Bizarre Rankings of Zoos/Aquariums

[15399]

50 Best Zoos in the U.S., Ranked

This afternoon, I stumbled across this article of the Top US Zoos. Reading it, it quickly became how bizarre this list was, with Bronx Zoo not hitting the Top 20, and the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in the Top 5. It also contained multiple factual errors (Toledo Zoo has the world's only underwater Hippo viewing) that only made the article more bizarre and laughable. The site also has an aquarium ranking, with omitted Shedd and Georgia from the top 20, and claimed that Shedd Aquarium only had 5 gallons of water! Both are definitely funny, and confusing, reads.

35 Best Aquariums in America, Ranked

Has anyone here ever found a bizarre ranking of Zoos or Aquariums on line before?

 

[birdsandbats]

It's hard for the lists to load for me (and the page is covered in ads), so for an easier viewing experience, here's that first list:

50. Rodger Williams Park Zoo
49. Rosamond Gifford Zoo
48. Cameron Park Zoo
47. Point Defiance Zoo
46. McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary
45. Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
44. Promised Land Zoo
43. Sedgwick County Zoo
42. Toledo Zoo
41. Cape May County Zoo
40. Como Park Zoo
39. Columbus Zoo
38. Riverbanks Zoo
37. Jacksonville Zoo
36. ZooTampa
35. Pittsburgh Zoo
34. Phoenix Zoo
33. Indianapolis Zoo
32. Oakland Zoo
31. Alaska Zoo
30. Minnesota Zoo
29. Kansas City Zoo
28. Denver Zoo
27. Philadelphia Zoo
26. Virginia Zoo
25. Dallas Zoo
24. Houston Zoo
23. Smithsonian National Zoo
22. Woodland Park Zoo
21. Bronx Zoo
20. Brookfield Zoo
19. Fort Worth Zoo
18. Zoo Miami
17. Oklahoma City Zoo
16. Lion County Safari
15. Lincoln Park Zoo
14. Bear County USA
13. Memphis Zoo
12. Audubon Zoo
11. Cincinnati Zoo
10. San Diego Zoo (the zoo and safari park are combined as one entry here)
9. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
8. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
7. The Wilds
6. Brevard Zoo
5. Out of Africa Wildlife Park
4. Safari West
3. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
2. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
1. St. Louis Zoo

That is... a list. I honestly don't even know what to say. I think it's pretty clear that the author has visited few, if any of these zoos (at least not recently). They say that the Cat Complex at Omaha is still open and that The Wilds doesn't allow children (what?). Given how crazy this list is I'm shocked ASDM made the list, as it doesn't usually make this type of list, although the placing is ridiculous obviously.

I also want to highlight this part from the Indianapolis Section:

"And don't miss the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, which is one of the most important zoo exhibits in the world. It is a center for research into the cognitive abilities of great apes, a truly memorable experience".

 

[birdsandbats]

Here's the aquarium list:

35. Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium
34. Adventure Aquarium
33. Long Island Aquarium
32. Steinhart Aquarium (AKA California Academy of Sciences)
31. Oklahoma Aquarium
30. PPG Aquarium (yes, the one inside Pittsburgh Zoo)
29. Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
28. Reiman Aquarium (the list says it's the best aquarium in the state but it's also the only one)
27. Virginia Aquarium
26. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
25. Georgia Aquarium
24. Shedd Aquarium
23. Aquarium of the Pacific
22. Seattle Aquarium
21. Downtown Aquarium Houston
20. North Carolina Aquarium at Port Fisher
19. National Aquarium
18. Birch Aquarium
17. Downtown Aquarium Denver
16. New York Aquarium
15. Waikiki Aquarium
14. Florida Aquarium
13. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
12. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
11. Mystic Aquarium
10. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (You read that right. Not even specifically the aquarium, the place in general.)
9. Newport Aquarium
8. South Carolina Aquarium
7. Tennessee Aquarium
6. Oregon Coast Aquarium
5. Texas State Aquarium
4. SEA LIFE Minnesota
3. Monterey Bay Aquarium
2. Alaska SeaLife Center
1. New England Aquarium

At least Monterey Bay is in the right place? Putting nearly anything above Shedd is objectively wrong, IMO.

But seriously, I really enjoyed this list. It's just so wrong it's hilarious. I burst out laughing at several points and it has made my day, especially putting Houston so high, the fact that Reiman made the list and the random inclusion of Omaha.

 

[Aardwolf]

I used to work at an admittedly sketchy zoo on the outskirts of a city with one of the nation's most respected zoos. I was amazed at how many visitors we had (many of them wealthy suburbanites) who raved about they loved our zoo so much more because they could get closer to animals (because they enclosures were much smaller and plainer) and it was much more kid-focused (rides, petting areas, bright colors). Being much smaller, it was also a lot more manageable for parents pushing strollers or pulling kids in a wagon. Oh, and they didn't have to drive through the city, which many of them were unreasonably scared of, to get there.

I suspect sentiments such as that drive a lot of these internet lists and what makes a zoo fun and therefore "the best."

 

[birdsandbats]

I used to work at an admittedly sketchy zoo on the outskirts of a city with one of the nation's most respected zoos. I was amazed at how many visitors we had (many of them wealthy suburbanites) who raved about they loved our zoo so much more because they could get closer to animals (because they enclosures were much smaller and plainer) and it was much more kid-focused (rides, petting areas, bright colors). Being much smaller, it was also a lot more manageable for parents pushing strollers or pulling kids in a wagon. Oh, and they didn't have to drive through the city, which many of them were unreasonably scared of, to get there.

