I wonder which zoos have underwater views of polar bears? Which is the best, besides extremely expensive Detroit Zoo? Any idea why this presentation is more common in North America than Europe?
Of the zoos i visited i can only remember Rhenen (very nice exhibit), Wuppertal Zoo and Prague Zoo having an underwater viewing area. Rotterdam will soon have a large viewing area... From what i understand there's also underwater viewing at ZOOM Gelsenkirchen and Zoo Bremerhaven. I think the main reason it's more common in North America then in Europe is because Zoo's can only upgrade so much, and i think the emphasis in Europe has been more on other exhibits (Elephants for example) then polar bears...
@Jurek&: great idea for a thread! I started a "Polar Bear Exhibits" thread a while ago and there were a load of responses, and so an "underwater views" thread is bound to get some interest. @jwer:there has also been a huge investment in elephant exhibits in North America, as more than 40 zoos out of the approximately 80 that have elephants have recently updated their enclosures. I really don't know why European zoos don't have an emphasis on polar bears... After a brief search I found 12 North American zoos with underwater viewing of polar bears. Maryland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Central Park, Memphis, Cincinnati, Toledo, Denver, San Diego, Point Defiance, Oregon, and Rio Grande. Plus the Seaworlds and so there must be at least 15 establishments with underwater viewing. On top of that, there are at least another 9 zoos that have either already started building or are awaiting funding for polar bear exhibits with underwater viewing. Toronto, Calgary, Roger Williams Park, Kansas City, Henry Vilas, Buffalo, Columbus, Louisville and North Carolina.
Underwater viewing of polar bears (and hippos, etc.) is EXTREMELY expensive. There is the glass, of course, but the real money is in the filtration system to keep the water crystal clear.
There are only two zoos in Hungary which keep Polar bears (Budapest Zoo and Nyiregyhaza Zoo), both of them have underwater viewing section. May I digress a bit from the Polar bears, so about the possibility of underwater viewing in general: I don’t know why, but I don’t like this kind of exhibit design technic that much than exhibits with natural settings. F.e. it is more memorable experience for me personally when I walking on a shaky woodbridge which span above a small natural, reed-edged lake while I seeing f.e. otters swimming in the water. These naturally exhibits without underwater viewing can much more fascinated me than seeing animals in "huge aquaruims". This is concerned to not just the otters, but also hippos, crocodiles, etc. in my case. So I don’t like very much f.e. the solution of Leipzig Zoo (Asian elephants exhibited with underwater viewing), but also don’t like underwater wieving areas with species which life stlye more attached to the water (mentioned otters beforehand, but personally the same situation for me the Baird’s tapirs at Wuppertal). One of a few mammal species I would like to see the possibility of underwater viewing is the Eurasian water shrew in a big aqua-terrarium.
I see your point, but don't share your feelings. One thing zoos can do is show animals in ways that they cannot be experienced in Nature. When I first saw hippos swim I was amazed and understood hippos in a new way. Watching penguins underwater is one of Life's great pleasures. Still, zoos over do it (like every commercial enterprise over does everything!). Each zoo has to compete with television and the movies for the family's entertainment time and funds. Be glad they don't yet put little swim suits on the polar bears so you can buy the same cute outfit for yourself in the gift shop
Perhaps because underwater section is not naturalistic. The pool is often uniform, or even blue tiles and steps (This is the case in Leipzig's elephant underwater view). North Carolina zoo has naturalistic rocks BOTH above and underwater. I wonder which other zoos have it? Well, it is probably done in some universities or so. But as you know from NOT seeing one in the wild, shrews are naturally semi-burrowing, living in dead leaves.
Underwater viewing in zoos is an amazing addition to all exhibits, and seeing crocodiles, hippos, polar bears, otters, beavers, penguins, etc beneath the surface is an exhilirating experience. Children in particular are in awe of massive animals swimming inches from their face. I can remember being at the Calgary Zoo in 2006 and watching their two hippos plunge into their indoor pool. There was an enormous crashing sound and then the building became completely silent as the huge creatures quietly swam around for about 10 minutes in their pool. Amazing. I have heard that the filtration system for underwater viewing costs a fortune (perhaps that is why there are so many advertisements in CONNECT magazine for filters) but another handy thing to do is to stock the pool with loads of fish.
La Palmyre in France has underwater viewing for the polar bears. The water was crystal clear, the enclosure is okay but not especially naturalistic.
