Environmental Enrichment Design of the Brown Bear Zoological Exhibition Facility

Abstract

The Hokkaido brown bear house in Sapporo Maruyama Zoo was designed with the concept of "environmental enrichment". To consider the environmental elements which enrich bear's behavior 'Evaluation grid method' was used to draw wide range of ideas from zoo keepers. In the outside exhibition area all ground is covered by soil and there are a hill, a pond, caves, many natural plants and dead trees for bear's play. In the two observation spaces visitors can see the bear at close range and hear and smell of the bear through the pipes fixed in the wall. Many characteristic behaviors of the bear and visitors were observed including their communication through the window with a large and thick acrylic resin.