ZooChat Cup finals: Omaha vs Wroclaw
- Thread starter CGSwans
- Start date
Omaha has one of my all-time favourite African Lion exhibits and here are a few photos of what is a large, impressive complex that opened in 2016:
A lion is sitting on top of what is a massive pile of rocks:
Then there is what appears to be a world-class Snow Leopard exhibit that opened in 2019:
Here is a fantastic Amur Tiger exhibit that opened in 2019:
An amazing Cheetah exhibit that opened in 2016:
There is an all-indoor Ocelot exhibit in the Desert Dome (above the Collared Peccaries):
An excellent Fossa exhibit (arguably the highlight of Expedition Madagascar):
I'm not sure where folks are drawing the line in terms of what constitutes a carnivore, but Omaha has brand-new exhibits for African Lions and Cheetahs (both 2016) along with Snow Leopards and Amur Tigers (both 2019) that are setting a remarkably high standard for big cats. I won't vote in the poll yet, as I'd like to be fair to Wroclaw and see what that zoo has for this category.
A lion is sitting on top of what is a massive pile of rocks:
Then there is what appears to be a world-class Snow Leopard exhibit that opened in 2019:
Here is a fantastic Amur Tiger exhibit that opened in 2019:
An amazing Cheetah exhibit that opened in 2016:
There is an all-indoor Ocelot exhibit in the Desert Dome (above the Collared Peccaries):
An excellent Fossa exhibit (arguably the highlight of Expedition Madagascar):
I'm not sure where folks are drawing the line in terms of what constitutes a carnivore, but Omaha has brand-new exhibits for African Lions and Cheetahs (both 2016) along with Snow Leopards and Amur Tigers (both 2019) that are setting a remarkably high standard for big cats. I won't vote in the poll yet, as I'd like to be fair to Wroclaw and see what that zoo has for this category.
Wroclaw has nice new Clouded leopard, Sumatran tiger and Snow leopard exhibits and great Gray Wolf and Brown bear woods. Lions and African dogs enclosures are bit outdated, though. There are also well executed Wild cat, Lynx, Manul and Marten exhibits and pretty decent Asiatic black bear grotto. Africarium also has great Cape fur seal pool and Dwarf mongooses inside. The boky boky in Madagascar is something that you can not see everyday in zoo. I will give my vote for Wroclaw, cos they made some great new Carnivore enclosures and still showing their old big Cat cages to acknowledge their dedication to be a reall XXI century zoo.
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Wroclaw doesn't have the biggest carnivore collection, but what it does have, is pretty damn choice 
I'll have to root through my photographs from October to see if I can fill any enclosure shot gaps, but here goes:
African Hunting Dog
Photos to follow; enclosure, as I recall, is pretty large and well-vegetated but does need a little love and attention.
Asian Black Bear
Relatively good quality - the failing of this one comes down to the time it was built and hence the "grotto" style, but it's still one of the better quality bear grottos still in use, and larger than most. Even so, at the lower end of the scale for Wroclaw's carnivore offerings.
Cape Fur Seal
An extremely large and deep pool, along with a large area of land, with both external and underwater viewing possible from within the Afrykarium - probably the best exhibit for the species I have seen.
Dwarf Mongoose
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Harbour Seal
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Northern Lynx
A large and spacious exhibit with plenty of vegetation, climbing opportunities and scope for the inhabitants to hide from view - one of the best carnivore exhibits at the collection.
European Otter
Photos to follow - currently the only images of this exhibit in the gallery show it whilst it was still under construction. It is a large and extremely pleasant exhibit for the species, comprising a number of connected pools (with transparent underwater tubes connecting these, allowing the otters to swim through in view of the public) within the overall Odarium (a complex of aquarium exhibits displaying the native fauna of the Oder River).
