Typological Characteristics of the Immersion Exhibition Areas

SAFETY

Gazelles are not harmful to humans, so there can be areas where you can feed the gazelles in the interactive areas of zoos. In their living area, many harmless animals such as rabbit, goat, donkey, and peacock may exist) and gazelles meet with the public here, so that visitors can see, hear, feel and smell the animals more closely. These interactive spaces are often surrounded by fences and controlled by keepers, so the visitors and the animals can communicate safely. A.Moats In non-interactive gazelle areas, the U-shaped Moat is the most preferred barrier method. Gazelles can jump up to 3 meters, so the ditch depth is 4 meters by the visitors’ side and 2.5-3 meters by the animals’ side. Its width is designed as a minimum of 3 meters. There are two fences on the visitor part of the moat. The first is wooden pairs with approximately 1 meter height to keep the visitors away from the moat. The second one consists of curved fences towards the ditch, so even if the animals jump 4 meters, they cannot pass the visitor’s side and get off the area. In order to prevent visitors from getting behind the fence, the two fences are adorned with brushes.

Figure 33 : Michael Graetz (2015)

Front barrier and moat in Singapore Zoo

Figure 34: Eda Yildiz (2020)

Design of moat walls to avoid gazelles to jump out. Graphic created from S. Civelek’s notes and sketches in the book ‘Zoo design, Spaces’

Figure 35: Kerry Klein (2017)

Front barrier and moat in Singapore Zoo

How should an appropriate elephant habitat design be like?

WELLBEING Elephants, the largest land mammals, are developed and complex creatures. They shoul be provided sufficient space and socializing opportunities. They live in groups and they get severely depressed when they are alone. For this reason, the designed areas should be wide enough to accommodate more than one elephant. To support the physical health of animals; they need spaces that allow them to do exercises such as walking, reaching, stretching, climbing, bending, pushing, pulling, digging, and rolling. Elephants live in hot climates, so it is important to warm their areas. The heating method generally used is that the ground (generally sandy) is heated by geothermal pipes placed under the ground (outside min 5 degrees, inside minimum 13 dergees).

In addition, elephants do not like easiness, they want to struggle, which means that they refuse to eat the laid straw. For this reason, “Enrichment Trees” or food pockets should be placed in the elephant fields. Food should be hidden as much as possible in a way that animals shoul be able to search and find food just as they do in nature. This kind of activities take a big part in elephants’ care, otherwise, the bored elephants will become aggravated and harm their area and caregivers.

In addition, elephants do not like easiness, The most important of these is the pool activities. Elephants (especially Asian elephants) love water. The elephants that enter the water to cool off, play and bathe remain happy and healthy and thus present a beautiful show for visitors. (Ramser, 2019)

Indoor Spaces

Enclosed areas for elephants must be wide enough to allow them freedom of movement and to lie down. In addition to this, they should have areas that allow them to be separated from each other in cases of health issues, pregnancy, and moodiness. While the width varies according to the number and breed of elephants, the height should be at a minimum of 7.3 meters, so elephants cannot reach the ceiling and cables, pipes and lighting can go from the ceiling. Elephants are curious and overpowering creatures, and if they can access one of these items, they can harm both the area and themselves. (AZA Regents, 2012) Since the surface is cleaned frequently, quick-drying materials should be used. Concrete or cement are generally preferred. In order to prevent slipping, it should not be completely smooth, but also should be smooth enough not to chafe animals` feet. It should be covered with cement or concrete sand or straw to provide a more natural look and feel. However, this may make the cleaning process extremely difficult. Several researches are underway to find natural and replaceable sub-coatings in new designs.

Figure 36: Cogott Taylor (2012)

Forest Hall is the indoor portion of Elephant Lands

Figure 38: Maija Zummo (2018)

A rendering of Elephant Trek

Outdoor Spaces

The open area for elephants is determined as a minimum of 500m2, but a large area does not mean that the elephant area is of high quality. What is more important is that the area should be adequately equipped to meet the needs of elephants. In other words, instead of a 1000m2 elephant field without social facilities, it is more preferrable to have an area of 500m2 equipped with such facilities and conditions. Ground usually consists of layers. While the upper part is soft (sand, soil, grass, etc.), the lower part consists of a hard layer. This soft part is necessary as elephants perform activities such as foraging and sand bathing. Sand baths are the process of covering their bodies with sand to protect themselves from the sun, therefore the sand or soil used should not be exposed to any chemicals.