Eyeballing a cat in the morning isn't that unusual if you're a toddler. But eyeballing a big cat at Melbourne Zoo, well, that's something to brag about at daycare.
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The $5 million Lion Gorge enclosure opens at Melbourne Zoo on Saturday and keepers promise interaction with the local "cats and dogs" will take things up a notch.
"The new enclosure is so intimate you can feel the hot breath of a lion against your face," said precinct manager of carnivores Adrian Howard.
Sometimes separated by glass, sometimes by strong mesh, the enclosure houses three 13-year-old male lions, four wild dog brothers and a female Philippine crocodile. But they're not the only predators on show. Carnivorous water beetles and preying mantis are also included, which Mr Howard said highlighted an important lesson.
"We think about apex predators all the time ... but predators go down to the invertebrates and they have a very important influence on the function of a healthy ecosystem," he said. "We want people to connect with predators of all sizes – but not in a fearful way."
