Aardvark250 ranking his zoo visited

This is something I want to do in a while. And with the coronavirus here, I get a month without school so I can finally type out something to contribute here. Anyway, I have visit 33 zoos/aquariums throughout my life (I'm still only 16) and all of them are in Asia. This thread aims to rank them from worst to best, and to provide some information if you want to visit. Some of them are already outdated but I will rank them based on my latest visit. So, only 2019 Ueno Zoo visit will be ranked, not the 2016 Ueno Zoo visit. The zoo I have visit are as follow (not in any order)

Zoos:
Chimelong Safari Park
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden
Shenzhen Safari Park
Taipei Zoo
Jurong Bird Park
Night Safari
River safari
Singapore Zoo
Guangzhou Zoo
Everland zoo
Ueno Zoo
Tama Zoo
Zhongshan Park Zoo
Kyoto Zoo
Kobe Animal Kingdom
Tennoji Zoo
Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo
Japan Monkey Centre
KL bird park
Zoo negara
Inokashira park zoo
Yokohama zoorasia

Aquarium:
Tokyo sea life park
S.E.A
Ocean Park HK
Nagoya Port Aquarium
Ise Sea Paradise
Toba Aquarium
Kyoto Aquarium
Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium)
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom
Yokohama Hakkijema Aquarium
Kamogawa Sea World

Because I have only briefly visit Guangzhou and Everland , I won't rank them because I have little memory about them.

I'm pretty sure this will stir up debate but I have visit all zoo first-hand. I do know every zoo and I will try my best.

 

Lol. I thought this was the ranking and I was definitely going to debate it......
Anticipating.

 

I will release the ranking one by one with a short review for each of them. Guess which zoo is the best?

 

Hmmm, I suspect Singapore Zoo and Kaiyukan Aquarium (which I have not visited).

 

The zoo is ranked by:
Quality of the exhibit
Rarity of the species
Number of species
Others ( my personal thoughts/ unpleasant thing other than the animals/ shows that aren't good for animals etc.)

Zoo #20: Zhongshan Zoo(Visit year:2017)

Isn’t surprising right? A zoo you never heard of is in the bottom. This is actually a small zoo situated inside Zimaling Park . I actually don’t care visiting this zoo, but get to there just because it is an attraction inside a tour, which takes me to other places, and of course, the zoo is not the main attraction of the tour. Anyway, the zoo is 20 RMB (which is almost the same as many other zoos which situated inside a park), and the enclosures are not in good conditions. Most of the exhibits are barren, with concrete ground on the floor, with the exception of the lion and tiger exhibits. They (the lion and tiger exhibit) are actually acceptable and better than some city zoo in China, except it’s still on the small side. There really aren’t a lot of species here, as you may expect, but surprisingly, they have ligers. Condition wise, they aren’t as bad as some of the zoo I’ve seen on the Internet, but I won’t bother visit them so this zoo is probably the worst I will visit for quite some time. At the time I’m visiting, a large part of the zoo is renovating. Judging from more recent photos, I see that this zoo has tried to improve. However though, the bear exhibit is terrible so as is the primates. Also, in the middle of the zoo is an aviary, which contains just a lot of blue peafowl and some other pigeons. The wolf exhibit is atrocious and obviously need change.(Changed already) Overall, I can see the zoo is improving under the government, but more should be done.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the photos to support my idea (I lost all of them), but this is a post on Baidu about the zoo.

【图片】2017年8月14日：中山紫马岭公园动物园_动物园吧_百度贴吧

 

Zoo # 19: Shenzhen zoo (Shenzhen safari park) (Visit year: almost every year till 2016)

Shenzhen zoo holds quite some ugly (acrostically ugly) exhibit, but it does hold some good one and it’s a mix between both. Despite labelling itself as a safari park, only the carnivore part is accessible by car—a car that visitors can feed the tiger and cost 70 something.

First of all, the zoo is VERY expensive. Like 200 RMB for the zoo? I expect more from that. I always visit before 2016 because I’m a child and I like zoo, with the zoo just 1.5 hour next to my home. (I live near the HK-China boundary) However, I don’t visit it after because—well, it’s not worth it.