Eurasian Wolf
Another excellent exhibit, comprising a large and well-vegetated enclosure which is visible through a number of viewing points (including a semi-underground area with viewing windows built into a hillock in the middle of the enclosure, reached through a tunnel, and which contains a large amount of interpretive educational material about wolves, their ecology and natural history, and their relationship throughout history with man) and again one of the highlights of the collection. The following images were taken in winter, not long after the exhibit opened, so I will see if I can root out good images from my visit to show the exhibit in a more lushly-vegetated state:
European Brown Bear
Another large, well-vegetated and very attractive exhibit for a native European carnivore - it will be apparent by now that this is a real strength and speciality for Wroclaw.
European Wildcat
Extremely well-vegetated and with plenty of climbing opportunities and areas where the inhabitants can hide from view - the first image shows the exhibit under construction, and the second the exhibit just after it opened. It looks quite different now, so again I'll see what I can root out from my own photographs anon.
I'll have to root through my photographs from October to see if I can fill any enclosure shot gaps, but here goes:African Hunting Dog
Photos to follow; enclosure, as I recall, is pretty large and well-vegetated but does need a little love and attention.
Asian Black Bear
Relatively good quality - the failing of this one comes down to the time it was built and hence the "grotto" style, but it's still one of the better quality bear grottos still in use, and larger than most. Even so, at the lower end of the scale for Wroclaw's carnivore offerings.
Cape Fur Seal
An extremely large and deep pool, along with a large area of land, with both external and underwater viewing possible from within the Afrykarium - probably the best exhibit for the species I have seen.
Dwarf Mongoose
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Harbour Seal
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Northern Lynx
A large and spacious exhibit with plenty of vegetation, climbing opportunities and scope for the inhabitants to hide from view - one of the best carnivore exhibits at the collection.
European Otter
Photos to follow - currently the only images of this exhibit in the gallery show it whilst it was still under construction. It is a large and extremely pleasant exhibit for the species, comprising a number of connected pools (with transparent underwater tubes connecting these, allowing the otters to swim through in view of the public) within the overall Odarium (a complex of aquarium exhibits displaying the native fauna of the Oder River).
Eurasian Wolf
Another excellent exhibit, comprising a large and well-vegetated enclosure which is visible through a number of viewing points (including a semi-underground area with viewing windows built into a hillock in the middle of the enclosure, reached through a tunnel, and which contains a large amount of interpretive educational material about wolves, their ecology and natural history, and their relationship throughout history with man) and again one of the highlights of the collection. The following images were taken in winter, not long after the exhibit opened, so I will see if I can root out good images from my visit to show the exhibit in a more lushly-vegetated state:
European Brown Bear
Another large, well-vegetated and very attractive exhibit for a native European carnivore - it will be apparent by now that this is a real strength and speciality for Wroclaw.
European Wildcat
Extremely well-vegetated and with plenty of climbing opportunities and areas where the inhabitants can hide from view - the first image shows the exhibit under construction, and the second the exhibit just after it opened. It looks quite different now, so again I'll see what I can root out from my own photographs anon.
Fennec Fox
Only one, quite old, photograph in the gallery of this one - again, I might be able to find something better. I recall quite liking this exhibit.
Indochinese Clouded Leopard
A pair of very nice, spacious and very lushly vegetated exhibits for this attractive species; outside the complex of European carnivore exhibits and the Fur Seal exhibit, probably one of the highlights of the collection.
Meerkat
Photos to follow; not many shots of this exhibit in the gallery, and those there are represent close-up shots which look like any given meerkat exhibit in Europe
so I'll see if I can root out anything better.
Red Panda
Photos to follow; similar problem to the Meerkat exhibit, unfortunately. However, I do recall that the exhibit provided plenty of scope for the inhabitants to climb, not least because they were able to access the large mature trees in the enclosure and climb those rather than the man-made structures designed for the purpose.
Narrow-striped Boky
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Yellow-throated Marten
Not many decent shots of this one in the gallery, so again I may have to raid my own photographs however, there are enough shots to adequately demonstrate one of the unique and appealing qualities of this exhibit, which comprises a pair of pleasant enclosures connected by a network of mesh tunnels in the surrounding trees, including overhead the public footpath around the zoo.
