Turtleback Zoo vs Lehigh Valley Zoo semi-serious

[(Adsa)]

please understand this is only a semi-serious thread that is more for banter and less for well reasoned debate.

So I don’t even think this is a comparison I the Lehigh Valley Zoo is much more useful than the Turtleback Zoo, no more useful than all of New Jersey.

 

[(Adsa)]

Please let me elaborate by useful i mean serves a purpose

 

[Hipporex]

Oh so I see my thread has resulted in Zoochat drama. I will remain neutral and watch form the sidelines. Calling in the other fighter! @Ebirah766!

 

[Ebirah766]

From what I can tell the Lehigh Valley Zoo is one of those "chainlink zoos" where they rely so much on aviaries and mesh fences to contain their animals. Their exhibits look decent enough, but not enough to compete with the exhibitry and species list of the Turtleback Zoo cough cough zebra exhibit

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Shouldn't there be a poll?

~Thylo

 

[(Adsa)]

Shouldn't there be a poll?

How dare you suggest something reasonable. Good point though, too late now.

From what I can tell the Lehigh Valley Zoo is one of those "chainlink zoos" where they rely so much on aviaries and mesh fences to contain their animals. Their exhibits look decent enough, but not enough to compete with the exhibitry and species list of the Turtleback Zoo cough cough zebra exhibit

but the Turtleback Zoo has a no where near as good North American species list, and our zoo isn’t called TUrTLeBAcK who goes to themselves “I have a zoo I have some names for the zoo I think the best name is TUrTLeBAcK” it sounds like a 5 year old named it

 

[Tim Brown]

Im bound to say,that having visited over 800 different zoos and aquariums Lehigh Valley was amongst the most boring,dull and unexciting ive ever been to. Turtle Back(two separate words) is named after a nearby rock formation that looks like scutes on a chelonian carapace...and struck me as being much more interesting.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

I've never been to either zoo and don't really have much of a desire to visit either tbh but from everything I've heard about and seen from the two zoos I'm inclined to agree that Turtle Back is the far superior zoo.

That said--

From what I can tell the Lehigh Valley Zoo is one of those "chainlink zoos" where they rely so much on aviaries and mesh fences to contain their animals.

What's the problem here? Chainlink (and mesh) is a cheaper, effective, and safe fencing option for many zoo animals and I find often gives the animals more undisturbed land to utilize than having to dig out and fill concrete into the entire border of an enclosure.

~Thylo

 

[Hipporex]

Shouldn't there be a poll?

~Thylo

I think they're having a zoo measuring contest.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Chainlink (and mesh) is a cheaper, effective, and safe fencing option for many zoo animals and I find often gives the animals more undisturbed land to utilize than having to dig out and fill concrete into the entire border of an enclosure.

While I agree with you on the benefits, I think those are weighted down heavily by the aesthetics (especially chainlink). Not only is it ugly and doesn't offer a good view compared to glass or open air, the fact that it's cheap and common elsewhere can make the zoo look worse than it actually is. An exhibit made of chainlink looks like a crappy, lazy makeshift exhibit - even if functionally it is better than moats or other types of barriers. Many zoos also aim to look as natural and immersive as possible so that people associate the animals with natural ecosystems, and chainlink is counterproductive to that effort.

 

[(Adsa)]

Admittedly the odds seem pretty stacked against me. However the LVZoo holds a lot of value for me seeing as it was my first ever zoo and I’ve had many amazing memories one such memory is seeing the porcupine climb the aforementioned mesh into one of the wooden boxes they have for dens (mainly for enrichment to encourage climbing) and shut the door. I know this is nothing spectacular but my young self thought this to be amazing and this showed me what amazing things can be seen in zoos and I have loved zoos ever since.
Another reason this is not that fair is the LVZoo was founded in 2001 and is much younger than the Turtle Back zoo (1975).