The zoo starts off with a good one, with an above average (at least in term of Chinese standard) exhibit for crane and ibis. The exhibit is open topped and I suppose they are clipped birds. Next on the stop is an okay gibbon/snub nosed monkey exhibit surrounded by a moat with pelican, but there are feeding behaviour (just as usual). The pheasant exhibits are ok, so as the raccoon and the kangaroo. The zoo continues it’s acceptable exhibit to the herbivore zone, with the blackbuck, the rhino and the ostrich one with vegetation. The giraffe exhibit is on the small side, as well as the camel (Bactrian, no dromedary in China) but it has sand on the floor and this can also be said to others herbivore exhibit. Species include Muntjac, fallow deer, yak, blackbuck, gnu, zebra and scimitar horned oryx to name a few.

Then come the elephant exhibit. ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. I have no words about it. The zoo should phase out the elephant or put them in the lion/tiger exhibit. Just a picture of it show all. No foliage, concrete land, space that is similar to one who exhibit a porcupine....., just not acceptable. There is also elephant show and at least few is living in such environment. Disgusting.

By @animalman0341

The zoo continue it’s ugly theme with the scimitar oryx exhibit, and after a crocodile and a megallanic penguin exhibit, it is the primate cage. All the primate are in utterly bad cage, with mandrill, chimps , baboons, all in bad condition. They provide very little enrichment whatever, and don’t even have the height need. This part needs to demolish ASAP. Also the orangutan exhibit then is just a room with a few ropes. Yikes.


There are some good exhibit after but some more bad one. The leopard exhibit is totally different from other, and this photo show it all. I believe this sort of cages are used to hold medium carnivore, so lynx and leopard have been here. This is also very disgusting, no enrichment at all, and a lot of sterotyping as the leopard will walk back and forth the exhibit.

By @aardvark250

The best is in the last though. The wolf, the painted dog, the liger, lion and tiger exhibit all have fairly good exhibit, with the only viewing way being across a bridge. The brown bear exhibit is also good, but the zoo provide food to feed so the bears just stay next to the bridge, stand up and wait for the food. I think it’s fine if you feed them with food that the zoo provides, but I just dislike the fact that the bears are standing up, waiting for the food. Otherwise the whole carnivore exhibit is good, and do have enough space for them (with the exception of the bear being overcrowded). As mentioned previously, you can ride the car and feed the tigers. Overall this part is the best of the zoo.

By @aardvark250

To conclude, the zoo isn’t all bad, but the bad is too bad to be neglected. The elephant, primate and leopard exhibit should be demolished, while the tiger exhibit is one of the better ones. Not much rarity in the zoo(Magellinic penguin maybe?) and with bad exhibit, the zoo is second to last in my ranking. I do believe the zoo will keep improving, with the anteater exhibit new open and is fairly good, but the elephant is unacceptable, as well as some other exhibit, straight out from a third world country. And for the price I expect more. Most of the other zoo in this list cost less than this zoo, yet have higher quality. And for these reasons, the zoo is second to last. Also, don't call yourself a safari park if it isn't a safari at all. Just call "zoo" or "wildpark" sth.

Photo gallery of Shenzhen safari park:Shenzhen Safari Park - ZooChat

 

Zoo #18 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (HKZBG)(Visit year: almost very year)

This is a small zoo, located in Hong Kong Island, next to the Edward Youde Aviary (I don’t include EYA with HKZBG). The zoo is the only one in Hong Kong, and to be fair, holds some interesting species that are not frequently found in China. The zoo is free and is small, but I do visit every year cause it’s the only in my home city.

The zoo is divided into two parts, one the bird part and one the primate part. The bird part is actually ok to good. While it doesn’t have a big bird cage (go to nearby EYA), it does provide space for the birds and does hold some rare species. Species include Yellow-casqued hornbill, two peacock pheasant species, red billed hornbill, stanley crane and Red crowned crane to name a few. There are also flamingo in the largest aviary together with scarlet ibis. Overall this part is acceptable at least and just by this part it wouldn’t be in the low spot.


