I was wondering if people on here have a species or exhibit they try to avoid when they are at collections or a species they rarely visit. This could because it something they have no time for or just the fact that they have seen so many of the same species on previous visits to other collections. Mine would have to be Meerkats and Chimpanzee’s, meerkats because there are so many and chimpanzees for the same reason seen to many times at Dudley & Twycross. Would love to know what yours are.
I never try to avoid anything, especially at Chester as there is always something new to see potentially! However there are exhibits I missed and regret so much like only finding Blackpool had cuscus after my visit or not having time to see Whipsnade's sloth bears!
I rarely bother with butterfly houses. I'm not very interested and both my glasses and my camera get steamed up
I'm with Adrian, chimpanzees (but not bonobos) and meerkats. I never do Chester's butterflies in summer, it's far too busy. I sometimes go in the quieter periods. I still miss the well-informed young man who used to volunteer there.
If it’s who I think you mean, he does still volunteer, he’s just on rotation throughout a few different exhibits now, and can most often be found on Islands.
When visiting Chester Zoo with a friend, I was a little surprised at her reaction to me not being overly enthusiastic about going out of the way to see the Meerkats. Even after explaining that I get my fill of them at nearby Hamerton, she seemed a little dejected. While sitting for a cuppa a little later, she asked "did you not like the Meerkat birthday card I sent you then?" Sheesh! I don't avoid anything in particular, but I don't spend a lot of time in indoor exhibits.
I must admit, I generally skip over common macropods and emus, especially if it a Zoo I have never visited before or a Zoo that has a species I have never seen before.
They gave me a great deal on insurance! Seriously, I like Meerkats and like to watch their interactions and socialising. Same for Chimpanzees. I don't particulalrly avoid any areas or species, but I'm not that interested in captive songbirds.
I avoid petting corners with domestic animals. I pass quickly over any species that I have enough good photos of. As you can guess by this, I usually pass more times seeking each corner of aquariums than in front of large animal yards.
I tend to avoid the Fruit Bat Forest at Chester Zoo as I'm not a fan of bats flying around me in the dark, plus the smell in there is fairly pungent that I don't personally like. Apart from bats, I like seeing all other species while walking around Chester Zoo.
It is not the same person, the one I'm talking about no longer volunteers at the zoo, but I still see him as we are great friends.
Around 7 years ago myself and Zoogiraffe were inside a room with cobras slithering around our feet. Our only worry was that they could come to close to be photographed. I like snakes and have handled many species from king snake to king cobra.
I never go into the bat cave, as I have a reaction to the smell. Many years ago I went in and my eyes began to water. I told my compaion, and as soon as I had done so I could not see. I quickly made my way out and within a few seconds my eyes had stopped watering and my vision retuirned. I had a few more experiences like that, the last time I visited the bat caveI had just walked through the tunnel and my eyes began to water again. instead of turning right I carried straight on and walked into the wall. That was my last visit. I do not seem to get affected like that at other zoos.
The only exhibit I've actively avoided is the old "Green Mile" at Twycross. That's not the same as exhibits I wander past, these tend to be ABC's that aren't doing anything, i.e. giraffes and hoofstock, big cats, elephants and all those little critters like meerkats and their ilk.
Aha! There is a Chester volunteer who has been there for around nine years now, and he spent about eight of those years just volunteering at the butterfly house, so I suspected it might be him.