Pallas Cat
A rather large and pleasant exhibit; this photograph shows perhaps two-thirds of the enclosure.
Snow Leopard
Another rather large and pleasant exhibit; unfortunately most of the images in the gallery only show a portion of the overall enclosure, and whilst it was still under construction, but they still give a decent idea of the exhibit as a whole. I estimate perhaps a third of the exhibit is visible in the first shot; the second shows another portion of the exhibit during the construction process. I'll see if I can add further shots from my own photographs.
Southwest African Lion
Photos to follow; from memory, quite a large, pleasant and well-vegetated exhibit; unfortunately almost all the images in the gallery of Wroclaw's lion enclosures are of the old, long-since disused cage complex, and those shots of the extant exhibit are distant or unfocused. As such I will see what I can do.
Sumatran Tiger
A similar issue to the lion exhibit, unfortunately - but there IS one usable image to tide you over until I can root out better shots. The enclosure is pretty spacious and pleasant, all things considered.
Only one, quite old, photograph in the gallery of this one - again, I might be able to find something better. I recall quite liking this exhibit.
Indochinese Clouded Leopard
A pair of very nice, spacious and very lushly vegetated exhibits for this attractive species; outside the complex of European carnivore exhibits and the Fur Seal exhibit, probably one of the highlights of the collection.
Meerkat
Photos to follow; not many shots of this exhibit in the gallery, and those there are represent close-up shots which look like any given meerkat exhibit in Europe
so I'll see if I can root out anything better.Red Panda
Photos to follow; similar problem to the Meerkat exhibit, unfortunately. However, I do recall that the exhibit provided plenty of scope for the inhabitants to climb, not least because they were able to access the large mature trees in the enclosure and climb those rather than the man-made structures designed for the purpose.
Narrow-striped Boky
Photos to follow - I actually don't remember much about this one offhand
Yellow-throated Marten
Not many decent shots of this one in the gallery, so again I may have to raid my own photographs
however, there are enough shots to adequately demonstrate one of the unique and appealing qualities of this exhibit, which comprises a pair of pleasant enclosures connected by a network of mesh tunnels in the surrounding trees, including overhead the public footpath around the zoo.Pallas Cat
A rather large and pleasant exhibit; this photograph shows perhaps two-thirds of the enclosure.
Snow Leopard
Another rather large and pleasant exhibit; unfortunately most of the images in the gallery only show a portion of the overall enclosure, and whilst it was still under construction, but they still give a decent idea of the exhibit as a whole. I estimate perhaps a third of the exhibit is visible in the first shot; the second shows another portion of the exhibit during the construction process. I'll see if I can add further shots from my own photographs.
Southwest African Lion
Photos to follow; from memory, quite a large, pleasant and well-vegetated exhibit; unfortunately almost all the images in the gallery of Wroclaw's lion enclosures are of the old, long-since disused cage complex, and those shots of the extant exhibit are distant or unfocused. As such I will see what I can do.
Sumatran Tiger
A similar issue to the lion exhibit, unfortunately - but there IS one usable image to tide you over until I can root out better shots. The enclosure is pretty spacious and pleasant, all things considered.
Red Panda
Meerkat
African Wild Cat
Bat-eared Fox
Dwarf Mongoose
Bobcat
Swift Fox
Coati
Asian Small-clawed Otter
Spotted-necked Otter
Exhibit quality-wise, the situation has improved dramatically in the past 5 years, with the large, lush outdoor habitats posted by @snowleopard replacing a very outdated and highly criticized cat building. The biggest sticking point for me, though, are the small carnivore exhibits in the Desert Dome: they are mostly gloomy meshed grottoes, some with terrible viewing angles. Observe:
Due to its length, the ocelot enclosure is actually a decent size with plenty of furnishings, but being set in a dark grotto across a peccary enclosure it is very difficult to get a good view. Same with the bat-eared fox enclosure, which is set up to the side of another enclosure:
As you can see, again it is dark with furnishings blocking the view, and is set higher than visitors so that much of the exhibit is barely visible. While this makes it hard to tell the dimensions, it looked notably smaller than the ocelot habitat.