Smaller aviary housing pheasant and other bird species (photo by @aardvark250)


Stanley crane aviary (photo by @FunkyGibbon)


Scarlet ibis aviary(photo by @FunkyGibbon)

However, what let me down is the other part of the zoo—the mammal part. The mammal part is focus mainly on primate (with the exception of meerkat and some tortoise) and those monkey cages have a lot of room for improvement. The monkey cages have no natural substrate, some are too small for the inhabitants, and there is not really rare species for me. The only good thing to say about them is they provide some climbing opportunities for the primates. With the cage, the monkey can fully utilize the height of the exhibit, which do have another dimension for them to go. However, I would rather see natural exhibits for the primate rather than those cages. Species include Siamang, white cheeked gibbon, squirrel monkey, de brazza’s monkey, emperor marmoset, golden headed lion tamarin, ring- tailed lemur, black and white ruffed lemur, meerkat and Bornean orangutan.


Siamang exhibit ( photo by @aardvark250)

HKZBG isn’t very bad, but not really good. It does hold some rarity, but overall ,not really great both in term of species and exhibit quality. As a result, I put it in this spot.
I don’t mean that this is a bad zoo, in fact, the bird exhibit can match that of Europe, but the primate side is a letdown and there are not many species to rank it higher up the list.

HKZBG gallery:Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens - ZooChat

 

#17 Kyoto Zoo (Visit date: February 2018)

Located in the center of Kyoto, I have no idea what to expect before visiting. Kyoto is a city famous being the older capital of Japan, and I did visit some old structure there. The zoo opened in 1903 and is the second oldest in Japan. But it doesn’t seem that old. I suppose some renovation have been done.

The zoo is small yet compact. And this make a lot of the exhibit smaller than usual. Some of the exhibit are clearly too small for the inhabitants. E.g. the tapir and the hippo exhibit. However though, I can see that some work have been done. By having basic enrichment for the animals, I suppose the animal can be happier.


Tapir exhibit By @aardvark250

Other exhibit are average, not great but not bad either. The small mammals exhibit are modest, with natural substrate and some climbing. The primate exhibits are small but high, provide enough height for them to climb up and down. Though the exhibits aren’t pretty,

I do think it’s ok for the animals. It’s somewhat old-fashioned, but I think some exhibits can match other zoos. The chimp exhibit are above average for me.


Chimp exhibit by @Ashanti


There are also a few surprises in the zoo. Tsushima leopard cat may be new to people who doesn’t visit Japan, but are actually not that rare in Japan. Other highlights include bush dog and chachalaca, also does the chinese goral. I do think the red panda and the tiger bridge is quite cool (perhaps getting the idea from Asahiyama).


Red panda crossing by @aardvark250

However though, compared to other zoos on the list, Kyoto doesn’t have the quality and the quantity of species and animals, and the exhibit are average at best. Some well exhibit such as the chimps, but other like the tapir and hippo are clearly too small with too little water, and so is the lions and tigers. Nor do they have a lot of rarity in the zoo, so sadly it is not higher than 17 in my ranking.

I do think for improvement, they can try to phase out hippo or elephants and keep either one. The lion is old and I think is dead now so they can perhaps get a larger space for the tigers and jaguars. The macaque exhibit is a usual pit exhibit, and although there is no feeding (Japanese people mostly follow the rules from my visit), it really is not a good exhibit. I suggest the zoo may focus on rarer and smaller animals, like the “Kyoto forest area” in the zoo.




Meerkat exhibit, with good use of boxes and tubes by @aardvark250

Kyoto Zoo gallery:Kyoto Municipal Zoo - ZooChat

 

Zoo #16 Kobe Animal Kingdom (visit date : February 2018)

Kobe Animal Kingdom is a different zoo than other. It is one that provide unique interactive experience, but somewhat neglect the animals. The zoo is really interactive and you can touch and even feed a lot of animal there. For example, I get the chance of touching capybaras and armadillos, having owls and turacos on my arms, feeding and being kicked by a kangaroo, and into a walkthrough exhibit with shoebills and sitatunga. You can touch the shoebill within range. (Although I suppose that will not be a great experience)
Capybara in Onsen

Fun fact: Capybara isn’t good to touch. Mara have very soft hair.

