The Greatest Zoo Exhibit Complexes of All Time

I'm not sure if there is an objective best zoo exhibit out there, but there are certainly plenty who come close. Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in upgrading the worlds zoos, but usually with varying results. For this thread, I want to see some discussion of the best zoo exhibit complexes of all time. Not single exhibits (pretty sure there is a thread for that already), rather the complex as a whole.

Of course its up to you to create the criteria that you will go by, but for myself it comes down to four primary factors.

1. The collection of animals present in the complex.
2. The quality of exhibits in the complex.
3. Guest amenities and experiances.
4. How innovative they are in comparison to others.

With that said, here is my candidate for exhibit complexes that could be considered as "the greatest of all time."

The Lost Forest - San Diego Zoo: This was to be expected. It could be debated if this one should count as it takes up nearly half of the zoo and has about a dozen sub areas that make up the complex as a whole. However, the zoo does define it as one large area, so it does meet the criteria of this thread. There isn't a whole lot I need to say that hasn't already been said. The three massive Scripps, Owens and Parker aviaries are some of the greatest of their kind in the world. Tigers, hippos (both common and pygmy), gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, okapi, fishing cats, tapirs, crocodiles, 20+ species of monkeys, wild pigs, about a half of dozen birds of prey, wading birds and more. What a collection! Every exhibit in this zone is also extremely well done and blends in with the lush foliage that is green 24/7. The beautiful foliage also helps guests feel like they are truly experiencing a rainforest. The Treetops Cafe offers a quick grab and go option for those who don't want to waste time eating and serves high quality food, while "Alberts" - named after a gorilla that once resided at the zoo - is a lovely sit down alternative again extremely good food. The eating areas themselves are also incredibly scenic. Even though animals from three different continents are displayed, the whole area is perfectly cohesive. General visitors will love the amount of abc species like tigers, gorillas and hippos and the beautiful foliage that fills the area. Zoo nerds will appreciate rare species like bonobos, fishing cats and capuchin birds. It biggest weakness would probably be the underwhelming Malayan tapir exhibit and getting around can be tiering .

You can certainly do more than one. Congo Gorilla Forest at Bronx and Masoala at Zurich are also ones I would have included if I had seen them.

 

Masoala is arguably not a 'complex' although there is a set of smaller exhibits below the restaurant.

The Pantanal (plus spectacled bear) at Zurich would be on my shortlist though.

Also included:
Bogoriwald at Frankfurt
The Paleoartic at Prague (being a bit cheeky here by including the mountain paddocks and the hoofstock pens above them)
Canadian Frontier at Pairi Daiza
BUGS at London
Micropia at Artis
The Mountain exhibits at Stuttgart
Alaska at Gelsenkirchen
The Cattle Sheds at Berlin Zoo
The Hornbill Aviaries at Jurong

 

FunkyGibbon already mentioned the Pantanal at Zurich which I agree with though I am wary if I should mention Islands at Chester. Though with the current state of the Monsoon Forest I'm unsure if it can be called this right now. Some people have noted calling the whole area a bit theme-parkey which is pretty understandable if you have been there. Overall though I think it is pretty great.

From zoos I have been to it is certainly a lot easier to name singular great exhibits over complexes so I'm interested to see what else will be noted on this thread.

 

I don't consider Lost Forest at San Diego to be a single complex because the components (Ituri Forest, Gorilla Tropic, Monkey Trails, Wings of Australasia, etc.) were all developed at different times but I agree that area of the zoo is incredible. Here are my selections, based only on exhibits I've personally seen across 72 mostly North American zoos:

Outdoor complex: African Woods/Outpost (formerly called Heart of Africa), San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Indoor/outdoor complex: Congo Gorilla Forest, Bronx
Indoor pavillion: Lied Jungle, Omaha (though it looked worn last time I was there)
Indoor animal house: World of Birds, Bronx

 

Lost Forest is NOT a single exhibit complex. Africa Rocks, yes, but not Lost Forest which is a collection of complexes. Gondwana is correct. I also don't know what San Diego means by the term Lost Forest - kind of a goofy title.

I don't know if I can pick a favorite, but one that I feel is innovative in spite of its very small size is Life On The Rocks at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It features a rarely described ecosystem, animals that live in rock crevices, and it displays every main category of animal: mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, invertebrate.

 

Several complexes at Burger's Zoo (Bush, Ocean, Desert etc.) have overcome the passage of time and should be mentioned as well.
Speaking of time: if we speak of "all times", shouldn't this include historically groundbreaking complexes? Like the Alfred Brehm House or The Congo Gorilla Forest?

And we consider it as a single complex: The Aquarium at Zoo Berlin.

