Bad UK Zoos?

Water Dragon

Water Dragon

Well-Known Member
I have visited a fair amount of zoos, aquariums and collections in the UK, mostly in the north-west, and with most that I have visited, I feel that they look after their animals properly. I suppose that most zoos have to be up to standard because of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which states the law of the five animal needs and the consequences of breaking them.

Of all the zoos that I have visited, the only one that I feel is bad is South Lakes Safari Zoo. This is the only bad collection that I have visited though, and the only one in the UK that I know for sure is bad; but I have heard that Beaver Water World isn't very good either.

I am interested to know if anyone here has visited a UK zoo that they don't feel looks after their animals properly, or is just a bad collection. Please remember that this is an opinion thread so we don't get any "heated" discussions.
 
Water Dragon said:
Please remember that this is an opinion thread so we don't get any "heated" discussions.
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Maybe i'm just cynical, but surely an opinion thread is more likely to descend into a heated discussion? :P I understand your point, though.

Other than South Lakes, the only time I have felt genuinely concerned for an animal's welfare while visiting a zoo is the atrocious mixed species reptile exhibit at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis.
 
Swampy said:
Other than South Lakes, the only time I have felt genuinely concerned for an animal's welfare while visiting a zoo is the atrocious mixed species reptile exhibit at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis.
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I was there on Wednesday, and I can gladly say that exhibit is no longer there :).
 
Water Dragon said:
I have visited a fair amount of zoos, aquariums and collections in the UK, mostly in the north-west, and with most that I have visited, I feel that they look after their animals properly. I suppose that most zoos have to be up to standard because of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which states the law of the five animal needs and the consequences of breaking them.
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The Zoo Licensing Act is the law which applies to zoos in England and Wales. It aims to protect the visitors and staff as well as the animals and to ensure that zoos promote conservation and education. If this Act is administered properly, there should be no bad zoos here (the laws in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different in detail, but very similar overall). The South Lakes case shows that there can be problems in applying the law, but Parliament will probably have bigger fish to fry in the next few years.
 
While it is not a bad collection per say,The UK collection I enjoyed the least was Sea Life Manchester.While I did get to see the sea turtle there and they do have some interesting exhibits such as a slider to change the colour of some jellyfish(ghost jellies I think,correct me if I am wrong) I just feel as though it is not really a necessary place for a collection considering it is attached to a large shopping centre and indoor theme park.

The animals are nice with my particular favourites being the moray eels,I felt as though many of the species were the "been there seen it" types.

That's just my opinion though as I have been to quite a few good aquariums before and seen some magnificent species and exhibits,I just feel as though this particular collection has missed on the potential that the other Sea Life centres have.
 
Komodo99 said:
While it is not a bad collection per say,The UK collection I enjoyed the least was Sea Life Manchester.While I did get to see the sea turtle there and they do have some interesting exhibits such as a slider to change the colour of some jellyfish(ghost jellies I think,correct me if I am wrong) I just feel as though it is not really a necessary place for a collection considering it is attached to a large shopping centre and indoor theme park.

The animals are nice with my particular favourites being the moray eels,I felt as though many of the species were the "been there seen it" types.

That's just my opinion though as I have been to quite a few good aquariums before and seen some magnificent species and exhibits,I just feel as though this particular collection has missed on the potential that the other Sea Life centres have.
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I see what you are saying but the thread was about UK collections that don't look after animals very well.
 
Water Dragon said:
I see what you are saying but the thread was about UK collections that don't look after animals very well.
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This may be an unpopular opinion but a visit to Welsh Mountain Zoo last year left a slightly sour opinion of the zoo.I personally felt that some of the enclosures were not up to certain standards.
In order of displeasment
Burmese Python
Easily the worst snake exhibit I have ever seen,the animal is at least 16 feet long and practically coils up all day and does'not move(I know that this part of their behaviour,but this does'nt excuse an enclosure of this size)I'm not the only one who shares this opinion as one of the heads of my reptile club who has cared for snakes of various sizes for more than 20 years visited and questioned a keeper about it.
Ostrich
Small,muddy paddock with to short of a fence,I saw someone attempt to place their hand over the fence to pet the animal which may not have been a good idea.Are the ostriches allowed into the fields behind them or is this their permanent enclosure?
Humboldt Penguins
When I visited,all the penguins where out of the water and standing very close to the fence.The habitat was covered in faeces which seems as though the keepers may not have bothered to clean the enclosure
Snow Leopards
Hopefully the enclosure is due to improve but,I really did not like what I saw here.I prefer Lakeland Wildlife Oasis's enclosure better as the animals have proper off show areas,Two outdoor areas(despite on lacking some cover) and the ability to hide.I do know this exhibit is only set up for just the two leopards and potentially new cubs.
Bactrian Camels
Keeping two camels in a barn with a small section of grass surrounded with an electric fence at human shin/knee height plus near the main car park just does' the sit right with me.

This is my opinion and I know people will disagree but so be it.
 
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SealPup said:
What was wrong with the collection? (Species pls.)
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There used to be a mixed vivarium which housed green iguana, bearded dragon, blue-tongued skink, Asian water dragon, major plated lizard and a tortoise species all together. Thankfully that exhibit is no longer there.
 
