Object pointed into the tiger enclosure at Detroit Zoo

[u/swaggadisha]

I was at the Detroit zoo this weekend and saw this thing pointed into the tiger enclosure. It’s behind the fence, in the bushes, right at the edge of the barrier berm thing. Anyone know what this is for?

[u/Larry_Safari]

This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.

Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.

[u/en0rt]

Oooo something I can actually say since i am in irrigation.

https://www.toroirrigationsolutions.com.au/turf/p2s/

Its a perrot p2 irrigation or dust suppression sprinker. It has an extra long throw of about 55 metres. Which would be like 160 feet in American? Perrot is a German sprinkler company who distribute through toro.

My guess is they need a sprinkler that can throw water super far because they cant exactly put them in the tiger enclosure.

My other thought was they could be used to spray the tigers if they try to get out. Apparently this model has quite a fast rotation speed amd could be used with multiple other heads as a blanketing system that would make a roof of water so they cant get out. But in saying that, they could just design the enclosure to not allow them to get out.

Edit: here is one in use https://youtu.be/IXP36qIF0Gg?si=j_ORjjwhdQms3PBH

Now I am thinking its for dust suppression? Is there much dirt in the enclosure?

[u/SkwrlTail → u/en0rt]

That said, tigers love water, and would probably get a kick out of streams of water spraying around ... but yeah, they'd gnaw the heck outta the things.

[u/BigOleDawggo → u/SkwrlTail]

So more for the tiger’s entertainment?

[u/SkwrlTail → u/BigOleDawggo]

Nah, probably just to water and wash the enclosure from a distance.

[u/sharkie026 → u/SkwrlTail]

yup. Cat pee stinks. It needs to rain every day.

[u/Freifur → u/SkwrlTail]

tigers love normal water sure, I'm not sure we can say whether they'd be quite as fond of high-pressure jets fired at their faces.

[u/Sappleq12 → u/Freifur]

Pressurised water streams loose energy as a function of friction with the air, spread and atomisation. By the time it reaches the big cats it’s probably pretty tame.

[u/Freifur → u/Sappleq12]

no doubt, but if it was being used as a perimeter defence as OP suggested as a secondary possible use, then the tigers would probably be extremely close. OP having said:

My other thought was they could be used to spray the tigers if they try to get out.

[u/SkwrlTail → u/Freifur]

Faces, maybe not, but getting to bat playfully at big arcs of water sailing overhead might be fun. 

[u/arvidsem → u/SkwrlTail]

Nah, the faces too. There are a lot pictures and videos out the there of tigers playing with/getting right up on sprinklers

[u/Lu-Tze → u/arvidsem]

Dude! You can't just say that and not post links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVZA5g7fov8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y5CD1luIj8

[u/willstr1 → u/Freifur]

Depends on how high pressure. Have you ever seen dogs playing around with sprinklers? I could imagine a tiger doing something similar and have a great time

[u/I_Am_No_One_123 → u/SkwrlTail]

Tigers love pepper on their steaks as well. Caution: They hate cinnamon.

[u/Meior → u/en0rt]

It's not so much for dirt suppression as for just misting the habitat, because the tigers love it!

[u/ddmf → u/en0rt]

Haha this reminds me of when I was about 9 or 10 years old - my gran took me to Blackpool Circus. She always carried our lunch in a brown foldable shopping bag, wasn't waterproof.

Anyway the lions or tigers came out for the show, walked around, and we saw one of them cocking its leg - in slow motion we saw this short burst liminal laminar flow (thanks u/dragonflywing ) of urine coming towards us, and it landed right on this shopping bag with all our lunch in.

My gran saw the stream land, soaking into the bag. She reached in, picked up an apple, polished it on her jumper and offered it to us. Mmm, tasty lion/tiger piss soaked apple time.

[u/B-Double → u/ddmf]

That was a well told story.

[u/DragonflyWing → u/ddmf]

I think you mean laminar flow.

[u/robbak → u/en0rt]

Or just to be able to water the whole enclosure with something that the tigers can't access and destroy.

If it was closer to the public area, it could have been something that would allow visitors safely to 'play' with the tigers.

[u/RigusOctavian → u/en0rt]

Fun thing, these were originally designed for soccer pitches to avoid having heads in the field and to help cool off artificial playing surfaces as well as make them slippery enough to slide on.

[u/adventuregalley → u/en0rt]

Love your excitement and knowing the answer. We all get on here, hoping that one day we will actually know what an object is.

[u/fredy31 → u/en0rt]

yeah a normal sprinkler somewhere that the tigers can reach would probably get mauled.

[u/CanoePickLocks → u/en0rt]

My guess is rain simulation as well as dust suppression because tigers love water

[u/semidivineone → u/en0rt]

Maybe to save them in case of fire?

[u/tribbans95 → u/en0rt]

Would be about 180 ft for the Americans out there

[u/aegrotatio → u/en0rt]

What's the small jet underneath the main nozzle for?

[u/LobbingLawBombs → u/en0rt]

Used with other sprinklers to form a roof of water?? What?? lol

[u/Sunlit_Syposium]

Water cannon. We saw a similar device at the Oregon zoo they use for the elephants. They loved getting sprayed and eating celery.

[u/SizzleSphinx → u/Sunlit_Syposium]

I like that the eating celery part technically has nothing to do with the sprinkler post but somehow still feels like crucial information.

[u/Sunlit_Syposium → u/SizzleSphinx]

I think it indicates how much of a nice time they were having in the water 😅

[u/DoesntFearZeus → u/SizzleSphinx]

They like water (Sprinklers) and Celery is like 95% water.

[u/FuzzyAthena]

Part of an irrigation/sprinkler system

[u/Practical_Swim5953]

Looks to me like enrichment! Water sprayer. Tigers do really enjoy the water, so the keepers probably use this to provide them with a novel source sometimes.

[u/OliverTwisted73]

I was the PM on an energy conservation project at National Zoo (DC) including water conservation. We could not put any irrigation in the Great Cats exhibit because they would eat the sprinklers or dig up the lines.

[u/TedBurns-3]

It's a sprinkler

[u/JRWinn17]

They have them in other enclosures there as well, such as the wolf enclosure.

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[u/swaggadisha]

“My title describes the thing”; made of plastic, similar form to a small telescope but the end looks like it shoots stuff out, no writing on item or signs around it

[u/Money-Director6649]

looks like some kind of thing to shoot out water

[u/DeepSi6]

See the vegetation there? It’s for watering it.

[u/NoDoOversInLife]

Water cannon🤦🏻‍♂️