Checking out Zootierliste, quite a few zoos have closed since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Obviously, zoos have closed every year since time immemorial due to financial reasons, but I suspect that the financial reason for most of these zoos is the lockdown(s). Living Coasts having to close was a hard blow since it was the type of specialist collection that really appeals to zoo nerds - and in a unique setting to boot (unfortunately, I never got around to visit). But I'll admit I know very little about most of the other zoos that have closed in 2021/21. Which one besides Living Coasts do you guys miss the most?
Can you name some of the closed zoos beside Living Coast? Because honestly, despite a lot of noise that zoos did during all this lockdown/restriction times, none I know closed for good.
Zootierliste mentions the following ones (you can find them by simply searching "2020" or "2021" under "Zooindex"): Boras (Tropikhus - geschlossen 2020) [Sweden] Cangas de Onís (Zoo La Grandera - geschlossen 2020) [Spain] Chester (Chester Cathedral Falconry - geschlossen 2020) [UK/England] Gowran (The National Reptile Zoo - geschlossen 2020) [Ireland] Great Amwell (Ventura Wildlife Park - geschlossen 2020) [UK/England] Hechingen (Albkamele Tiererlebnishof - geschlossen 2020) [Germany] Köln (Vogelpark Klefisch - geschlossen 2020) [Germany] Neumarkt/Oberpfalz (Jura-Zoo - geschlossen 2020) [Germany] North Petherwin (Tamar Otter Sanctuary - geschlossen 2020) [UK/England] Povoação (Parque Zoológico - geschlossen 2020) [Portugal/Azores] Sankt-Peterburg (Delfinariy - geschlossen 2020) [Russia] Torquay (Living Coasts - geschlossen 2020) [UK/England] Blankenberge (Serpentarium - geschlossen 2021) [Belgium] Edinburgh (Butterfly & Insect World - geschlossen 2021) [UK/Scotland] Heppenheim (Vogelpark - geschlossen 2021) [Germany] Napoli (Aquarium - wiedereröffnet 2021) [Italy] Nauen (Zoo - geschlossen 2021) [Germany] Sandwich (Wildlife Park / vormals Rare Species Conservation Centre - geschlossen 2021) [UK/England] Timisoara (Zoo - geschlossen 2021) [Romania] Vlissingen (Het Arsenaal - geschlossen 2021) [Netherlands]
Of the few places in the US that closed, the only one that comes to mind as a hard blow is the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans. It was one of (perhaps the?) largest insect specialist facility in the country, and a place I would have liked to visit. The largest facility that came in serious danger of having to permanently close was Minnesota Zoo, but fortunately the situation was turned around at the last minute. Up in Canada, I believe the Vancouver Aquarium also came close to permanent shutdown but thankfully averted disaster as well. Unlike in much of Europe from what I understand, the majority of US zoos were not actually closed that long; some were only closed for 6-8 weeks. What an unfortunate coincidence!
Indirectly, and in a "death of a thousand cuts" way, one could probably count Bristol Zoo as a qualifying collection given the fact that the forthcoming closure and relocation to the Wild Place site - although already intended to occur at some point in the coming decades, I believe - was heavily accelerated in timescale (and long before the Wild Place site had been developed to the scale that was intended) due to the financial impact of the pandemic.
I remember being very upset when I found out the insectarium closed, I went there once quite some time ago, so I’m glad I at least got to experience it.
The National Reptile Zoo in Ireland only closed as it moved location, checked their website. They are very much still open to the public.
I forgot all about Bristol! Though Wild Place won't have the historical setting that the old Bristol Zoo had, I guess time will tell if it's gonna be a blow on the animal collection. As far as I know, Bristol Zoo has a great insect house as well as a fine aquarium, reptile house and noctarium, while Wild Place for now seems to focus mostly on mammals and outdoor enclosures.
