I thought it would be interesting to see which exhibit everyone thinks is the ebst for a specific species of animal. For me the list is: Polar Bears-San Diego Zoo Polar Bear Plunge Gibbons, Langurs- Brox Zoo Jungleworld Okapi: Disney's Animal Kingdom Tiger: bronx Zoo Tiger Mountain Harpy Eagle: San Diego Zoo Hornbills: Bronx Zoo World of birds Ground Hornbills: San Diedgo WAP, Heart of Africa Flamingo: San Diego Zoo Gorilla: Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest Hippo: Disney's Animal Kingdom Pgymy Hippo/Mandrill: Melbourne Zoo Warthog: San Diego WAP: Heart of Africa Cheetah: Monarto Zoo Rhino: San Diego WAP Lion Tailed Macaque: San Diego Zoo Sun Bear: San Diego Zoo Puffin: Seaworld San Diego Lion: Monarto Zoo Siamang: Adelaide Zoo Walrus: Seaworld San Diego Please note: I have only ever been to the Bronx Zoo during winter, so I have not experienced 3/4 of the zoo, and it's clear now from the gallery that it looks completely different in the summer time. But I have been majorly impressed by Jungleworld and the various exhibits. I found the 'World of Birds' to be fascinating with many well designed and spacious exhibits, the one dedicated to hornbills is massive with a very tall ceiling. Do you all agree/disagree with my choices?
I think that for Polar Bears is Detroit Zoo's Artic Ring of Life. That exhibit is probably ten times better than San Diego Zoo's Polar Bear Plunge.
This thread would be great with photos. On topic - I guess Prague Zoo would be a contender for mountain ungulates namely ibexes (the largest non mixed exhibit of these) because of the great natural rocks.
Great thread My contenders (for starters): Hippo: Werribee, Busch Gardens Brown Bear: Woodland Park, Minnesota Manatee: Sea World Orlando Red River Hog/Mandrill: Bronx Javelina: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Wolf: Brookfield Temperate Penguin: Emmen Amur Leopard: Rotterdam Snow Leopard: Zurich Wild Dog: Denver Spectacled Bear/Coati: Zurich Fossa: Bronx Rocky Mountain Goat: Portland Coati: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Elephant: Disney's Animal Kingdom
Polar Bear - Detroit Binturong - Detroit Tree Kangaroo - Detroit Giant Anteater - Detroit Amphibians - Detroit Aardvark - Detroit Snow Leopard - Zurich Spectacled Bear/Coati - Zurich Gorilla - Bronx Gelada Baboon - Bronx Rodents - Bronx Red River Hog/Mandrill - Bronx Fossa - Bronx Hippo - San Diego Gharial - San Diego Flamingo - San Diego Pygmy Hippo/Mandrill - Melbourne Aviary - Melbourne Giant Panda - National Zoo in DC Red Panda - National Zoo in DC Clouded Leopard - National Zoo in DC Sloth Bear - National Zoo in DC Asian small-clawed otter - National Zoo in DC Chimpanzee - Taronga Fishing Cat - Taronga Sun Bear - Columbus Bonobos - Columbus Siberian Tiger - Minnesota Sea Otter - Minnesota Musk Ox - Minnesota Meerkat - Monarto (Australia) Lion - Monarto Rocky Mountain Goats - Oregon Grizzly Bear - Woodland Park Black Bear - Knoxville Drill - Zoo Atlanta Sea Dragons - Pittsburgh Mexican Gray Wolves - Brookfield Bats - Omaha Penguins - Omaha Sumatran Rhinos - Cincinnati (hahaha)
Great idea aw101. I think as docend24 has suggested pictures added to the post would enhance this thread. I think it might also be usefull to aknowledge the differances between exhibits that looks great and the welfare of the animal. Gorilla: Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest yes it looks fantastic. It is a concern that the gorillas are contained indoors in off exhibit areas for extended periods of time. They also seem to take no responsability for all the young males they are producing.
I'll only lists what i believe are top exhibits, and not "the best i've seen" because for some animals, i haven't seen a decent exhibit yet. Lynx: Dortmund Zoo Temperate penguins: Emmen Mountain Ungulates: Prague Giraffes: Prague Bottle-Nosed Dolphins: Dolfinarium Harderwijk Walrus: Dolfinarium Harderwijk Gibbon: Apenheul Gorillas outside: Apenheul Squirrel monkey (walk through): Apenheul Orinoco River Dolphin: Duisburg Zoo Bairds tapir inside: Wuppertal Zoo Elephants inside: Cologne Zoo Chique exhibits, but perhaps not that large: Gorilla outside: Duisburg Zoo Giant Otter outside: Duisburg Zoo Orang Utans: Wuppertal Zoo Elephants inside: Wuppertal Zoo Gibbon: Wuppertal Zoo Nighthouse: Amersfoort Zoo South american fur seal: Aqua Zoo Leeuwarden Many exhibits at Emmen and Apenheul Chique exhibit, overly large: Lions: Wuppertal Zoo Contenders i've seen pictures of/heared of Polar bears: Rotterdam Zoo/Detroit Zoo/Zoom Gelsenkirchen Brown bears: Zoom Gelsenkirchen Sea Lions: Zoom Gelsenkirchen Cold climate Pinguins: Loro Parque Tenerife Elephants: Caberceno? or perhaps Beauval Zoo Hippos: Berlin Zoo, Copenhagen Zoo or Zoom Gelsenkirchen Manatees: Cincinatti Zoo
I would have to say the National Zoo (of Australia) in Canberra has one of the best snow leopard exhibits. And elephants would be Western Plains Zoo for its African Elephants but I haven't been to any zoos outside of Australia so it's a limited point of view.
