Anyone seen this? 10 best zoos in the UK: From London to Chester Zoo - Travel - The Independent The article only seems to give a little bit of information and no list. Apparently Welsh Mountain Zoo made it according to their FB page.
The article does give the list, in no particular order, in an image gallery: Marwell Paignton Bristol Chester Howletts ZSL London ZSL Whipsnade Edinburgh Welsh Mountain Zoo Colchester I'd possibly contend that Welsh Mountain Zoo isn't *quite* in the top 10, and suggest that Cotswold Wildlife Park deserves to be in the list instead, but otherwise the list is reasonably fair.
There you go the image gallery was not working for me hence why I could not see the zoos on it. Pretty good list. Glad Bristol is on it as probably my favourite small zoo.
You have to be joking! Colchester is easily top 10, if Belfast doesn't replace Welsh Mountain, I'd suggest Marwell should go from the list, or even London or Bristol rather than Colchester!!
Not joking I actually enjoyed my visit to Marwell a lot more than I did Colchester. But this would be a boring site indeed if we all agreed on everything
Agreed, there would be nothing to discuss apart from meerkat births! I might well enjoy a visit to RSCC or Hamerton more than some on the list, but I'm not sure that actually makes them better zoos though!
Wot, no Twycross either? I haven't been to WMZ for many years but remember a rather indifferent collection with not brilliant enclosures and very much in the lower league. Twycross has its faults we know but I would have thought it boasts the larger animal collection. I should have thought both Twycross and Cotswold come in above WMZ. Maybe they wanted to give Wales a mention, as they have with Scotland.
I would certainly agree with this list, although having never been WMZ, I'd substitute it for Cotswolds also!
I would substitute Port Lympne for Howletts. And I would add Highland Wildlife Park to the list. Of course as a small carnivore lover RSCC is one of my all time favorites anywhere, but I agree that from an objective standpoint it might not have enough to be considered one of the best "all around" as far as appeal for everyone.
Personally my top 10 are... Colchester zoo Banham zoo Africa alive! paignton zoo Chester zoo Whipsnade zoo Yorkshire wildlife park Longleat safari park Woburn safari park Paradise wildlife park
How is this top 10 credited? Visitor experience? Breeding success? Financial success? Conservation work? Husbandry standards? Aesthetics?
Welsh Mountain and Paignton are the only places on the list I have any desire to visit these days, although having just read the book about Colchester I may be tempted (I'd have preferred it in Frank and Helena Farrar's days though). Looking at the list, it is quite a few years since I visited some of the places - Regent's Park 1999, Whipsnade 1998, Marwell 1999, Edinburgh 1996, Howletts 1998, Colchester 1999, with Chester and Bristol now seven years ago.
I think someone wants a time machine to help him visiting his favourite zoos Actually it's not a bad idea, but I'd go in the other direction - would anyone like to join me for a trip to Chester in 2050 next week? Alan
Top 10 Best Zoos I remember Colchester Zoo from the 1960s. Some bits of it did not compare favourably with Palmer's Pet Stores. Obviously they had a lot of species, but I remember seeing my first Tayra and Grison both stereotyping like anything, and a large indoor aviary labelled 'Birds of Paradise' full of more than one species of Cardinal, not a BOP in sight. The indoor 'Exotic Bird Gallery' was full of exciting and dramatic species, but in rather small flights which would not pass nowadays.
Imagine YWP in 2050 also! I would love to go back to London zoo in the late 1800's just to get a glimpse of how it was in those days, i would also love to visit collections that had closed by the time I started visiting zoos!
