Aardvark250 ranking his zoo visited

[aardvark250]

10. Zoo Negara

This is one that I really don’t know if I placed it in the right spot. I don’t really like Zoo Negara, but I aren’t sure why I don’t. Perhaps it’s because the construction of the reptile house, or perhaps it seems a bit mismanage for me. Overall, the zoo doesn’t give me the feelings of a very good zoo, but it is still good enough to put in into the top 10.

First thing I do not like about the zoo is the transportation. The zoo is not located in the city, and it do not have easy transportation to get to. I use the Grab app in Malaysia to get there (Kind of like Uber) and I do think a more convenience way to get there is necessary.

The second thing I do not like is the zoos seems a bit odd. I don’t think it got the feelings of a good zoo. The entrance cages for monkeys and gibbons seems old, and although it isn’t the smallest, it certainly doesn’t give a very good impression.

Entrance cages for gibbons and monkeys


Some of the exhibit seems to be well-suited for the animals but not really into my mind. With that being said, some of the exhibit still looks great and should be good for the animals. For example, the african exhibit is quite nice. The panda exhibit is as good as any other panda exhibit around the world, and other zone are quite nice with few exception.

The construction of the Reptile House means that except the gharials there aren’t reptile and amphibians at the time, so this was a major setback. I think if the reptile house is present on my visit, it will rank higher here. There are also not much rarer species, although the brush-tailed porcupine and the pademelon are lifetick for me. Also present are striped hyena, king cheetah and agile wallaby.

With all that being said, I think Zoo Negara is still a good zoo, even though my feelings say not a very good one. If a zoo gets panda, it won’t be a bad zoo. (except if you’re in China) Most of zoo negara exhibit suits the animals, and there are some interesting species. The african exhibit looks good but a bit lacking in animals. The mammal kingdom is not bad either, although there aren’t marbled cat or flat-headed cat.

Banteng fighting

Binturong exhibit

The other exhibits are decent, but some of the animals has a smaller space. Meanwhile, the aviary isn’t one that I like but the flock of storks in the middle of the pond cover that. The butterfly house isn’t bad either, with common marmosets inside it. Overall, the zoo is not bad at all and it just lacks something unique in there.



Zoo Negara gallery:Zoo Negara - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

10. Zoo Negara

This is one that I really don’t know if I placed it in the right spot. I don’t really like Zoo Negara, but I aren’t sure why I don’t. Perhaps it’s because the construction of the reptile house, or perhaps it seems a bit mismanage for me. Overall, the zoo doesn’t give me the feelings of a very good zoo, but it is still good enough to put in into the top 10.

First thing I do not like about the zoo is the transportation. The zoo is not located in the city, and it do not have easy transportation to get to. I use the Grab app in Malaysia to get there (Kind of like Uber) and I do think a more convenience way to get there is necessary.

The second thing I do not like is the zoos seems a bit odd. I don’t think it got the feelings of a good zoo. The entrance cages for monkeys and gibbons seems old, and although it isn’t the smallest, it certainly doesn’t give a very good impression.

View attachment 432974Entrance cages for gibbons and monkeys


Some of the exhibit seems to be well-suited for the animals but not really into my mind. With that being said, some of the exhibit still looks great and should be good for the animals. For example, the african exhibit is quite nice. The panda exhibit is as good as any other panda exhibit around the world, and other zone are quite nice with few exception.

The construction of the Reptile House means that except the gharials there aren’t reptile and amphibians at the time, so this was a major setback. I think if the reptile house is present on my visit, it will rank higher here. There are also not much rarer species, although the brush-tailed porcupine and the pademelon are lifetick for me. Also present are striped hyena, king cheetah and agile wallaby.

With all that being said, I think Zoo Negara is still a good zoo, even though my feelings say not a very good one. If a zoo gets panda, it won’t be a bad zoo. (except if you’re in China) Most of zoo negara exhibit suits the animals, and there are some interesting species. The african exhibit looks good but a bit lacking in animals. The mammal kingdom is not bad either, although there aren’t marbled cat or flat-headed cat.

View attachment 432975Banteng fighting

View attachment 432976Binturong exhibit

The other exhibits are decent, but some of the animals has a smaller space. Meanwhile, the aviary isn’t one that I like but the flock of storks in the middle of the pond cover that. The butterfly house isn’t bad either, with common marmosets inside it. Overall, the zoo is not bad at all and it just lacks something unique in there.



Zoo Negara gallery:Zoo Negara - ZooChat

One more point that I forget to mention. I think some of the zoo exhibit is on the old side. And I don't mean the exhibit is old. but rather how it is maintained. I mean, some of the cages and bars are getting moss and rust.
Also, I don't quite like the design of the exhibit. It surely isn't bad, but not "national zoo" standard.

