The final first round match is among the most consequential we've had. Two European super-heavyweights with Cup-winning credentials, but Prague is in serious danger of elimination if it can't scrounge a win (and might miss out even if it does). Chester will progress with a win, but a heavy defeat could see it tumble out instead. The topic? Carnivores.
Chester species list: African wild dog Asian small-clawed otter Asiatic lion Bush dog Dwarf mongoose Fossa Giant otter Grandidier’s Vontsira Jaguar Meerkat Nepalese red panda Northern Narrow-striped boky Palawan binturong Scottish wildcat Spectacled Bear Sudan cheetah Sumatran tiger Sun bear
Prague species list: Amur leopard Asiatic lion Brown hyena Bush dog Cape fur seal Central African ratel Caracal Dwarf mongoose Eurasian wolf Fennec fox Fishing cat Geoffroy's cat Indochinese clouded leopard Indochinese smooth-coated otter Jaguarundi Javan leopard Malayan tiger Maned wolf Meerkat Nepalese red panda North American river otter Northern raccoon Oncilla Palawan binturong Palawan leopard cat Philippine palm civet Polar bear Siberian tiger South African bat-eared fox South African cheetah South American coati Sri Lankan rusty spotted cat Sumatran tiger Tayra White-nosed coati Yellow mongoose So that's Prague 36 - 19 Chester in species...
Prague does however not have the enclosures to beat Chester, with the Polar bear and quite a number of the Cat enclosures being quite poor.
And again a competition from which I only know 1 collection personaly. At Prague Zoo I found the carnivore collection quite impressive with a number of rare and rarely seen species and even a lifer on subspecies level ( Palawan leopard cat ). Some of the enclosure were very large ( Cheetah , Brown hyena - althrough the species himself was not visuable ), others were a little bit small and one - the Polar bear was IMO very small. Overall I found it one of the better carnivore-collections I've seen and because I've not seen Chesters carnivore-collection myself - althrough there's written quite a lot about here on ZooChat - I'll give a 2-1 score for Prague.
I think as well that whilst the bat-eared fox and ratel enclosures are not bad they are not fantastic either. I will be voting 2-1 to Chester based on exhibit quality.
Sadly, one of the those two fantastic zoos, witch could fight in a Final four will perhaps leave the game. Prague is awesome zoo with one of the biggest and most diverse Carnivore collection I have seen , but Chester's Spirit of Jaguar, Giant Otter and Fossa exhibits are in the league of it's own.I will vote for Chester 2:1 now, but could be convinced to change side.
OK I agree that the polar bear enclosure is poor but it is being redone into a massive exhibit, so.... Secondly, I would certainly not say that some of the cat exhibits are extremely poor... If you refer to the oncilla, one that is mediocre at worst...! Here are some photos of Prague: Thanks to @HOMIN96 , @lintworm and @Robaque especially (I think) So starting with smaller species: So these (I'm guessing) are the 'quite poor' enclosures. I would not even say that it approaches poor, although my benchmark may well be lower than yours @lintworm. The top exhibit for jaguarundis is well-planted, with lots of space and many places to hide. It is a good exhibit. The entrance to the oncilla exhibit viewing tunnel is shown in the second photo. I couldn't find a picture showing the actual exhibit, but from the small view we have of it, I imagine it is similar-ish to the jaguarundi exhibit and same with the tayras in the third photo. Then, the leopard cats. While the exhibit may look slightly shabby, the enclosure itself is suitable and good. There is plenty of height to the enclosure, allowing the cats to climb as they would in the wild. Therefore, the bad exhibits aren't actually bad at all really... This is a small section of the coati exhibit, which is lushly planted, with lots of natural climbing opportunities as well as viewing opportunities for visitors. This makes it a very good exhibit for a species often overlooked in zoos. The second photo shows the extent of the exhibit properly, while the first shows a small section. It is a spacious and well-proportioned exhibit with a slide, clear water and a long range of viewing windows. A good exhibit on the whole. This immense exhibit for bush dogs is outstanding compared to the exhibits this species is normally housed in. Very spacious and impressive. Meanwhile, the otter exhibit is also very large and well-suited to the species. It also has large viewing windows. And lastly, probably the best and most striking red panda exhibit I have ever seen, it reflects the red panda's mountainous home, while being based around Nepalese trees and the dense foliage reflets the thick tops of the trees of the Nepalese mountain forests in which they live. the photo only shows part of the enclosure. The exhibit is also built on a natural slant, which also allows visitors to view from above and below. More in the next post.
