I added about 30 more places to my UK list last month (not bad, I think for 3 weeks in the country which also included a conference and visiting a few friends). So, here is my UK list: Whipsnade Zoo Dunstable Bedfordshire Durrell (Jersey) Zoo Jersey Channel Islands South Lakes Wild Animal Park Dalton-in-Furness Cumbria Trotters World of Animals Keswick Cumbria Lakeland Aquarium Lakeside Cumbria Lake District Coast Aquarium Maryport Cumbria Buckfast Butterflies & Otter Sanctuary Buckfastleigh Devon Combe Martin Wildlife & Dinosaur Park Combe Martin Devon Ilfracombe Aquarium Ilfracombe Devon Paignton Zoo Paignton Devon National Marine Aquarium Plymouth Devon Shaldon Zoo Shaldon Devon Exmoor Zoo South Stowford Devon Dartmoor Zoo Sparkwell Devon Living Coasts Torquay Devon Bournemouth Oceanarium Bournemouth Dorset Monkey World Wareham Dorset Weymouth Sea Life Centre Weymouth Dorset Colchester Zoo Colchester Essex Blue Reef Aquarium - Bristol Bristol Gloucestershire Bristol Zoo Bristol Gloucestershire Noahs Ark Zoo Farm Wraxall Gloucestershire New Forest Wildlife Park Ashurst Hampshire New Forest Reptile Centre Lyndhurst Hampshire Blue Reef Aquarium - Portsmouth Portsmouth Hampshire Liberty's Owl Raptor & Reptile Centre Ringwood Hampshire Paultons Park Romsey Hampshire Marwell Wildlife Winchester Hampshire Paradise Wildlife Park Broxbourne Hertsfordshire Amazon World Zoo Park Arreton Ilse of Wight Isle of Wight Zoo Sandown Isle of Wight Seaview Wildlife Encounter Seaview Isle of Wight Howletts Wild Animal Park Canturbury Kent Tropical Birdland Desford Leicsestershire Twycross Zoo Twycross Leicsestershire Horniman Museum Forest Hill London London Sea Life Centre London London London Zoo London London Cotswold Wildlife Park Burford Oxfordshire Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Scotland Blair Drummond Safari Park Stirling Scotland Tropiquaria Watchet Somerset Weston-Super-Mare Seaquarium Weston-Super-Mare Somerset Birdworld Farnham Surrey Drusillas Park Alfriston Sussex Brighton Sea Life Center Brighton Sussex Manor House Wildlife Park Tenby Wales Birmingham Nature Centre Birmingham West Midlands National Sea Life Centre Birmingham West Midlands Dudley Zoo Dudley West Midlands Longleat Safari Park Warminster Wiltshire Yorkshire Wildlife Park Doncaster Yorkshire Tropical Butterfly House Sheffield Yorkshire
Back from a profitable week-and-a-bit in the Czech Republic - photos from the green collections below and my second visits to Prague, Brno and Olomouc to follow. (also, the observant will notice I've slipped in Schoenbrunn Desert House after a debate during the trip about whether it counted separately to the main zoo concluded it did) New additions ** denotes closed collections. Austria Alpenzoo Innsbruck Safaripark Gänserndorf** Haus der Natur (Salzburg NHM) Haus des Meeres, Vienna Salzburg Zoo Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna Wüstenhaus (Desert House) Schönbrunn, Vienna Belgium Antwerp Zoo Aquatopia Planckendael Czech Rep. Akva-Tera, Plzen Brno Zoo Brno Aquarium Crocodile Zoo, Protivín Dvůr Králové Zoo Hodonín Zoo Jihlava Zoo Zoo Ohrada Olomouc Zoo Ostrava Zoo Plzen Zoo Prague Zoo Zoo Park Vyškov Zoo Zlin Denmark Copenhagen Zoo Givskud Zoo France Champrepus Zoo Lyon Zoo Menez-Meur Animal Park Océanopolis Mulhouse Zoo Paris, Jardin des Plantes Paris, Vincennes** (closed for now, anyway) Germany Augsburg Zoo Berlin Tierpark Berlin Zoo Dortmund Zoo Aquazoo Düsseldorf Duisburg Zoo Gelsenkirchen (visited first as Ruhr-Zoo and then as ZOOM) Tierpark Gettorf Hagenbecks Tiergarten, Hamburg Hannover Zoo Serengetipark Hodenhagen Köln Zoo Krefeld Zoo Leipzig Zoo Lübeck Tierpark Lüneburger Heide Wildpark Magdeburg Zoo Allwetterzoo