I recently visited Kolmårdens Djurpark in Sweden. Kolmården started as a zoo but during the last years they've started to add more and more rides and are becoming quite a good theme park. How common is this in other parts of Europe? It's very common among the larger parks in Sweden. I think the change is very sad in Kolmårdens case. During my visit there were a lot of people at the rides and the queues were long, but there were hardly any people at the animal exhibits. I felt like the animals were just a side attraction. Something to look at while walking from one ride to an other.
Czech zoos add a lot of children playgrounds and other attractions lately. But not to the extend you describe Kolmarden.
One of my concerns would be the noise that the attractions make. On one hand, this pushes the idea that zoos are primarily for entertainment. On the other hand, if rides help an otherwise unviable zoo stay afloat, maybe that's a good thing? As long as the animals are well-cared-for and the exhibits are educational.
