The winner of this one won’t quite be guaranteed a spot in the final 8, but they’ll be mighty close. The topic? Asia.
2-1 Rotterdam, mainly because a fair amount of Bronx's Asian mega fauna is only viewable via monorail at peak times of year.
I'll have to marshall my thoughts a bit - and hear more about the collection at Bronx - but for now I have voted 2-1 to Bronx on the basis that the Asian section of Rotterdam is in a state of distinct decline, although still reasonably good, whereas I'm under the impression Bronx has been improving in this area.
This is a hard one for me. I think these zoos are very close, but also very different. Bronx undoubtably has the better collection. Most zoos would be hard-pressed to have a better Asian collection than Bronx. However, Blijdorp is no slouch here either. Blijdorp has the better Asian theming. The two Asian houses look like they could come straight from Indonesia and the Chinese garden is marvellous. Bronx doesn't have anything similar. Enclosure-wise I think Blijdorp wins again. My recollection of JungleWorld is a bit blurry, but I do think that it was mediocre at best. The other Asian enclosures throughout the zoo are good though, but so are the enclosures at Blijdorp. I could be completely wrong on this though, and can be swayed if someone makes a good case for Bronx. Currently voting 2-1 for Blijdorp.
I'm going to vote 2-1 for Blijdorp here as well. I think for me personally, this phase in the cup is supposed to elaborate on the representation of a certain continent moreso than the individual species or enclosures. And when we're talking about representation of a specific continent, certainly Blijdorp is one of the most relevant contenders at the table across all zoos worldwide as they played a very big part internationally in introducing the concept of organizing zoos geographically. I'd also dare to say that Asia specifically is really where that concept comes to life the best. They don't just have a bunch of Asian species thrown together in otherwise very "European" enclosures, but went the extra mile to adjust the planting, to adjust the theming, to adjust the buildings... Not in a tacky way (like, for example, a Pairi Daiza - even though I don't completely dislike their aproach either) but in a way that truly gets you interested in the continent and the different biomes and animals within it. Bronx's Jungle World and the Wild Asia Monorail are both nothing short of impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed both areas (though they aren't without flaw either), but both could easily also have portrayed other continents if you just swapped out the species... And I feel like that doesn't deserve them a win in a category that focuses on the essence of the continent itself.
Species first: Blackbuck Indian Gaur Nilgai Bukharan Markhor Nubian Ibex (they're the AZA's bachelor herd holder) Himalayan Tahr Chital Indian Hog Deer Formosan Sika Deer Indian Sambar Western Tufted Deer Pere David's Deer North Indian Muntjac Burmese Brow-Antlered Deer Western Barasingha North Sulawesi Babirusa Greater Malay Chevrotain Western Red Panda Chinese Dhole Amur Leopard Amur Tiger Malayan Tiger Snow Leopard (including a wild-born male from Pakistan) Oriental Small-Clawed Otter Indian Flying Fox Przewalski's Wild Horse Indian Rhinoceros Malayan Tapir Javan Langur Silvered Leaf Monkey Northern White-Cheeked Gibbon Pygmy Slow Loris Indian Elephant Lesser Egyptian Jerboa African Grass Rat (I think this species is also in the Middle East) Arabian Spiny Mouse Eurasian Harvest Mouse Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat Sumatran Prevost's Squirrel Northern Treeshrew Cinereous Vulture Mandarin Duck Philippine Duck Wild Swan Goose Baer's Pochard Tufted Duck Ferruginous Duck Barnacle Goose Whooper Swan Falcated Duck Marbled Teal Smew Chinese Merganser Radjah Shelduck Old World Comb Duck Oriental Pied Hornbill Great Indian Hornbill Sanford's Dwarf Hornbill Sulawesi Knobbed Hornbill Tufted Puffin Eurasian Oystercatcher Common Tern Pied Avocet Storm's Stork Lesser Adjutant Stork Painted Stork Nicobar Pigeon Pied Imperial-Pigeon Luzon Bleeding-Heart Dove Black-Naped Fruit-Dove Chestnut-Breasted Malkoha Maleo Malayan Great Argus Chinese Bamboo-Partridge Lady Amherst's Pheasant Brown Eared-Pheasant Sri Lankan Junglefowl Green Junglefowl Himalayan Monal Silver Pheasant Swinhoe's Pheasant Indian