BIAZA Newsletter | Winter 2017 | Issue 13

New enclosures round-up

Photo: WHF Photo: RZSS

Tiger Tracks opens at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo Tiger Tracks is the new and improved home for RZSS Edinburgh Zoo’s pair of Critically Endangered Sumatran tigers; the development is a key part of the RZSS’s Big Cat Strategy, launched back in 2014. Team GB diver and Edinburgh resident, Grace Reid gave tigers Jambi and Baginda an Olympian welcome to their new home when she officially opened the exhibit to the public in September last year. The rising star of British diving became one of the first visitors to experience the immersive new viewing tunnel at the heart of the exhibit, where tigers can walk directly above visitors’ heads on a walkway. Barbara Smith, CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “Jambi and Baginda’s new home delivers on welfare, breeding and visitor experience grounds. At three times the size of our previous Sumatran tiger enclosure, Tiger Tracks will provide a more enriching experience for our animals and greater engagement for our visitors.”

Retirement home for Nias The Wildlife Heritage Foundation’s tiger enclosure which adjoins their visitor centre has recently been given a complete overhaul. Old fencing has been replaced with new and a water feature has been added in the form of waterfall and a pond. The windows have also been updated to allow seamless viewing, and a heat pad has been installed on the top of the waterfall rocks to keep their male tiger Nias warm on chilly days. The WHF keeping team crate trained Nias ahead of the move to make it as calm and stress free as possible. The new enclosure was built for his retirement from the breeding programme; the male Sumatran has been a successful father having produced two offspring with his partner Puna.

Foster + Partners to restore iconic zoo aviary to glory Renowned architects Foster + Partners are set to give ZSL London Zoo’s historic Snowdon Aviary a bold new makeover – as the Zoo appoints the firm to revamp a pioneering model of British architecture. A grade II* listed building and one of London Zoo’s most famous structures, the Aviary celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015 and stands proud and visible from the nearby Regent’s Canal and Primrose Hill. The new exhibit is set to be transformed into a walk-through colobus monkey enclosure, which will give visitors a unique and up close experience of the stunning primates. ZSL’s Zoological Director, Professor David Field said: “We’re thrilled to have appointed Foster + Partners to work on the landmark Snowdon Aviary. It’s fitting that a structure with such a unique history should be given new life by a world-class firm with such a strong heritage. Our most ambitious project to date, the new Aviary will reflect our decades of animal expertise and delivering innovative visitor experiences.”

Photos: Daniel Sprawson - ZSL

15 BIAZA News • Winter issue 13