Münster Munich Zoo Neumünster Tierpark Nordhorn Zoo Nuremberg Zoo Osnabrück Zoo NiederRheinPark Plantaria** Poing Wildpark Rheine Zoo Rostock Zoo Schwarze Berge Wildpark Schwerin Zoo SeaLife Centre Berlin SeaLife Centre Munich SeaLife Centre Timmendorfer Strand Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart Niendorf-Timmendorfer Strand Bird Park Walsrode Bird Park Wuppertal Zoo Hungary Budapest Zoo Győr Zoo Rep. of Ireland Dublin Zoo Italy Bioparco Roma Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Bird Park Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park Zoo Negara Netherlands Amersfoort Zoo Apenheul Burgers Zoo Arnhem Artis Avifauna BestZoo Rotterdam Zoo, Blijdorp Emmen Zoo Wissel Zoo, Epe Harderwijk Dolphinarium Overloon Zoo Ouwehands Zoo, Rhenen Papagaaienpark/NOP, Veldhoven Poland Katowice Zoo Kraków Zoo Łódź Zoo Opole Zoo Poznań New Zoo Poznań Old Zoo Warsaw Zoo Wrocław Zoo Portugal ZooMarine Slovakia Bratislava Zoo Spain Barcelona Aquarium Barcelona Zoo Empordá Zoo Sobrestany Animal Park Sweden Malmöhus Museum Aquarium and Terrarium Switzerland Basel Zoo Tierpark Lange Erlen Zürich Zoo United Kingdom Amazon World Amazonia (Motherwell) Anglesey Bird World Anglesey SeaZoo Arundel Wildfowl and Wetland Centre Banham Zoo Battersea Park Children's Zoo Birdland Birdworld Birmingham Nature Centre Blackbrook Zoo Blackpool Tower Aquarium Blackpool Zoo Blair Drummond Safari Park Blue Planet Aquarium Blue Reef Aquarium (Bristol) Blue Reef Aquarium (Newquay) Bodafon Farm Park and Bird of Prey Centre Bristol Zoo British Wildlife Centre Camperdown Wildlife Centre Cardigan Island Farm Park (just about enough exotics to count) Cheshire Waterlife and Falconry Centre Chessington Zoo (World of Adventures if you insist) Chester Zoo Chestnut Centre Colchester Zoo Welsh Mountain Zoo, Colwyn Bay Cotswold Falconry Centre Cotswold Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park Amazona Zoo, Cromer The Deep Tropical Butterfly House, Dinnington Drayton Manor Park Dudley Zoo Edinburgh Zoo Exmoor Zoo Fife Animal Park Five Sisters Zoo Park Flamingoland Gauntlet Falconry Centre Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre Grangewood Zoo** Hamerton Zoo Park Harewood House Bird Garden Heythrop Zoo Highland Wildlife Park Hoo Farm Howletts Wild Animal Park Isle of Wight Butterfly Centre Jersey Zoo Knowsley Safari Park Lakeland Wildlife Oasis Lakemore Country Park Animal Kingdom** Lakes Aquarium Linton Zoo Liverpool Museum Aquarium and Bug House Living Coasts Loch Lomond Falconry Centre London Zoo London Aquarium Longleat Safari Park Lotherton Hall Bird Garden Mablethorpe Animal Gardens Manor House Wildlife Park Marwell Zoo Park Matlock Bath Aquarium Natureland Skegness National Bird of Prey Centre, Newent Newquay Zoo Noah's Ark Zoo Farm St David's Oceanarium** Paignton Zoo Paradise Wildlife Park (Broxbourne) Paradise Park (Hayle) Paultons Park Pili Palas Port Lympne Zoo Park Rays Farm Rhyl SeaQuarium Riber Castle Wildlife Park** Sandown Zoo, Isle of Wight Rare Species Conservation Centre, Sandwich Seaview Wildlife Encounter (Flamingo Park) Shaldon Zoo SeaLife Centre Birmingham SeaLife Centre Blackpool SeaLife Centre Brighton SeaLife Centre Gt. Yarmouth SeaLife Centre Loch Lomond Shepreth Wildlife Park Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre National Seal Sanctuary, Gweek South Lakes Wild Animal Park Palms Tropical Oasis, Stapeley Stepaside Wildlife Park** Stonham Barns Falconry Centre Suffolk Wildlife Park ('Africa Alive') Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens Tilgate Nature Centre Tropical Wings Zoo Tropical World, Leeds Twycross Zoo Waddesdon Manor Aviary West Midlands Safari Park Wetlands Wildlife Park Whipsnade Zoo Wildwalk@Bristol** Wildwood Trust Windsor Safari Park** Wingham Wildlife Park Woburn Safari Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park United States Grand Canyon Deer Park Living Desert Oakland Zoo San Diego Wild Animal Park San Diego Zoo SeaWorld CA