 

[aardvark250]

9. Higashiyama zoo (Nagoya zoo)

No, I’m not being insane here. Higashiyama zoo sure have some horrible exhibit, but I actually spend the whole day in this zoo. I wasn’t expecting that but from 9 to 4 I was in the zoo whole time. I did spend almost an hour in lunch but that is still 6 hours in the zoo! I previously expecting it to be half day, but it turns out to be a full day zoo for me.


Anyway, my main target (which I miss) is the volcano rabbit, and that exhibit is good. With tall grass around, I can’t find the rabbit and after checking it out three times, I think it just wasn’t my day. It surely is a disappointment for me.

Volcanic rabbit exhibit (I'm sure at least one of them is inside the tall grass)


Back to the zoo as a whole, the species list is quite good. In fact, I think this is the zoo with most species in Japan (not counting aquarium). It does help that the zoo has a freshwater aquarium, but just counting vertrabrae, JAZA list ~250 species. That’s still a lot, and there are some gems there. Of course, every zoo with aardvark gain a special status, albeit both of them are in the nocturnal house and make photos impossible. Other rare species include: Volcano rabbit, Somali wild ass, Honey badger, Ringtail(in nocturnal house),bearded saki, bush dog, King vulture, Black vulture, wattled crane and brown bulbul to name some. There are also ABCs and large animals, with 2 species of elephant, 2 species of rhino and both hippo and pygmy hippo, as well as 5 species of bear. (Brown, Black, Polar, Spectacled and Sun) A large reptile/amphibian house is also present with at least 70 species, including 7 species of newt, 6 species of salamander and even a caecilian. (Typhlonectes compressicauda)



In term of exhibit, there are actually some good exhibit in the zoo, and some exhibit would fit in to top-tier zoo perfectly. The raccoon dog exhibit is the best of the bunch in my opinion, with a lot of hiding places and full of vegetations. The volcano rabbit exhibit, as mentioned before, also provide a lot of space for them. Some of the newer section (I presume) are also nicer than others.

Raccoon dog exhibit

However, there are some exceptionally bad exhibit. Both of the hippo exhibit is the worst of the bunch in my mind. Nothing but water and a concrete land. On the concrete land is nothing. No enrichment or vegetation whatsoever. It’s surely one of the worst exhibit for hippos on the planet.

Hippo exhibit (Probably on the top 10 worst hippo exhibit in the world)


Also, the snow leopard exhibit is also ugly and small. The primates cage is just a cage with a few sticks. These are surely some of the worst exhibit in the zoo. And also the polar bear exhibit, which is similar to the one in Tennoji Zoo. (zoo#14 on the list)

In conclusion, Higashiyama is actually quite similar to the next zoo on the list (no surprise which is the next zoo), with a lot of species (some quite rare) but some exhibit that should not belong in the 70s, nevertheless now. However, with some of the newer additions, the quality improves and some exhibit are actually quite good. I don’t think ranking by number of hours visit is fair, but if that’s a full day zoo, there’s no doubt of it’s collection. The zoo certainly isn’t the best, but it is worth a visit in my opinion.

Higashiyama zoo gallery:Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

8.Ueno Zoo

I think everyone here on zoochat has at least heard something about Ueno. Being the oldest zoo in Japan (and possibly Asia?), Ueno Zoo is kind of similar in style with Higashiyama, an old city zoo with lots of species, and in the case of Ueno, lots of rare species. I spend quite some time in the zoo, just going through the different animals. There is a reptile house with 40 species, a nocturnal house with tarsiers and galagos, another nocturnal house with pangolin and leopard cat, a Madagascar house with aye-ayes and tenrecs, a bird house with great slaty woodpeckers and great blue turacos, and of course there are other zone with great animals.

I visit the zoo back in 2016, when I was still 13. That trip is my first “proper” zoo trip, where I visit 2 zoos and 2 aquariums. In August last year, I visit the zoo again and there is where the zoo really hit me. It was a rainy day but I enjoy it. There aren’t a lot of changes, but my mind change so is my feelings.

The species list is of course really nice, and a small portion of those exhibit is good. The reptile house is quite nice and so is the gorilla zone, but that’s basically it. There are other good exhibits scatter across the zoo, such as the shoebills exhibit. Most of them though, are ok at most and some of them are awful.