The zoo aims to provide an interactive experience for the visitors, and it succeeds. Also, most of the zoo are indoors so there is no problem with the weather. Even in a cold day, the zoo is basically inside a greenhouse so it is warm inside. This is because the previous owner is for “flowers and birds garden”. After the owner of Nasu animal kingdom takeover, the zoo rebrand itself, and so it is still in a greenhouse.

As I said before, most of the zoo is inside a greenhouse so the space is tight, but some as the exhibit are actually fine. The larger mammals are on the short end of the stick, with tapirs and seals having a smaller exhibit. The exhibits are also mostly unnatural, but some of them did the job.


Red panda exhibit

There are some rarity in the zoo, with the shoebill obviously the highlights. The shoebill actually shared their exhibit with flamingos, ducks, pelicans, black necked stilts, sitatungas, ring-tailed lemurs, and ibises. Other rarites include keas, fishing cats, marabou storks and apolomado falcon (appear during bird show)

Shoebill exhibit shared with other animals

With the zoo ever-expanding, there are already a few changes after my visit. The zoo has more animals and create a north american zone. However though, with the tight space, I actually don’t think having larger mammals is a good idea. If your zoos aims to be interactive, why get bears and pumas that you can’t interact with them? Stick with the more gentle animals is my thoughts. Already the tapirs and the seals and the peccaries is having little space, I don’t know will they expand it. ( I read somewhere they have but at the time of my visit I feel bad for them)

It’s really the tight space, the small exhibit for mammals and the lack of “super rarity” that put it into this place. However, if you want a unique zoo experience with animals within close range, this is the place to go. I have no mean that it is a bad zoo, it is actually a pleasant one with not-too-ugly exhibit, but some of them are clearly too small and it just seems weird to put it higher than other in the list.

Kobe animal kingdom's gallery:Kobe Animal Kingdom - ZooChat

 

Kobe sounds like a weird place. I probably wouldn't visit, but I guess under the right circumstances it would be quite fun.

 

Zoo #15 Japan Monkey Centre (Visit date : July 2018)

Japan Monkey Centre is a zoo full of rarities. Primates that aren’t commonly found in Asia or even the world. I got at least 10 lifetick during my visit so I’m not saying the collection is bad. Yes, they don’t have tarsier or uakari or bonobo or howlers, but overall, the lineup of the zoo is quite impressive. In fact, it’s why I put it in 15th . If the collection isn’t that good, this zoo is definitely in the relegation zone.

Let’s start by the rarity that I have seen in the visit. Gray titi,night monkeys, potto, a few species of macaques, 4 species of baboon, angolan colombus, talapoin, moustached guenon, golden- bellied mangabey, gray wooly monkey, tibetian macaque and 5 species of gibbon are present. There are almost 60 species in the zoo , however, all but few of them are living in acceptable environment.

The best exhibit is clearly for the chimps, in which they get a really lush and green exhibit, together with climbing opportunities and hiding opportunities. This may be one of the best exhibits for chimps in Japan and doesn’t look bad if it were to put in the western world. The squirrel monkey island is also good, and the lemur walkthrough is acceptable, but lacking a bit of climbing space.

Chimpanzee exhibit

The other exhibits, however , cannot be said in the same way. Most of the exhibit are just the same, with iron cage for outdoor and indoor area. The indoor area contains almost nothing and the outdoor area is as small as my bathroom. There are limited climbing enrichment but definitely not enough for monkeys. Moreover, some of the exhibit are clearly overcrowded and overall, it is bad for the animals. This is the case for the Asian macaques, the african monkeys and the south american new-world monkeys.Ugh.

Monkey exhibit

There is a south american house that host some tamarins and marmosets, as well as a titi. The exhibit there is okay, as the animals are smaller and they can leap through the exhibit. This is of course my first titi and overall that is acceptable. Animals include cotton top tamarins, red hand tamarins, black eared marmosets, pygmy marmosets, common marmosets and the titi. Somehow though, the house also contain a smell that isn’t comfortable.

South American house exhibit

The Anubis baboon get a monkey pit like the one for macaques in other zoos, and another exhibit which is also viewed from above is the Japanese macaque. Unlike other macaque bit, this is located on a slope and get a big climbing structure. But the thing to note is that there are over a hundred macaques in the exhibit. Just imagine the scene of a hundred macaques running towards you for food.....