Well, this might not be the right thread, but let's see, Dartmoor Zoo - as I drove in, I realized I had been there before under the old ownership. I read the book about it last year, so wanted to see it this trip. My scooter wouldn't climb parts of it, but other than that, I liked the changes. I happened to go by Ben, the owner and asked him about accessibility - he said the quote he got was over 100,000 pounds to put down tarmac! I can see why he couldn't do it first. He also mentioned that the TV series is going to Australia, so I hope it'll get to the US, and that there's going to be a movie made from the book. Shaldon Wildlife Trust - I'm pretty impressed at what's been done in such a small space. The new part has a great feel with a sense of discovering new treasures around every corner. Unfortunately, the old part has quite a few stairs. I can do stairs, but my knees don't appreciate it! I don't see them being able to change it, though. I got my first good look at a gentle lemur - I know zoo people aren't supposed to be affected by cute, but they really are! Exmoor Zoo - I really enjoyed this zoo - I don't know if it was just my timing, but I got some great looks at the maned wolf. Could use some more graphics, though, since they aren't true wolves, and I don't recall seeing anything mentioning that. I feel like it was the first time I've seen a tayra. They have lots of cranes, which I enjoy, also loved feeding the wallabies. I got to meet a very young meerkat who had been rejected (not an offspring of the alpha), so was being hand raised. Her name was Simples, which those in the UK will understand. Ilfracombe Aquarium - this place is tiny, but I like that it has a complete story showing the native fish from the river to the Lundy preserve. It was worth the crazy tiny windy roads to get there! Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park - is weird. I'm not into dinosaurs, but I enjoyed the zoo part. It's not at all accessible for a scooter - I didn't try since I wouldn't have even been able to get it down to the park from the parking lot. The red-ruffed lemurs are free-roaming and the keeper let me feed one a hand full of raisins, so that made the place worth it for me. It's a nice collection of animals, decent displays, it's just topographically a nightmare! Paulton's Park - since this is billed more as a theme park than a zoo, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. They have quite a collection of birds - I've never seen that many species of thrush, and there are several hornbills, etc. The sign said there were pink pigeons, but I couldn't find them, or anyone to ask. I did speak to one gardener - their gardens are amazing, and he said they only have 7 gardeners, and 6 animal people in the over 200 employees for the place. Colchester Zoo - unfortunately by the time I got there I wasn't able to use my scooter, so this one was difficult for me. It has a lot of ups and downs, even if you follow the "easier" yellow route. I loved being in with the sloths and having them go right over my head. I thought the tunnel through the sea lions was interesting. Also, the way they do the penguin feeding allows you to really see them up close. You could easily spend several days at this zoo since they have so many keeper talks, etc. I wish it had been a little easier to see that I was headed into dead ends, since I only had so much walking I could do. I