Feline Enclosures

Tier Park East Berlin


For folks who don't recall, the photos above are a good example of the "ceramic tile, sterile" animal enclosure that was all the rage in the zoo world during the 50's and 60's. Except for visually not a bad idea for the animal. A bench for resting. A higher bench if the need is for pair's to get a way from each other, and a log for scratching on the right, and relatively easy to clean and sanitize. I think the "stumps" were added on the floor just to break up the monotony of a "jail cell" look. Today many institutions have gone to the other extreme, like Moscow Zoo below, filling the enclosure up with so much rock work and junk that the animal has no suitable surface area in which to move about naturally. They just lay on the pile of rocks and look like a photograph or painting. and folks wrongly assume the animals are happier because they look prettier.


Moscow Zoo