Just for the fun of it...and because I literally and obsessively compile lists...I've been putting together a list of the greatest zoos in the United States and Canada. I've compiled this list by using various measures to rank each zoo. Scoring points, for example, if the zoo is AZA/CAZA accredited, the number of photos posted on ZooChat, zoo rankings published on travel websites and by individual ZooChatters (including myself for the 50+ I have visited), to whether or not the zoo exhibits North American Black Bears. I would compare this activity to a Fantasy Sports League...neutral (mostly) statistical analysis. "Greatest" is not meant to convey largest, most popular, my personal favorites, or best...except in a strictly Alexandrian way. Phase I is complete. I've also pulled the Canadian Zoos from the list, as I believe the metrics analyzed in Phase I were greatly to their benefit. Phase II (scoring native species displayed, number of birds species displayed, natural predator/prey balance....etc....) will see the Canadians wrapped back in to the total scores. As it stands Calgary has scored the highest of the Canadian Zoos, currently ranked as the 7th Greatest Zoo in the United States and Canada. Now, again, just for fun and for the benefit of other list keepers out there...here is my ranking of the 150 Greatest Zoos in the United States...so far.
150. Oglebay's Good Zoo, West Virginia 149. Southwick's Animal Park, Massachusetts 148. Ochsner Park Zoo, Wisconsin 147. St Augustine Alligator Farm, Florida 146. Sunset Zoo, Kansas 145. Lincoln Children's Zoo, Nebraska 144. New York State Thompson Park Zoo, New York 143. Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo, Minnesota 142. Santa Fe Community College Teaching Zoo, Florida 141. Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail, Georgia 140. Spring River Park Zoo, New Mexico 139. Charles Paddock Zoo, California 138. Big Bear Alpine Zoo at Moonridge, California 137. Western North Carolina Nature Center, North Carolina 136. Navajo Nation Zoo, Arizona 135. Brandywine Zoo, Delaware 134. The Zoo at Chehaw, Georgia 133. Popcorn Park Zoo, New Jersey 132. Amarillo Zoo, Texas 131. Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo, Louisiana 130. Zooworld Panama City Beach, Florida 129. California Living Museum, California 128. Racine Zoo, Wisconsin 127. Ellen Trout Zoo, Texas 126. BREC Baton Rouge Zoo, Louisiana 125. Potawatomi Zoo, Illinois 124. Peoria Zoo, Illinois 123. Lee Richardson Zoo, Kansas 122. Dakota Zoo, North Dakota 121. Virginia Zoo, Virginia 120. Staten Island Zoo, New York 119. Salisbury Zoo, Maryland 118. National Aviary, Pennsylvania 117. Eire Zoo, Pennsylvania 116. Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii 115. Miller Park Zoo, Illinois 114. Frank Buck Zoo, Texas 113. Sequoia Park Zoo, California 112. Franklin Park Zoo, Massachusetts 111. Rosamond Gifford Zoo, New York 110. Akron Zoo, Ohio 109. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, Connecticut 108. Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Alabama 107. Como Park Zoo, Minnesota 106. Seneca Park Zoo, New York 105. Queens Zoo, New York 104. Potter Park Zoo, Michigan 103. Prospect Park Zoo, New York 102. Lehigh Valley Zoo, Pennsylvania 101. El Paso Zoo, Texas
100. Folsom City Zoo, California 99. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida 98. Nashville Zoo, Tennessee 97. Fort Wayne's Children Zoo, Indiana 96. Reid Park Zoo, Arizona 95. Wildwood Wildlife Park, Wisconsin 94. John Ball Zoo, Michigan 93. Blank Park Zoo, Iowa 92. Abilene Zoo, Texas 91. The Living Desert Zoo, California 90. Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park, New Mexico 89. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Texas 88. Alameda Park Zoo, New Mexico 87. Bramble Park Zoo, South Dakota 86. Henry Vilas Zoo, Wisconsin 85. Tulsa Zoo, Oklahoma 84. Sacramento Zoo, California 83. Austin Zoo, Texas 82. Wildlife Safari, Oregon 81. Gulf Breeze Zoo, Florida 80. Alexandria Zoo, Louisiana 79. Orange County Zoo, California 78. ZooAmerica, Pennsylvania 77. Central Park Zoo, New York 76. Buttonwood Park Zoo, Massachusetts 75. Montgomery Zoo, Alabama 74. Buffalo Zoo, New York 73. Riverside Discovery Center, Nebraska 72. NEW Zoo, Wisconsin 71. Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari, New Jersey 70. Kansas City Zoo, Missouri 69. Naples Zoo, Florida 68. Santa Barbara Zoo, California 67. Brevard Zoo, Florida 66. Utah's Hogle Zoo, Utah 65. Turtle Back Zoo, New Jersey 64. Cameron Park Zoo, Texas 63. Fresno Chaffe Zoo, California 62. Dickerson Park Zoo, Missouri 61. Albuquerque Biopark Zoo, New Mexico 60. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Washington 59. Jackson Zoo, Mississippi 58. Caldwell Zoo, Texas 57. Palm Beach Zoo, Florida 56. Binder Park Zoo, Michigan 55. Stone Zoo, Massachusetts 54. Roger Williams Park Zoo, Rhode Island 53. Topeka Zoo, Kansas 52. Maryland Zoo, Maryland 51. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado
50. Riverside Zoo, South Carolina 49. Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida 48. Knoxville Zoo, Tennessee 47. Birmingham Zoo, Alabama 46. Cape May County Zoo, New Jersey 45. Phoenix Zoo, Arizona 44. Great Plains Zoo, South Dakota 43. Oakland Zoo, California 42. Central Florida Zoo, Florida 41. Pittsburgh Zoo, Pennsylvania 40. Lowry Park Zoo, Florida 39. Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana 38. Dallas Zoo, Texas 37. Denver Zoo, Colorado 36. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona 35. Zoo Miami, Florida 34. San Diego Safari Park, California 33. San Francisco Zoo, California 32. Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma 31. Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas 30. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Washington 29. Toledo Zoo, Ohio 28. Henry Doorly Zoo, Nebraska 27. Audubon Zoo, Louisiana 26. Zoo Atlanta, Georgia
25. Houston Zoo, Texas 24. Louisville Zoo, Kentucky 23. Alaska Zoo, Alaska 22. Sedgewick County Zoo, Kansas 21. Los Angeles Zoo, California 20. Jacksonville Zoo, Florida 19. San Antonio Zoo, Texas 18. St Louis Zoo, Missouri 17. Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania 16. Brookfield Zoo, Illinois 15. Fort Worth Zoo, Texas 14. Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio 13. Cleveland Zoo, Ohio 12. Detroit Zoo, Michigan 11. North Carolina Zoo, North Carolina 10. Memphis Zoo, Tennessee 09. Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota 08. Smithsonian Zoo, District of Columbia* (*later to be scored with Maryland) 07. Milwaukee County Zoo, Wisconsin 06. Lincoln Park Zoo, Illinois 05. Woodland Park Zoo, Washington 04. Columbus Zoo, Ohio 03. Oregon Zoo, Oregon 02. Bronx Zoo, New York 01. San Diego Zoo, California So there you have it. Phase I: The Greatest Zoos in the United States. On to Phase II.
I’m actually pleased that some of the metrics involved seem to have broken the hold the big fellas had on the title of “Greatest!”
I'm very pleasantly surprised to see Woodland Park and Oregon so high on the list, I'm also surprised St. Louis isn't higher.
I would rate St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Brookfield above Detroit; I'm familiar with them all and I am a Detroit Zoo member. We have a fine zoo, well worth a visit, but it's not quite in the same bracket as the ones I mention.
On another (now infamous) thread there was quite a heated debate about top five American zoos based strictly on statistics. The issue some of us had with that listing (and that I also have with yours) is that the criteria used to rate them is arbitrary. In your case it would be helpful I think if you listed all of your ranking criteria (the black bear one seems odd to me, but I suppose if you had mentioned a cat species instead I wouldn't complain ). I think this will be true of any ranking that anyone comes up with, so this is certainly not meant as a knock against you. I think it is nearly impossible to come up with an initial set of criteria that is completely objective. The resulting ranking may be objective based on the criteria (as I am sure yours is), but the criteria skews the results. To use the other thread as an example, the person who created it listed conservation as of very low importance. In my opinion this negates the validity of the entire list, as for me conservation is of utmost importance and the only justification for a modern zoo. Honestly if I were to make a ranking I would give conservation efforts half of the entire score and combine all other criteria to equal the remaining half together.
