I am going on a vacation to Italy and Croatia in May and this will be one of 2 facilities I am visiting on this trip. I am wondering, are there any rare species that this zoo has or any standout exhibits I should be aware of?
For Bioparco di Roma so far I found, from ZTL, the Bosnian wolf, the common mudpuppy, and the Chiapas giant musk turtle. Animals that are otherwise mundane in Europe but rare in the US I found vicuna and Kulan. However, considering that you are from RI I assume you already saw vvicuna in Southwicks. I want to ask @Smaggledagle do you plan on visiting Zagreb in Croatia? If so the Zagreb Zoo has a big collection of European herps and small mammals icluding olm and rodents that otherwise cannot be found in the US.
Along with those mentioned above, there's also the Apennine yellow-bellied toad and the Sardinian brook salamander, both very rare in European zoos. Not entirely sure what else would be rare from a North American perspective but those mentioned so far are sure to be lifers. I would echo that Zagreb is far better collection-wise.
I just rechecked ZTL, so there is the Persian leopard which is gone from NA for good. There is also the white throated magpie jay, which I do not know the status of in the US other than the fact that it is rarer than black-throated magpie jays there if it is found in the US. I hadn't checked the US primate thread, but I believe that White-crowned mangabey is very rare in the US as well. I heard that Mystic may have had the in the past but idk if that is true or if you may have seen it but the bioparco has (Atlantic) grey seal which afaik are rarer than harbor seals in the US. For exhibits, which I did not previously mention, I do not know too well but I heard that the reptile house was good. Otherwise I was told that the Bioparco has very outdated enclosures.
If you are going to be near the Garda Lake. There is also Parco Natura Viva. Part Zoo, Part ride through safaripark. Not a lot of rare species, but a very nice Zoo and park layout
Besides what the others said, there's really nothing worthy in Rome besides the rare animals, unless you're into historical zoo architecture: you'll find plenty of historical landmarks there, and I echo what the others said, Zagreb is better in any aspect but historical landmarks if compared to Rome.
Okay so I looked up google and found the website of the facility since ZTL doesn’t seem to have it. The website of the falconry center does have a list of animals with scientific names. So far the most interesting animal I found is osprey. However I can see the other Eurasian birds of prey being great lifers as well for someone on othe other side of the pond like yourself Smaggle . edit: Whoops, I forgot to post the link I don’t know if you will end up seeing the edit though: DNK banka ptica « Sokolarski centar – Dubrava
Initial thoughts Rome Zoo was a banger, better than any US zoo I have ever went to besides maybe Indianapolis or Roger Williams
Wait till you get a chance to visit Berlin or Prague if you liked Roma . Interested to hear what you thought.
I second Amur Leopard here, if you thought Rome was cool (and it isn't) you might want to visit your cardiologist next time you visit an European Capital's zoo
It also sounds like Smaggledaggle hasn’t really been to any top US zoos, so maybe that explains why they liked Roma so much.
That is true, even though Bronx is right there I haven’t been to it I’ll probably make a detailed post but I think for someone who like me who likes both rarities and ABC animals, the zoo has a great blend of both. Some exhibits are definitely outdated but I also really liked some of them. also unless I get ridiculously wealthy I’m probably not going to any other European zoos anytime soon.
Toured the Falconry Center a couple days ago and it was tiny. It’s mainly used for rehabilitation and breeding but they did have some birds on display. Maybe pair it with the Zoo Zagreb if you go from Zagreb to Split (it’s about an hour’s drive from the Centre to Split), but it isn’t worth going to Croatia just to see the facility