Peafowl Mountain Peacock-Pheasant Palawan Peacock-Pheasant Crested Wood Partridge Mikado Pheasant Western Capercaillie Cabot's Tragopan Satyr Tragopan Temminck's Tragopan White-Naped Crane Red-Crowned Crane Black-Naped Crane White-Breasted Woodswallow Asian Azure-Winged Magpie Red-Billed Blue Magpie Blue-Faced Parrotfinch Tricolored Parrotfinch Java Sparrow Asian Fairy-Bluebird White-Crested Laughingthrush Red-Billed Leiothrix Oriental Magpie-Robin Blue Whistling-Thrush Black-Naped Oriole Bali Mynah Grosbeak Starling Chestnut-Backed Thrush Javan Pond-Heron Northern Bald Ibis Yellow-Crested Cockatoo Plum-Headed Parakeet Lord Derby's Parakeet Eurasian Eagle-Owl Snowy Owl Chinese Alligator Siamese Crocodile Ganges Gharial Sunda Gharial Philippine Sailfin Lizard Mangrove Snake Red-Tailed Green Ratsnake Indian Cobra (rescued, wild-born individual) King Cobra Reticulated Python Timor Python Burmese Python Malaysian Blood Python Chinese Crocodile Lizard Komodo Dragon Gray's Monitor Roti Island Snake-Necked Turtle Painted River Terrapin Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle Yellow-Headed Box Turtle Bourret's Box Turtle Chinese Box Turtle Indochinese Box Turtle McCord's Box Turtle Pan's Box Turtle Golden Coin Turtle Spotted Pond Turtle Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle Yellow-Headed Temple Turtle Sulawesi Forest Turtle Vietnamese Pond Turtle Bornean River Turtle Indian Roofed Turtle Beale's Four-Eyed Turtle Chinese Four-Eyed Turtle Chinese Big-Headed Turtle Forsten's Tortoise Malaysian Brown Tortoise Israeli Spur-Thighed Tortoise Borneo Eared Frog Vietnamese Mossy Frog Anderson's Alligator Newt Emperor Newt Common Paradisefish Giant Gourami Common Tinfoil Barb Filament Barb Sumatran Tiger Barb Atlantic Mudskipper Asian Arowana Banded Archerfish Spotted Scat Iridescent Shark-Catfish Green Pufferfish Poecilotheria regalis Heterometrus fulvipes Thyropygus pachyurus Sagra buqueti Macrochirus praetor Dorcus titanus Deroplatys desiccata Sipyloidea sipylus Heteropteryx dilatata Eurycantha calcarata Medauroidea extradentata I apologize if a couple of the fish and inverts fall outside of the match's range. I tried double-checking but it's late and I have work early in the morning. I don't have time to get into every individual enclosure right now but here are some of the highlights: Tigers- Bronx Zoo- Amur Tiger Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Tiger Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo 2010 - Part of Amur Tiger exhibit in Tiger Mountain - ZooChat Tiger Mountain- Amur Tiger Exhibit #2 - ZooChat Poacher's Truck - ZooChat Snow Leopard- Himalayan Highlands- Snow Leopard Exhibit #3 - ZooChat Himalayan Highlands- Snow Leopard Exhibit #1 - ZooChat Himalayan Highlands- Snow Leopard Exhibit #2 - ZooChat Elephant- Wild Asia Monorail - ZooChat Rhino- Bronx Zoo 2010 - Part of Indian Rhinoceros exhibit in Wild Asia - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Indian Rhino Exhibit - ZooChat (that wallow was made naturally by the various rhinos living in this enclosure since the monorail's opening in 1977. Both photos are of one enclosure) Other ungulates- Bronx Zoo- Wild Asia Deer Exhibit - ZooChat (only a fraction) Wild Asia - ZooChat (again only a fraction, for some reason there aren't any photographs of the other side of this massive enclosure which is completely forested) Bronx Zoo- Mongolian Wild Horse Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Gaur/ Brow Antlered Deer Exhibit - ZooChat Wild Asia Monorail - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Pere David's Deer Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Part 2 of Pere David's Deer Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo 2010 - Babirusa exhibit in Wild Asia - ZooChat Wild Asia - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Himalayan Tahr Exhibit - ZooChat Langur- JungleWorld- Silvered-Leaf Langur Exhibit - ZooChat Jungle World - ZooChat (yes, all indoors but I feel like this enclosure offers a lot more room and climbing opportunities than many of the outdoor langur enclosures I've seen in the US; the langurs can access that mockrock wall and ground area poorly shown in the back as well) Various birds/current chevrotain- Bronx Zoo- World of Birds- Large Mixed Exhibit - ZooChat (this enclosure is significantly deeper than the photo makes it appear and also spans the two stores