With only being 18 I have not visited any where near as many zoos as many of you but here goes: 1) Bristol Zoo - This zoo is with out a doubt the best and probably my favourite zoo I have visited. Bristol's Reptile House is one of the best I have seen (possibly only being beaten by WMSP), similarly the Nocturnal House was astoundong, containing many rare animals and I think most people will not forget seeing their first Aye-aye. I liked the feel of Bristol being the only proper City Zoo I have visited I liked the small feel of the zoo but still having some absolutely phenomenal animals. I seen several firsts here including; Sand Cats, Qoull, Asiatic Lions, Drill Monkeys, Gilla Monsters and the ones that were the total highlight of my visit was the Mountain Chicken Frogs, Turquoise Geckos. 2) Port Lympne- whilst I don't think that this place is the best zoo I have visited it is the one that I have the most fond memories of visiting two years ago, I also whilst there saw a number of firsts for me including Snow Leopard, and Cheetah. 3) Twycross Zoo - As we all know this place has its short comings but I still believe that the zoo has one of the most enjoyable to watch collections I have been too. Having the most active Gibbons I have seen (regrettably not outside as much as would be desired but still very active Gibbons), and the UK's only Bonobos who also happen to be a very active and in my opinion very awesome Primate to watch. 4) Howletts - This zoo has the most Gorillas I have ever seen, that are kept in what are in my opinion the best enclosures in the UK. As with both of the Aspinal parks they also have great breeding records with their animals. 5) Noah's Ark Zoo Farm - whilst not the best for their non scientific reasoning however all of the animals have spacious enclosures. And whilst I am aware that the venomous snakes section is not their all the time it was still my all time favourite animal talk that I have seen( So far).This place I have to say has the largest Green Iguana enclosure I have seen ( although not sure if that is its normal enclosure or if it's is just there as a stop gap whilst another animals is organised) I would just like to say if Safari Parks count WMSP would rank highly as well.
Well, in the past 7 or 8 years I have only been to 5 zoos in the UK anyway so I guess I will just rank them. 1. Chester - My home zoo, I visit twice a month on average and with all the new developments it is very exciting! I have more memories here than anywhere else on Earth and think it has the potential to become world class. 2. Cotswold - This place is beautiful and even though it has been a while since my last visit I have loved it every time. It has a nice collection and scenery, seeing the rhinos and zebras grazing is always a lovely sight. I also remember being extremely excited the first time I got face to face with a giraffe as I had never seen them from their height before! my cousin was also a keeper here so I could get free entry Also I will definitley be taking my dog here when he is older! 3. Whipsnade - I have only visited Whipsnade once and it was this year when they did an event in the summer where you could visit after closing time. The place is huge and I got to see my favourite animal ever, the rockhopper penguin for the first time as well as hippos! It felt magical to get so close to the elephants when they were on their walk but unfortunatley it was the last time they ever had their walk... (My cousin is now an elephant keeper here too). My best memories from here have to be getting close to some baby maras which were so cute and realising that Chester's butterfly house is no match to Whipsnade's! 4. Blackpool - Another zoo I have only visited once and also quite recently. Their new elephant house is amazing and will be much better once the others come from Twycross! It was great to be able to see magellanic penguins and the sea lion pups. The tigers were also extremely majestic and one of the lions was on top of the tall rock. Wolf Ridge was really good and Orangutan Outlook was a place I kept visiting again and again. But the highlight of my trip were definitley the gorillas as I had only seen them over seas, I spent most of my time watching them. The zoo is quite small which in a way is good as you get to see the animals again and again doing different things. 5. Welsh Mountain - It's been a little while since I visited here and when I went it was cold and windy. I first visited here as a young child and I will never forget that day watching the penguins waddle along and seeing a tiger from so high. The sea lions are also very entertaining and I assume the chimps are too but I have never had a good look at them. The indoor exhibits are small but I really like them for some reason. It was also the first place I saw a brown bear and I remember being astonished at just seeing it as my luck at seeing bears at Chester were unsurprisingly bad!! So yep. Only 5 zoos in total for me anyway. But next year I will be visiting the 2 parks in Berlin which I am overly excited for and I want to know how they will compare to the UK zoos! My goals for next year personally are Twycross, Dudley, Yorkshire, London and maybe Bristol too.
