Bad exhibits in otherwise good zoos and good exhibits in otherwise bad zoos

Tell about any bad exhibits in zoos that otherwise have high exhibit quality and good exhibits in zoos with otherwise bad exhibit qualities.

Bad exhibits in good zoos:
The North American River Otter exhibit at Stone Zoo
Gray Wolf at National Zoo DC (not so bad but just very small)

Good exhibits in bad zoos:
Gray Wolf at ZooAmerica
Bald Eagle at Elmwood Park Zoo

 

The aye-aye and mangebey corn crib cages at San Diego. Still surprises me that they haven't been taken down yet.

 

ZooAmerica bad?

 

Both Elmwood Park, and ZooAmerica in particular, are great zoos though..?

 

I call them "bad" in terms of the exhibit quality.

 

Why? ZooAmerica in particular is one of the finest small-scale zoos I’ve been to, certainly best of its size in the area, and they perform an admirable amount of conservation work for local species considering their size. They present a unique collection/focus rivaling even larger zoos in the area and the exhibits are presented well. It is not without flaw but certainly the presence of one or two “bad” exhibits (when most I’d call this at this facility have been renovated or emptied) does not need to tarnish the whole facility.

 

But they aren't? They're not super fancy like the bigger zoos in the area, but for their size and purpose, they are great.

 

The eagle exhibit at Elmwood Park immediately popped into my head as well, not because the rest of the zoo is “bad”, but because in look, materials, and construction it sticks out from the rest of the zoo. The eagle exhibit looks polished, while most of the rest of the zoo has a home-made vibe. At ZooAmerica it was the bear exhibit, rather than the wolf exhibit, that stuck out to me.

A few other exhibits that stick out to me include the following:
-Mouse House at Bronx (feels like old museum display cases, while other small animal areas in the zoo are more modern).
-Tropic World at Brookfield (much more vast and much less realistic than Brookfield's other indoor exhibits, and the warehouse-like building itself is jarring compared to the generally stylish architecture elsewhere).
-Asian Highlands at Cleveland (cultural theming is way more heavy-handed than any other outdoor exhibits).
-Penguins at Detroit (building sticks out, and the exhibit itself is almost the only large exhibit in the zoo that isn't a big moated yard or grotto).
-monk seals at Minnesota (entirely functional whereas all the other exhibits, including other large aquaria, are naturalistic).
-Great apes at Omaha (last of their bathroom-style exhibits with cat building closure).
-Bird Valley at Philadelphia (throwback with straight enclosure lines, old masonry walls).
-PPG Aquarium at Pittsburgh (infinitely more stylish than the rest of the zoo).

 

I don't think Tropic World, or the Polk Penguin Center, or Discovery Bay are bad.

 

I don't necessarily think any of the exhibits I listed are particularly good or bad compared to other exhibits at their zoos either. I'm just pointing out that they differ stylistically and therefore stand out, which can result in things one might consider "good" or "bad". To take Tropic World as an example, the building itself dominates the grounds due to its size and position (in my opinion "bad" because I think the building is ugly) but this was necessary to allow for massive enclosures (in my opinion "good" because most of the primates have huge usable areas).

 

I try to avoid any actual bad zoos so a place like ZooAmerica would qualify as "bad" (It's in terms of ones that are accredited by the AZA). A lot of the exhibits just seemed like they didn't have enough space for their resident animals.

 

I suggest you check out some actual bad zoos, then. Some of their enclosures could be nicer, especially the puma and elk, but it's a really nice zoo with staff that care deeply about their animals. Many of their animals are rescues and wouldn't benefit from larger enclosures.

 

the row of bear/monkey/otter exhibits at the beginning of Asia passage at San Diego zoo and the LAIR at the LA zoo

 

*puts on helmet for protection*
Bad exhibits at great zoos
Toledo Zoo - 1. some of the tanks at the aquarium are on the small or overcrowded side, 2. Tembo Trail is a big mish-mosh of mammals from all over: African elephants and Indian rhino, yaks and brown bear (in an ugly exhibit), and Tasmanian devils? What were they thinking? At least San Diego's Elephant Odyssey is mish-moshed for a clear reason (representing Ice Age-era California using living species as proxies) 3. the tigers and snow leopards
Cincinnati Zoo - I might forgive the reptile house if they didn't have that awful Chinese alligator/snapping turtle pond. In the Africa section, I didn't like the "group" composition of the herd animals (kudu, wildebeest, warthog) because they were alone or just in pairs. The exhibit itself was lovely, but the group compositions I believe were not appropriate. To be fair, I only went once in 2018, so it could very well be different now.
Fort Worth Zoo - coyote, bear, penguins/eiders (the eiders flew real fast to the other side of the exhibit every time someone went by. It also feels more cobbled together than like an actual pleasant zoo exhibit experience). Also didn't love the tigers, but mostly because of the iron bar fencing that looks like a vestige of the bad old days of zoos (to be fair, they are working on their master plan, so some of these exhibits may look different in a few years)
Columbus Zoo - Humboldt penguins. The okapis could have used more privacy; also didn't love the gorilla habitat but I think they plan on renovating it
Brookfield Zoo - Tropics World (ugly, sterile. Decent immersion level, though)
Shedd Aquarium - California sea lion; they had a cane toad once in a waaaaaay too small terrarium, but I don't think they still have it.
Bronx Zoo - Reptile House mostly because it is dark in some spots. Aquatic Bird House (looks like bathroom).
Detroit Zoo - some of the exhibits in the reptile house were a bit on the small side.
Philadelphia Zoo - small mammal house (same as Bronx Zoo aquatic bird house)
St. Louis Zoo - echidna/tree kangaroo and some of the farm animals in Children's Zoo looked like they could use more space. Same goes for some of the big cat exhibits.
The Wilds - parakeet aviary. The carnivores (African hunting dogs, cheetahs, and dholes) could have used more space or at least more privacy)
Dallas Zoo - one okapi had a smallish enclosure with no greenery and little in the way of shelter, the other was near the hippo exhibit (space looked ok) and the day I was there, they were cleaning the hippo pond with loud hoses. I felt bad for the okapi who I believe was hidden or not on show.


Good exhibits at bad zoos (not that I think these are totally bad zoos, just showing age or in need of a facelift)
Buffalo Zoo (not so much bad, just showing its age) - Rainforest Falls (immersive Venzualen Amazon exhibit with free-flying birds, giant anteaters, ocelots, vampire bats, and caimans.
Franklin Park Zoo - nice lion and tiger exhibits, not Detroit-tier, but looked to be enough space and with enough privacy. Also nice African hoofstock (including giraffes) exhibits. I have a friend from the Boston-area who called this zoo "sad", and I think he sold the place short.

 

What's bad about the Parakeet aviary at The Wilds? And the carnivore exhibits at The Wilds are probably the best I've ever seen.

 

From my memory, the parakeet aviary just looked dark and lie a cash-grab for The Wilds. The carnivore exhibits, in my perspective were mostly lacking in privacy. More space would have been optimal, but I'd rather they had more privacy in their current space than more space and a lack of privacy.

 

The aviary had lots of windows this summer. Of course it's a cash grab, but as far as the animals are concerned it's fine.

I see what you mean about the privacy for the carnivores, but the Cheetah and Painted Dog enclosures are both twice the size of the next largest ones I have seen. The Dhole enclosure was by far the best, as it had privacy and tons of space.

 

Looking back at the pictures I've taken, I concede that you're right about the space (for all) and privacy (for dholes).

 

pretty simple most of PECO at philly

 

Buffalo Zoo also has a nice otter exhibit