Komodo99 said:
Bactrian Camels
Keeping two camels in a barn with a small section of grass surrounded with an electric fence at human shin/knee height plus near the main car park just does' the sit right with me.
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If memory serves me correctly then the camels are in the old African elephant house and enclosure. How much worse would it have looked with two elephant cows in there?

And in response to the original question, I do not think any zoo I've visited provides less than adequate care for their charges. I am aware of SLWAP but that is the exception rather than the rule over here.
 
Brum said:
If memory serves me correctly then the camels are in the old African elephant house and enclosure. How much worse would it have looked with two elephant cows in there?

And in response to the original question, I do not think any zoo I've visited provides less than adequate care for their charges. I am aware of SLWAP but that is the exception rather than the rule over here.
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I just looked up some of the old photos of the camel house and it did use to house elephants.I can't imagine what it must have been like for them,escpecially since when I saw the camels one was arching it's neck over the electric fence just to graze on some grass.Plus being located near the car park full of loud vehicles and screaming kids must be stressful for both the camels and elephants.
 
Komodo99 said:
I just looked up some of the old photos of the camel house and it did use to house elephants.I can't imagine what it must have been like for them,escpecially since when I saw the camels one was arching it's neck over the electric fence just to graze on some grass.Plus being located near the car park full of loud vehicles and screaming kids must be stressful for both the camels and elephants.
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Although this isn't a UK zoo, I remember visiting the old elephant house at Copenhagen and that was much worse but thankfully they have now been moved to a far better enclosure
 
I don't think I have visited a BAD zoological collection but must admit I have visited a few that could do with improving there aviaries it seems to be a collective thing around zoos by this I mean they seem to put birds species in exhibits and then leave the shrubbery & tree's to just grow without much effort on pruning and weedings other than this I think MOST if not ALL collections do a good job in their efforts to give the animals a good living standard.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
I don't think I have visited a BAD zoological collection but must admit I have visited a few that could do with improving there aviaries it seems to be a collective thing around zoos by this I mean they seem to put birds species in exhibits and then leave the shrubbery & tree's to just grow without much effort on pruning and weedings other than this I think MOST if not ALL collections do a good job in their efforts to give the animals a good living standard.
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True statement. I agree with what you say about the overgrown foliage in aviaries being a recurring problem and many zoos. It also happens to not just aviaries but exhibits in general. I think a good example would be the canal islands at Chester as I have never seen anything in them once.

PS: 400th post (sorry I just had to get it out there):p
 
Water Dragon said:
True statement. I agree with what you say about the overgrown foliage in aviaries being a recurring problem and many zoos. It also happens to not just aviaries but exhibits in general. I think a good example would be the canal islands at Chester as I have never seen anything in them once.

PS: 400th post (sorry I just had to get it out there):p
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The new Javan Green Magpie aviary is an example of that.
 
Water Dragon said:
From the pictures that I have seen of it, I don't think that it is overgrowth that is the problem/ I think that it is just more the lighting in it that is bad.
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Nissen Hut maybe,but I feel we have gone off topic slightly,as you said this thread is to discuss zoos that don't take good care of their animals.
 
Water Dragon said:
There used to be a mixed vivarium which housed green iguana, bearded dragon, blue-tongued skink, Asian water dragon, major plated lizard and a tortoise species all together. Thankfully that exhibit is no longer there.
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All got along but the differing needs of the animals suggest there ought to have been more problems. Then again iguanas live in drier savannahs not just rainorests (where do most in the UK come from?), similarly blue tongues come from varied habitats and locations. Water dragons are from subtropical humidity environments and so on but are hardy and adaptable. But honestly the ambient climate in most reptile houses with a similar variety of species, will be the same across the different vivaria, no?

Some odd combinations work, or at least seem to. Large tortoises, rhino iguanas and carpet pythons (Blackpool), or even mixing green iguanas with Nile monitors (which are predators on animals smaller than themselves) and the like.

All the species you named were placid enough and well suited to a mixed exhibit, the iffiest being the bearded dragon as I heard of one eating a Berber skink(!) but even then, beardeds coexist easily with tortoises and other Australian lizards. I was told the reptiles were not free roam because people touch them. At one point there were softbills, roulroul and fruit bats flying round and marmosets in a corner. It was very nice if suboptimal because of running costs.
 
SealPup said:
But honestly the ambient climate in most reptile houses with a similar variety of species, will be the same across the different vivaria, no?
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Not always. It''s not that hard to vary thinks like humidity, temperature and lighting across different enclosures within the same room.
 
Mr. Zootycoon said:
Not always. It''s not that hard to vary thinks like humidity, temperature and lighting across different enclosures within the same room.
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True but harder than you seem to think when there is much ambient humidity in a room its hard to dehumidify one spot of the total area. Temperature is easy enough to vary and so is lighting but humidity can be a pain. In the Lakeland mixed exhibit though, what struck me is the different humidity requirements of the species involved: all the herps could move to and from a lamp regardless of own optimal temp preference, and UV comes from the roof for all.

In all its a nice hall/greenhouse and I would do it differently, but... it works for the hardy species are involved?
 
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