Shoebill exhibit

Some of the worst exhibit include: Pallas cat and meerkat (separate exhibit of course) in the small mammal house, the rhino/ hippo exhibit, as well as the elephant. They need to sort out some of the larger mammals to improve the exhibit of others. The bear pit is mostly bad, but I think it has been improved. More vegetation has been plant there and the exhibit doesn’t look too bad (not as bad as other)

Rhino exhibit

The bird exhibit is mostly acceptable, and (I think) similar to other bird house in the world. The outer exhibit, such as the secretarybird and the hamorkop exhibit is also good, although more height will be favourable.


In conclusion, most of the zoo exhibit is not as good as other, but the species list shine out. Ueno is definitely one of the zoos with better species in Asia. But when you got too many species, some of those will be neglected. As such, with a contrast between quality and quantity, I think 8th is where the zoo will be ranked.

Ueno zoo gallery:Ueno Zoo - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

7. Zoorasia

You’re probably surprised, well except for those who are not. Zoorasia is one of the best zoos in Asia claimed by some, why it is only in 7th? Well, some of Zoorasia exhibit is really good, but there are still some that are just average, and the species lineup seems a bit low in number, as well as the complete lack of animals besides mammals and birds. All of them makes me think this is not even the best zoo in Japan, never mind in Asia.

Let’s start with the exhibit quality. I must say, most of it is in high quality, with lush vegetation and some hiding space for the animals. Some of the exhibits are also quite large, especially with compare to other Japanese zoos. The exhibits I like the most are the chimpanzee exhibit and the black bear exhibit, which both are lush and large, and provide a lot of enrichment for the animals.

Japanese black bear exhibit

However, some of the exhibit are on the lower end of the spectrum. I believe with a nice zoo like Zoorasia, there should be more natural enrichment for some of the primates. The douc langurs for example, is in a so-so cage. Yes, there are climbing opportunities, but I think for a species that rare, it should get a better exhibit and not a cage with some branch in it. (ideally an exhibit like the chimp one) Some other bad exhibits include the orangutan and the porcupine.

Exhibit for douc langur, which is not really good.

In terms of species, there are some rare gems in the zoo. Mammals they have okapis, douc langurs and proboscis monkey. Birds they have bee-eaters and crested argus. Tibetan macaque, dholes, tree kangaroo and woolly monkey are also present. Those are surely some rare species, together with the normal ABCs make a lovely zoo. A big plus is seeing a baby Francois langur. The orange coloration on the baby is really awesome.

Baby langur (light up my day really much)

However, as mentioned, the zoo complete lacks in herps and inverts. While I’m not too much of a big fan in those categories, I think a good zoo should include a wide range of animal for education value. There’s not much harm having a few of them to tell people about more on the animal world. Also, the whole zoo has only 60-70 species, which is not really a lot.

One more point I don’t like is the transport from Tokyo. I don’t know if it’s just my problem, but zoos that are accessible with railway is more convenience. There are buses that run from the station to the zoo, but from a country which railway are one of the major transportations, I think a railway station should be near the zoo. From Tokyo to Zoorasia, you need to interchange twice (or even thrice), then take a 15-20 minute bus. It isn’t very hard to get to, but I think

Overall, Zoorasia is a zoo with great potential and (mostly) high quality. It was a really nice almost 4 hours visit in the zoo. I don’t plan for that long because I want to visit Nogeyama, but just admiring some of the rarer animals in the zoo make the visit really enjoyable. (And make me unable to visit Nogeyama). It isn’t the best in Asia yet, but with more improvement and more animals, I believe the zoo will be better and better.

Zoorasia gallery:Zoorasia - ZooChat

 

[ZooBinh]

I'm really enjoying this thread aardvark! I saw you mention it on the Discord chat though I haven't gotten to checking it out until now. I'm really glad I did!

 

[aardvark250]

6.Chimelong Safari Park

I have mixed feelings about Chimelong Safari Park. This is the zoo that start my love for zoo. I have been to this zoo multiple times, from 2007 to 2017. It’s ten year and I go there 7-8 times in this period. The zoo is surely one of the better zoos in China. The exhibit quality is definitely on the higher top of Chinese zoo. However, as I grow up, I start to think the zoo is not that great at all, not on the quality level but how the zoo work itself. Basically, there are 2 things I like and 2 things I don’t like.


Let’s start off with the like things. The exhibit quality is really good. Most of the exhibit are lush and large. The chimps have a very good exhibit, as well as the hornbill aviary. The macaque exhibit is surely one of the biggest in China, with a suitable amount of climbing opportunities. Most of the exhibit is probably one of the best for them in China, and (I think) the main reason is because they have a lot of money. That’s is not necessary a good thing though.

