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Worst Zoo in Canada you've been to?

Discussion in 'Canada' started by Yi Qi, 21 Jun 2019.

  1. Yi Qi

    Yi Qi Well-Known Member

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    This is a counterpart to the Worst Zoo in the US thread, only with a canuck twist. Personally, I'd say the worst zoo I've been to is the Big Apple, a tacky roadside attraction in Colbourne, Ontario which features a petting zoo which consists of some cramp covered cages for geese, ducks, and rabbits (if I remember correctly) and a muddy hillside paddock for llamas, goats, and sheep (again, if I remember correctly).
     
  2. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I would have to say that the worst I've been to in Canada was Brantford Twin Valley Zoo. I just didn't find most of the enclosures suitable for the animals (barring the newer carnivore enclosures.

    On a side note, I've also visited Bowmanville Zoo numerous times before it closed.

    Another side note: I've visited the following Canadian zoos and aquaria: Toronto, Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Brantford, Bird Kingdom, Marineland, JUngle Cat World (but I have a foggy memory of this place), Bowmanville, Oshawa, African Lion Safari, Safari Niagara, Assiniboine Park, Edmonton Valley, Calgary, Vancouver Aquarium, Granby, Parc Safari, and Magnetic Hill.
     
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  3. m30t

    m30t Well-Known Member

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    I have a hard time seeing how The Big Apple constitutes a zoo. For those who do not know, and without editorializing, The Big Apple is a highway rest area attraction along Highway 401 that specializes in offering bakery products (featuring apple pies). Yes, there is a small petting zoo area among other attractions but it hardly bills itself as a zoo. I would also hazard to guess that most individuals would not think of it as being a "zoo." Note that is just a guess on my part.
    Comparing The Big Apple to institutions that actually promote themselves as zoos makes for a weak case in my opinion. Perhaps it could be compared in terms of quality to the many other petting zoos in the GTA (a quick Google search found over a half dozen), but not to institutions like the Toronto Zoo, Zoo De Granby or even the now closed Bowmanville Zoo. Doing so, I feel, is much like animal rights activists selecting a particular case and trying to apply it to a broader argument that it does not fit in.
     
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  4. TheGerenuk

    TheGerenuk Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I forgot to mention High Park Zoo in this count.
     
  5. Hyak_II

    Hyak_II Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Border City Petting Zoo. EZ
     
  6. Yi Qi

    Yi Qi Well-Known Member

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    Knew you'd list it as the worst zoo in Canada. And snowleopard. And so many other people

    @m30t I would suppose you're right. In any case, I'd say the worst proper zoo would be Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ontario. I've only been there once, but I swear most of the big cats were contained in cages only slightly bigger then my living room and with only the barest amount of substrate to them. Another terrible things of note is that their alapca enclosure's fencing was knocked down when I visited, and their layout is kind of haphazard, with cages scattered all over the place.