 

[ThylacineAlive]

While I agree with you on the benefits, I think those are weighted down heavily by the aesthetics (especially chainlink). Not only is it ugly and doesn't offer a good view compared to glass or open air, the fact that it's cheap and common elsewhere can make the zoo look worse than it actually is. An exhibit made of chainlink looks like a crappy, lazy makeshift exhibit - even if functionally it is better than moats or other types of barriers. Many zoos also aim to look as natural and immersive as possible so that people associate the animals with natural ecosystems, and chainlink is counterproductive to that effort.

This is a very American viewpoint Many zoos in Europe, particularly in the UK, use chainlink fencing prominently. While I don't disagree with you, I'd argue there are still ways to maintain proper viewing with chainlink. For example, many of Beardsley's enclosures feature chainlink but still manage to provide good views of their animals by having the viewing area be glass, hiding the perimeter fence via vegetation, by having the front of the enclosure slope downwards creating a quasi moat, or by utilizing a combination of any of the above.

~Thylo

 

[Junklekitteb]

The only real problem I have with mesh/chainlink is it is horrible for photography (at least for my unskilled self), but it's nowhere as bad as glass in my experience.

 

[Ebirah766]

I've actually visited Turtleback yesterday and now I believe that some exhibits are inadequate for the animals...

 

[ThylacineAlive]

I've actually visited Turtleback yesterday and now I believe that some exhibits are inadequate for the animals...

Care to explain?

~Thylo

 

[Ebirah766]

Care to explain?

~Thylo

The red panda and Amur leopard were stereotyping, the farm exhibits had little to no enrichment, and the snow leopard looked like it was constantly licking itself, the lions looked bored, and the savannah herbivore exhibit seems a bit small.

 

[TinoPup]

I haven't been to Turtle Back yet, but I've been planning on it and have looked at plenty of photos, species lists, etc, just haven't had the time to do the longer drive. I've been to LHV numerous times in the last year.

I'm surprised this is even a debate. The only thing I really love about Lehigh is the stunning location. Species-wise their only thing above average is their Fisher; everything else is fairly common even in the area. The only other one I'd mention is the Ringtail, which is in an outdoor exhibit and is rarely seen by visitors. The next closest zoo, ZooAmerica, has Ringtails in a night exhibit where they're active. Their penguin exhibit is nice for the size of the zoo, and I like their wolf exhibit.
Some of their exhibits are rather poor quality, with several ranking among the worse I've seen at an AZA establishment. Their fox is incorrectly identified, as well as one of the horses.
Their encounter/behind-the-scenes prices are absurd. Each are 1-4 people: Armadillo, Crowned Crane, Bird of Prey, or Raccoon $199, Giraffe painting (only one painting) $350, Penguin or Sloth $400.
Turtle Back's vary by season, but are rarely more than $50, including admission.

I can't think of a single metric where Lehigh comes out above TBZ.

Giraffes:

(Turtle Back's giraffes: Giraffe Exhibit at Turtle Back Zoo | French & Parrello Associates)

"Palomino" Horse (2 horses, one of which is a chesnut, not a palomino):


Aoudad:


Zebra and Ostrich:


Kookaburra:


River Otter:


Penguins:

 

[TeaLovingDave]

the lions looked bored

Because anthropomorphisation is so very accurate

 

[Ann Esther Sprizzo]

The red panda and Amur leopard were stereotyping, the farm exhibits had little to no enrichment, and the snow leopard looked like it was constantly licking itself, the lions looked bored, and the savannah herbivore exhibit seems a bit small.

The Turtle Back Zoo is a nice mid-sized zoo, very family friendly and containing a fairly nice assortment of animals from several regions. I like it in particular for the variety of felines you can see in a single visit. That said my biggest criticism is the Amur Leopard exhibit which seems smallish, lacks sufficient vertical space and does not include enough vegetation. The Snow Leopard exhibit right next to it is actually better. Overall though this is a nice zoo to visit particularly in sub par weather or off season when there are few patrons and the animals in the outdoor exhibits are notably more active and accessible.

 

[Ebirah766]

Oh, definitely it's still a nice zoo but there are a few notable problems which could be addressed.