never saw the aardvarks, for example, and I really would have liked to. Yorkshire Wildlife Park - does anyone else display racoon dogs? I don't think I've seen them before, and they're cool! I enjoyed the lemur walk through and the flight demo. I believe the current owners have only been there a year, but seem to be on the right track. Someone said they've be getting some of the other big African animals next - rhinos? Tropical Butterfly House - this place was worth it for the leaf cutter ants exhibit alone. It goes over the ponds, over your head, onto a couple of platforms, and then into the fungus gardens. Also got a good view of the bats, and I love how the marmosets can go from their outside exhibit to an inside one through an overhead tunnel. Then, I also loved how you could feed them from the little feeding station. It was so funny - first I gave the monkey a grape. After that was gone, I reached for some tomato, and the monkey just looked away, so I reached for some broccoli, same reaction. I reached for another grape, and suddenly he was interested again! There was also a feeding station for the red squirrel/jackdaw. I didn't see the squirrel, but the jackdaw took everything I handed him, and quickly dropped it. I also purchased a cup of mealworms to feed the meerkats with which was fun. I really enjoy the interactions when they're safe for the animals. Liberty's Raptor and Reptile Centre - this place has species of raptors I've never heard of, and I've been to hundreds of zoos. If you're into birds of prey, you need to check this place out. I was too late in the day for the flight demos, but it looks like they fly several birds. They also do a lot of rescue work. I can't say there was anyplace I went this time that I didn't like. I thought National Sea Life Centre was too expensive, although the movie is an experience - complete with squirting effects. The movie at Blue Reef in Bristol was amazing - they had a shot of a fin whale eating a bait ball. Wow.
Takes a Kiwi to recognize a Kaka! Next step after this picture was to rescue my meerkat from the kaka as he flew off!
Thanks for that - very interesting! They're one of my favourites too. They are quite widely kept in Europe, though very rare in the UK. For a list of European collections keeping the species, see: ZootierlisteHomepage It's not just the current owners, but the site as a wildlife park that's only a year old. It was a shire horse centre previously, with very few wild species (I understand the Raccoon Dogs, Red Deer hind and Emu were hand-me-downs from the shire horse days). The Sea Life Centres are generally very expensive, but fairly regularly make 2-for-1 vouchers and suchlike available. I have to say I have never sat and watched a film for more than 2 or 3 minutes in a zoo - I'd much rather be looking at the real animals! Actually, I have a similar aversion to keeper talks - they tend to be very repetitive (between zoos I mean - there's only a limited number of accessible things to say about Humboldt Penguins). I'm always very glad to speak with staff at zoos in small groups but formal talks and demonstrations I tend to avoid (unless they're the only way of seeing certain species, of course!). Did you do the Tropical House tour at Twycross? It's ghastly - enough to scar the very depths of your soul. Too much talking, not enough time to see the animals, overrehearsed and delivered by people who clearly don't want to be doing it. And completely pointless. I don't like it very much.
You might have been there before it opened - a lucky escape! It's the only way of seeing the Tropical House and really not worth the effort. Anywho, I'll let this thread get back to long lists of zoos!
