Top 5 favourite exhibits at Chester zoo
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Komodo99
Well-Known Member
As suggested,how about we do our least favourite exhibits at the zoo?It would be interesting to know.
1.Chimpanzee house-gets way to crowded
2.Mythical macaws-Just doesn't appeal to me and it is quite out of the way that other exhibits
3.Dinosaurs when they are on-I love dinosaurs and Chesters animatronic's last year where brilliant but the path was way to narrow especially since children and prams were blocking it(I know this is to be expected to a degree when you go to a zoo)
4.Lemur island-You barely see the lemurs sometimes which I know is part of their nature but you sometimes can go a whole trip without seeing one
5.Lion enclosure-I love the lions and I am sure this has been mentioned before but I personally don't think the lions have a good quality enclosure when compared to the new yurt for the cheetahs and comes nowhere near as close to what the jaguars and tigers have
I apologise if this comes off as a rant and I know there will be people who disagree with my choices but we are all here for an interesting discussion.
1.Chimpanzee house-gets way to crowded
2.Mythical macaws-Just doesn't appeal to me and it is quite out of the way that other exhibits
3.Dinosaurs when they are on-I love dinosaurs and Chesters animatronic's last year where brilliant but the path was way to narrow especially since children and prams were blocking it(I know this is to be expected to a degree when you go to a zoo)
4.Lemur island-You barely see the lemurs sometimes which I know is part of their nature but you sometimes can go a whole trip without seeing one
5.Lion enclosure-I love the lions and I am sure this has been mentioned before but I personally don't think the lions have a good quality enclosure when compared to the new yurt for the cheetahs and comes nowhere near as close to what the jaguars and tigers have
I apologise if this comes off as a rant and I know there will be people who disagree with my choices but we are all here for an interesting discussion.
Water Dragon
Well-Known Member
The only exhibit at the zoo that I don't enjoy is the Chimpanzee house as there is never enough viewing space and it is usually really cramped and crowded in there. The outdoor enclosure is fine though.
taun
Well-Known Member
Top five in no particular order.
Secret world of the Okapi - This exhibit when new was ok but the years now it matures and has a great canopy of trees. Down side needs more hiding opportunity indoors for the animals.
Spirit of the Jaguar - Shows of the different areas jaguars live well, it is well laid out to house several animals. Down side, looking a little tired and was sad to see the rocks on the waterfall side overgrown with Ivy.
Asian Plains - Great mixed species exhibit and maybe more to do with management of animals but managed to keep the grass with the heavy Greater one horned Rhinos. Downside Rhinos are not very showy but when they are its good viewing.
Tropical realm - think it speaks for its self and IMO better than the monsoon rain forest. Okay may not be in the heyday of species on show but for someone that likes Hornbills its a must on any visit to the zoo.
Cloud forest - I love the landscaping on this, and getting glimpse of a bear is sometimes more exciting than when it is laying there. Downside unsuitable for multiple bears, maybe should have been permanently split between and on show and off shown enclosure.
Secret world of the Okapi - This exhibit when new was ok but the years now it matures and has a great canopy of trees. Down side needs more hiding opportunity indoors for the animals.
Spirit of the Jaguar - Shows of the different areas jaguars live well, it is well laid out to house several animals. Down side, looking a little tired and was sad to see the rocks on the waterfall side overgrown with Ivy.
Asian Plains - Great mixed species exhibit and maybe more to do with management of animals but managed to keep the grass with the heavy Greater one horned Rhinos. Downside Rhinos are not very showy but when they are its good viewing.
Tropical realm - think it speaks for its self and IMO better than the monsoon rain forest. Okay may not be in the heyday of species on show but for someone that likes Hornbills its a must on any visit to the zoo.
Cloud forest - I love the landscaping on this, and getting glimpse of a bear is sometimes more exciting than when it is laying there. Downside unsuitable for multiple bears, maybe should have been permanently split between and on show and off shown enclosure.
Dragons in danger-Any building that contains both ploughshare tortoise and balabac chevrotain is a brilliant exhibit in my book
Monsoon Forest-Despite it's flaws, still an impressive structure housing some impressive species
Tropical Realm- Had dropped down in my ranking, but with the aye-aye & jumping rat area and some more unusual reptile species on display, it is now back up there.
Spirit of the Jaguar-excellent jaguar enclosures and a wonderful aquarium
Miniature monkeys-Nice clear viewing of some very entertaining primates-always amazing to watch them in the outdoor enclosures, when they use them!
Monsoon Forest-Despite it's flaws, still an impressive structure housing some impressive species
Tropical Realm- Had dropped down in my ranking, but with the aye-aye & jumping rat area and some more unusual reptile species on display, it is now back up there.
Spirit of the Jaguar-excellent jaguar enclosures and a wonderful aquarium
Miniature monkeys-Nice clear viewing of some very entertaining primates-always amazing to watch them in the outdoor enclosures, when they use them!
Realm of the Red Ape- In my opinion the best Orangutan exhibit in the UK and also has my favorite species in, Bornean Orang-utans.