Chimpanzee exhibit

The second thing I like is the zoo is huge. When I mean huge, it is surely a full-day zoo. There is a safari section (hence the name “safari park”) and other exhibit too. The swan lake is really big and I think should get more space out of it. There are zone for primates, koalas, pandas and mutant tigers. The safari ride is also large, with it being at least a half-hour ride. And speaking of the ride, this ride is probably better than the one in Night Safari, with more space for the animal. The ride takes you through the 4 continents in the world, as well as having carnivores in separate exhibit. In 2017 there is a cable-car going through the whole zoo, and you can see the animals on top. That’s quite a thing. All of them, combining with the fact the zoo occupy a lot of space, makes it a whole day zoo.

Huge swan lake observed on cable car

So what’s the problem of having a really large zoo with some really good exhibit? First of all, the species isn’t really that rare. Some of those are rare in China, like koalas and pygmy hippos, but except for proboscis monkey there aren’t many worldbeaters. The zoo should utilize more of its advantages as being one of the best. The zoo also lacks reptiles and amphibians, which I suggest can be improve.

The second thing, and the most important one, is the zoo being too focus on money. To understand, Chimelong is a really big company. Except for the zoo, they also have a water park, an amusement park and a hotel, as well as Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai. Animals is just one of their focus to attract visitors. While there are no wrong attracting visitors, Chimelong cannot be the top zoo based on this factor. (at least in my opinion) This money-orientated style lead to a really expensive ticket price (which is not worth it IMO), and tons of gift shops everywhere. To attract visitors, some show for visitors are still present, and the zoo try to gain popularity more often than others.

I don’t think Chimelong is doing what a zoo should do, but rather what an amusement park should. That’s reasonable consider Chimelong, as I said, is not a zoo organization at all. While I don’t blame Chimelong, I do think the following 5 zoos do much better in education and conservation value, which I think is also a factor to “best zoo” title. I won’t get into why here, as this will be off-topic, but I think Chimelong will not be rank higher based on the fact that I don’t really agree on the way it works.

Chimelong safari park gallery:Chimelong Safari Park - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

5.Night safari

After a long wait, I’m back updating this thread. (Been busy with school work and Planet zoo) Anyway, Night Safari is hard to judge. I would say the only way it’s 5th is because it’s a NIGHT safari. The uniqueness and the experience are certainly one of its kind. However, it does have it drawback.

Night safari is of course one of the 4 parks by WRS, and I must say it isn’t as good as Jurong or the main zoo. Some of its exhibit are too small, but perhaps it’s overshadowed by the night, which can create an illusion that they are big enough. Especially in the tram ride, where some of the exhibit aren’t big enough for the larger animals.

The walking trail I would say have a much higher quality than the tram ride. The flying squirrel aviary is obviously a good one (I did see a brief view of a squirrel), but the other exhibits aren’t bad either. I would say the Australian trial may be a little bit disappointing, but surely that will change in these few years with star animals.

The collection of the animals is also quite good, with the notable one being Malayan Pangolin and hog badger, as well as Malayan palm civet, small toothed palm civet and Tarsier (Unseen, not in there now)

I’m sure there are a lot of people who would like to visit Singapore, and there are already a lot of information on Night Safari on Zoochat, so there really isn’t a lot need to be say. Night safari is definitely worth the experience which cannot be found in Europe or North America. There is a setback in which animal are harder to photograph, but that’s the point to wander across the Night. If it’s being visit in broad daylight, it would drop 2 place on my list, but the experience is certainly one of its kind to earn 5th on my best zoo visited.

Next is the top 4, which is incredibly close so I must add “personal feelings” as a point to judge.

Night safari gallery: Singapore Night Safari - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

4. Singapore Zoo

Making it 2 WRS in a row, I’m putting Singapore Zoo in 4th place. Singapore is no doubt one of the most-wanted zoo to visit among ZCters, and it has really good reputation. Why am I putting it behind the top 3? The truth is, I don’t enjoy Singapore as much as the top 3 on my list, and (it’s just my personal opinion that) Singapore is a bit overrated. I’m sure some people will disagree with it but I will try my best to justify my claim and say why I don’t enjoy it as much.

I don’t think I need to say a lot about the good side of Singapore. Most of the exhibit are good, and it is a very lush zoo in general. The exhibits are mostly very good except for 2 or 3 exhibits. They have a good number of rare species too, with the douc langurs and proboscis monkey being one of the most-wanted species by ZCters. The whole zoo looks pleasing, and there is some wildlife in it too, with the notable one being colugos, which are present in very few if not none in captivity. People know how good Singapore Zoo is, and whether it is the general public or us, it is one of the places that attract people. However, it does have its downside and don’t give a wonderful feeling to me.

