ZooChat Cup Semi-final #1: Prague (1) vs Chester (5)

[CGSwans]

Is this the one where Prague is finally challenged? Or even toppled? It hasn't lost more than one vote in any contest so far - including its 33-1 romp over Doue-la-Fontaine - but, with all due respect to Artis, Colchester, Bristol and Doue-la-Fontaine, none of them are Chester. The latter dispensed with giant-killer Planckendael, 23-6.

This time? Miscellaneous mammals and primates, for a spot in the final.

 

[lintworm]

Primates is certainly not the strength of Prague, with hardly any memorable enclosures bar the Moloch... Based on pictures Chester seems far ahead in that category. For the other mammals it gets more competitive I feel...

 

[Canihelpyou?]

Im going to go with chester zoo.

 

[DesertRhino150]

Rather than going through and listing every species (I'm sure someone else will do that), I will simply put down the numbers of different groups at both zoos (going from Zootierliste).

Miscellaneous Mammals
Aardvark
1 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Hyrax
1 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Tenrec
2 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Sengi
1 at Chester; 2 at Prague

Insectivore
0 at Chester; 2 at Prague

Bat
2 at Chester; 2 at Prague

Xenartha
2 at Chester; 2 at Prague

Tree shrew
1 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Rodent
8 at Chester; 32 at Prague

Marsupial
2 at Chester; 9 at Prague

Monotreme
0 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Primates
Lemurs
5 at Chester; 4 at Prague

Other prosimians (Lorises, galagos)
0 at Chester; 4 at Prague

New World monkeys
9 at Chester; 3 at Prague

Old World monkeys
3 at Chester; 4 at Prague

Lesser apes
2 at Chester; 1 at Prague

Great apes
3 at Chester; 2 at Prague

While Chester wins on primates rather convincingly, for miscellaneous mammals it depends on whether the superior number of species in the collection is exciting enough. I'm not especially fussed whether a zoo has three different species of spiny mice, or five kinds of porcupine. That, coupled with the quality of enclosures for the species they have, means I will vote for Chester.

 

[Ned]

Wondering through Prague's Africa house with Mechow's mole-rat, ratel, four species of galago and those just for starters, takes some beating.

 

[Vision]

Primates is certainly not the strength of Prague, with hardly any memorable enclosures bar the Moloch... Based on pictures Chester seems far ahead in that category. For the other mammals it gets more competitive I feel...

Aren't we forgetting the macaque enclosure? The enclosure for Barbary macaques (with the useage of actual tall rock cliffs) is something very exciting and easily beats most other macaque/baboon enclosures I've seen...

In small mammals there's absolutely no doubt that Prague would win (even discounting the rodents in both collections, Prague wins this match-up 22 vs 12, with at least 2 of Chester's 12 still being off-show), and in primates the collection is quite close (18 vs 22) but more variable on Prague's side, so my vote goes to Prague.

 

[Charlie Simmomds]

In defence of Chester’s misc mammal variety it should be significant that several species at the zoo are the only in the uk the main being pademelons. And while some aren’t yet on show they will be soon. As well as this there enclosures are decent. The bat cave is large and immersive, the sloth exhibit, recently expanded is large and unique for British zoos I can’t think of another outdoor sloth enclosure in the uk.

 

[Vision]

In defence of Chester’s misc mammal variety it should be significant that several species at the zoo are the only in the uk the main being pademelons. And while some aren’t yet on show they will be soon. As well as this there enclosures are decent. The bat cave is large and immersive, the sloth exhibit, recently expanded is large and unique for British zoos I can’t think of another outdoor sloth enclosure in the uk.

All good points, but we're not comparing Chester to British zoos, we're comparing Chester to Prague

Are there any pictures of Chester's bat cave in the gallery? I don't think I've seen any.

 

[Rafiaan]

The bat cave is large and immersive, the sloth exhibit, recently expanded is large and unique for British zoos I can’t think of another outdoor sloth enclosure in the uk.

I can, it's in Colchester Zoo. And while Chester is probably the number one zoo in England, it's collection of miscellaneous mammals simply isn't as impressive as Prague's one. If you consider dusky pademelons, which are by the way also held at Exmoor Zoo according to Zootierliste, as the main rarity of Chester, then Prague has to win. Prague Zoo has some species in this category that are quite a bit rarer than the pademelons, and a larger number of species too. And primates is probably not Prague's strongest category, but their collection is actually quite impressive.

