Recently, in the self-driving tour area of Beijing Wildlife Park, a tourist got off the bus in violation of the law and illegally broke into the White Tiger Exhibition Area and confronted 11 white tigers. Because a concealed device in the park played a key protective role, there was no substantial contact between the intruder and the animal.
A staff member of Beijing Wildlife Park once explained to the Beijing News reporter that in the self-driving tour area, the zoo isolated the beast from the tourists (including the staff) through hidden isolation technology, although tourists can watch the white tiger, brown bear and other beasts at close range, and do not feel the existence of isolation, but the animals do not have the opportunity to come to the tourist car.
What are covert isolation measures? How does it work? Will it cause harm to the animals? In response to these problems, on October 25, the Beijing News reporter invited Marco, head of the landscape design team of the China Zoo Association, and Wang Fang, a researcher at the School of Life Sciences of Fudan University, to make a detailed explanation.
The "V" type trench in the White Tiger Exhibition Area of the Beijing Wild Animal Park self-driving tour area. Source: Screenshot of VR panorama of Beijing Wild Animal Park
What are covert isolation measures?
In the zoo, in order to ensure the safety of tourists and animals and prevent direct contact between the two sides, the park will use a variety of barriers.
Marco, head of the landscape design team of the China Zoo Association, told the Beijing News that the traditional and common barriers in zoos include cages, walls, glass partitions and so on. The hidden barrier facility refers to the barrier that does not block the view of tourists and is easily ignored by tourists, such as trenches.
The trenches are located between the animal area and the tourist area, and are divided into dry trenches, the former is mostly natural vegetation at the bottom of the ditch, and the latter is filled with water, similar to lakes or ponds, such as some primates will avoid contact with water bodies. Its width and depth are determined according to the animal's ability to jump, "greater than the maximum behavioral distance of the animal, ensuring that the animal cannot jump." Marco said.
In addition, other facilities are often used around the trench. Marco said that in order to make animals appear more in the core of the exhibition area and avoid animals trying to approach the trench or escape, zoos often lay power grids, gravel, tree segments, etc. at the edge of the trench, "Some herbivores are reluctant to step on sharp stones." ”
But these facilities are integrated with the natural environment, and visitors do not feel the presence of barriers and think that they are in the same space as the animals.
Concealed barriers are more common in safari parks," because there are areas that resemble traffic areas. But Marco also revealed that it is not only safari parks that will adopt it, "all zoos are choosing the appropriate barrier based on different display species." ”
Beijing Wild Animal Park self-driving tour area of the white tiger exhibition area of the electric grass. Source: Screenshot of VR panorama of Beijing Wild Animal Park
How does the zoo choose the barrier?
Marco told the Beijing News reporter that the zoo is very flexible in choosing the barrier method, and there is no unified standard, but it is generally necessary to consider two factors, the first is the visiting mode, that is, "what way the park shows animals to tourists, and what is the perspective of tourists.".
In the driving areas of some safari parks, tourists are eager to "close-up" visits, and the park will set up hidden barriers according to the range of vision of visitors in the car, "so that visitors can see the natural behavior of animals they want to see, but also hide the barriers they don't want to see." ”
Second, consider whether it is suitable for animals. "In the small animal exhibition area, there is no need to use large trenches, and the use of suitable terrain height difference can solve the problem. When setting up trenches, it is also necessary to consider whether the animal has the ability to run, jump position, etc., different animal exhibition areas use different barriers, adjust according to the habits of animals, but the premise is not at the expense of animal welfare. ”
In addition, it can be combined in a variety of barrier methods. For example, the power grid can not only limit and warn the range of animal activities, but also assist and improve the safety of trenches, and restrict the animal's jumping point, which can be used as a safety device to strengthen the effect.
Beijing Wild Animal Park self-driving tour area white tiger exhibition area trench location. Source: Screenshot of VR panorama of Beijing Wild Animal Park
Do barriers such as trenches and power grids cause harm to animals?
Marco told the Beijing News reporter that although the trench is a relatively mature barrier method, it will not cause fatal injury to the animal itself, "an animal in a normal state will assess safety before the action, and will not forcibly jump." "But zoos also have to consider the hidden dangers of the facilities."
"Although animals do not actively jump, they may fall into them by accident due to fights, so they can use 'V' trenches." Marco explained that this trench is a vertical retaining wall near the visitor's side, and the height is greater than the maximum range of the animal's vertical jump, ensuring that the animal cannot jump to the visitor area, but the adjacent animal side is a slope, "even if the animal falls, it will land safely and can walk back to its own area." ”
As for the power grid, Wang Fang, a researcher at the School of Life Sciences of Fudan University, told the Beijing News that the power grid generally has two forms, one is a thin wire; the other is a stick in the middle, which produces multiple branches, about a foot high, looking like a wire tree, also called "electric grass".
"Generally use weak electricity, there should be no great harm to animals, but because usually here will be electric uncomfortable, animals default to this fence, a bit like the Swiss ranch cattle bar, the use of animal conditioned reflexes, although weak, but effective." Wang Fang said.
Marco also revealed that the power grid is more commonly used in domestic zoos, mostly placed on the ground, sometimes on the wall, but tourists can rarely notice, especially the electric grass, "people's line of sight is more sensitive to lateral things, electric grass is divergent, tree-like, a clump of grass feeling, not very attractive to the human eye." ”
"It cannot be said that the grid is a friendly design, but it is indeed an effective means of preventing animals from escaping." Marco said.
What can the zoo improve when designing barriers?
Marco argues that the grid, as a traditional and effective barrier, does not have to be outlawed, but is to be used rationally, "it is only an auxiliary, not an ultimate protection, for example, in the absence of trenches, it is meaningless to lay only the grid." ”
He revealed that in foreign countries, due to the relatively small number of driving areas in the zoo, the power grid is more used to protect plants, "under the premise of ensuring that the animals have enough room for activity, when the animals do not want to destroy a certain piece of vegetation, a very thin power grid will be used as a warning to guide the animals to other places." ”
"Whether it's the power grid or the barrier means such as ponds, it takes advantage of the fear of animals." Marco said that at present, the international community is more advocating animal-friendly design, using no harm to animals in a way to barrier, so that they can grow in an environment without security threats, but this will often bring about changes in the mode of visiting, "such as using glass, the visiting effect may be a little worse." ”
In addition, in the zoo's walking area, animals can also be kept in fully enclosed cages.
"It's not that using an iron cage and paving a concrete floor to confine animals inside is a backward concept." Marco explained that the display should be carried out in accordance with the form of community relations in the natural habitat and ecological environment of animals, from the traditional model of displaying individual animals in zoos to the ecological display mode composed of animals and surrounding ecosystems.
Marco suggests that zoo venue designers should know more about zoo-friendly design, "there are many design principles that tell us how to design venues and achieve tourist viewing effects while taking into account animal welfare and finding that balance." ”
Beijing News reporter Peng Chong
Edited by Zuo Yanyan
Proofreading Janin