It is possible. I await data to confirm. My point (perhaps using some exaggeration) was that San Diego has some bad exhibits, of which the giraffe exhibit is a prime example in my opinion.
Using Google sketchUp, I have estimated the giraffe space in San Diego to be approximately 13,600 sf. The entire footprint of the Carter Giraffe Building seems to be approximately 11,500 sf. Not that much different. Does anybody know the current herd sizes at each facility?
There were six Masai giraffes and three or four Sommering's gazelles in the San Diego exhibit when I was there last week. I don't have current info on Bronx herd.
Although I would like to go to the Bronx Zoo some day, after reading this thread I'm glad my partner and I decided to go to Chicago for our big spring trip. When thinking about the Bronx Zoo, I was thinking of all the costs, not to mention the added expenses of staying in New York City. I was also not sure if all the outdoor exhibits would be open by the beginning of May, although we've had a mild winter in the East coast and it looks like spring is here. But I am excited to go to a city I've always wanted to go to and see two zoos and one aquarium.
Much less of the space in the Carter Giraffe Building is actually devoted to giraffes though. There are aardvarks and dwarf mongoose in there as well included with room for the visitors and keeper necessities.
Of course, but the giraffes still get outside access if it's over 40 degrees. San Diego's herd of six plus the gazelles are stuck in that space year round.
Your also forgeting that they have a yard in between the barn and the main exhibit that holds the bull giraffe when there is a very young giraffe.
That point has already been acknowledged. My only point was that the David was exaggerating when he said that the indoor giraffe space at the Bronx Zoo was approximately the same as the space the giraffes at SD have. And that seems to be the case when you consider the things Otter Lord pointed out.
I may have been off by three or four thousand square feet, but my basic point stands that the entire San Diego Zoo giraffe exhibit is not that much larger than the indoor barn at the Bronx Zoo, especially when you are talking about an animal to whom three or four thousand square feet is not much room to begin with. The only point I was making is that San Diego Zoo has some major flaws that need to be fixed, using their giraffe exhibit as an example.
Considering what Otter Lord said, the SDZ space is probably at least twice as large as the giraffe indoor space at the Bronx. I get the overall point and have agreed with it. I made one simple point that you were overstating your point. It looks like I was correct. That doesn't change your overall point of course. I just wanted to be more accurate and avoid having people who haven't been to one or both zoos in question thinking that the space is actually the same for giraffes in their house at the Bronx compared to the SD Zoo space.
So, can we all agree that San Diego has a sub-par giraffe exhibit, especially given their perceived status as the "world's best" (or at least most famous) zoo. And can we also agree that it it too bad the Bronx Zoo happens to be in a part of the world where giraffes and other tropical animals need to be housed indoors for extended periods of time?
Using the Google Maps Area Calculator Tool i found that the san diego zoo exhibit including the barn to be 13,000 square feet or a third of an acre. The bronx zoos barn is 9,000 sqaure feet or a fifth of an acre. I estimate that the indoor giraffe area including the four side stalls is 5,000 square feet. The bronx zoos outdoor yards equal up to 50,000 square feet which is 1.25 acres.
Thank you for the areas of the exhibit, uszoo and Otter Lord. The Bronx Zoo's giraffe house never seemed that big to me (or maybe the San Diego Zoo's giraffe exhibit never seemed so small ).