@ Zooplantman: Certainly I don’t think that zoos shouldn’t exhibit their aquatic life style species with underwater viewing, yes, it is highly appreciated by the bulk of the visitors, so probably a good idea. It is just my opinion (but truly this is not opinion, rather a feeling as You said correctly) that I like more the "naturalistic way" in the exhibit design which ignores the possibility of underwater views. It is probably the results of my "occupational hazard"… @ Jurek7: Certainly I know the life style of the Water shrews, that’s why this is a professional challenge for zoos to exhibit these creatures in an appropriate way … and also a challenge to glimpse them in a captive environment. That the reason I dare say this, because the exhibition of this species is not absolutely aims the interest of the general visitors …
I do like underwater viewing for most species particularly penguins, seals, otters etc. but I don't think that it is necessarily a great idea for polar bears. I'm sure some research suggests it can be a source of stress for polar bears. Whether this is specifically the fact people are viewing them from underwater or whether it is that generally feel crowded.
@Jurek7: I think that many of the major US zoos appretiate the popularity of such underwater views more than their European counterparts and are thus more willing (and maybe able finance-wise)to build and maintain such exhibits. Nuremberg Zoo btw. also has an underwater view for its Polar Bears. I also think that the old grotto exhibits in many older European zoos make (re)building with underwater views more expensive and thus less likely. @Orycteropus: I understand and share Your opinion re: naturalistic exhibits, but I do think that underwater viewing areas, if aptly fitted into such an exhibit, usually have the great positive impact on visitors Zooplantman mentioned-and the great advantage to see behaviour You wouldn't be able to see otherwise. If both can be combined-why not? The problem, however, are the mentioned costs and labour invested in the filtration; many zoos are not able to shoulder them in the long run. Maybe we could change the title to "Underwater views of animals in Zoos" to integrate more examples? The mammal species where underwater views have been used are, according to my knowledge: -Polar & Brown Bears -Tigers -Elephants -Hippo & Pygmy Hippo -Baird's Tapir -Moose -Otters -Manatees -Diverse cetacean species -Beavers -Diverse Pinnipeda -Platypus -Yapok (?) -Australian Water Rats ... I wonder why nobody came up with an underwater view for swimming & diving primates like Allen's Swamp Monkey, Talapoins or Crab-Eating Monkeys (think of Miami's Monkey Jungle) yet...
@ Sun Wukong: Yes, I emphasis that this is just my personally feelings … which is a bit opposite of the interest of the bulk of the visitors, I know … but this is "my problem", I know … Otherwise if there is a fine behavioural display of the given species, f.e. in the case Cargo at Singapore, I think I also see it gladly. The possibility of underwater views in Leipzig Zoo seems to me a bit waste of money … Some further species which also exhibited with underwater views: - Spectacled bear - Jaguar - Gray wolf - Malayan tapir
Indianapolis Zoo in Indiana has had underwater polar bear viewing--not sure if that is still the case. It was impressive to have such a huge animal press it's feet against the glass while I child pressed his/her hand up to compare sizes!
@Pygathrix: Thanks. But no Swamp Monkeys and Talapoins so far anywhere? @Orycteropus: I have seen the Leipzig underwater view several times now, and although it has it disadvantages (like the visibility dropping immediately down to zero once an elephant covered in mud and sand enters the basin), I still consider it a pretty good exhibit design with a high impact factor on the visitors. The examples You mentioned are interesting-in which zoos exactly?
@ Sun Wukong: Although elephants are tend to spend much times in the water sometimes, they are mainly a terrestrial animals, aren’t they? If we are talking about the "entitlement" of the underwater viewing sections in zoos, I think it would be use in case of species which have aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestlye … Spectacled bear: Vienna Jaguar: Woodland Park Zoo Gray wolf: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Malayan tapir: Taronga
@Orycteropus: Besides the mentioned cetaceans & manatees and partly the pinnipeds, actually all mammals mentioned before are "mainly terrestrial" animals, even Polar Bear and Hippo....Therefore, and knowing that a) elephants are great swimmers and b) visitors enjoy watching them swim (and rarely have the opportunity to do so), I see no false in combining the comfort behaviour (=bathing) with an interesting and unusual presentation. You're sure about Vienna, as I have problems remembering an underwater view in connection with the bears? Where exactly is it supposed to be-close to the penguins?
@ Sun Wukong: Obviously the elephants are much less 'aquatic' than the other mentioned species, they are really terrestrial species … otherwise what is/are the species what the bulk of the visitors don’t want to see in the water? So it is not a good explanation I think … But, OK, one institution in Europe (AFAIK) which exhibited the proboscids such a way like this ... Vienna: yes, this is just a very small glass panelled viewing area on the edge of their enclosure which is nearer to the Humboldt penguins ...
