Since 1928, the Detroit Zoo has displayed the king (and queen) of the jungle. The zoo’s 3,500-square-foot lion habitat was one of the first animal exhibits on display when the Detroit Zoo opened. Until 2011, the exhibition remained unchanged, allowing zoo guests to see lions from a distance, from a safe location in a viewing area separated by a 22-foot-wide, water-filled, concrete-walled moat. In addition, "outside" you can also see the lions of the Detroit Zoo.

The zoo now has six lions: Bikira, Emily, Erin, Katie, Larson and Percival. Two people were rescued a few years ago: one was rescued from an abandoned building, the other was rescued from a suspected ruined house. After living in a garbage dump in Kansas, I recently found a sanctuary for three lions in the zoo.

For rescued cats, decent care, space and habitat can be a huge improvement. But the Detroit Zoo welcomed an expanded lion family this year, and the outdoor roaming area has more than doubled (from 3,500 square feet to 7,500 square feet)...without taking up space for other animal exhibits.

More importantly, visitors can now see the lions face to face, eye to eye, sometimes only a few feet away, while standing in the same environment, separated only by a laminated glass screen, which is powered by Trosifol™ Made of SentryGlas® ionic plastic interlayer.

Both sides of the glass share the characteristics of the landscape, allowing people to immerse themselves in the habitat more completely. The million-dollar exhibition overhaul even includes heated rocks placed near the glass, inviting big cats to approach human observers on cool days.

Give the lion a better zoo and a better view...no real danger...means the use of super-strong safety glass in the transparent barrier screen.

The 17-foot-high glass wall of the enclosure consists of 60 laminated glass panels, starting near the ground, and installed using horizontal wire supports at the top and bottom. The transparent screen starts with a laminated glass panel that is 8 feet high and 4 feet wide. It is made of four layers of tempered 1/2 inch thick ultra-transparent (low iron) glass, alternating with three layers of transparent 60 mils Trosifol™ SentryGlas® ionoplast Mezzanine. This is a new type of multi-layer glass, often used in high-security occasions, to provide long-lasting barrier strength and additional transparency.

"It can withstand the power of a 2.5-ton truck at a speed of 40 miles per hour, which is much larger than any lion," said Ron Kagan, executive director of the Detroit Zoological Society.

The high panel of the glass screen uses thinner laminated safety glass to complete the required barrier height while maintaining a sense of openness. Since the glass screen is very clear, the zoo added bird decals during flight to help prevent birds from flying into the glass unknowingly.

Zoo glass provides customers with a better view, while the glass structure supports the least visual interference. Trosifol™’s SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayer film is 100 times harder and 5 times stronger than traditional safety glass interlayer films. This makes the panel larger, wider, and less deflection, which can be used in thinner laminates. Additional fracture resistance. SentryGlas®'s moisture resistance also allows frameless "open-edge" glass edges, further opening the glass to view the visual area in screen applications.

Trosifol™ is a global leader in PVB and ionoplast interlayer films for laminated safety glass in the construction sector. Trosifol™ provides outstanding solutions with the broadest product portfolio:

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