I quite enjoy Fragile Forest and Reptopia, which are really good in my opinion. Free-ranging halls are usually not bad and seeing flying foxes/mousedeer/squirrels is quite nice. Reptopia is still rather new, and thus making it one of the better exhibits. Of course, a great zoo cannot be complete without a reptile house. I do think the amphibian collection could be better, as the only amphibian in the zoo are poison dart frogs and the 2 in fragile forest (when the time I’m visiting) The entrance exhibit of treetops trails and proboscis monkey/muntjac/Oriental hornbill exhibit is also quite good, and it helps creating a rainforest theme in a rainforest zoo.

Now let’s talk about the so-so part. Wild Africa is ok but not much special, same with the Australia part. Feel like more special species can help for the collection, and with the newest development I’m quite interested. The other exhibit is also not too great either. The warthog and pygmy hippo are living in a bit of small exhibit (Although I understand the warthog is old), and the malayan tapir exhibit is not that good either. The Ethiopian highland are quite difficult to say, as seeing a huge group of Hamadryas baboon is good, but I think it may be a little too much, and the exhibit is a bit crowded.

Down the Frozen Tundra, which only has 2 exhibits, but it’s possibly the worst 2 in the zoo. Completely indoor with not much space, I don’t understand why they build something like this in 2012(?). It’s not up to the standard of Singapore Zoo. It’s a good thing that Inuka died, as the polar bear exhibit is possibly the worst in the whole zoo. Basically, the wolverine and raccoon dog are a mess, and I don’t think a rainforest zoo need this bit of area.

Also, I think Singapore lacks a special feature, or a special vibe. It isn’t a bad thing at all, but it does make me feel like it’s.... normal. I feel like they could do something more interesting. The top3 on my list, I enjoy them really much. For Singapore, I would say I just enjoy it.

I'm not saying Singapore is not worth it. In fact, it is definitely worth the money. The zoo deserved to be one of the best in Asia. Singapore is a really good zoo. A rainforest zoo that you really feel like inside it. Of course, the colugos and the proboscis monkey etc.... they are fascinating, but I just feel it wasn’t good enough. Maybe my expectation was too high, thus leading to a drop in reality. Anyway, with the development of the Mandai Area, I believe the zoo will continue to grow, to become better than ever.

Singapore Zoo gallery: Singapore Zoo - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

3. Tama Zoo

Mole and shrew house. That's it.

 

[aardvark250]

3rd. Tama Zoo

Of course I would say more except one sentence.

Tama Zoo is a zoo that I loved. It was the most enjoyable zoo visit back when I visit in 2016. I would say this is the best zoo in Japan, with a lot of great bits. There are some bad bits too, but the good outweigh the bad IMO.

The zoo was situated in a slope so moving through the zoo can be a bit tiring. Luckily, there are transport to the top of the zoo, which then you can go from top to bottom. The view up the hill is great. The zoo is a large one (the largest in Japan I believe), so it was easily a full-day zoo for me. I always love spending a full day in a zoo, so large zoo will gain extra points.

Except for the environment, Tama zoo is known for one thing in Zoochat. The mole and shrew house. And indeed, that mole and shrew house is great. When you are inside the house, there are tube everywhere. In the middle is a transparent table filled with dirt, and the mole just dig around, and occasionally, go up the connecting tube to another dirt table. In the side are some exhibit for a few types of shrew, and although they are not allowed outside, they still got some smaller tube and for the water shrew, a sort of underwater viewing. Overall, it’s just a nice experience seeing the mole and shrew moving around, a treat that only 2 to 3 zoos in Japan, and none outside of Japan can provided. It was a really fun way to see them, and actually it was quite popular too! I hope more zoo can do such thing to exhibit underground moles.

Photo credit to @devilfish

Nearby there are a lot quite lush and quite large exhibit too. For example, the palm civet exhibit or the wolf exhibit are quite nice, and some exhibit are good enough. The malayan tapir exhibit is quite lush and got a little underwater viewing, and some of the aviary are quite tall and large.

Besides the exhibit, there are a few rare animals in the zoo. The Tasmanian devil is still the only in Asia, and there are a few Japanese native that may attract a lot of ZCters. There are chamois (nice surprise), snow leopard (Not too rare but nice), black-faced spoonbill (in a walkthrough, crested ibis (not on display).... These are all nice animals to be seen.