Then there is the African Wildcat and Bobcat enclosures:
Again, furnishings decent, size small to average (small for bobcat, closer to average for wildcat), with my biggest issue being the aesthetic of a bare rock grotto with a mesh net. Same with this coati enclosure, which due to the commonness of the species I can confidently say is one of the worse enclosures I have seen; quite dark, not much room, somewhat weird viewing but still feels overexposed because it lacks depth, etc:
And here is swift fox:
The meerkat habitat (next to the bat-eared fox) is open unlike the others, but suffers from a different flaw: no sand or otherwise digging-suitable substrate for them.
(Note: the same mix exists in the African Grasslands complex and is much better at addressing this)
I'm hesitant to call out enclosures as inadequate - I don't know enough about the animals or their needs to make such statements - but from a visitor's perspective they don't paint a 21st-century picture of how small, intelligent hunters should be housed. A couple look painfully small, all of them look dim and shallow, and the amount of mock-rock compared to naturalistic furnishings is not a good ratio. They fall on extremes of being either overexposed (swift fox, coati, African wildcat) to underexposed (ocelot, bat-eared fox).
The other species have less notable exhibits, with the otters living in the primate moats of Lied Jungle and whatever is left having unmemorable enclosures scattered elsewhere.
Given the better collection, large wooded habitats for temperate carnivores, the awesome-looking pinniped exhibit at the Afrykarium, etc, I'm going to vote 2-1 Wroclaw for now.
Are we including bears in the carnivore category? I see that @TeaLovingDave , in his excellent overview of Wroclaw, posted a photo of the Asiatic Black Bear enclosure. Here is the Sloth Bear exhibit at Omaha and it opened in 2019:
The Red Panda exhibit in Omaha opened in 2018:
'Tibetan' holding building for Red Pandas (opened in 2018):
A spacious Small-clawed Otter exhibit in Lied Jungle (much bigger than it looks):
Omaha is clearly a zoo of contrasts, with world-class big cat exhibits and also some very poor carnivore enclosures in the Desert Dome building. In the last 4 years Omaha has opened brand-new habitats for African Lions, Amur Tigers, Cheetahs, Snow Leopards, Sloth Bears and Red Pandas (with California Sea Lions opening later this year), but at some point the zoo is going to have to revisit a handful of the outdated Desert Dome mammal exhibits. The Desert Dome is a 9 out of 10 as a visitor experience, and has a stunning reptile collection, but the small mammals need an upgrade. Still, I feel that Omaha's 'highs' are really breath-taking at times and I'm voting 2-1 for the zoo from Nebraska. (Wroclaw will be on my 'must-visit' zoo list for my next European jaunt
)
The Red Panda exhibit in Omaha opened in 2018:
'Tibetan' holding building for Red Pandas (opened in 2018):
A spacious Small-clawed Otter exhibit in Lied Jungle (much bigger than it looks):
Omaha is clearly a zoo of contrasts, with world-class big cat exhibits and also some very poor carnivore enclosures in the Desert Dome building. In the last 4 years Omaha has opened brand-new habitats for African Lions, Amur Tigers, Cheetahs, Snow Leopards, Sloth Bears and Red Pandas (with California Sea Lions opening later this year), but at some point the zoo is going to have to revisit a handful of the outdated Desert Dome mammal exhibits. The Desert Dome is a 9 out of 10 as a visitor experience, and has a stunning reptile collection, but the small mammals need an upgrade. Still, I feel that Omaha's 'highs' are really breath-taking at times and I'm voting 2-1 for the zoo from Nebraska. (Wroclaw will be on my 'must-visit' zoo list for my next European jaunt
)
I believe CGSwans intends the category to cover the taxonomic group rather than the diet - previously people tried to sneak quolls and tasmanian devils and komodo dragons and so forth into their posts and were rebuffed - and as such bears are indeed within category, being members of the Carnivora.
