There are some very large trees that allow the gibbons to climb to the top. Although taking pictures is not my main purpose when visiting a zoo, a clear picture says more than hundred words.įrom this small leopard enclosure with nice features it is just a few steps to the absolute beautiful white-handed gibbon ( Hylobates lar) island. A feature in modern zoos that makes it hard or nearly impossible to take good pictures. The wire mesh fences and roof are partly hidden by the vegetation in front of it to give the leopard some privacy, though good viewing is possible through a few windows. There’s a small pool and several high level observation posts as well, including tree trunks, while the ground is multilevel. So, it is not so strange that I haven’t seen the ageing female leopard. The Amur leopard, a felid species nearly extinct in the wild, has got a jungle-like enclosure at her disposal with lots of vegetation and plenty of hiding places. Nevertheless, the animals are rather exposed in this arena. There’s not a lot of vegetation, but hey that is lacking in their native habitat, the Himalayas, as well. Further enrichment is provided by tree trunks. The snow leopards are on display in an exhibit with an artificial rock face rear wall, that has several levels for the cats to rest or observe their small territory. But anyway, this one is really too small to provide the vultures any space for flying, though the wire mesh cage looks nice with the rocky bedding, rock face rear wall, waterfall and a tree for perching. A bit further two Rüppell’s griffon vultures are kept in a small aviary, but I have seen aviaries seldom large enough to my liking. The aviary is nice though with lots of vegetation and species such as flamingo, ibis and two parrots. When walking to the snow leopards I pass an aviary that lacks an information panel. Next door there is a major construction site - where the new education centre (Discovery Pavilion) will arise, scheduled to be opened in March 2014. I have seen only two specimens which is not many for an otter species that lives in social groups. From there the footpath leads to the first enclosure, a nice one for the Asian small-clawed otters with a waterfall and two pools, of which one lies secluded. What follows is the administration building on the left and a restaurant with a terrace straight on. On the right hand side after the entrance there’s a pond with black swans, across from a strategically located gift shop - the last building before you exit the Zoo. Though the sound of the ocean surf is clearly audible at times, it drowns in the continuous sound of traffic on the highway tarmac. Unfortunately, the Zoo is located between Highway 101 and the Pacific ocean beach. The advantage of the hillside is the different views it offer on the environment and the various elevations that arise in the enclosures. As the Zoo is built in the undulating landscape of the Californian coast the footpath along the enclosures has several slight climbs, but is doable for all. Due to decisions made regarding the size of the animal collection and the Zoo’s layout the Zoo grounds is not packed with enclosures, I assume. With close to 10 hectare Santa Barbara Zoo is the smallest zoo that I visit during my 2013 California zoo tour.
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