While Prague does have Chester beat out species-wise and while I don't entirely agree with the degree to which Prague's enclosures have been described (Polar Bear definitely aside), I think Chester has the win here. Chester is a zoo that is actively working on importing new and endangered species, and is willing to be one of the first to join in on new captive programs (vontsirsa, mongoose). They also have some pretty fantastic enclosures that do beat Prague's overall. The Giant Otter enclosure in particular is superb, and from photos it looks like they arguably have the best Fossa enclosure around. On top of all of that, they do excellent conservation work in several countries around the globe. Their Scottish Wildcat complex is even completely bts so that the cats may potentially be reintroduced back into the wild. 2-1 Chester for me. ~Thylo
Minor correction - Herpestes auropunctatus. This is quite a painful round, as I personally think both of these collections deserve to progress over their two rivals but this cannot be, so we just have to tackle things head-on. Prague is the superior collection in terms of species (both number and diversity), this is without doubt... but Chester isn't too shabby in this regard either and has the better exhibit quality overall in my opinion. I may detail the factors on both sides in more depth anon, but for now ... 2-1 Chester
I'm rather interested to know the answer to this one too On another note, I wonder how many of us have visited both collections - probably the majority, for once.
I have not. However, I do plan to visit in a few years' time after the San Diego and Monterey trip and Berlin, Leipzig, Chester and a few other places. I have however visited Chester before, and after looking through the whole Prague gallery I can assure you that I do know what the enclosures look like. Note: I did not immediately start off with a pre-set idea of who I wanted to win, I don't do that. It is only now that I have looked through both galleries and species lists that I am making my mind up. And here are the other enclosures: OK Prague is one of the only zoos in the world with brown hyenas, and they don't house them in meagre accommodation either. This immense exhibit is basically devoted to the species. They have isolation areas, connecting areas and containment areas. It is truly immense. This massive cheetah exhibit is very suitable for the species. Probably one of the best enclosures for the species in the world apart from Beauval's. This is another large enclosure and lots of places to hide (for Asiatic lions) I know you can't see the enclosure very well, but it is good in other photos. An average enclosure for Javan leopards. Could do with a little more space but enough places to hide. This is the Malayan tiger exhibit and I genuinely think it is a good enclosure. It has cover, it has a massive pool for these water-loving cats and it is far enough away to give the cats some privacy. This is a massive exhibit for maned wolves. Very nice exhibit overall, representing the Pampas well. The Siberian tiger exhibit is also very nice, simulating the Russian taiga. Although you can't really see the exhibit, it is large and spacious. Also, Prague's species list basically blows Chester's out of the water: If you delete all species that are in both collections... Amur leopard Brown hyena Cape fur seal Central African ratel Caracal Eurasian wolf Fennec fox Fishing cat Geoffroy's cat Indochinese clouded leopard Indochinese smooth-coated otter Jaguarundi Javan leopard Malayan tiger Maned wolf North American river otter Northern raccoon Oncilla Palawan leopard cat Philippine palm civet Polar bear Siberian tiger South African bat-eared fox South American coati Sri Lankan rusty spotted cat Tayra White-nosed coati Yellow mongoose African wild dog Asian small-clawed otter Fossa Giant otter Grandidier’s Vontsira Jaguar Northern Narrow-striped boky Scottish wildcat Spectacled Bear Sun bear 3 subspecies of tiger, 2 of leopard, brown hyenas... what more can you ask for?
Worth noting also that 4 of Chester's are offshow too! How many of Prague's are offshow? Offshow shouldn't necessarily be discounted, but I don't think they should carry quite the same weight as what you can see. Take out the offshow species and Prague has well over twice as many and interesting species too! If Chester didn't have good exhibits this would be 3-0 Prague for me. I voted 2-1 though
Is Prague, a strong candidate for the best zoo in Europe, really going to tumble out of the competition? Is it the luck of the draw that is seeing zoos like Prague, Pairi Daiza, Miami and Burgers all get booted...or what other explanation can there be? Burgers' Zoo has superb exhibits but not a huge collection of animals, but those other zoos are massive, all-day zoos with not only lots of species but also very good exhibits. This tournament is throwing up some curveballs and that is making things very exciting.
I would say it point blank is the best zoo in Europe... I think Prague does certainly deserve to get close to winning this competition, which is part of the reason why I am campaigning for it...