of the building) Adjutant stork- Bronx Zoo- Lesser Adjutant Stork Aviary Outside Aquatic Bird House - ZooChat Cranes- Himalayan Highlands- White-Naped Crane Exhibit - ZooChat Bronx Zoo- Northern Ponds- Part 1 of Black-necked Crane Exhibit - ZooChat Gharial/turtles/fishes- Gharial, Malayan Giant River Turtle, fish - ZooChat (a portion, the reptiles can travel all the way up and down the string of waterfalls/pools if they like--and they do) Komodo Dragon- Bronx Zoo- Indoor Komodo Dragon Exhibit - ZooChat (maybe half? It's deeper than it looks and there are off-show enclosures, too, I believe. There are multiple outdoor yards but none appear to be photographed) JungleWorld main room- Malayan Tapir - Jungle World 031215 - ZooChat Painted Stork - Jungle World 031215 - ZooChat (small portion of the main room, I had the exact size down somewhere but I can't find it atm. It was larger in square footage than the San Diego outdoors aviaries iirc. @nczoofan may be able to supply it, though. Free-ranging home to the zoos gibbons, squirrels, flying foxes, and various birds) Let it be known than the oh-so-hated tiny nocturnal chevrotain enclosure and the tiny blood python in a log terrarium are, thankfully, no longer in use so if anyone else supplies further photos do not use those! Some additional notable points: -Bronx has acted as an import facility for Ganges Gharial in the US for some years now. I believe both San Diego and LA's animals originated from Bronx-led imports. -Bronx (along with San Diego) is almost singlehandedly maintaining several Asian hoofstock populations for US zoos. This is particularly true for their deer programs, where they (again along with San Diego) are solely keeping breeding herds of Sambar and North Indian Muntjac alive. Additionally the zoo keeps, I believe, roughly a third of the US Barasingha population, if not more. They also are one of the only zoos keeping and actively breeding Indian Gaur. They are also the zoo that imported the majority of the chevrotain founders for the population, and keep nearly half of all the breeding females. -The zoo is wildly successful in their tiger program. Not only do they have an award-winning exhibit Tiger Mountain dedicated solely to the two subspecies they keep, but they also have a superb enclosure in Wild Asia along with an entire off-exhibit breeding compound. In total the zoo keeps roughly a dozen tiger between the two subspecies and breeds them both fairly regularly. -The zoo was the second in the US to go into Przewalski's Wild Horses and has maintained a breeding herd ever since, possibly the largest herd in the country. Additionally the zoo was heavily involved with the reintroduced and continued conservation of the species in Central Asia. -As one may have noticed above, the zoo has a fantastic collection of Asian freshwater turtles. They zoo has had outstanding success with breeding most of their species, including several of their seven Cuora species. While the zoo does not currently keep any Northern River Terrapins, they do own the entire US population which is on loan to various other zoos across the country. population. Additionally, the zoo works in various countries across South and East Asia to protect endangered freshwater turtles. Specifically, I know the zoo has been involved in many reintroductions of captive-bred Batagur turtles as well as in the continued search for Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles, though their efforts will not stop there. -Recently the zoo started exhibiting Chinese Dhole, making them only the fifth US zoos to keep this species and only the fourth to actually exhibit them. By their new enclosure, the zoo has a fantastic line-up of signs discussing Dhole (and Canid) evolution, morphological differences across their range, and the conservation efforts the WCS has taken in preserving this species in the wild. -The zoo was the first US zoo to keep Snow Leopards, and have had outstanding breeding success ever since having produced over 70 cubs, the most recent of which was born this year. -As part of their ongoing Maleo conservation and research project in Sulawesi, the zoo maintains a large captive population of the birds. I believe the zoo holds the captive breeding record for this species and has been continuously breeding them for years now, including some chicks born this year. Additionally, Bronx-bred birds have