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Aardvark250 ranking his zoo visited

Discussion in 'Asia - General' started by aardvark250, 4 Feb 2020.

  1. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

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    I don't mean in the sense that it's objectively poor. I mean in the sense that if I went back to Jurong and it was literally 50% as good as it used to be I would be 'very disappointed' and yet it would still be the second best bird park in the world. I just think KLBP could be so much more than it is.

    I wish I hadn't been ill in Melaka, I missed a few interesting collections.
     
  2. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    So, once it moves location then? :p

    (Just joking hopefully!)
     
  3. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Aren't you going to be going through KL airport at some stage? Just pop down to Melaka for a couple of days. There are direct buses from the airport all day long.
     
  4. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

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    The next time this is a serious option I will be going north to Taiping instead :p
     
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  5. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I agree that the gibbon cages do provide some climbing opportunities, and the gibbons keep swinging from the left to the right. I don't think it is a suitable nor beautiful exhibit though.

    Seems like you really like the architecture of those big aviaries! I think the quantity of birds is not bad but I also agree more species and rarer species should be nice.

    I actually like Tama a lot and I don't think the problem with Tennoji can be found in Tama. Tama has mostly naturalistic exhibit and some interesting species. It is large and lush, unlike Tennoji which is located in the city center and shows sign of ageing.

    I do agree Ueno does also has this problem. In Ueno, some of the larger species get the short end of the stick. Some of the exhibit are similar to Tennoji, being small and unsuitable for the inhabitants. However, Ueno makes it higher on the list because of the number and rarity of species, which some can be find only in a few zoos around the world.
     
  6. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Species choice maybe not a problem to major visitors, but it does have impact on my ranking. I am also constantly learning about new species and a zoos with species that are seldomly mentioned get me interested more. I don't think KL is a failure in any sense, but rather "under performing". It surely have the potential to be a great bird park with the size of this aviary.
     
  7. PossumRoach

    PossumRoach Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Sapporo city Maruyama zoo has two polar bear enclosures one of them being decent.

    Anyways, I'm enjoying these reviews.
     
  8. CGSwans

    CGSwans Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    All walk-throughs are, by definition, pretty pedestrian.
     
  9. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Zoo #12 River Safari

    The worst zoo out of all four in Singapore, I don’t think River Safari deserve the hype that it once got. The zoo is not great except for the amazon tank, and some attractions are just downright awful. I think a “good, bad, ugly” review will suit the zoo well. Notice that I have visit river safari twice, and this rating is based on my second visit, not the one in 2013. If I’m going to rate it based on 2013, it will actually be higher on the list, due to that time the awful stuff is not opened yet (and jaguarundi, which are gone now).


    Good:

    First, I do think the idea is good. A zoo focusing on the river around the world on showcasing the species around. It certainly seems like an interesting idea. From the Amazon to the Nile, Yangtze to Mississippi, I think it is a good idea to take people around the world, and also showcasing how important river is around the world.

    Second, the massive tank is also pretty good, especially the manatee tank. Seeing those gentle giants roaming around is certainly quite pleasing to see. Other tanks scatter around the river of the world area is ok, but the large tank for giant stingray is also impressive.
    [​IMG]
    "Mekong river" tank
    [​IMG]
    Manatee tank


    There are also some rarer animals in the zoo. It is a delight to see giant otters swimming around the exhibit, and the underwater tunnel for them is also good enough. Giant pandas and howler monkeys are also there, and although they are both rare, I do think their ways of exhibition is no good.

    Bad:

    Actually most of the zoo is ok, not really in the bad category. But there are some if one must say.

    First, some of the animals are house in a space quite tight for the inhabitants. This is true for the amphibians and reptiles, which is living in a small space. The giant salamander exhibit seems to lack depth a bit.

    Second, the pandas. I know this seems harsh, but I don’t think giant pandas lives near the Yangtze river (or I’m just stupid and this whole sentence is wrong) I know that pandas are for the visitors, but why don’t keep them in the zoo? It will make sense a whole lot more.

    Also, another problem is that why are the manatees in Amazon river? I previously always assume they are Amazonian manatee, until I found out it isn’t on zoochat. Yes, manatee do live in Amazon river, but they are a different species. I think the zone named “Amazon flood forest” may led to this belief. I don’t think it would be possible to get Amazonian ones, but I think the zoo should point that out more clearly.

    Ugly:

    You know what I will say here. The boat ride. Some people here oppose the idea of a safari park, claiming that seeing them for a few seconds is no good. I don’t entirely oppose the idea of a ride through exhibit (some of them can done well), in the case of River Safari’s boat ride, I think it is a failure.

    From the animals, the exhibit for them in the boat ride is too small. The animals don’t always have the best in the exhibit. From a visitor perspective, the animals cannot be viewed for a long time, nor can be viewed easily. For example, I want to see the red howler, yet I get 2 seconds for them, and they may not be even out for viewing. (Which is my experience). So no, this isn’t how you do a good boat ride in a zoo.



    In conclusion, River Safari is a zoo which hold a great idea, with once great ambitions and fame. However, it is not hyped to that and the Amazon boat ride is just awful. I would prefer a more pleasant ride with more viewing of the animal, if not entirely opposing the idea and build a path for viewing. Another alternative is to cancel that $5 dollar fee, and have BOTH walking and boat viewing platform. The other part of the zoo is ok but this part is a let down and 12th is the place it earned.
     
  10. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    For me the River Safari and the Night Safari are basically the same. A generally good walking route with mostly good enclosures, and then a ride (boat and tram respectively) with - shall we say - "unimpressive" enclosures. I'm not sure which I would rank lower of the two.

