The design of first impressions, a new multi-species enclosure at Jersey Zoo

Opened on 26 March 1999, First Impressions is a multi-species animal enclos ure at Jersey Zoo, housing Andean bears Tremarctos ornatus, ring-tailed coa tis Nasua nasua and short-clawed otters Aonyx cinerea. All levels of staff from all departments participated in the design of First Impressions throug h staff workshops. Flexibility in design was of paramount importance when d eveloping the enclosure, so that species housed in the exhibit could, if ne eded, be changed in the future without the need for major renovations of th e area. Multi-species environments may provide a method for the more effici ent use of limited zoo resources, and documentation of multi-species design characteristics is therefore important. This paper describes features of t he design of the outside habitat and the building complex which make up the First Impressions enclosure.