One zoo that seems underrated is Taipei zoo. When talking about good zoo in Asia, most people would say Singapore or some Japan collection. Taipei is also a really good zoo and got a nice variety of species in mostly good exhibit.
I think Szeged zoo is very underrated. It has a very good area with forests, natural lakes and big exhibits. Szeged has a lot of rare animals, for example Maned wolf, Hungarian steppe viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis), 9 taxa of marmosets, Geoffroy's spider monkey, Fossa, Clouded panther etc.
Bioparc Fuengirola is very underrated , it's a nice small zoo with a grand variety of animals focusing on the rainforests from 3 different continents, it is very much overshadowed by its "brother" Bioparc Valencia in my opinion.
Cabarceno in Spain The size of the place is off the scale, not to mention it’s magnificent herd of African elephants
Good to hear. I visited about 40 years ago and remember some hellishly small ‘cells’ for bears amongst others, although I do remember a nice new lion park which did suggest better things for the future.
Apologies, I've said this elsewhere but The most underrated zoo in the UK on zoochat is without doubt Colchester zoo, it comes in for constant criticism, but only has one poor exhibit (Pygmy hippo) and plenty of above average to good ones plus a large collection of animals the general visitor wants to see! It does have a few rarities for UK zoos too. It receives 1m visitors a year and I doubt whether any general visitor would consider any other UK zoo as better apart from Chester! Anyone I know ( from outside zoochat) who has been to both London and Colchester zoo would choose Colchester every time, yet some on zoochat think London is a top 3 UK zoo still!
Whilst I love Colchester (it might just about be my favourite UK zoo) I think it's not so much underrated by zoo nerds (they know it's strengths) as them being aware of its shortcomings. It's very mammal-centric, so if you want a more balanced collection showcasing the difference classes of animals there are places that do that better. The setting is largely functional rather than beautiful like, say, Highland or Cotswold (and that fetid "lake" funks bad in the summer). It doesn't have the history and historic buildings some places have (which can turn some peoples' heads). Additionally it's a little remote, and quite a drive, for many in the UK and for a well travelled zoo-nerds it's overshadowed by many a collection on the continent which may knock it back in their memory a little. That said, I love the place and if it's mammals you want there's only really Chester (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Whipsnade) that are in the running with it. Finally, I think you'd struggle to find many on ZooChat that, in their heart of hearts, would still consider London a top 3 UK zoo, especially now that the aquarium's closed, though I'm sure there will be some for who it's in their 3 favourite UK zoos (a different thing completely). Whilst I enjoy a visit to London it doesn't give me the level of excitement, in anticipation of a visit, that I get before visiting many other UK places (it often feels more of a duty, like visiting your gran -it has it's moments but you'd rather be playing with your mates).
Agree on the placing of Colchester, collectionwise, particularly on mammals I would give it 2nd place after Chester also. Also agree about the Lake- they should surely try and rectify that somehow as it is an eyesore and unpleasant too.
I have to say the DeYoung Family Zoo. Some of the primate enclosures are undeniably terrible but the zoo has recently made an effort to remove a lot of the bad enclosures from the zoo, and many of the zoo's carnivore exhibits are top notch. The hippo exhibit has more land room than any other I've seen.
Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, is underrated. The Arctic Passage consists of three high-quality enclosures for polar bears, grizzly bears, and harbor seals. It also has - in my opinion - the best badger exhibit in the United States, giving thousands of Wisconsinites an appreciation for their state animal. The big cat exhibits are simple, as they lack the fancy rockwork and viewing areas that other zoos have, but are actually quite lush and immersive.
Toledo Zoo if often mentioned on this site when talking about good zoos, but never mentioned among the best. I would rank Toledo as the second best zoo I have been to, behind Shedd Aquarium. Most of Toledo's outdoor exhibit complexes - (primates, Arctic, Tembo Trail, Tiger Terrace, and Africa) are bland and generic, what really sets it apart are the indoor areas. The aviary, aquarium, and reptile house are all extremley high quality and packed with rarities, and the ProMedica Museum of Natural History is my favorite zoo complex of all time. While its generic outdoor exhibits are holding it back from being as good as it can be, the four indoor complexes plus the pheasantry make it (in my opinion) rank among the best zoos the US has to offer.