Tropical Realm- I had never really been a big fan of the Tropical Realm but thanks to the 2017 ZooChat Challenge I have spent more time in there birding (Seen everything bar the Brazilian Tanager) and have started to appreciate this great structure and by far the best tropical house at Chester.
Tsavo Rhino Reserve- This place holds a special place in my heart as when I was growing up Rhinos where my favorite animal and used to spend hours there although it is more the occasional pop to see which Rhino is where.
Rainbow Aviaries- This one is one of my favorite aviaries in the zoo due to the fact it in itself is a challenge; seen everything in there apart from the Fairy Blue Bird and Crested Partridge
The Outdoor Sumatran Orang enclosure in Islands- I like it due to its size and also the tall aviary like structure is a great addition as it encourages the Orangs to climb a bit more
Tropical Realm- I had never really been a big fan of the Tropical Realm but thanks to the 2017 ZooChat Challenge I have spent more time in there birding (Seen everything bar the Brazilian Tanager) and have started to appreciate this great structure and by far the best tropical house at Chester.
Tsavo Rhino Reserve- This place holds a special place in my heart as when I was growing up Rhinos where my favorite animal and used to spend hours there although it is more the occasional pop to see which Rhino is where.
Rainbow Aviaries- This one is one of my favorite aviaries in the zoo due to the fact it in itself is a challenge; seen everything in there apart from the Fairy Blue Bird and Crested Partridge
The Outdoor Sumatran Orang enclosure in Islands- I like it due to its size and also the tall aviary like structure is a great addition as it encourages the Orangs to climb a bit more
My turn for a bottom five, and these are in order of displeasure.
1. short-eared elephant shrew exhibits in the Secret World - nice ears, shame about the space
2. Jack the onager's paddock, formerly held wapiti, bongo & banteng - poor viewing & wasted space
3. the lemur and monkey islands opposite the cheetahs and onagers - dreadful viewing
4. the tree shrew & cloud rat exhibit in the Elephant House - poor viewing, poor lighting, poorly laid out
5. as you've guessed already - the Nissen Hut
1. short-eared elephant shrew exhibits in the Secret World - nice ears, shame about the space
2. Jack the onager's paddock, formerly held wapiti, bongo & banteng - poor viewing & wasted space
3. the lemur and monkey islands opposite the cheetahs and onagers - dreadful viewing
4. the tree shrew & cloud rat exhibit in the Elephant House - poor viewing, poor lighting, poorly laid out
5. as you've guessed already - the Nissen Hut
Not to be pedantic or anything but the Onager is called Holmes
taun
Well-Known Member
But this paddock is a jack of all trades and therefore will house all sorts over the years with no fixed residence. Why not hide it when you have designed exhibits for other species?
Water Dragon
Well-Known Member
Another one that I am not over fond of is the sitatunga paddock. Though there is plenty of space in there, sitatunga are wetland species and the ones at Chester are in a grasslandy paddock.
The aquarium I think is brilliant but it just gets too crowded in there sometimes.
I agree with Gentle Lemur on the canal islands for being terrible for viewing. I have never seen anything in there once!
Finally the old cassowary because there's nothing in it!!
The aquarium I think is brilliant but it just gets too crowded in there sometimes.
I agree with Gentle Lemur on the canal islands for being terrible for viewing. I have never seen anything in there once!
Finally the old cassowary because there's nothing in it!!
Sorry WD, the aquarium is not brilliant, far from it, it is make do and mend at over 50 years old what the keepers and management have achieved over the years is nothing short of incredible, but surely this facility is reaching end of life, or certainly end of use as an aquarium.
Thank you. I wonder why I thought it was Jack?Not to be pedantic or anything but the Onager is called Holmes
I don't know about the condition of the Aquarium's structure, but virtually all the tanks are relatively new and the biggest have been reglazed in the past year - so I assume that it will continue in use for some years at least. I agree that a new purpose-built aquarium would look very different from this one and allow much more scope for keeping a variety of interesting species. Suggestions about a new aquarium have been in the air for so long that I won't believe anything until I see someone digging foundations with my own eyes. However, as I said earlier in this thread, the current set of exhibits is better than any that I remember, which is a real achievement by the staff as you say.
This has been mentioned on here before. There was talk of the Zoo making a pond for them but nothing has happened. Its particularly ironic as the enclosure signage shows(or did) them splashing through marshland in their natural habitat. Some zoos make an effort to give this semi-aquatic species some water in their enclosure, others don't. I'm surprised Chester seem in the latter category on this.
Top five (in no particular order):
1. Tropical Realm
2. RORA
3. Spirit of the Jaguar
4. Monkey Islands
5. Fruit Bat Forest
Bottom five (in no particular order):
1. Chimpanzee house (outdoor exhibit is fine)
2. Aquarium
3. Monkey islands by cheetahs/onagers
4. Binturong enclosure
5. Nissen Hut
1. Tropical Realm
2. RORA
3. Spirit of the Jaguar
4. Monkey Islands
5. Fruit Bat Forest
Bottom five (in no particular order):
1. Chimpanzee house (outdoor exhibit is fine)
2. Aquarium
3. Monkey islands by cheetahs/onagers
4. Binturong enclosure
5. Nissen Hut
You are not the only one.