When people find out how many zoos I have visited, they often ask which is my favourite - which is dangerous as I don't have just one and am very tempted to get into lengthy explanations of my choices which the average person does not find interesting! Chester Zoo - I first visited it relatively late, after being to many other zoos, and it blew me away. It is on a whole other level to most of the other zoos I have been to, and I spend much of my time, particularly after a visit, trying to work out when I can next go back. Monkey World - I love primates, I have long watched Monkey Life, and this is simply one of my favourite places on the whole planet. Hamerton Zoo - This is such a pleasant zoo to spend time at, and I really like the small cats they have there. Heading back that way over the Christmas break for yet another visit! Bristol Zoo - A zoo that packs a big punch on a small site. I thoroughly enjoy every visit there. I struggle to choose the fifth spot from quite a number of other places, though I should probably go with Twycross simply because it is close enough for me to be a member and visit fairly often (plus primates...)
Honestly, if anyone asked me what my top five favourite UK Zoos were and why, here comes my answer. 5. Bristol - I visited this zoo once back in July 2013 and despite the wet weather I had on the day of my visit I really enjoyed this small city zoo! I especially love the fact that even though the zoo is situated within the city of Bristol and rather small, it is still able to house a few (if not a lot) of rather bigger animals such as the Western lowland gorillas and Asiatic lions! I really enjoyed going through the Twilight house as well as the amazing Reptile collection and aquarium. I also managed to see three Pudus outside in their paddock which was an amazing experience for me as they are my favourite deer species. It was also my time seeing Pygmy hippopotamuses and Sand cats in a zoo as well. Totally worth the visit for a small city zoo! 4. Blackpool - This attraction may not be old as other zoos (like Bristol, London, or the ones I'm about to talk about below) but I still think it deserves to be mentioned on my list. I didn't actually know of this zoo being in Blackpool until I heard about it while looking up other UK zoos, and decided to pay it a visit in August last year. The zoo is home to a lot of iconic species (like your usual Lions & Tigers, Penguins & Sea Lions, Elephants & Giraffes, etc) as well as some rare and unusual ones. I really liked the spectacular look and feel of the California sea lion enclosure (which IMO has to be the best one in the UK I've ever seen, if not beaten by the one at WMSP) as well as the Orangutan enclosure (which I thought was a bit similar to Chester's in a way) and the Giraffe paddock (which I thought was a bit like the one at Dudley bit a bit bigger and better). But apart from all those exhibits, I also managed to see my first view looking at Great white pelicans, Ground cuscus, potoroo, Iberian wolves and Magellanic penguins (The only remaining ones in the UK of course ). I also loved looking at the Giant anteaters which were very active when I visited as well as the Muntjac (which is found in the Llama paddock by the giraffes incase some of you didn't already know). I'm hoping I can come back to visit this zoo again next year as soon as their new elephant exhibit has finally opened to the public (after the ones from Twycross arrive eventually). 3. Chester - If I've known Chester zoo for so long, I'd say that it is still without a doubt one of the most BIGGEST zoological attractions I've ever been to. And with the Islands extension still going, this zoo is definitely living strong with a WIDE range of rare and critically-endangered animals. Some of my favourite exhibits in this zoo are: The elephants, Tsavo black rhino reserve, Spirit of the jaguar, Dragons in danger, Tropical realm, Hunting dogs, Aquarium and Realm of the red ape. It may have stopped keeping some certain animals (like the kangaroos, vicunas & rheas for example) but I still it is a marvellous attraction with a lot to see and do. This place is also where I managed to see my first: Pudu, Giant anteater, Malayan tapir, Jaguar, Serval, Vicuna, Okapi, Red river hog, Indian rhino, Black rhino, Giant otters, Warty pigs, etc. I really like this big zoo and hope that it will continue to attract more and more visitors every year with new attractions. 2. Paignton - Now, it has been a VERY long time since I last visited this zoo (I went when I was about 9 years old) but despite that I still think it is honestly one of the BEST zoological parks in the UK, and with a WIDE range of rare, endangered and exotic animals it is still highly regarded as one of the most popular attractions in Devon! It may not be is big as Chester but is has got quite a lot to see on display. The animals in the zoo are all split up into different habitiats (For example, giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs & zebras are all kept in the Savannah zone, tigers, lions, gorillas and orangutans in the Forest zone, flamingos, pelicans and cranes in the Wetland zone, etc.) My favourite part of my first visit to Paignton was watching the cheetahs wondering about in their enclosure as well as looking at the two elephants