Detroit zoo in my opinion. They have a good collection and have solid exhibits and arguably have the best polar bear exhibit in the country. The new penguin house is nice. Detroit doesn't get as much recognition as it should in my (slightly biased) opinion
I personally think Detroit is overrated. Its great but its collection is somewhat small for its size and shrinking.
The Detroit/Toledo comparison is an interesting one. My preference is for Toledo -- lots of rarities, lots of birds/herps/fish/inverts, generally something new at any time -- but I can see why many would prefer Detroit's spaciousness and parklike atmosphere. I just wish Detroit would incorporate more secondary/support exhibits that would still be in keeping with their focus on animal welfare.
Does it have to be a zoo you’ve visited yourself? Also I agree wholeheartedly with the Colchester thing, as I genuinely cannot think of a proper complaint about it other than my own inability to see the vultures due to time constraints. Although I’m going to have to disagree on the London Zoo front. While I am genuinely annoyed by the closing of the aquarium and the replacement of Snowdon Aviary’s rare and unique bird collection with yet another primate walkthrough, it is by far one of the best zoos I have been to, period. For me it’s the small size (for some reason I prefer smaller zoos), the gradual phasing our of the ABC collection and the quality of some of the newer exhibits, i.e. land of the lions and the renovated elephant house. Also I think it has something to do with my visit being in January, during a cold yet sunny day when it was remarkably quiet.
Personally, I love Detroit; the Penguin House is excellent, the reptile/amphibian collection is really nice and overall exhibitory is the highest out of any major zoo I've been too. I can understand why some don't like it as much though, and in the couple years since I've visited quite a few nice species seem to have left the collection, which is disappointing. Living Desert was mentioned in this thread, and I completely agree, it's a really underrated place. The botanical collection and natural area gives it a unique feel, and with a nice collection in solid exhibits (some of which are tremendous), it's a place I'd very much like to re-visit. Outside of North America, I think Perth Zoo is really nice and definitely an underrated zoo. It was my 2nd favourite zoo I visited in Australia behind Taronga and certainly deserves a little more attention (although Perth isn't really a main place to visit in Australia).
I’m going to have to say Cerza in Normandy. It is hands down one of the best zoos I have been to and (controversial opinion) the best zoo outside of the UK that I have been to. It’s built in a stunning area of the French countryside, it has a very noticeable focus on environmentalism, the exhibits are very large and naturalistic without too much landscaping, it has a diverse animal collection, interesting viewing areas (particularly for the hyenas), and animal welfare standards that seem to be miles above other French zoos.
I've hardly heard anyone talk about the Cairns Aquarium, it's definitely pretty underrated. The theming is amazing, with each and every animal displayed there being found in Queensland. Even though it is an aquarium, they have an entire exhibit of terrestrial species as well, lizards, snakes and insects/arachnids. They have a good amount of rare species, like the freshwater whiptail ray, Urogymnus dalyensis (the only one on display in Australia, and one of only 2 kept anywhere), emerald tree monitor (only display of the species in Australia), Lake Eacham rainbowfish, olive sea snake and freshwater crocodile. The displays themselves are very good, with very interesting ways of displaying the animals. One of my favourites is the tidepool tank, which is a pool with 2 deep areas separated with a shallower area, which prevents the fish from moving between the deep areas. I don't know how they've done it, but the water level in the tank changes, and when the water at it's highest, which occurs every half hour or so (I think, I haven't actually timed it), the fish can cross between the deeper pools. The half-tunnel in the billabong tank is nice, and offers a good view of the freshwater whiptail ray which frequently rests on top of it. There's a nice little tunnel in the freshwater turtle tank, but it was really meant for kids and is a tad tight. However there isn't really a conservation message at all, it does briefly touch on the threats to the largetooth sawfish, but no mention of pollution/climate change, which I feel is a bit of a missed opportunity. Also the signage on the freshwater tanks is good, but for the reef section, a tank with 10 or so species will only have 3 signed! Only sharks/rays and 2-3 large fish are signed in the oceanarium, which leaves you guessing at what everything else is!
