For animals in the wild, life is defined by the relationship between predator and prey — but incorporating that dynamic into zoos can be extremely difficult.
Asahiyama Zoo tackled the problem this April in its brand new, ¥70-million raptor display. Built to accommodate endangered Blakinston's fish owls in the future, the house-size black metal cage currently holds three white-tailed eagles. It also features a small pond stocked with rainbow trout intended to supplement the eagles' regular diet of dead fish supplied by their keepers.
Gen Bando, the zoo director, said that designing the exhibit was tricky.