they had back then (they did use to have 2 elephants at Paignton, 1 african and 1 asian. Unfortunately the Asian elephant passed away in 2010 which now leaves the zoo with just one African elephant named Duchess). I still think Paignton is a big, lovely zoo with some amazing exhibits and I hope to come back and visit it again when I have a chance (considering that I live very far away from Devon, but still). and 1. Dudley - Now, I know not everyone is as familiar with this zoo as I am, but I have loved coming to Dudley Zoo for years and to this day it is still my no.1 favourite zoological attraction in the UK. And as some of you can probably tell, Dudley is of course my closest zoo and definitely one of my favourite zoos to visit from my childhood years. I know it isn't really as big compared to zoos like Paignton or Chester for example, but I still think it has a nice range of both rare & endangered, and exotic & domestic animals. It also might not have all the animals that you would expect to find in a town zoo, but it does have some iconic species such as Asiatic lions, Sumatran tigers, Rothschild's giraffes, Humboldt penguins, Patagonian sea lions, Bornean orangutans, Chimpanzees, Bactrian camels, etc. There are also some certain species at Dudley that you may never find in any other UK zoo (Due to either a decline of the species from other collections in recent years, or that they're not as common in other zoos/wildlife parks) such as Inca the Asiatic black bear and a herd of White-lipped peccaries (the only ones that are currently kept in the UK ). But the one thing about Dudley that makes it so unique among other zoos is that it is built around an 11th century castle, which is located on top of an ancient wooded hillside overlooking the town of Dudley with spectacular views. As well as world’s largest single collection of Modernist Tecton structures and the only vintage chairlift in the UK. It may not have certain popular animals such as Elephants, Zebras or Polar Bears anymore, but I still think Dudley is indeed one of the best attractions of it's kind in the UK as well as being the best zoo in the West Midlands. It may have not been as great as it is back in the past (especially if you were to go for a visit in 2006 when it used to be just a ran down concrete site with only a few animals on display), but I honestly think this zoo really has managed to improve its image over the past few years by bringing back old favourites such as the Camels, re-improving some of the older enclosures like the Penguin exhibit, and bringing in new species such as Howler monkeys, Yellow-breasted capuchins, Carpathian lynx and Giant anteaters. So with that being said, I'd say Dudley is without a doubt, my favourite zoological attraction out of the whole lot (and definitely better than Twycross either way).
I have the current top 10 here: 1. Chester Zoo - 41 2. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - 21 3. ZSL London Zoo - 17 4. Cotswold Wildlife Park - 16 5. Bristol Zoo and Colchester Zoo- 14 7. Paignton Zoo - 13 8. Twycross Zoo - 11 9. Yorkshire Wildlife Park - 10 10. Dudley Zoo and Howletts Wild Animal Park - 9 Some runner-ups include: Blackpool Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park and Port Lympne Wild Animal Park.
Exactly what I was thinking. There has been a degree of criticism about the collection recently but there are some excellent exhibits and it should definitely be in a list of 'top 37'.
It's not a list of the top 37, it's a list of peoples 5 favourites, i have always left Marwell feeling disappointed, even on my first visit so i'm not surprised to see it not listed in peoples favourites.
I completely understand what you mean but in a way, it is a list of 'top 37 favourites' (in the sense that there is more than one way to make such a list); if 37 zoos get listed in top fives and Marwell isn't there.... then it's not in the top 37. Marwell has been mentioned a few times now. I think maybe it is a bit characterless but it is great for taking photos.
Leaving the pros and cons of Marwell out of it I think your logic (re top 37 zoos) is potentially off the mark. It's theoretically possible that a zoo not in the 37 is considered the 6th favourite of all voters which would therefore leave it outside the 37 even though it's everybody's 6th favourite. In reality this wouldn't be the case but a zoo that's in the 6th to 20th position (say) for all wouldn't make the 37. In addition to this the 37 could be distorted by geographical positioning of "voters" and the zoos themselves. Finally, there's no accounting in your methodology for individual idiosyncrasies -e.g. a single person or few people might have a particularly strong affection for a particular place which might not be highly regarded by most but, nevertheless, their opinion would still put that collection in your top 37. Whilst everyone's entitled to their opinion I doubt most people, if petitioned, would favour Sewerby Zoo, Lakeland WIldlife Oasis or Hagley Falconry Centre over Marwell (which is what your logic suggests).
Good points but I definitely prefer Lakeland Wildlife Oasis over most Zoo's let alone Marwell. It's a cracking place, which is definitely worth a visit and it has a nice collection which is still growing despite it's limited site.
