Hi SL, Thx for posting 25 out of 35, A few surprises particularly Madrid not what I would call anything like a great zoo. Also Valencia Bio Parc has to be in the top 10!
When I first saw this thread (less than two weeks ago?) I found Sheridan's book and added it to my Amazon cart. I did not complete the order as I was waiting until I had the money. It was just over thirty bucks but now when I look at my cart it says price has increased to 43.99!
For future reference I would recommend ordering a new zoo book right away instead of waiting to make your decision. For example, I've already ordered the brand-new Woodland Park Zoo and Berlin Zoo books even though they are not due to be published until May and August, respectively. Amazon has a price guarantee so that I'll be charged the cheapest rate even if the books go up in value. I've found in the past that some zoo books are originally $30-35 and then a few months later they shoot up to $50 or more! Vernon Kisling's fantastic 2001 zoo history book is never less than $150 Canadian (used) or $200 Canadian (new). I bought it a few years ago at a much lower price. Zoo & Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Zoological Gardens https://www.amazon.ca/Zoo-Aquarium-...qid=1480803067&sr=1-1&keywords=vernon+kisling
That is bizarre. On most retail products, the price either stays the same or goes down as it gets older!
I just spent some time going through this old thread, which I posted 21 months ago, and seeing all of the comments in regards to how many zoos each individual has visited. It makes for an interesting read. I have a big European trip tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2019 and looking through the list of the 35 most popular zoos on the continent it seems as if I might be able to visit 11 of them...not bad for a Canadian! I'll definitely be touring Pairi Daiza and Planckendael in Belgium. In the Netherlands I'll be visiting Arnhem, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Rhenen. In my latest rough draft I've added some days in Germany to my trip and the plan is to also visit Cologne, Hanover, Duisburg, Osnabruck and Munster in that nation. I'll therefore visit 11 out of the 35 most popular zoos in Europe in terms of annual attendance on that original list, plus Antwerp, Gelsenkirchen, Emmen, Beekse Bergen, Amersfoort and quite possibly Frankfurt (a slight possibility) to make it 17 zoos that all receive at least 800,000 annual visitors. It's amazing that just 3 nations account for a large number of acclaimed European zoological parks and of course Germany itself has many more significant zoos that I'll have to see in the future...many years from now!
Might as well see how my total has changed in the last few years.... Berlin - Germany - 3.3 million annual visitors Stuttgart - Germany - 2.25 million Munich - Germany - 2 million Leipzig - Germany - 1.9 million Hamburg - Germany - 1.7 million Cologne - Germany - 1.65 million Chester - UK - 1.6 million Arnhem - Netherlands - 1.45 million Rotterdam - Netherlands - 1.45 million Hanover - Germany - 1.35 million Amsterdam - Netherlands - 1.35 million Prague - Czech. Rep. - 1.325 million London - UK - 1.25 million Berlin Tierpark - Germany - 1.2 million Nuremberg - Germany - 1.075 million Duisburg - Germany - 1 million Colchester - UK - 930,000 million From 11 to 17 in under two years - not bad! Moreover, of the five bonus collections listed in the original post - those at 36-40 in the ranking - I have visited Frankfurt and Antwerp, and shall soon visit Dresden.
My list is a very poor 8! Chester London Colchester Copenhagen (1986!) Zoo Berlin Tierpark Berlin Duisburg Cologne The 4 German zoos have doubled my total in a year! Won't add more than 2 next year on my next Germany trip, probably . Technically, shouldn't Chessington & Flamingo land make the list? I'm sure they are both well over a million, just a question of whether they are zoos?!
I've been to 20: Berlin - Germany - 3.3 million annual visitors Stuttgart - Germany - 2.25 million Munich - Germany - 2 million Basel - Switzerland - 1.95 million Leipzig - Germany - 1.9 million Cologne - Germany - 1.65 million Chester - UK - 1.6 million Arnhem - Netherlands - 1.45 million Rotterdam - Netherlands - 1.45 million Karlsruhe - Germany - 1.4 million Hanover - Germany - 1.35 million Amsterdam - Netherlands - 1.35 million Prague - Czech. Rep. - 1.325 million London - UK - 1.25 million Berlin Tierpark - Germany - 1.2 million Budapest - Hungary - 1.1 million Paris - France - 1 million Duisburg - Germany - 1 million Planckendael - Belgium - 950,000 Colchester - UK - 930,000
27 out of 40....the most suprising one for me is Stuttgart. I found parts of it completly awfull. A zoo that attracts those numbers of visitors should be able to do a better job of updating its enclosures.