    Edit: actually, looking back at my own Asian zoo thread I ranked River Safari at #10 and Night Safari at #15. So I guess I do know which I would rank lower! :D
     
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  11. lintworm

    lintworm Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Interesting, I would concur with @aardvark250 , I found the walking part of the Night Safari to be much better done than the River Safari and the boat ride far worse than the tram ride. It does help that Night Safari is such a unique concept and that they have lots of nice small mammals ;).
     
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  12. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Yeah, I'm not sure my rankings make much sense really. The boat ride is absolutely worse than the tram ride, no doubt about it. I'm probably influenced by most of the Night Safari mammals being "common" for me, so I preferred the walking part of the River Safari more, plus the manatee aquarium was better than anything the Night Safari has.

    What I wrote for the two was:

    10) Singapore River Safari (2014) – I would love to rank this much higher because it is a great place with really nice tanks and species, including an outstanding manatee aquarium, but it is shot down by the ridiculous eight minute boat ride which is the only way to see almost half the park and in which the animals are housed in pathetically tiny enclosures.

    15) Singapore Night Safari (2014) – two vastly different halves: a tram ride through a series of overwhelmingly small set-piece enclosures for large animals, and then walking trails through mostly good enclosures for smaller animals. If it were just the walking trails I would rate this zoo high, if it were just the tram ride I would put it down below Medan Zoo. Both features together place it right about this spot for me.
     
  13. Mehdi

    Mehdi Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Super interesting thread so far, can't say I can agree with much of the comments you assess because the only Asian zoo I've been to is COEX Aquarium but I love how you detail what you like and dislike at each zoo. Looking forward for more!
     
  14. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Not sure what you mean by "common mammal". I wouldn't consider Pangolin and tarsier as "common" at all. I wouldn't say your rankings does not make sense though. Every one has their own opinions and probably the fact that you visit SE asia, seeing lots of wild animals may come to this conclusion.
     
  15. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I do agree with @lintworm more. River safari is also a great idea but most of the animals can also be found in other zoo. Night safari though, provide a unique experience that can never be match in daylight. Night safari also win by being the first zoo to do such thing and from my concern, no zoos in the Western world does this.
     
  16. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    "Most of" the mammals, being the operative words there. Pangolin, tarsier, hog badger, the flying squirrels, and the cloud rats were for me the "unusual" species but I think everything else (i.e. "most of the Night Safari mammals") are not out of the ordinary for me.

    I just found the River Safari better overall (boat ride notwithstanding) and much more interesting.
     
  17. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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  18. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I get 2 more months of holidays so I can continue work on this thread without a need to be hurry. Thanks coronavirus.
     
  19. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Zoo #11 Inokashira park Zoo

    Inokashira park zoo is a small zoo located inside Inokashira park, Tokyo. The zoo focus on the animals native to Japan, and housing mostly small animals. Actually, the zoo is listed at 115,500m^2 on wikipedia, so it actually isn’t very small.(but still small). The zoo holds some animals that are quite unique, some that are only found within a few Japanese zoo, and there are some common ones too. Nevertheless, I think the zoo is quite a pleasant one, except for some of the bird cages.

    The zoo contains two parts, the “main zoo” and the “aquatic life park”. The two zone is separated by a road and you actually need to exit the zoo, cross the bridge, and enter the other zone again. Both parts are equally interesting and both contain unique animals.

    The main zoo is for the land-dwelling animals (mostly Japanese native), and woodland birds. Except for a few small mammals, I think all the other animals are Japanese native. There are different subspecies of copper pheasant, 2 species of woodpecker, a walkthrough for Japanese squirrel, and other different exhibit for small mammals among others. It is a good thing to see the Elephant exhibit is now uninhabited. (the exhibit is atrocious) The Japanese squirrel walkthrough is quite nice, but would be better if there isn’t a mouse in the exhibit.

    upload_2020-2-28_18-38-34.png
    Inside of the squirrel walkthrough

    There are things that I don’t like though. The Rhesus macaque exhibit is a pit with fake branch, and although this is common among Japanese zoo (and Chinese zoo), I don’t really enjoy it. I prefer more natural climbing opportunities for the macaque, not a pit and some ropes. For some reasons there is a sculpture art museum within the zoo and I don’t know why. Otherwise other exhibit is not bad either.

    The second part, the “aquatic life park”, obviously hold animals which live near the water. It consists of the aquatic house and the bird aviary. The aquatic house is good, but some of the animals live in small terrarium. Seeing little grebe and diving spider are some of the highlights in the room, however I don’t see the crested kingfisher.

    The bird aviary is on the down side. Some of the exhibit has too little and too shallow water. The space is also not enough for the birds, in my point of view. For some smaller ducks this might be suitable, but I don’t think it’s big enough for Oriental stork or Red crowned crane. This is probably the part that I don’t like in the zoo, together with some domestic geese in the area.
    [​IMG]
    Oriental stork aviary

    Inokashira is not a bad zoo, and focusing on smaller animals is a wise choice to the zoo, which is small in size. I enjoy a pleasant 2 hours in the zoo and surely it is a great zoo if you want to see Japanese endemic. However, the bird aviary is a bit of a let-down and I think they can use a bigger portion of the lake next to it. Still, I think it is a good zoo to complement with Ueno and Tama. It doesn’t have the quality of Tama or the number of species/ rarities in Ueno, so I think 11th is the ranking it belongs.

    Inokashira park zoo gallery:Inokashira Park Zoo - ZooChat

    Up to top 10, which are all good zoo in terms of rarities/quality or both.
     
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  20. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    To remind, the bottom half looks like this.

    11. Inokashira park zoo
    12. River safari
    13. KL bird park
    14. Tennoji zoo
    15. JMC
    16. Kobe animal kingdom
    17. Kyoto zoo
    18. HKZBG
    19. Shenzhen zoo
    20.Zhongshan Zoo