Japanese macaque exhibit (the sheer amount of macaque is quite a sight)

The gibbon get a larger exhibit with more climbing, and there are four species. Lar, pileated, agile and muller. At least they get some more space than the spider monkey to swing around. I do feel like I miss something though.... I wonder what.


Ah yes, this monstrosity. The siamang exhibit. I don’t know if it is a good design and I don’t see them use it, but I just think it looks ugly. It just feel so weird. That metal thing looks like a roller coaster of some sort and spiral with spine out there. Just weird and somebody may like it, but I don’t.

Siamang exhibit

Overall, Japan Monkey Center is a fascinating yet disappointing zoo. There are just so much to offer in terms of rarity and quantity, yet in term of quality it is really sad . Just see the animals in small exhibit climbing up and down, make me wonder what can they do if their enclosures are better. Think of Apenheul in Netherlands ( I haven’t visit but that’s the only other primate zoo I can think of) with this collection.The zoo could be a primate paradise. However, as the exhibit is so bad in some case, this zoo is not higher than 15th .

JMC gallery:Japan Monkey Centre - ZooChat

 

Zoo #14 Tennoji Zoo, Osaka

Osaka. The second largest city in Japan. To be honest, I expect more from this zoo. I arrived and found a really average zoo, with some acceptable exhibit but none that I consider great. The zoo is free if you use the Osaka pass, which is basically a metro pass, but with a lot of discount and free item.

Almost every big city in Japan have a zoo nearby, but Osaka’s is disappointing. Most of the enclosure is not good and some must be demolished. There are sterotyping behaviour among the bears, and the whole zoo is simply not in modern era. There is a sign of aging around the zoo, and there is a lack in good exhibit. The zoo is popular with their ABCs all there, but I enjoy it much less than I was expecting. Why I rank it 14th is because of the rarer animals.

The main “Blockbuster” animal for me at least is definitely the kiwi. Am I right that this is the only place in Asia that have kiwi? I suppose so.(Although that will be changed soon) The kiwi is in a nocturnal house which makes photographing almost impossible, but I successfully see my first “moving brown blub”. Other animals inside include lesser hedgehog tenrec, sugar glider, spectacled owl, Japanese weasel and Egyptian fruit bat.

The other side of the zoo contains a big aviary, where it is a walk-in and numerous species can be found. White storks and different kinds of herons and ducks, as well as waldrapps and egrets. I think it’s quite big in size but if the cranes are here, it may be a better exhibit.

Zoo Aviary

Elsewhere the zoo includes four species of bear, all living in traditional grotto and depressing environment. Those four are polar, spectacled, sun and asiatic black bear. The polar bear is the worst of all, with the bear walking back and forth and swaying its head the whole time. There is nothing to do for the polar bear, and it is just depressing after all. However, I really can’t think of any good polar bear exhibit in Asia. That doesn’t mean anything though.

Polar bear exhibit

Also in the zoo is a pretty good chimp exhibit, but the chimp are no-show because of the cold weather. The monkey cages are bad, like the one in JMC, but it did contain a drill, a very rare species for me at least. The koala exhibit looks good, but there is only 1 in the exhibit (which is dead now I believe) and it seems a bit of waste. The elephant exhibit is one of the better one, although the elephant is dead now too.

Monkey exhibit, this one containing Mandrill

Furthermore, the zoo contain some metal cage with concrete floor for wolves and cougars, then some average exhibit for tigers, red pandas and mouflons. A part of the African exhibit is renovating at the time, but the hippo exhibit is good with the underwater viewing being quite clear. The lions are in a sort of "Predator-prey " exhibit, with the zebra and eland at the back.The crane exhibit is clearly too small, and the crane should just go to the big aviary the zoo has. Pheasants and bird of preys aviary on the small side, and the sea lion exhibit is not really good. The zoos end with a reptile house with quite some different species.

Lion exhibit - ZooChat
Lion exhibit with zebras/elands/giraffes exhibit behind.

