Join our zoo community

Best exhibits dedicatedto specific animals

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by aw101, 5 Aug 2008.

  1. aw101

    aw101 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Feb 2008
    Posts:
    113
    Location:
    melbourne
    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?
     
  2. mstickmanp

    mstickmanp Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    9 Jun 2008
    Posts:
    2,092
    Location:
    California, USA
    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.
     
  3. docend24

    docend24 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    15 May 2008
    Posts:
    349
    Location:
    Prague
    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.
     
  4. reduakari

    reduakari Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    17 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    1,044
    Location:
    berkeley california USA
    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
     
  5. snowleopard

    snowleopard Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

    Joined:
    1 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    7,588
    Location:
    Abbotsford, B.C., Canada
    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)
     
  6. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    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.
     
  7. jwer

    jwer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    22 Jan 2007
    Posts:
    1,513
    Location:
    Groningen, Netherlands
    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
     
  8. PAT

    PAT Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    16 Jan 2008
    Posts:
    1,557
    Location:
    Victoria
    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.
     
  9. aw101

    aw101 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Feb 2008
    Posts:
    113
    Location:
    melbourne
    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.
     
  10. Bongo

    Bongo Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    23 May 2007
    Posts:
    211
    Location:
    Edinburgh, Scotland
    Chimps-Edinburgh Zoo (Budongo Trail)
     
  11. reduakari

    reduakari Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    17 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    1,044
    Location:
    berkeley california USA
    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?
     
  12. mstickmanp

    mstickmanp Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    9 Jun 2008
    Posts:
    2,092
    Location:
    California, USA
    I think what zooman means is that they do not want to house a bachelor group like many other zoos are now doing.
     
  13. CZJimmy

    CZJimmy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    17 Oct 2007
    Posts:
    2,263
    Location:
    Uk
    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.
     
  14. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    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.
     
  15. reduakari

    reduakari Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    17 Mar 2008
    Posts:
    1,044
    Location:
    berkeley california USA
    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.
     
  16. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    posted twice
     
  17. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    Post had some incorrect information
     
    Last edited: 7 Aug 2008
  18. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    20,707
    Location:
    england
    ... 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.
     
  19. Zooplantman

    Zooplantman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23 Jan 2008
    Posts:
    4,144
    Location:
    New York, USA
    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
     
  20. docend24

    docend24 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    15 May 2008
    Posts:
    349
    Location:
    Prague
    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.