 

I think the single greatest exhibit complex I have seen is Binder Park Zoo's Wild Africa. For the most part, Binder Park Zoo is an obscure, almost kind of boring zoo with little to offer. A couple minor rarities here and there, but the exhibitry is average and many of the enclosures look like they were thrown together in one night. I visited this zoo only because it was on the way home from Detroit and wanted to get one more zoo in. I saw the first half of the zoo and thought that it was okay. Nothing more.

Then I saw Wild Africa. Wild Africa is (iirc) a mile and a half from the rest of the zoo. You can walk it, but most people get there by train. As soon as the train arrives, the theming begins. This is an immersion exhibit, and an incredible one. You start in an African Village, with actual houses. The exhibits are told through the story of a journey though a fictional national park. The immersion doesn't stop anywhere, even inside the bathrooms or at the restaurant. And the exhibits are incredible. A multi-acre savanna with 10 species. It's probably the largest savanna exhibit I have seen (outside of The Wilds) with several rarities like Bontebok and Addra Gazelle. You go on to see exhibits like Red-capped Magabeys raiding a mess tent, the largest Red River Hog exhibit I have ever seen, and a canopy view exhibit for Black Magabey and Eastern Black-and-white Colubus (with actual trees!) At the end there is an "African Farm" for domestics like Watusi, Zebu, and Guinea Hog. The complex has 31 species in total.

Other than that, I really, really like Wild Reef and Amazon Rising at Shedd Aquarium.

 

Bronx's aforementioned Congo Gorilla Forest certainly belongs on the list, as do their JungleWorld and World of Birds in my opinion.

Disney's Animal Kingdom's Kilimanjaro Safari deserves a spot, too, I think.
Leipzig's Gondwanaland.
Sedgwick's Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley.
Chester's Islands.
Fort Worth's MOLA.
Georgia's Ocean Voyager.
Omaha's Desert Dome.

I'm sure there are others I've seen which I'm forgetting.

~Thylo

 

Technically Bush, Desert & Ocean are one combined exhibit complex, as all buildings are directly connected to each other, which would put it very close to the top of the list, as they would already be individually.

If theming were a bigger factor than proper animal husbandry both the Chinese Garden and the Kingdom of Ganesha in Pairi Daiza would also score very high.

 

Stop, you're making me jealous! I'm stuck here looking at mangy animals stuck in tiny cages.

 

Apart from some of the obvious exhibits already mentioned (CGF, Ocean Voyager), here are some exhibit complexes I’ve visited that imo are worthy of inclusion.

Amphiville at Detroit.
Wilds of Africa at Dallas (arguably a series of exhibit complexes, but I think it counts)
North America at Living Desert.
MOLA at Fort Worth.
Amazon Rising at Shedd.
Amazon and Beyond at Miami.
Asia Trail at Smithsonian.

 

Some not mentioned historical contenders can be:

African panorama in Hamburg
Egyptian temple in Antwerp
Antelope house in Berlin zoo

Never been to, but seems like Columbus zoo has some groundbreaking exhibits, like Hearts of Africa.

 

It does sound amazing. This is assuming, of course, you can forgive the inaccuracy of having addra gazelles in a grassland savanna!

 

• NC Zoo - Watani Grasslands (African Elephants, White Rhino, antelope on a 50 acre site)
• Bronx Zoo - Jungleworld
• Bronx Zoo - Congo Gorilla Forest
• Bronx Zoo - World of Birds
• SD Zoo Safari Park - African Woods
• Denver Zoo - Toyota Elephant Passage (not perfect, yet amazing for the elephants and definitely engaging for the visitors)
• Denver Zoo - Tropical Discovery
• Shedd Aquarium - Amazon Rising
• Shedd Aquarium - Wild Reef

 

How could I have forgotten Wroclaw's Afrykarium!

If we're discussing historical significance, then Bronx's African Plains must also be included. It's too bad World of Darkness is no longer open as that would have been one as well.

~Thylo

 

You'll also have to overlook the inaccuracy of a large stand of pine trees forming the focal point of the main savannah exhibit. In all seriousness, though, Binder Park's Africa zone does an excellent job on a relatively limited budget by mostly fencing in the pre-existing natural environment. It also helps the theming that it is closed all winter so no on-show holding buildings need to be disguised.

 

Omaha’s Desert Dome and Kingdoms of the Night are probably two of my favorite all time exhibits. You could even argue they are a part of the same complex as they are the same building.

 

I was just going to mention these. I also like the Arctic Ring of Life in Detroit.

 

Somehow I forgot to mention Toledo's ProMedica Museum of Natural History. That is my favorite zoo building of all time (not counting all indoor zoos).

 

I keep wondering whether Americans would still rate their rainforest and desert buildings as highly if they would have seen the larger, more realistic and less overcrowded ones in Europe.