Raptor Pen

Raptor Pen, Raptor Pit (Film)Holding Pen (Novel)
Built	Summer 1993 (Film) Summer 1989 (Novel)
Location	Isla Nublar
Purpose	To contain the raptors because they were too dangerous to be in their own paddock
Status	Damaged

"Damn it, even Nedry knew better than to mess with the raptor fences."

—Robert Muldoon^(src)

The Raptor Pen, also known as the Raptor Pit, or Holding Pen, was a huge reinforced cage on Isla Nublar where the park's Velociraptors were held under maximum security. The Velociraptors originally had a Paddock on the island like any other animal, however The Big One had the pride attack the fences when the feeders came. While their paddock was under construction, this was their temporary paddock as it was too small.

Film

It was first seen at the beginning of the film when the Jurassic Park security team were trying to get the alpha female, "the Big One", into the pen, but the raptor escaped, charged the crate causing it to slide back, and a worker named Jophery is killed in the process. Robert Muldoon, the game warden, ordered the raptor shot and it was done.

The Containment Unit was seen again when on the tour by Alan Grant, John Hammond, Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler and Donald Gennaro. They witnessed a 300-pound cow being lowered into the cage. The cow was quickly attacked and eaten by the three Raptors.

The Containment Unit was last seen when Robert Muldoon and Ellie Sattler discovered that the electrical fencing around the pen had been broken through and that the three Raptors had escaped after the fences had been shut down by the power loss, even Dennis Nedry having not been crazy enough to turn off the Raptor fences along with the others.

Novel

Concept Art by "Crash" depicting the Raptor's attacking the Holding Pen fence in the Novel

In the novel, the Holding Pen was first seen when the endorsement team, specifically Alan Grant, wanted to see the Velociraptors. Ed Regis and Henry Wu told Grant that the Velociraptors hadn't been implemented into the park setting yet, for security reasons. The raptors had escaped their original enclosure several times, and had killed 2 workmen, and injured a third. After attempting to use radio collars on them (they quickly chewed them off), it was decided that they be put in a more secure paddock. The Holding Pen consisted of a strong, 12-foot tall electrified chain-link fence with barbed-wire at the top. It was located a short distance from the Visitor Center in the main Visitor Compound.

Other appearances

It makes additional appearences in Jurassic Park River Adventure and in Warpath: Jurassic Park as both a battle stage and the setting where the Megaraptor breaks through.

The Hatcheries in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis are modeled after this pen.

It appears in the Lego Jurassic World video game numerous times.

With the release of the "Return to Jurassic Park" DLC for Jurassic World Evolution, the raptor pen is a vital part of one of the campaign missions. After this, however, the pen becomes a decoration as raptors cannot be placed in it. It appears in the games sequel Jurassic World Evolution 2, again only decorative.