My list isn't that extensive...yet! - there is only one zoo in my country! Belfast Zoo Dublin Zoo Edinburgh Zoo Jersey Zoo Zoo de Pont-Scorff Planete Sauvage Zoo Frejus Barcelona Zoo Vancouver Aquarium
CZECH REPUBLIC: Praha Zoo Dvur Kralove Zoo Zlin Zoo Brno Zoo Ostrava Zoo Jihlava Zoo Olomouc Zoo Plzen Zoo Akva Tera Plzen Chomutov Zoo Liberec Zoo Hodonin Zoo Usti nad Labem Zoo Decin Zoo SLOVAKIA: Bratislava Zoo Bojnice Zoo GERMANY: Berlin Zoo Berlin Tierpark Leipzig Zoo Hannover Zoo Hamburg Zoo Frankfurt Zoo Nürnberg Tierpark Munich Zoo Köln Zoo Krefeld Zoo Wuppertal Zoo Duisburg Zoo Dortmund Zoo (July) ZOOM Gelsenkirchen (July) Allwetterzoo Münster ( July) AUSTRIA: Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna Wüstenhaus (Desert House) Schönbrunn, Vienna Reptilienzoo Happ POLAND: Poznan, Nowe Zoo NETHERLANDS: Artis Blijdorp Zoo Burgers Zoo Dolphinarium Harderwijk BELGIUM: Antwerp Zoo FRANCE: Mulhouse Zoo SWITZERLAND: Basel Zoo Zürich Zoo
Maguari, I was thinking about why didnt you visit Usti, Decin, Chomutov or Liberec zoo and prefered to go to the south and the east. I am almost sure you have a plan to visit them during your future trip .... the centre will be Dresden, from where it is near to the mentioned rest of Czech zoos you havent seen yet...also you have never been to Dresden and Chemnitz and you can visit Leipzg again. Am I right?
Almost exactly right! The friend I was travelling with had previously done the four 'north-west' Czech zoos, so we targeted the trip to areas where we both had zoos to gain. I do indeed intend another Czech trip in a year or two - probably repeating Prague, Plzen and Dvur Kralove alongside Usti, Decin, Chomutov, Liberec and (as you correctly surmise!) Dresden. EDIT: I will be doing Leipzig with the Berlins and probably Halle at the time of the 2011 Zoo Collectors' Meeting, which Leipzig is hosting.
Here's my list: USA Dallas Zoo Dallas World Aquarium Fort Worth Zoo Houston Zoo San Antonio Zoo Cameron Park Zoo Austin Zoo Fossil Rim Arbuckle Wilderness Memphis Zoo Cincinnati Zoo Philadelphia Zoo Denver Zoo San Diego Zoo San Diego Wild Animal Park Miami Metro Zoo Monkey Jungle Parrot Jungle Snake Farm and Animal World Moody Gardens Gatorland Aquarium of the Americas Norway Kristiansand Zoo Qatar Doha Zoo
siamang27 - where are you in TX? I just discovered noticed there's a Capital of Texas Zoo in addition to the Austin Zoo.
I actually just found out about that zoo a few days ago, so haven't visited it. I'm between Dallas and Fort Worth.
I thought maybe Austin Zoo had changed their name, but I emailed them and they said no, and that they weren't very new, either, which surprised me. Guess I may have to drive to Houston next year instead of flying.
I'm hoping I can see the Capital of Texas Zoo as they apparently have some rare species. There really isn't much information on it though.
My list now has 226 zoological institutions on it. I'll add another 2 aquariums in July. Lifetime Zoo List - Allen - America's Best Zoos
Mine isnt as long as some of the others but.... UK- Highland Wildlife Park Blair Drummond Safari Park Edinburgh Zoo Galloway Wildlife Park South Lakes Wild Animal Park Lakeland Wildlife Oasis Chester Zoo Knowsley Safari Park Bug World (If counted) Welsh Mountain Zoo Borth Animalarium West Midland Safari Park Colchester Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL London Zoo Hamerton Zoo Exotic Pet Refuge (If counted) Paignton Zoo Newquay Zoo Shaldon Wildlife Trust And some Seal Place in Cornwall. Other- Loro Parque Zoos planned over the next year- UK- Yorkshire Wildlife Park Twycross Zoo Dudley Zoo Birmingham Nature Centre Manor House Wildlife Park Bristol Zoo Noahs Ark Zoo Farm Cotswold Wildlife Park Longleat Safari Other- Burgers Zoo Rotterdam Zoo Apenhaul Primate Park Dolphinarium Harderwijk And a few others, I havent decided yet!