Sorry, I thought this was a general discussion /chat thread; not an academic piece requiring methodology and justification; I thought people were saying what their favourite zoos were and I thought it was odd that a collection as large and well known as Marwell wasn't mentioned. Perhaps I should have said; I find it odd that when posters list their favourite five zoos, Marwell is not there, when thirty-seven others are. I appreciate that posters will have all sorts of personal reasons for making their choices and perhaps some of them will not have visited Marwell, so it will not be in their favourite five and perhaps some have visited and didn't like it. Even so, I personally was surprised by its absence, whilst fully accepting that others may disagree. I am not sure logic will have been the most significant factor when people made their choices, as it perhaps more of an emotional response that would lead to the identification of favourite zoos.
ZooChat can be both these things and many points in between (sometimes at the same time). I can assure you I wasn't having a (personal) pop but I don't think there's anything wrong with identifying where errors or possible misstatements have been made (or disagreeing) -it makes ZooChat a better site. And, to be fair to me, you did say "Marwell isn't in the top 37 UK zoos" which I'd argue was wrong. I can understand it being considered unusual that Marwell's not mentioned in people's top fives but I think it makes sense: 1. If you/I/anybody were (mad enough) to devise criteria to judge which zoos in the UK were "best" I doubt Marwell would, under objective methodologies, make the top five; 2. This only really leaves the emotional response you mention and I think, given Marwell's recent decline in most of it's historic "fans" opinions, this mean it's probably going to struggle to get in peoples top fives through the "idiosyncrasy back door"; 3. Additionally, as you mention, a lot of people have never visited -it's in one of those geographical blind spots that, generally, not many people travel to (it's a long way for many, other zoos are nearer for many, and there's not the concentration of other interesting zoos nearby that other areas can offer for the mini-zoo tour option); 4. So, unless there's a forgiving hoofstock zealot it's unlikely to make many top fives. For what it's worth, I think it'd make the top twenty (or at the very least top thirty) of most peoples favourite/best zoos without too much trouble. I'd say it's definitely higher than 38 for most.
Good; I usually enjoy your posts but that felt as though you were 'having a go', so I am pleased that was not the case. I didn't say 'Marwell isn't in the top 37 UK zoos', though, and when I typed 'top 37', I deliberately put it in inverted commas around 'top 37' and 'top 37 favourites' in order to try to be breif but clear. I agree with the rest of what you have posted and absolutely take the point that Marwell might have been a 'top ten favourite' (or whatever) for many people and just missed out each time therefore not getting a single vote out of the 120.
I am getting somewhat confused by the recent discussion concerning Marwell. It has been stated repeatedly that Marwell didn't feature in people's top five zoos; this is erroneous. I included Marwell in my top five list and I wasn't the only person to do so. Incidentally, I sympathise with some ZooChatter's disappointment about Marwell's reduction of species. I certainly regret the loss of takin, white-tailed gnu and Chapman's zebra (as I particularly liked being able to see three different zebra species there). However, there is still plenty to see there. The group of Somali wild ass and the superb lesser kudu exhibit alone would be enough for me to include Marwell in my top five.
Although I am no fan of the current Marwell, and would not include it anywhere near my own top 5 in the UK (or even in the south-east of England), it is, perhaps, worth noting that, as @Tim May has pointed out above, a number of people have listed it as amongst their own favourites..... @Shorts give a rather excellent discussion of the reasons why conclusions can't be drawn from statistics when those statistics have been derived to look for something else. It's also worth noting that misquoted statistics can get us into all sorts of trouble (as has been shown, repeatedly, in the political sphere!).
I originally responded to a post by snowleopard before you had commented on the thread, I posssibly wasn't logged in at the time and didn't realise as almost immediately after I logged in a few days ago, it was picked up by someone else, so I don't think it loaded until I was logged in. It took a while for Marwell to appear but when it did, it polled the sort of numbers I would have expected.
Yes, sorry, probably my fault, there was a significant time delay between me typing the post and it showing in the thread; I think maybe I wasn't logged in at the time and then it loaded when I next logged in.
I am no fan of the current Marwell either and it wouldn't make my top 10, but would still make my top 20 and I'm sure it would most peoples! I posted something either on this thread or a similar one making the same point as Shorts, that a zoo could be everyone's 6th favourite or best, so looking at anything lower than 5th place in the 'table' will probably give a distorted overall picture and no conclusions can really be drawn.
