2012 :- Your Year In Review.

As we're nearing the end of 2012 I thought it was time to re-cap collections visited, species seen, personal highlights and anything else that you've experienced zoo-related.
I've visited a paltry 8 collections but have clocked up about 16 or so visits this year which isn't really comparable to others on here. I don't keep species lists or records and I'm not one for photography but I'm interested in hearing about others lists.
Personal highlights were Living Coasts (Wow!) and the dholes arriving at WMSP as they were a complete surprise until reported on here. Lows were missing out on Bristol during a visit to the city as we ran out of time, the no-show tomistoma at Paignton and having to pay to visit Sea Life Birmingham!
Another note, this is the second consecutive year that I haven't visited Twycross after being a regular since I was a child. I honestly don't mind not going as it is decidedly stale. I can't see myself visiting next year or the year after that either...

Collections I visited this year :-
Birmingham Sea Life Centre (x 1)
Birmingham Nature Centre (x lots)
Dudley Zoo (x 2)
Cotswold Wildlife Park (1 very rushed visit)
West Midlands Safari Park (x 2)
Living Coasts (x 1)
Paignton (x 1)
Drayton Manor (x 1)

Can't wait to hear from some of you guys!

 

New Visits:
* Shedd Aquarium: One of the best aquariums that I have visited. I had a wonderful experience being picked out of the audience to get one on one with a beluga during their show.

* Lincoln Park Zoo: Nice litte zoo with some good exhibits and some horribly outdated exhibits. I loved the African indoor building (with underwater viewing of pygmy hippos). I did not have enough time to fully see and enjoy this zoo.

* Brookfield Zoo: a very solid collection and great indoor immersion exhibits. Highlights were proposing to my fiance, a peacock giving a show, and seeing the baby aardvark outside for the first time.

* Virginia Zoo: Absolutely in love with Trails of a Tiger. One of the best Asian exhibits in the U.S. and most animals were out and active. I fell in love with the tapirs and delighted to see the sun bears. Also a solid African section.

* Virginia Aquarium: A decent aquarium, nothing exciting to report.

Return Visits:
*Seneca Park Zoo: Little improvements here or there. The completion of A Step Into Africa is very nice for this little zoo.

*Pittsburgh Zoo: Not one of my most memorable visits. I did enjoy Piper, the baby sea lion.

*Maryland Zoo: Enjoy my few trips here. I liked seeing the okapi and sifakas up close. Got some very nice photos. I got to hear some interesting stories from the zookeepers.

*Smithsonian Zoo: Opening of American Trails, babies, exhibit and animal changes. I always wish I had more time to see it all.

In other zoo related news, I had my photo featured in the Buffalo Zoo 2011 calendar and two of my photos won first place in the Maryland Zoo's monthly photo contest.

 

Collections visited this year:
Madrid Zoo and Aquarium (x1)
Faunia (x1)
Lisbon Zoo (x2)
Lisbon Oceanarium (x3)
Vasco da Gama Aquarium (x1)
Zoomarine (x1)

Best Visit: Lisbon Oceanarium
Worst Visit: Zoomarine
Favourite Animal: Lesser Manta (Lisbon Oceanarium)
Favourite Moment: Watching the Giant Pandas (Madrid Zoo)
Best Surprise: Baby Pigmy Hippo (Lisbon Zoo)
Worst Surprise: Off-Show Southern Tamandua (Faunia)

 

My zoo list 2012:

-Bronx zoo (x 6) great as usual, favorite zoo

- Queens zoo (x 1)

-Prospect park zoo (x 1)

-Central park zoo (x 2)

-Roger williams park zoo (x 1) suprise of the year, close encounters with elephants and overall quaint feel

-Shedd Aquarium (x 1) best aquarium i have ever visited

-Lincoln park zoo (x 1) great setting, mostly average exhbits with exception of Apes and African Journey

 

-Brookfield Zoo: My home zoo nothing really ever changes with this zoo but it is massive and has a large collection. I am going today to see if anything has changed.

