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Weirdest/Oddest Zoo exhibits

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Komodo99, 13 Aug 2017.

  1. Komodo99

    Komodo99 Well-Known Member

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    This thread is to discuss the times where you have either heard of or seen an animal enclosure or display at a zoo that has made you go"Huh,that's odd".You can share your reaction to said exhibit as well.

    Personally for me,it would have to go to Blackpool Zoo as when I visited earlier this year I noticed that they had a mealworm exhibit and some Common House Spiders in the old tarantula enclosure. Photo I took of the mealworm exhibit.
     
  2. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    At Le Menagerie (Paris, France) I saw an indoor room with a plain cement floor that was an "exhibit" for Galapagos tortoise and sloth.

    I may take heat for this, but the oddball theming of Elephant Odyssey (San Diego, USA) makes it a weird exhibit to me.
     
  3. Giant Panda

    Giant Panda Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Pairi Daiza's decision to put a lemming exhibit slap bang in the middle of their tropical hall is a definite standout.
     
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  4. Mehdi

    Mehdi Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    COEX's Aquarium is full of them, just look at the gallery and you'll see some. I certainly was surprised to see them in real life, in any case!
     
  5. Water Dragon

    Water Dragon Well-Known Member

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    Any exhibit at South Lakes.

    At Copenhagen they keep hornet cichlids and silver dollars in the West African Crocodile enclosure which is roofless in a free-flight hall for butterflies and birds.
     
  6. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Some examples are:
    House mice surrounded by a loaf of bread at Best Zoo.
    The small mammal collection formerly kept in Marwell's Vicuna House.
    The 'caves' in Arnhem's Desert Area
    The shrine in London Zoo's 'Land of the Lions'
     
  7. Komodo99

    Komodo99 Well-Known Member

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    Couple more that I saw.
    Gambian pouched Rat at Chester Zoo
    Spiny Mice at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis
    Snow Leopards at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis.They have a tunnel system akin to an aquarium shark tunnel
     
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  8. Jurek7

    Jurek7 Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    No. 1. Car-spider-parrot-aviary in the former Veldhoven. So weird that you cannot describe it. Unfortunately, its Gallery somehow disappeared from Zoochat.

    No. 2. many exhibits at Pairi Daiza, esp. very fake volcano-thing gorillas and train in the desert exhibit.

    No. 3. many exhibits at Hanover zoo, esp. very fake geiser in Yukon and an animated ghost.

    P.S. I hope some museum in Belgium or Hanover hits back and e.g. in exhibit of African cultural masks, paintings and artifacts paints unicorns grazing on African savanna.
     
  9. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  10. zoomaniac

    zoomaniac Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I'm agree with the most the others come up with (specially the space-haven-design of Elephant Odyssey at San Diego Zoo).

    I would add the children-slide-like Lubetkin pool (aka Penguin exhibit), the metall dominated Snowden aviary and the unnecessary tall, concrete building once created for elephants and rhinos at the same place.
    Further, all Lego exhibitions in aquarium tanks (even if they were/are temporary) as in "Haus des Meeres" Vienna a couple of years ago, the exhibit with "lost by an accident" penguins at Zoo Hannover within the arctic area of the zoo, the pyramid-like shelters/stables in an exhibit for Bactrian camels at Zoo Amnéville (F), the in every way inappropriate log-exhibit for pythons and the leopard "tank" at Bronx Zoo's Jungle World and computer game areas in some US marine parks.
     
  11. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    For decades the San Diego Zoo had the same thing in their children's zoo. They finally discontinued it in favor of a more healthy diet for the mice.
     
  12. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I suppose San Diego gives its mice mousesaka and its rats get ratatouille.
     
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  13. Mr. Zootycoon

    Mr. Zootycoon Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Can you explain why you think these are odd? In my view, they look like any other nocturnal house enclosures but incorporated into a themed dome.

    My nominations would be the mouse tower at Tierpark Berlin and the kea enclosure at The Paay (just like their absolutely escapeable coati enclosure: it has a huge open viewing hole right in the aviary mesh! :confused:).
     
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  14. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    most of these posts would be much more interesting if a photo was linked as illustration. I'd imagine most suggestions have photos in the Zoochat gallery. Just saying "the X cage at Y zoo" isn't very illuminating.
     
  15. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    the gallery is still there, but under Z not V: Zoo Veldhoven - Photo Galleries | ZooChat

    [​IMG]
     
  16. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Last edited by a moderator: 15 Aug 2017
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  17. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    I would presume because the name of the collection in question *is* Zoo Veldhoven, as opposed to Veldhoven Zoo. Similarly, to give a few examples, the gallery for Jihlava is under Zoologická Zahrada Jihlava rather than Jihlava Zoo, and the galleries for the two Berlin collections are under Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin rather than Berlin Zoo and Berlin Tierpark.
     
  18. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    That's not what I meant. WHY would you even think of an aviary shaped like a spider, with a car on top? Product of a disordered mind, too many mind altering drugs?
     
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  19. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    Ah, okay - when put like that it *is* a pretty damn weird exhibit.

    Still nowhere near as weird, or tasteless, as the airplane-crash exhibit for Green Basilisk at Jihlava......

    [​IMG]
     
  20. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    That may be tasteless, but a plane could possibly crash in the jungle. It's more likely than a giant spider with a car for a body, having parrots living in the space enclosed by its legs. IMHO.