Also, another thing which I like about Tama zoo is its large insect house. A lot of zoos have a quite small insect collection, but Tama is one that have a large insect house. I’m not too much a fan of insect, but it showcases the whole biodiversity of the animal world, which is what a zoo supposed to do. A big portion of the insect house is a seriously large butterfly aviary that could basically be a bird aviary, and although I’m not good at IDing insects, it was still nice to see a zoo devoted a portion to the class with most species.

However, there are a few bad exhibits in the zoo. The Asian elephant exhibit is really bad, but they are building a new one so that’s good. The African elephant exhibit is a bit better. The indian rhino exhibit is on the small side, but it is muddy and have a small pool. The Japanese bear grotto is ugly, and some of the native animals have very small exhibit (Japanese hare and Japanese weasel have the worst). Japanese serow and Pere David deer also has small exhibits.

Photo credit to @FunkyGibbon

In conclusion, I think Tama is an enjoyable zoo. It got a lot of potential, potential to be one of the best zoos in Asia. Also, the mole and shrew house is indeed a very good one and I would recommend Zcters to visit themselves. The fee is cheap (600 yen) so basically it definitely was worth it. However, bad exhibits are still present in a lot of ways. I think with more continuous development, Tama can be as good as the next inclusion on my list, which is actually a bit similar I would say.

Tama Zoo gallery:Tama Zoo - ZooChat

 

[aardvark250]

Wait, this thread isn’t dead?

2. Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo is a REALLY nice zoo. It got everything you need as a zoo, with nice exhibit and rarity, together with conservation and educational purpose. There is a nice collection of native species (or subspecies), and with a herp house and an insect house, it certainly doesn’t lack in diversity.

The zoo is one of the larger zoos in Asia, with 165 hectares and 90 hectares in use, which is situated in a hillside. The fee is incredibly cheap (Like 2.5 dollars USD cheap) and it’s easy to access with the railway. (Already 2 good point)

The zoo most interesting area for zoochatters would probably be the Formosan area. The area contains species that are found in Taiwan, with the exception of the clouded leopard, since the Formosan species is extinct. A highly focus area, with a lot of rarity you couldn’t find elsewhere. The main highlight is of course the Conservation tunnel, which have Formosan pangolin, a species all of you like. Besides, the outdoor exhibits are also lush and great, and although some might be a bit small, it certainly is good enough.

Formosan serow exhibit:
Photo Photo credit to @itsallfaction

The zoo is divided into different zone geographically, with the Asian zone, Formosan zone, Australia zone, Africa zone and Temperate area zone. There is also a large aviary with a lot of nice species. It also has, iirc, 10 species of crane in the zoo. Also in the zoo is a herp house and an invert house, both of which are quite good in species rarity and endemic species.

Most of the exhibit are lush, nice, acceptable size and get the animal needs. I wouldn’t go in detail for each zone but mostly they are good, and it is also not hard to get photo, with most of the exhibit not in wire/bars.

The zoo also has a great breeding record of Pangolin, which is a very nice plus. It also works with other zoos for breeding plans. For example, the pangolin in Leipzig.

Most of the zoo are excellent I would say. However, the elephant exhibit is bad with full concrete and little water, there are still a bit of stereotyping behaviour in some animals, and they got 4 giant pandas. (Not a bad thing but worth mentioning) However, the zoo is constantly improving with the new hippo exhibit and the pangolin dome the recent attractions. Overall, I think this zoo has a potential to be one of the best and I have high expectations with their future plans.

I’ve written a detailed review back in 2017 so if you want you can read it: Taipei zoo review and species list [Taipei Zoo]

Taipei zoo gallery: Taipei Zoo - ZooChat

Seeing the member @ISAO post quite a lot of Taipei zoo photo, may I ask a bit of your opinion here? It would be nice to hear from a frequent visitor.

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

Very interesting. I can’t wait for the announcement of the winner (although we all know who the winner is)!

I live in Japan, and I basically agree with your opinions on our zoos. But living here also tells me what’s there behind the scenes.

I’ll read through the thread again, and I might... leak some secrets. Anyway, great work, aardvark250!!

 

[aardvark250]

Very interesting. I can’t wait for the announcement of the winner (although we all know who the winner is)!

I live in Japan, and I basically agree with your opinions on our zoos. But living here also tells me what’s there behind the scenes.

I’ll read through the thread again, and I might... leak some secrets. Anyway, great work, aardvark250!!

Thanks for the good words! If I can go to Japan this year I will definitely update this thread.

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

Kobe sounds like a weird place. I probably wouldn't visit, but I guess under the right circumstances it would be quite fun.

You’re right. Both “Animal Kingdoms” (Kobe and Nasu) are funfairs with animals; too much music everywhere.