The two Sumatran Tiger's connected enclosures
Asian Black bear
1 ha Brown Bear forest:
African Wild Dog:
The new Wolf Exhibit, which include also very interesting educational part:
Wild cats:
Cape fur Seal pool in Africarium, includes also underwater view:
Asian Black bear
1 ha Brown Bear forest:
African Wild Dog:
The new Wolf Exhibit, which include also very interesting educational part:
Wild cats:
Cape fur Seal pool in Africarium, includes also underwater view:
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Snow leopards have very well made enclosure
And The Clouded Leopards next to them:
I am not big fan of the Lion grasslands, but they are not necessary bad :
Fenec fox in the Desert:
And the Dwarf mongoose in Africarium:
And this is the Northern Lynx spacious enclousure:
And The Clouded Leopards next to them:
I am not big fan of the Lion grasslands, but they are not necessary bad :
Fenec fox in the Desert:
And the Dwarf mongoose in Africarium:
And this is the Northern Lynx spacious enclousure:
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How many other Omaha visitors do we have who can build on @SnowLeopard’s report? @ThylacineAlive , @jayjds2 , @pachyderm pro ?
It'll be particularly interesting to hear the thoughts of @ThylacineAlive given he is one of the very few Zoochatters to have visited both collections - the only other one I know of, offhand, being @sooty mangabey given he has voted in favour of Wroclaw it would be quite valuable to hear his reasoning for this, as it might well sway a few Omaha votes!
given he has voted in favour of Wroclaw it would be quite valuable to hear his reasoning for this, as it might well sway a few Omaha votes!
I would love to, but I think I would have to visit Omaha first!
I would love to, but I think I would have to visit Omaha first!
Ah, my apologies. I was going off faulty memory and geographic proximity.
The Amur Tiger, Snow Leopard, and South African Lion enclosures at Omaha are some of the best for carnivores that I've ever seen. The Cheetah and Red Panda (while smaller in person than it appears in the shared photos) enclosures are pretty fantastic as well. The rest of the carnivores at the zoo, however... well their accommodations range from good to downright awful. The Fossa and Meerkat enclosures I recall as being good, and the various otters have access to a decent amount of pool space, but many of the smaller cats have pretty small and unnatural indoor enclosures. Additionally, there are two enclosures at Omaha which have been ignored thus far, and they are by far the zoo's worse. The first is their sea lion pavilion, which is small, shallow, and all concrete. The second is their worse offense, and that's the infamous Cat Complex. While this building is officially closed, on my May 2019 visit there were still one or two tigers being kept in cages such as the following: Henry Doorly Zoo 2010 - Another type of outdoor exhibits at the Cat Complex - ZooChat. This may not be the case anymore, but I found the continued use of this building for presumably surplus stock shocking. The main arguments against these two exhibits, of course--and I'll choose to believe that this is the reason Omaha's supporters have neglected to mention them--is the fact that they will be gone come the end of the year. Whether that means anything to you is up to each person.
Regardless of my thoughts on that, though, the main reason I voted for Wroclaw is because it is consistently good. Omaha has some stellar enclosures (and arguably the single best here with their Snow Leopard), but they also have by far the worst ones as well. While not every enclosure at Wroclaw may by great, they're all at least good and the zoo has a consistent quality in their carnivore displays that Omaha lacks in my opinion.
For me it's a clear 2-1 Wroclaw win.
~Thylo
Regardless of my thoughts on that, though, the main reason I voted for Wroclaw is because it is consistently good. Omaha has some stellar enclosures (and arguably the single best here with their Snow Leopard), but they also have by far the worst ones as well. While not every enclosure at Wroclaw may by great, they're all at least good and the zoo has a consistent quality in their carnivore displays that Omaha lacks in my opinion.
For me it's a clear 2-1 Wroclaw win.
~Thylo
When I visited in July, I didn't see any cats being kept in the cages, and they did not look maintained or in use.
I passed by the Sea Lion pool, but I unfortunately did not stop to take pictures and cannot remember if it was still in use; I suspect it might be, since it is still shown as open on the current map. As stated, though, it should not be in less than a year.