Bauten”, which roughly translates as “precious members in our series of ethnographically interesting, educational buildings”. Creating such buildings would probably be more complicated today, but as pieces of heritage the two wood structures in Berlin stand out. Located side by side, they show two closely related bovines in similar sandy paddocks. But their stables could not be more different. One inspired on native americans, including totem poles, the other on a Russian loghouse. These enclosures still stand basically unchanged since their opening, though the heavy fence on the visitor side has been replaced by one offering a clearer view. To add to the ethnographic theming of the cattle enclosures, a bit further on a Siamese house for banteng and gaur was opened in 1997, based on an earlier building that was destroyed. @FunkyGibbon @Maguari Similar exhibits: the Mingakabause house in Artis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands from 1916 is a similar example, still in use today. Though inspired by Sumatra, it now houses animals from Sulawesi. @Dylon
And, naturally, as two of the very few structures which (albeit heavily reconstructed) survive from the pre-WWII years.
I hopped that you will include those iconic buildings, but thought that Antelope House will take their place. What's the story behind the other cattle inhabitants ? The Watusi and the Red Buffalo don't really fit the concept, while the Anoa and Water Buffaloes also living in Asian style houses.
I hadn't thought of these being included but I'm positively surprised to see these here... even if they might be somewhat controversial today for being culturally appropriated I think they offer an interesting insight into the mindset of the day when it came to zoo enclosures. Also, as Dave already said, I would be very surprised to not see the Antelope house here and the more I think about it the more exhibits from Berlin I think would make sense to see here such as World of Birds. This just makes me want to revisit Berlin even more but I'll wait until most of the major construction at Tierpark is complete.
While reading this I was thinking: "No way this gets on the list. It wasn't even that good from the start and it aged terribly." But then it hit me that you are actually talking about the other "most illusive" Czech Zoo
You'd be waiting a bloody long time, given the vast amount of comprehensive redevelopment, demolition and theming which Kneireim intends for the entire site if current plans hold out, not a single part of the collection will be untouched.
