I pored over the Los Angeles Zoo's master plan a while back, and I actually came up with an idea to preserve some of the roundhouses while at the same time maximizing animal welfare in the process. What if they were converted into viewing shelters with glass panes, mesh panes, etc.? Said shelters would view into larger habitats for animals such as arboreal primates, carnivores, reptiles, birds, or even large mammals like giraffes (potential feeding station...?). Maybe they could also host smaller exhibits with windows that view into the larger habitat (Like Bronx' Tsingy Cliffs exhibit with a Dumeril's ground boa exhibit right next to/semi-looking-into the Coquerel's sifaka exhibit). What are your guys' thoughts on this idea? Are the roundhouses too cumbersome and the sites too hilly? What would be the benefits and drawbacks to such a plan?
I think this is a really neat idea, and a benefit is that it would preserve the architectural/historical legacy of the roundhouses somewhat by reusing them. I also really like the potential symbolism offered by it: the humans viewing the animals from inside the cage that once held those animals. If I had to venture a guess, I think a potential drawback is simply that the roundhouses are old and may be of increasing maintenance needs and costs. Another issue is that part of the master plan involves completely restructuring the pathways of the zoo (a much-needed overhaul) which may dislocate a lot of the roundhouses from the new walking routes.
I think that roundhouses work for certain species and give you an up-close panoramic view if done well. Some birds and monkeys seem to do well from what I’ve seen: examples would be the turacos mixed with duikers and crested capuchins. I believe from the master plan that is available currently, the infrastructure of the roundhouse are said to be very outdated and would require a whole new revamp ergo making the roundhouses obsolete. And correct me if I’m wrong but I believe that the LA Zoo had implemented glass viewing windows a long time ago to some of the roundhouses and had gone away. And I’d also agree with what @Coelacanth18 has said that maintenance could be too costly.