 

[kiang]

In defence of Chester’s misc mammal variety it should be significant that several species at the zoo are the only in the uk the main being pademelons.

There are pademelons now at Exmoor zoo, so no longer an exclusive.

 

[Fallax]

Voting for Chester because all of their exhibits are great. From Monsoon Forest to Fruit Bat Forest they are all around spectacular. I have never seen a better exhibit for bats then that at Chester and also the monkey house is really great despite being a bit overgrown. The 3 species of great ape have wonderful enclosures and Miniature Monkeys is quite an interesting experience. Also the aye-ayes mixed with jumping rats is a unique combination. Chester has quite a variety in other mammals. Capybara and Giant Anteater have a spacious paddock to roam, the sloth exhibit is really innovative with the ropes leading outside. The new enclosures on Islands while yet to be filled are great for the Prevost's Squirrels, Pademelons and Tree Kangaroos (at least, they look it), Porcupines and Aardvarks are simple but work with the theming. Hyrax have lots of rocks and the Tree Shrew exhibit is also designed very well.

 

[LaughingDove]

I would say that Chester wins on primates overall, but I wouldn't call it a landslide for that category. Prague has a number of rarities and a superior collection in particular categories (lorises and galagos). If it was just primates though, I would certainly vote for Chester.

When it comes to 'miscellaneous mammals' however, I would say that Prague wins by miles. A few of the exhibits are on the small side, especially in the nocturnal corridor of the Indonesia House (although I remember hearing that the situation there has improved since I visited in 2015?) but most of the enclosures are pretty good and the 'Africa Up Close' building with that really nicely done rocky area for various small African animals outside is really very nice indeed. Chester certainly does well in this category when compared to other UK zoos, but on a Europe-wide scale and compared to Prague, it's not much above average.

Overall when taking both categories into account, I'm going for Prague.

 

[Charlie Simmomds]

All good points, but we're not comparing Chester to British zoos, we're comparing Chester to Prague

Are there any pictures of Chester's bat cave in the gallery? I don't think I've seen any.

Fair point that you make.

There are pademelons now at Exmoor zoo, so no longer an exclusive.

welp looks like I can’t use the exclusive argument at all, can’t even do it with tree kangaroo, I’m sure somewhere has lowland streaked tenrec in the uk even if it’s just a college.

 

[Dassie rat]

Primates

Both: Ring-tailed lemur; moloch gibbon; Sumatran orang-utan

Chester
White-belted black-and-white ruffed, Lac Alaotra bamboo and black lemurs
Aye-aye
Eastern pygmy marmoset; golden-headed lion, bearded emperor, pied and cotton-top tamarins; yellow-breasted capuchin
White-faced saki
Black-and-gold howler monkey; Colombian black spider monkey
Crested black and lion-tailed macaques; mandrill
Lar gibbon
Bornean orang-utan; common chimpanzee (including western)

Prague
Grey mouse lemur
White-belted black-and-white ruffed and white-fronted lemurs
Malayan slow loris
Garnett's, Senegal and Moholi bushbabies
Spix's moustached tamarin; common squirrel monkey
Mexican spider monkey
Sunda pig-tailed and Barbary macaques; northern talapoin; mantled Colobus
Western lowland gorilla

Chester has an aye-aye and saki. Prague has a mouse lemur, loris and bushbabies, so wins on family diversity.

Miscellaneous mammals

Both: Lesser Hedgehog tenrec; round-eared sengi; aardvark; Belanger's tree-shrew; giant jumping rat; Asia Minor spiny mouse; northern Luzon giant cloud rat; Cape porcupine; Rodriguez flying fox

Chester
Dusky pademelon; Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo
Lowland streaked tenrec
Cape hyrax
Linnaeus' two-toed sloth
Naked mole-rat; capybara; Azara's agouti;Sumatran Prevost's squirrel
Seba's short-tailed bat

Prague
New Guinea short-beaked echidna
Western woylie
New Guinea ground cuscus; sugar glider; red kangaroo; eastern wallaroo; Tasmanian red-necked, parma and swamp wallabies; white-striped Dorcopsis
Rufous sengi
Yellow-spotted rock hyrax
Southern three-banded armadillo
Mechow's mole-rat; bushy-tailed gerbil;Egyptian Sundevall’s jird; forest giant pouched rat; Dusky Egyptian, African spiny mouse; South African pygmy mouse; acacia rat; Barbary and typical striped grass mice; mesic four-striped and Neumann’s grass rat; southern Luzon giant and Panay bushy-tailed cloud rats; East African springhare; African brush-tailed, Indian crested, Philippine and Cape porcupines; gundi; North American porcupine; Chacoan mara; Desmarest's hutia; woodchuck; black-tailed prairie dog; European and Cape ground squirrels; Smith's bush squirrel; Kellen’s African dormouse
Four-toed hedgehog
Pygmy white-toothed shrew
Egyptian fruit bat

Prague has an echidna, a rat kangaroo, an armadillo, a hedgehog and a shrew and has representatives of all the mammal orders at Chester so wins this easily.