-Lincoln Park Zoo: Small zoo that has a nice Children's Zoo and African collection with some of the best gorilla and chimpanzee exhibits in the U.S.. But there are still many outdated exhibits.

-Toronto Zoo: My first visit to this zoo. It seems to be a hit or a miss zoo but it definitely was a hit for me. I enjoyed the African Pavillion the most of all the exhibits at this massive zoo.

-Central Florida Zoo: Small zoo that has some nice reptile exhibits but really lacks a great exhibit. There seems to be many plans for the future with this zoo.

-Cosley Zoo: Very small zoo (6 acres) that is geared for children. It has just barnyard and local animals. The zoo has just opened a new bobcat exhibit which was the first new exhibit the zoo has opened since the 90's.

 

What about Naples and Disney's Animal Kingdom? I thought I heard you say you went there this year...

 

As some of you are aware, I visited and reviewed 50 zoos/aquariums in 50 days on a long, expensive road trip with my wife and two small kids.

http://www.zoochat.com/22/snowleopards-2012-road-trip-278110/

 

@Blospz- Congrats!!

As some of you may know I have a website I started on June 9, 2011 that records all the zoos I've visited and the animals I've seen there between then and now. It's on several places on ZooChat so I won't post a link unless you guys want me to.

Zoos Visited
-Smithsonian National Zoological Park (X2)
-ZooAmerica (X1)
-Roger Williams Park Zoo (X1)
-Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo (X1)
-Central Park Zoo (X1)

Highlights
-Visiting my original home zoo, the Smithsonian National Zoo for the first time since I was an infant.
-Seeing my first Arapaima, Giant Panda, Sloth Bear, Japanese Giant Salamander (barely), North Island Brown Kiwi, Soccoro Dove, Fishing Cat, Sumatran Tiger, Bornean Orangutan, Gharial, Komodo Dragon, Clouded Leopard, Double-Wattled Cassowary, and Aldabra Giant Tortoise at the National Zoo.
-Visiting the Beardsley Zoo for the first time in years.
-Seeing my first Brazilian Ocelot, Maned Wolf, and Chacoan Peccary in years at the Beardsley zoo.
-Seeing my first Grey Fox and Red-Rumped Agouti at Beardsley.
-Visiting the Central Park Zoo for the first time in years and seeing my first Chinese Mergansers and King, Southern Rockhopper, Gentoo, and Chinstrap Penguins. Also, my first Eurasian Eagle-Owl.
-Seeing my first North American Mountain Lion, Rocky Mountain Elk, White-Nosed Coati, and Ringtail at ZooAmerica.
-Discovering that the National Zoo had Sri Lankan Elephants and that I saw them (and possibly photographed one. Would the male Sri Lankan be the one who's displayed separatly?)!

Lows
-Missing American Trails at the National Zoo.
-Passing the Philadelphia Zoo on my way to Hershey.
-Missing Addra Gazelles, Siamang, Freshwater Crocodiles, Andean Bears, and elephant shrews at the National Zoo.
-Finding out that the National Zoo no longer holds Barbary Lions.

~Thylo

 

If you went to Smithsonian before, when you were an infant, you can technically count seeing the majority of these animals. Maybe it would be more appropiate to say that it is the first time you saw them as far as you remember, as it would be hard to remember as an infant.
The male Asian Elephant, Kandula, is one of two Sri Lankans. His mother Shanthi is also a Sri Lankan, and Ambika is a female Indian.

 

Maybe but I was like 1 back then so I don't even know if the zoo had all of these animals then (I know they had pandas and the tortoise and probably elephants but besides for that I don't know).

I know the male is a Sri Lankan, I was asking if he would be the one separated from the other two. That would make sense, right? If he is then he is the animal I photographed and I have my elephant pic on the wrong page on my website.

~Thylo

 

I have no clue, so I suggest you provide a picture.