 

[FrancoiseLangur]

#17 Kyoto Zoo (Visit date: February 2018)

Located in the center of Kyoto, I have no idea what to expect before visiting. Kyoto is a city famous being the older capital of Japan, and I did visit some old structure there. The zoo opened in 1903 and is the second oldest in Japan. But it doesn’t seem that old. I suppose some renovation have been done.

The zoo is small yet compact. And this make a lot of the exhibit smaller than usual. Some of the exhibit are clearly too small for the inhabitants. E.g. the tapir and the hippo exhibit. However though, I can see that some work have been done. By having basic enrichment for the animals, I suppose the animal can be happier.

View attachment 430351
Tapir exhibit By @aardvark250

Other exhibit are average, not great but not bad either. The small mammals exhibit are modest, with natural substrate and some climbing. The primate exhibits are small but high, provide enough height for them to climb up and down. Though the exhibits aren’t pretty,

I do think it’s ok for the animals. It’s somewhat old-fashioned, but I think some exhibits can match other zoos. The chimp exhibit are above average for me.

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Chimp exhibit by @Ashanti


There are also a few surprises in the zoo. Tsushima leopard cat may be new to people who doesn’t visit Japan, but are actually not that rare in Japan. Other highlights include bush dog and chachalaca, also does the chinese goral. I do think the red panda and the tiger bridge is quite cool (perhaps getting the idea from Asahiyama).

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Red panda crossing by @aardvark250

However though, compared to other zoos on the list, Kyoto doesn’t have the quality and the quantity of species and animals, and the exhibit are average at best. Some well exhibit such as the chimps, but other like the tapir and hippo are clearly too small with too little water, and so is the lions and tigers. Nor do they have a lot of rarity in the zoo, so sadly it is not higher than 17 in my ranking.

I do think for improvement, they can try to phase out hippo or elephants and keep either one. The lion is old and I think is dead now so they can perhaps get a larger space for the tigers and jaguars. The macaque exhibit is a usual pit exhibit, and although there is no feeding (Japanese people mostly follow the rules from my visit), it really is not a good exhibit. I suggest the zoo may focus on rarer and smaller animals, like the “Kyoto forest area” in the zoo.


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Meerkat exhibit, with good use of boxes and tubes by @aardvark250

Kyoto Zoo gallery:Kyoto Municipal Zoo - ZooChat

This zoo has a strong bond with the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University. The experimental work with the gibbons is very interesting, do you have any pictures?

Kyotoites are known for being radical (we just call them “Communists”). It is impossible for the City of Kyoto to move the zoo to a larger area because of the temples. If they try to, they would receive huge protests from the Temple Masters’ Association. So they decided to go vertically. That is why you find “tall” exhibits at that zoo.

 

[Idk]

Zoo #14 Tennoji Zoo, Osaka

Osaka. The second largest city in Japan. To be honest, I expect more from this zoo. I arrived and found a really average zoo, with some acceptable exhibit but none that I consider great. The zoo is free if you use the Osaka pass, which is basically a metro pass, but with a lot of discount and free item.

Almost every big city in Japan have a zoo nearby, but Osaka’s is disappointing. Most of the enclosure is not good and some must be demolished. There are sterotyping behaviour among the bears, and the whole zoo is simply not in modern era. There is a sign of aging around the zoo, and there is a lack in good exhibit. The zoo is popular with their ABCs all there, but I enjoy it much less than I was expecting. Why I rank it 14th is because of the rarer animals.

The main “Blockbuster” animal for me at least is definitely the kiwi. Am I right that this is the only place in Asia that have kiwi? I suppose so.(Although that will be changed soon) The kiwi is in a nocturnal house which makes photographing almost impossible, but I successfully see my first “moving brown blub”. Other animals inside include lesser hedgehog tenrec, sugar glider, spectacled owl, Japanese weasel and Egyptian fruit bat.

The other side of the zoo contains a big aviary, where it is a walk-in and numerous species can be found. White storks and different kinds of herons and ducks, as well as waldrapps and egrets. I think it’s quite big in size but if the cranes are here, it may be a better exhibit.
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Zoo Aviary

Elsewhere the zoo includes four species of bear, all living in traditional grotto and depressing environment. Those four are polar, spectacled, sun and asiatic black bear. The polar bear is the worst of all, with the bear walking back and forth and swaying its head the whole time. There is nothing to do for the polar bear, and it is just depressing after all. However, I really can’t think of any good polar bear exhibit in Asia. That doesn’t mean anything though.
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Polar bear exhibit

