I personally couldn't think of more boring species to base a zoo around. I'm just trying to picture the wifes face after a visit to it. She definately wasn't impressed by Paigntons Crocs.
I love the idea as I love crocodiles and alligators but unfortunatly I think along the same lines as Johnny Morris to base an attraction around a single species is only going to attract the People who like that species. My experiences have been that very few people actually take time out to appriecate the one and only true river killer. As I said before I love them and I could/would probally spend hours at the attraction but I can't see many more doing so once the novelaty has worn off. I hope I'm wrong
So many times I have heard visitors looking at crocs and saying 'how poor that they've resorted to using a model'...
That really annoys me Zambar! In Paington's croc swamp I heard "they're fake, what a waste of money" too many times! Yes, they'd build a house that expensive for dummies...
Waste of money, i wouldn't say that, i bet it's pulled in a good few punters. I'd wager that less than 1% of people who have visited it would rush back to specifically that exhibit though. Still it wasn't as disappointing as Living Coasts.
Seriously? Living Coasts disappointing? With the seals and the penguins and the diving puffins and the huge flock of terns and all of that? At least half-a-dozen bird species unique in the UK (Tufted Puffin, Pigeon Guillemot, Red-legged Kittiwake, Caspian Tern, the only Bank Cormorants outside South Africa...). I can see how it might be a little underwhelming to a casual visitor but I'm surprised to hear it described as disappointing by a fellow ZooChatter!
It's a model that's worked elsewhere in Europe: http://www.krokodillezoo.dk/ Protivin Crocodile Zoo, Crocodile Farm Chval?iny, Zoological Museum Home - La ferme aux crocodiles I suppose the more crocs you have the more chance of one being lively!
It was possibly the biggest waste of 40 mins(Possibly less) in my zoo visiting life. i did like the waders estuary that was good. As for seals and Penguins Bristols exhibit in my opinion is better.
I think Living Coasts' sealion exhibit is now bigger as it's been expanded into the penguin exhibit. It's much better now. I like Living Coasts, think it's really interesting.
I realise this is derailing the thread a bit but can I ask what you didn't like about it? I've seriously never found a regular zoo visitor that didn't enjoy it before.
The 1st link has more animals than crocs. I'm not saying it wouldn't get visitors, but i would go as far as saying it wouldn't get many people returning. I also wager that word of mouth would also put a lot of people off. I certainly would not advise anyone to go to Paignton to see their croc exhibit as fantastic as it supposedly is, Crocs in zoos do nothing to earn their crust so to speak. Give me an amorous Tortoise anyday.