 

return visits
trotter's world of animals(x3)
edinburgh zoo(x1)
deep sea world(x1)
macduff aquarium(x2)

first visits
konstanz sea life centre(x1)
affenburg salem(x1)
pfandzer wildpark(x1)
wilhelma zoo(x1)
basel zoo(x1)
freiburg mundenhof(x1)

 

It's not a very good picture but the best I could get as the animal kept moving around under the bridge that goes over the exhibit. I guess I must have deleted the other pictures as I can't find them.

http://www.zoochat.com/612/indian-elephant-295995/
My computer won't let me attach it so here's the link to the gallery page.

~Thylo

 

Another low was missing out on a trip to Holland to visit Artis and Rotterdam but it was postponed for a good reason. If you're on my Facebook then you probably can work out why my funds have had to be put in to something else!
Next year I will be doing everything within my power to get to Holland or the Czech Republic though, barring any unexpected surprises...

 

Just the Henry Doorly Zoo this year for me. I hope I can change that in 2013. I think what would be really great would be if the Zoochatters could all meet up in a zoo somewhere.

 

Here's my list, I mainly visited collections in the Netherlands and one in Belgium:
Antwerp Zoo ( the Belgium one ) nice but a pitty that the birdhouse was closed due to renovation (1x)
Artis Amsterdam (2x)
Burgers Arnhem the Bush still one of mine favorites ! (1x)
Beekse Bergen Hilvarenbeek (1x)
Taman Indonesia Kallenkote small but realy great ! (1x)
Utropia Middelburg small bird-collection disappointing (1x)
Emmen Zoo (1x)
Berkenhof's Tropical Zoo mainly butterflies but also lots of others Great! ( 10+ times )
Papiliorama Havelte butterfly-house small but good (1x)
Faunapark Flakkee Nieuwe Tonge small and not that good (1x)
Blijdorp Rotterdam one of the best in the Netherlands (1x)
Oliemeulen Tilburg small but good ( 10+ times )

 

I actually had a really successful 2012. 50 public animal collections, 59 visits, 600 captive and/or wild mammal taxa (exactly, as it stands) of which 64 were taxa I'd never seen before - a remarkably high rate of previously unseen mammal taxa per visit (this is mostly due to a) Vietnam and b) Pilsen).

New Zoos Visited:

Crocodiles of the World
Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (Cuc Phuong)
Turtle Conservation Centre (Cuc Phuong)
Hanoi Zoo
Saigon Zoo
Reaseheath College Zoo
Dierenrijk (Mierlo)
Safari Park Beekse Bergen
De Paay Owl and Animal Park
Prague Terrarium
Chleby Zoo
Autocentrum Boura Bird Park
Liberec Zoo
Rasdje Ostrovy (Decin Terrarium)
Decin Zoo
Dresden Zoo
Usti Zoo
Chomutov Zoo

Return Visits:

Twycross Zoo (2 separate visits)
Chester Zoo (3 separate visits)
Slimbridge Wetland Centre (2 visits, consecutive days)
Bristol Zoo
London Zoo
Blackbrook Zoological Park (2 separate visits)
West Midland Safari Park
Cotswold Wildlife Park
Colchester Zoo
Blijdorp Zoo (Rotterdam)
Apenheul
Burgers Zoo Arnhem
Wissel Zoo (Epe)
Harderwijk Dolphinarium
Amersfoort Zoo
Best Zoo
Papegaaien Park (Veldhoven)
Osnabruck Zoo
NaturZoo Rheine
Ouwehands Zoo (Rhenen)
Avifauna
Hamerton Zoo Park
Woburn Safari Park
Yorkshire Wildlife Park (2 separate visits)
Prague Zoo (2 visits, a week apart)
Dvur Kralove Zoo (2 visits, consecutive days)
Akva-Tera (Pilsen Terrarium)
Pilsen Zoo (2 visits, consecutive days)
The Deep
Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary
Skegness Natureland
Whipsnade Zoo


Not a bad year at all! If anything, a little low on visits to the 'regulars' (Chester, YWP, Twycross, Blackbrook) and I'd have liked to have got to Dudley and Blackpool, both of which are overdue. And actually, it occurs to me the list is also rather aquarium-light - no Sea Life Centres all year! Of the best three aquarium displays I've seen all year two are in general zoos. But these are pretty minor quibbles in what has been a great year all round.

