And we’re off. South and Central America. The quoted post below contains an in-depth explanation of how this cup will work. I’ll just summarise how the bonus votes are supposed to work: - You do not have to cast a bonus vote and should only do so if it means your vote more accurately reflects the relative merits of each zoo. Don’t cast bonus votes just because you can. - You can select one of the bonus vote options, but it will only be counted if you post an explanation, of at least 25 words, of why you are voting the way you are. - Both regular votes and bonus votes are changeable. If you change your mind about how to vote, do take account of your bonus vote as well. Remember that you are essentially casting four votes, so consider what balance you are trying to strike. - A bonus vote can not be cast for a zoo that you have already voted 3-0 for. That is, you cannot cast what amounts to a 4-0 vote.
Dublin/Fota: Bolivian squirrel monkey Callimico Eastern pygmy marmoset Golden lion tamarin Linnaeus' two-toed sloth South American tapir White-faced saki Black-and-gold howler monkey Capybara Colombian black spider monkey Patagonian mara Black-bellied whistling duck Coscoroba swan Chilean flamingo Humboldt penguin Military macaw White-cheeked pintail Northern pintail Common green iguana Jamaican boa Central American wood turtle Red-footed tortoise Cotswold WP: Azara's agouti Bearded emperor tamarin Capybara Common squirrel monkey Cotton-top tamarin Giant anteater Golden-handed tamarin Linnaeus' two toed sloth Paraguayan tamandua Patagonian mara Pygmy marmoset Red titi Seba's short-tailed bat Six-banded armadillo South American tapir Black curassow Blue-and-yellow macaw Blue throated piping guan Burrowing owl Chilean flamingo Chiloe wigeon Coscoroba swon Fulvous whistling duck Green aracari Guira cuckoo Humboldt penguin Muscovy duck Northern pintail Northern shoveler Red shoveler Ringed teal Scarlet ibis Silver teal Southern black-bellied whistling duck Southern lapwing Southern screamer Speckled teal Striated caracara Turkey vulture Cattle egret White faced whistling duck Blue spiny lizard Eyelash viper Hispaniolan rhinoceros iguana Jamaican boa Morelet's crocodile Utile spinytail iguana 47-22 in Cotswolds WP's favour. Photos in a bit for those who are interested.
Cotswold WP (Thanks to @gulogulogulo for the photos): Tropical house with numerous species of duck as well as the tamanduas, armadillos and aracaris: Eyelash viper exhibit: Tamandua and armadillo outdoors: Humboldt penguin exhibit: Blue-throated piping-guan exhibit: I'm sure there are many more, but that hopefully gives a sort of idea as to what kind of exhibits they are
Dublin + Fota Flamingo aviary with Bahama pintails in there as well: South America house with White-faced sakis, Golden lion tamarins, sloths, macaws, Callimicos and a few species of turtle: Howler monkey or spider monkey enclosure? Sadly, I was not able to find many relevant photos from these zoos, especially Fota, mainly because of the paucity of photos of the latter but also of some not very descriptive photo titles, so it would be great if a regular/once time visitor could give their opinion on the zoo in this aspect? Thanks AL
I have only visited CWP, and as such my knowledge of the two Irish collections is limited to the information I have gleaned through this site and discussion with friends who have visited; however, Cotswold *is* very strong in this category in my opinion, having both a relatively large collection and rather nice exhibits for this collection, and prior to the slight adjustment in the voting rules it would have certainly earned a 3-0 vote despite the fact that (judging from photographs) Fota and Dublin seem to also have very pleasant-looking exhibits for what little they do have. However, this is purely because the 3-vote system lacks the required subtlety to differentiate between a collection with nothing to offer, and one which *is* good but which doesn't merit as much as one-third of the overall vote. I don't think that Fota/Dublin are good enough in this category to merit 1/3 of the vote, but equally it wouldn't be fair to say they deserve none of the vote..... and now we have a solution to the problem 3-0 to CWP, with a bonus point to Dublin/Fota.
This is a list of all the animals but mirror animals are in red Dublin/Fota: Bolivian squirrel monkey Callimico Eastern pygmy marmoset Golden lion tamarin Linnaeus' two-toed sloth South American tapir White-faced saki Black-and-gold howler monkey Capybara Colombian black spider monkey Patagonian mara Black-bellied whistling duck Coscoroba swan Chilean flamingo Humboldt penguin Military macaw White-cheeked pintail Northern pintail Common green iguana Jamaican boa Central American wood turtle Red-footed tortoise Cotswold WP: Azara's agouti Bearded emperor tamarin Capybara Common squirrel monkey Cotton-top tamarin Giant anteater Golden-handed tamarin Linnaeus' two toed sloth Paraguayan tamandua Patagonian mara Pygmy marmoset Red titi Seba's short-tailed bat Six-banded armadillo South American tapir Black curassow Blue-and-yellow macaw Blue throated piping guan Burrowing owl Chilean flamingo Chiloe wigeon Coscoroba swan Fulvous whistling duck Green aracari Guira cuckoo Humboldt penguin Muscovy duck Northern pintail Northern shoveler Red shoveler Ringed teal Scarlet ibis Silver teal Southern black-bellied whistling duck Southern lapwing Southern screamer Speckled teal Striated caracara Turkey vulture Cattle egret White faced whistling duck Blue spiny lizard Eyelash viper Hispaniolan rhinoceros iguana Jamaican boa Morelet's crocodile Utile spinytail iguana
And black-bellied whistling ducks, pygmy marmosets and squirrel monkeys (not quite the same species for the latter but it is virtually the same thing)
For a major zoo Dublin doesn't have much of anything to offer, and I don't think it's Fota's strong point either. Fortunately fo them, a lot of CWP's South American collection is held in rather basic enclosures so I feel that it doesn't deserve the 3-0 score, and neither collection gets a bonus.
Here are a few more photos I found. Cotswold Pygmy Marmosets Another couple of the Tropical House Green Araci outdoor enclosure Another one of the Humboldt penguin exhibit Chilean Flamingos - unsure if they have access to the pond South American Tapir and Capybara exhibit This is the best of the Giant Anteater enclosure I could find. Turkey Vulture aviary Burrowing Owl aviary
Dublin South American Tapir enclosure South American Tapir Indoors South America House Humboldt Penguin exhibit Another one of the Chilean Flamingo exhibit Outdoor Squirrel Monkey enclosure Outdoor Saki Monkey enclosure
Fota Portion of Saki Monkey enclosure Portion of Colombian Spider Monkey enclosure I'm not sure, but I think the Mara may be free roaming.
The Tropical House at Cotswold looks pretty nice plus Cotswold has almost double species than Dublin+Fota I will vote 2-1 in favor of Cotswold with no bonus for neither collection.
It's a tough one this as I am unsure whether to go 3-1 or 2-1 to Cotswold. Obviously, Cotswold has the far superior species line up which guaranteed it the win. However Dublin/Fota do have some impressive exhibits such as the Flamingo aviary and Howler Monkey enclosure, meaning they deserve at least a point. I decided against giving Cotswold a bonus point as from the photos a lot of their enclosures seem quite tired and they have no real impressive exhibit in this category. Although I'm sure when the Tropical House first opened it would have been a stand out exhibit, but now it is beginning to look a bit dated.