Interesting point of views there..I completely forgot how well designed the Manatee exhibit at Seaworld Orlando is.... I have not been to Woodland Park Zoo but their Asian Trails exhibit looks impressive from the photographs! I do have a problem with the hippo exhibit at the San Diego Zoo....it certainly has very clear views of the animals but in terms of being naturalistic, it is nowhere as well designed as the one at Animal Kingdom...the safari vehicle drives past, you look down and there is a herd of them on the river bank...just looks so natural and the hippos certainly look happy.
Gorilla: Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest yes it looks fantastic. It is a concern that the gorillas are contained indoors in off exhibit areas for extended periods of time. They also seem to take no responsability for all the young males they are producing.[/QUOTE] Actually, Congo includes two very spacious, skylit group holding rooms with lots of vertical furniture and access to outdoor holding cages as well. It is as good a holding area as any temperate zone zoo has ever built for gorillas. As far as "taking responsibility" for baby males, all breeding is based on the recommendations of the North American Gorilla SSP, and many zoos are taking on all-male groups in order to accommodate the growing numbers of animals. Are you suggesting the Bronx stop breeding?
I think what zooman means is that they do not want to house a bachelor group like many other zoos are now doing.
I did a thread like this a while ago, but I based it on exhibits I had seen in person, I'll re-do a list, but i'll include some exhibits that I've seen in photos, because it would be pretty limited otherwise (obviously ones I've seen will feature more heavily than ones I haven't)... Orangutans: Chester Zoo Chimpanzee: Edinburgh zoo Gorilla: Bronx Zoo Polar Bear: Detroit Hippo: Animal Kingdom Elephants: Animal Kingdom Black Rhino: Chester Zoo Meerkats: Chester Zoo Jaguar: Chester Zoo Komodo Dragon: Chester Zoo Tiger: Bronx Zoo Bonobo: San Diego Zoo Otter: London Zoo Wolves: Whipsnade Red Panda: Chester Zoo Giant Panda: National Zoo (Washington D.C.) Sloth Bear: National Zoo (Washington D.C.) Lion: Whipsnade Reptiles: San Diego Zoo Bats: Chester Zoo Butterfly: London Zoo Giraffe: Animal Kingdom Zebra: San Diego WAP Okapi: Bronx Zoo Mandrill: Melbourne Zoo Hunting Dogs: London Zoo Cheetah: Whipsnade Gelada: Edinburgh Zoo Like I said, I really need to see more of the European and US zoos to have a better idea of the best for each species as my list is a bit UK-centred.
Thanks mstickmanp, thats exactly what l mean. reduakari, regarding haveing 22 gorillas kept indoors for a many months. I dont think this is neccesary or ideal husbandry.
As tropical animals, keeping the gorillas largely indoors is in fact a necessity for several months each winter in New York. As mentioned previously, there are outdoor off-exhibit holding areas adjacent to the indoor spaces that the gorillas have access to during warmer days in the winter. It's just the public outdoor exhibits that remain empty during this time, which in part accounts for how lush they remain despite 20+ gorillas residing there. The outstanding breeding record of the Bronx gorilla groups speaks for itself as far as "ideal husbandry" is concerned.
... but not with rearing them...out of 29 births recorded to several females during that era (plus another two conceived at Bristol and born in London) only five animals grew to adulthood. But your basic premise that Gorillas(and many other species too) will breed freely in poor surroundings is correct- success is connected with social background and compatability of the animals rather than the quality of enclosure they are kept in.
I think what is coming up is the question: What is "best"? We see this over and over in the Forum. Best place for the animals? Best for visitors? Best for keepers? Most lovely to look at? Best for breeding and rearing? It's hard to have such a discussion when everyone brings different assumptions and they are not presented. For me, I prefer well-designed, wonderfully landscaped exhibits where the animals at least appear able to have natural behavior. I regard as best those exhibits that take visitors convincingly to the habitat of the animals. I don't at all care for a plethora of ethnographic bric-a-brac. Therefore, Bronx gorilla exhibit rates much much higher for me than Philadelphia or Columbus. Disney Animal Kingdom is also a contender for best gorilla exhibit I've seen. I don't imagine too many Forumers share my agenda, though. And I'm OK with that
Best place for the animals? Yes Best for visitors? Well, it brings different assumptions imho. Members of tis forum would probably differ from average visitor etc. For me this is a secondary criterium I care more about conservation and animals' wellnes and naturakl like behaviour. Not a fan of too much training (and while some rituals are necessary I don't think any training should performed publicly except of enrichment of really playfull species (andindividuals). Best for keepers? I wonder how this one is in conflict with other supposed criteriums. If some exibits would be the same in other criteriums I doubt there would be much different from "best for keepers" criterium. And again every is an unique individual and has his/her preferences. Most lovely to look at? Yes - but what does it mean? That you would find animals every time? Big enough and natural looking? Originally solved, unique, interesting exibit?... Best for breeding and rearing? I understand this is not the same as "best for animals" although best for naimals are often best for breeding and rearing. And again - if anyone would define his/her criteriums this thread would lose the ability to find out what (educated) public thinks of particular exhibits. Right now this thread shows what (a small amount of) people tend to think it is best no matter their reasoning. That's useful too.