been sent to various zoos across the US and even over to Walsrode in Germany as the only European holder. - Bronx is one of the few US zoos to keep cloud rats, which they specifically imported from Prague in order to establish a US population. -The zoo houses the only breeding population of adjutant storks in the country, and has been a source of new animals for other zoos including Paignton in the UK. -On top of all of the above, the WCS participates in conservation projects across Asia, in countries including but not necessarily limited to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In these countries they have fantastic conservation programs for pretty much any and all endangered species which live in them, from elephants to pangolins to Tibetan Antelope to songbirds to turtles. One such program which springs to mind is their establishment of a protected breeding site in Cambodia for Giant Ibis and Greater Adjutant Stork, which they helped create by working with the local farmers to build more efficient and environmentally friendly farming techniques (there's a fascinating YouTube video on their channel about it). I look forward to being able to catch up on the discussion/answer any questions tomorrow night! ~Thylo
[QUOTE="Vision, post: Bronx's Jungle World and the Wild Asia Monorail are both nothing short of impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed both areas (though they aren't without flaw either), but both could easily also have portrayed other continents if you just swapped out the species... And I feel like that doesn't deserve them a win in a category that focuses on the essence of the continent itself.[/QUOTE] The vegetation (real and artificial) used in Jungleworld is almost all comprised of Asian species or closely related forms. It is by far the most realistically simulated Asian rainforest habitat in any non-Asian zoo; it is absurd to claim the efforts are “generic.” Rotterdam has done a nice job using sort-of-tropical-looking plantings and some architectural theming to suggest Asian environments, but the artificial elements in the indoor habitats there are much less detailed or specifically “Asian” than those in the 35-year old Bronx rainforest.
An interesting pairing. I feel the public face of both of these zoos is, similarly, a bit tatty, with - in general, and in the Asian displays in particular – exhibits that were, and could still be, excellent, allowed to slip a little bit. Of the various big jungle houses that I have seen (Brookfield, Omaha, Boston, and Topeka if it counts!) jungle world is by far the best. However, it does look as if it could do with a bit of a makeover: the extent to which the pedagogical material has been allowed to become outdated is really shameful (and that leopard box doesn’t get any better either). Meanwhile, over in the Netherlands what was once a great walk through aviary is now a crumbling mess, while other enclosures and displays are showing their age. However, there is much to applaud at both places. Rotterdam’s Banteng and Lion-tailed Macaque exhibits are lovely, as is that for Red Pandas. The Polar Bear thing is pretty good too. But I think this has to be a walkover for Bronx. Despite the issues mentioned above, Jungle World is tremendous. I’m no fan of monorail-only exhibits, but Wild Asia has some fantastic stuff to see. The Tiger and Snow Leopard areas are really first class. And, throughout the zoo, there are other Asian species which are really worth seeing in, for example, the Reptile House, the World of Birds, and the Mouse House. The days when the main building at Blijdorp had some incredible reptiles (and Orangutans!) are sadly long gone.
I'm not gonna vote because I have no knowledge of Rotterdam... and I would probably just vote 3-0 Bronx
Most of them have the bog-standard rectangular terrariums mounted in the wall set up with some plants and dirt thrown in, so not the most spectacular exhibits but the species are lovely as you say. One of the stick insects do have a much larger and taller enclosures with branches as well. The zoo also has a crayfish mixed in one of the fish tanks in JW, though it's not even labeled to genus level so I don't know if it's even an Asian species or not. ~Thylo
A little late but I found it for anyone interested. The free-flight room is roughly 20,000sqft in size. I'm not sure on height but it's pretty tall. ~Thylo