Also in the zoo is a pretty good chimp exhibit, but the chimp are no-show because of the cold weather. The monkey cages are bad, like the one in JMC, but it did contain a drill, a very rare species for me at least. The koala exhibit looks good, but there is only 1 in the exhibit (which is dead now I believe) and it seems a bit of waste. The elephant exhibit is one of the better one, although the elephant is dead now too.
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Monkey exhibit, this one containing Mandrill

Furthermore, the zoo contain some metal cage with concrete floor for wolves and cougars, then some average exhibit for tigers, red pandas and mouflons. A part of the African exhibit is renovating at the time, but the hippo exhibit is good with the underwater viewing being quite clear. The lions are in a sort of "Predator-prey " exhibit, with the zebra and eland at the back.The crane exhibit is clearly too small, and the crane should just go to the big aviary the zoo has. Pheasants and bird of preys aviary on the small side, and the sea lion exhibit is not really good. The zoos end with a reptile house with quite some different species.

Lion exhibit - ZooChat
Lion exhibit with zebras/elands/giraffes exhibit behind.

Tennoji zoo is one that is not good. However, it does have some interesting species, with drill and kiwi be the main highlights. The other exhibits range from really bad to average at most. I suppose 14th place is the place it deserved. Is it a must-hit zoo when visiting Japan? I don't think so. This is just another ordinary city zoo in Japan. Being the second largest city in Japan, I think Osaka needs a zoo better, like the ones in Tokyo.

Tennoji zoo gallery: Tennōji Zoo - ZooChat

I know it's been a year since you posted but I was browsing around and found it.About the polar bear enclosure I think sapporo zoo has a good polar bear enclosure and I think they followed aza rules although they're other exhibits are awful.They do rotate them and I heard they will stop using them after a while(although its been 2 years)

 

[aardvark250]

You know what? Since I'm in a good mood and I have a new thread idea, I’m finishing this thread so that I can work on the next one.

1.Jurong Bird Park

What can I say except Jurong is excellent. It’s a disgrace to even comparing Jurong to other zoos here. It is the best bird park in Asia and host a ton of species. Of course, my visit is back in 2019, and a lot have change since then, but Jurong still remain the best of the lot.

Situated in the jurong district which is seperated from other Mandai park, you of course know Jurong is moving in 2022 (also eww “Bird Paradise”) However, it is an excellent zoo now even though there’s a bit of ageing. They obviously engaged in many conservations program, with both SE asia and rest of the world. Phillipine eagles are a great highlight to view, and of course bleeding heart-dove, santa cruz ground dove and others.

The main gem is THE waterfall aviary. As the second largest walkthrough aviary in the world, the waterfall aviary is huge. It’s as immersive as you can in a captive environment. There are a ton of bird species, the waterfall itself is almost 10m, the path inside leads you around the aviary with birds scattered across. Superb starlings are one of the more abundant species, but there’s other species of passerines, pigeons and etc. Of course some of the species may be harder to find, so I think some of the species hunter can easily spend half a day or more just inside this aviary. It really is a state-of-the-art and the main highlight.

The other aviaries are top-notch as well. Wings of Asia composed of an area surrounded by other small aviaries. The central piece is a walkthrough, while the surrounding ones are not. Different species are in there, including black-winged mynah, straw headed bulbul, Santa cruz ground dove and coleto starling to name a few. The toucan and hornbill area are a few standalone exhibits, and with more than 10 hornbill species on display it surely is one of, if not the most species for hornbill. The Bird of paradise aviary is also really nice (the bird themselves is a huge factor) and with twelve wired BoP on display too it is just much better. The raptor exhibits are a bit small in both size and collection, but the phillipine eagle just steal the show.

Except SE Asia, Jurong is also famously for having (almost) all macaw species in the world. Yes the Spix is now gone(but it still was in 2019), but they still have a lot of macaw and parrot species, most located in the Parrot Paradise. Although I think the exhibit are a bit on the small size, but the collection itself is still great.

Will I say Jurong is better than Walsrode? IDK. I haven’t been to Walsrode. However I would say from other description and photos, Walsrode and Jurong are a different style. While Jurong is grand and glamorous, Walsrode have more species in more modest exhibit. While Jurong have great SE Asia birds, Walsrode also have more rarities and species Jurong completely lack, such as hummingbirds and quetzals/trogans. I will just say both are incredibly good as a bird park can be and should not be compared easily.

Even without the relocation, Jurong will still be a superb zoo. With the relocation happen within the next 2 years, the new bird park seems to have a few large walkthrough aviaries. I think the new bird park will be better than the old one, even if the old one is already the best. (The worst part is the name, ewwwww who named Bird Paradise)