Swimming pools in Coimbatore?

Are pools in zoos maintained the same way human swimming pools are?

• I'm curious about the process of maintaining swimming pools in animal exhibits at zoos. For human swimming pools, a lot of particular methods are used to ensure clean water (chemicals, skimmers, filters, etc.). Is the process the exact same for zoo pools, or are there differences in how an animal's pool is maintained? Does this process vary from animal to animal?

• Answer:

  Zoos maintain the water quality, temperature, salinity, biota, etc. to make it appropriate for the animal(s) using it.  It definitely varies by species, since each has evolved to be most comfortable with the bodies of water in its natural range. That has been true for a long time, but the processes through which they maintain the water have changed dramatically over the decades.   Thirty years ago, many exhibits were "dump and fill" where all the water was dumped out and then refilled regularly; it wasted huge amounts of water. Recently, as new exhibits have been designed and old exhibits have been upgraded, filtration technologies have been added to maintain the water quality so that they almost never need to be emptied and refilled.  Most recently, some of the newer exhibits have used natural biofiltration systems -- usually plant-based -- to reduce the chemicals required to maintain the water. Some exhbits also maintain steady temperature through geothermal heating and cooling methods, such as pumping it through pipes 45-50 feet underground, where the earth temperature is cool and constant. Here is a pointer to some information on the Humboldt penguin exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, which was specifically designed to use biofiltration and geothermal temperature control.  http://www.zoo.org/document.doc?id=151