U.S. Patent Nos. 5,788,223 & 6,029,953
Animal
Barrier (Kenneth A. Stockton) 
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit the Arizona
Sonora Desert Museum, you know it is a special place. One of the more attractive
features of the museum is the free and open exhibits of animals in their
natural desert environment.
Without using cages, enclosures, or other barriers (moats, walls, or the
like), Museum designer Kenneth Stockton devised a way to build an animal
enclosure that is all but invisible to the naked eye. The unique thin stainless steel wire mesh netting is dyed a
natural desert sand and secured with “posts” which may be disguised as natural
desert features. I understand that
the museum has successfully produced and licensed this product.
From the children’s page of the Arizona Sonora
Desert Museum website:
“Can you imagine living for years in your room. Now picture
your room as the size of a closet and there is nothing to do but look at the
people who go by to look at you. Pretty boring! The animals feel the same way.
So the people at ASDM have tried to make the enclosures more lifelike for the
animals. You can see such changes when you visit the new javelina, the coyote,
and the coati enclosures. You may see, for instance that there are saguaros all
around the coyote enclosure. These are really concrete fence posts covered with
cactus skeletons to hide the posts and make the enclosure look more natural.
The enclosure is surrounded by invisinet (an almost invisible net of wire)
instead of old heavy cage wire. “
Here is a picture of inventor Kenneth Stockton in his workshop
at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.
Ken is the kind of guy who looks like he’d be right at home in the
outback.
The original prototype fencing material was hand knotted on a
special loom. Local prison labor
was used to assemble the first fences.
Ken actually took me to the local minimum security facility to meet the
prisoners and see the fencing being made.
I can honestly say that’s the only time I’ve been to jail!
Here is a picture of the prison loom used to make the early
fencing.
If you are ever in Tucson, I highly recommend a visit to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Nearby is the Saguaro National Monument, as well as a
very attractive and well maintained State campground, and the “Old Tucson” movie studio attraction. A trip up into the Catalina mountains
is also worthwhile. Tucson is a
nice town.
Arizona Sonora Desert
Museum Main Website