Tennoji zoo is one that is not good. However, it does have some interesting species, with drill and kiwi be the main highlights. The other exhibits range from really bad to average at most. I suppose 14th place is the place it deserved. Is it a must-hit zoo when visiting Japan? I don't think so. This is just another ordinary city zoo in Japan. Being the second largest city in Japan, I think Osaka needs a zoo better, like the ones in Tokyo.

Tennoji zoo gallery: Tennōji Zoo - ZooChat

 

I just want to thank all, especially @Chlidonias and @FunkyGibbon for supporting the thread. You two are some of the few zoochatters who visit quite a lot of Asian zoo and I really glad you enjoy reading this.

 

Zoo #13 Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

First, I must say this is really difficult to put on the list as this is a bird park. Different criteria should be used so it’s hard to compare side by side. Ultimately I can just put bird park in another list but that would be 1.Jurong and 2.KL bird park. So, I try my best to put it in a suitable position.

When I first see photos and heard of KL bird park, I was really impressed. The aviary is really large, and it proclaims to be “Largest free flight aviary in the world”. This is why I decided to go for it. However, I found it to be a bit of a letdown.

The sign.

I must emphasize that the aviary is really large in size, and seeing hundreds of yellow-billed storks (which are NOT milky stork) around is really pleasing. I suppose they are common in Malaysia but just the sheer amount of animals is enough to amaze someone. There is a river running down the exhibit and tons of storks just flock around as well as some ibis, cattle egrets, night herons among others. When in feeding time, the storks are around eating food from the bucket, and that is a really awesome experience.

Main aviary

Elsewhere there are parrots, hornbills, and native birds living in separate aviaries. There are other smaller walkthrough aviary, include one for bulbuls, one for pelicans, and one for Malayan hornbills. There are also Brahminy kites and owls in different exhibit.

Now let’s talk about the downside. First, that statement of being the largest walkthrough aviary in the world. Yes, it is large, but is it the largest in the world? I am not sure about that. There are other really large aviary, and I think it is just a gimmick to lure customers in.

Also, even IF it’s the largest walkthrough free-flight aviary in the world, I don’t enjoy it as the Jurong’s one, despite KL is larger. The whole aviary seems dominated by yellow-billed storks and it just lack a feeling about it. It is large and impressive, but Jurong’s waterfall aviary seems to have a more “stylish” thing. Basically, it is too big in my mind, and big isn’t always better.

Also, KL lacks some interesting rare species. I suppose it is because I don’t find them hard enough. This is why I think big isn’t always better. I think there are interesting species lurking around, but I just can’t find it. I also think they lost some species, as scrolling through the zoochat gallery shows some more impressive species that I can’t see.


Another thing is that even though the main aviary is large, some of the side aviary are small. There are owls on a stick (just like for parrots in other zoos), and the native birds aviary is a bit small in size. The 3rd walkthrough aviary (the one with pelicans) seems a little bit lack of birds too.

Owls on a stick by @Chlidonias


Overall, I wasn’t that impress in KL Bird Park, although I do think someone may enjoy it a lot. I think it is suitable to rate it in the lower half, as there are some other great zoos on the list and KL lacks in both rarity and a bit in quality, though if we are counting the numbers of bird, it certainly is not bad.


If I’m not mistaken, @FunkyGibbon and @Chlidonias both visit the park so they might have something to say for it. Feel free to elaborate on the zoo if want to.

 

I’m enjoying it too.

 

Feel free to comment. I know you have also visit some Japanese zoo in my list.

 

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread and keep meaning to provide a response. I may get to it tomorrow. Keep up the good work!

 

HKZBG: Basically agree with all your points. It's a lovely bird section and a poor primate one. But I like the gibbon cgaes and it seems the gibbons do too. Looking forward to your thoughts on EYA.

JMC: Haven't visited, but always liked the look of the siamang rollercoaster track

Tennoji: Also haven't visited, but I'm intrigued because you say at the end you wish it was more like Ueno or Tama, and yet all the criticisms you voice can also be applied to those zoos. I'm looking forward to that being explored more.

KLBP: Really disappointing. I've been twice, but only really enjoy the bulbul walkthrough and the stork aviary (more for the architecture than the inhabitants). This is a very underpowered zoo. In particular the largest aviary feels wasted on too few individuals and poor species choices.