It has in many ways been the year of the Asian monkeys - all of my overseas jaunts included at least one brand new Asian monkey in their highlights.

And now, on to 2013 - in which European plans are based on old favourites, there's an extra-continental jaunt in the offing again, and Zoohistorica comes to England's green and pleasant land...

 

First time visitor to:
Bali Zoo
Bali Bird Park
Sydney Wildlife World
Manly Oceanworld (or whatever the McAquariums people call it now)
Featherdale Wildlife Park
Australian Shark and Ray Centre

There's a good chance of a first visit to Serendip before the year is out.

I made return visits to:
Melbourne Zoo
Healesville Sanctuary
Taronga Zoo
Sydney Aquarium
Melbourne Aquarium
Halls Gap Zoo

Funnily enough, I live arguably within a lion's roar of Werribee Open Range Zoo but haven't bothered to visit this year. My last visit was about a year ago to see the new gorilla exhibit. It's not that I dislike the place, it's just that every visit feels exactly the same.

2013 is, in personal terms, shaping as a big deal. Won't say just yet where, but I am expecting to visit at least five and probably seven new zoos for the first time by the end of April. There's a high likelihood of a return visit to Sea World and a moderately high likelihood of a return to Adelaide. Canberra and Taronga are both semi -likely as well. Then totop it off, there might be another international zoo and international aquarium towards the endof the year.

I'll have to return to Melbourne Aquarium soon before the Merlinification sours me on the experience as it has done for Sydney already. I've let my membership there lapse for lack of time to use it.

 

Sadly, for family reasons, I did much less zoo visiting this year than I normally do and I had to cancel many of my planned trips. There were still some memorable experiences though.

Within the UK, the highlights were seeing the young spotted hyaena at Colchester Zoo and the young Prince Alfred’s deer (Philippine spotted deer), only a couple of hours old, at Chester Zoo. (And special thanks are due to “zoogiraffe” for organising the excellent “walk and talk” at Chester Zoo otherwise I would not have been in Chester that weekend.)

I generally attend the annual “ZooHistorica” event; this year it was held in Plzen Zoo so I had the opportunity of visiting this collection for the first time. I had long wanted to visit Plzen and I wasn’t disappointed; it immediately became one of my all-time favourite zoos, certainly in my personal top ten and probably in my top five. I’m sure that I’ll pay a return visit before too long.

Whilst in the Czech Republic I also re-visited Prague Zoo, another of my favourites. Seeing Balabac chevrotains (a species I’d never seen before) at both Plzen and Prague was probably the highlight of my zoo-visiting year.

I’ve no definite plans for next year yet although I’m sure there will be the normal regular visits to London, Whipsnade, Marwell and Colchester and hopefully a weekend in Chester. A trip to Berlin, definitely my favourite city for zoo-visiting, is probable too...

 

Honolulu Zoo (x 2)
Waikiki Aquarium (x 2) (first visit)
Sea Life Park
Sydney Wildlife
Sydney Aquarium
Healesville
Werribee
Serendip Sanctuary (first visit)
Western Plains Zoo
National Zoo
Australian Reptile Park
Taronga Zoo

And the year is not yet over.

For seeing animals in the wild (mainly marine species), there was Hanauma Bay, Serendip Sanctuary, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Gundabooka National Park/Bourke.

Biggest highlight was Tokelau - just an allround fantastic experience.

Zoo highlights included Hawaiian Monk Seals (Waikiki Aquarium and Sea Life Park), Golden White-eyes (Honolulu Zoo), Serendip Sanctuary, and staying at Zoofari Lodge at Western Plains Zoo.



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