A win for Prague

 

[sooty mangabey]

As has been pointed out above, by @LaughingDove , the Africa Up Close house is truly brilliant - imagainative, original, endlessly interesting.

It has been argued that Chester’s primate exhibits trump Prague’s. I’m not so sure. Chester’s chimp island is excellent, but the oast house seems a bit dated, a bit dingy, a bit small. New orangs seem pretty good; Realm of Red Ape is functional and unattractive. Monkey House is great - unless you want to see the monkeys. Ditto the islands for lemurs and callitrichids.

Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, the Gorilla exhibit is wholly fine (apart from being at danger of flooding); the Barbary Macaque exhibit is one of Europe’s best; the Colobus enclosure is a key part of a wonderful string of exhibits; Talapoins in the African House.... Orangs possibly a little unexciting; Pig-tailed Macaques a little disappointing (no outdoor enclosure).

 

[Fallax]

Can anyone provide an arguement against Chester exhibit wise? I do think Prague beats Chester on species but in terms of exhibtry I prefer Chester, now I may be biased as I have never visited Prague but nothing seems to be pulling me too Prague other than species variety.

 

[sooty mangabey]

Can anyone provide an arguement against Chester exhibit wise?

I think I did just this, in the most immediately before yours...

Clearly all of the zoos under discussion here are tremendous - Chester most certainly included - so it's not so much an argument against them, as a suggestion that, in most areas, Prague are stronger...

 

[CGSwans]

Chester has the single best exhibit for a 'miscellaneous mammal' in Europe, in the form of the bat house. It also has several primate exhibits that achieve, in stunning form, the one thing I railed about throughout my trip: the importance of bringing indoor exhibits up to a more-than-barely-functional display standard.

This is one where the greater depth of Prague's collection should not out-do the sheer brilliance and innovation of Chester's exhibitry.

 

[sooty mangabey]

Chester has the single best exhibit for a 'miscellaneous mammal' in Europe, in the form of the bat house.

I realise I'm in the minority, probably, but I don't really 'get' Chester's Bat House.

Architecturally, it is unattractive - a functional barn-like building that has no sense of wonder about its exterior.

The preliminary exhibits have never seemed to work - I'm not quite sure that they have ever been anything other than an afterthought.

Presenting bats in the dark may seem an obvious move, but it is very hard to see the animals and, in my experience, the display only furthers the sense of bats being something a bit creepy, a bit weird, a bit strange.

Bat exhibits which are not in reverse-lighting - such as those at Bristol and Drusillas - not only enable a much better view to be had of the bats, but also enable those bats to benefit from outdoor access.

I'm no real fan of Drusillas - my local zoo - but I would suggest that their bat exhibit, in its own way, and to its own scale, is superior to that at Chester.

 

[Fallax]

I realise I'm in the minority, probably, but I don't really 'get' Chester's Bat House.

Architecturally, it is unattractive - a functional barn-like building that has no sense of wonder about its exterior.

The preliminary exhibits have never seemed to work - I'm not quite sure that they have ever been anything other than an afterthought.

Presenting bats in the dark may seem an obvious move, but it is very hard to see the animals and, in my experience, the display only furthers the sense of bats being something a bit creepy, a bit weird, a bit strange.

Bat exhibits which are not in reverse-lighting - such as those at Bristol and Drusillas - not only enable a much better view to be had of the bats, but also enable those bats to benefit from outdoor access.

I'm no real fan of Drusillas - my local zoo - but I would suggest that their bat exhibit, in its own way, and to its own scale, is superior to that at Chester.

The exterior has never really meant to mean anything, it is mainly hidden by bushes. Also I have never had trouble in seeing the animals, the large amount of flying space really does allow to see them better too, also they can sometimes get really close in the tunnel area. The bats are also great to see against the lighted backdrop as the hang from the branches, it looks spectacular.