I suspect sentiments such as that drive a lot of these internet lists and what makes a zoo fun and therefore "the best."

Yes, I'm aware of (and do somewhat share) this mindset. That's why many zoos discontinuing their ambassador programs (I'm looking at you Lincoln Park) is a terrible idea and why zoos really should increase the number of areas where visitors can interact with animals.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

Who makes these!?

 

[birdsandbats]

Who makes these!?

Meagan Drillinger at alwayspets.com.

 

[Great Argus]

I can't help feeling the lists are supposed to be the other way around, just for how facilities are placed. A few places on both lists certainly do not belong on there either way.

 

[Bengal Tiger]

Meagan Drillinger at alwayspets.com.

Well... Maybe she should focus on something she knows about LOL

 

[Chlidonias]

That is... a list. I honestly don't even know what to say. I think it's pretty clear that the author has visited few, if any of these zoos (at least not recently). They say that the Cat Complex at Omaha is still open and that The Wilds doesn't allow children (what?). Given how crazy this list is I'm shocked ASDM made the list, as it doesn't usually make this type of list, although the placing is ridiculous obviously.

The lists are based on reviews from sites like Tripadvisor.

The zoo list says in the opening paragraphs that zoos like San Diego or the Bronx "might be some of the best known in the country, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily the "best," according to reviews on Tripadvisor."

And the aquarium list says "we've combed review sites like Yelp to determine which aquariums are the absolute best."

Anyone who looks at the roadside-type zoos on Tripadvisor will have seen that even the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel hellholes will get just loads of high-scoring reviews. I don't know how good or bad these places are but I have never heard of the Promised Land Zoo, Bear County USA, or Out of Africa, and on Tripadvisor all three have two-thirds of their reviews rated as "excellent" (the highest rating). I just looked at the Tiger King's zoo as well, and almost half the reviews rated it as "excellent". The review sites are, obviously, not at all a good way of evaluating how good zoos actually are, but that is where lists like these ones come from.

 

[Great Argus]

Anyone who looks at the roadside-type zoos on Tripadvisor will have seen that even the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel hellholes will get just loads of high-scoring reviews.

Very true - I was looking up a junky shady "sanctuary" not too far from me just yesterday, and their average rating across such sites was a 4.5. For small chainlink cages with next to no foliage or enrichment for most animals. Really low-end place with lots of negative reports from various groups. But they have cub petting and other interactive stuff and so they end up getting far better ratings than they ought.

 

[Bisonblake]

This annoyed me about the Toledo Zoo:

"It's also the only zoo in the world where you can see hippos as they are underwater. This alone makes a visit to the Toledo Zoo worth it."

Cincy? St. Louis? Memphis? C'mon if you publish a list about zoos, you should know everything about each one.

 

[15399]

This annoyed me about the Toledo Zoo:

"It's also the only zoo in the world where you can see hippos as they are underwater. This alone makes a visit to the Toledo Zoo worth it."

Cincy? St. Louis? Memphis? C'mon if you publish a list about zoos, you should know everything about each one.

There's even a picture for Cincinatti Zoo in the article of the Hippo underwater viewing!

 

[Astrotom3000]

This really feels like it was written by a mother and definitely aimed at parents with small kids, because there are a lot of photos of domesticated/farmyard animals, even for major zoos. There are also a lot of pictures of ambassador/demonstration animals. Emphasis is also placed on interactive activities aimed at younger zoo-goers.

That said, the biggest thing that stuck out to me was having either of the Landry's Downtown Aquariums, let alone both, being featured on the Best Aquariums list.

Also, I personally would not put ZooTampa above Jacksonville, but that's just me.

 

[birdsandbats]

This really feels like it was written by a mother and definitely aimed at parents with small kids, because there are a lot of photos of domesticated/farmyard animals, even for major zoos. There are also a lot of pictures of ambassador/demonstration animals. Emphasis is also placed on interactive activities aimed at younger zoo-goers.

I thought that at first, but the The Wilds was put really high despite supposedly not allowing children.

Also, I personally would not put ZooTampa above Jacksonville, but that's just me.

There are much bigger problems with these lists.

 

[Bisonblake]

There's even a picture for Cincinatto Zoo in the article of the Hippo underwater viewing!

Omg, how did I miss that? That just makes the whole list funnier.

 

[15399]

Also, I personally would not put ZooTampa above Jacksonville, but that's just me.

And that's personal preference, but there's nothing wrong with that. Many on this site even would disagree with you though, @pachyderm pro didn't even put Jacksonville in his Top 50 list but did include Tampa. However, there are a lot of things about both lists that most people on here would universally agree upon, such as:
- Shedd and Georgia Aquariums most certainly belong as top 5 Aquariums, at least.
- Safari West and Out of Africa Wildlife Park don't belong in the Top 50, let alone the Top 5.
- Bear Country, Lion Country Safari, Promised Land, and Mcarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary don't belong in the Top 50.
- The exclusion from the Top 50 of North Carolina, Oregon, Los Angeles, Denver, and Detroit Zoos, among others.
- Bronx Zoo shohld be ranking in the Top 10 Zoos, at least.
- a Sea Life facility should not be a Top 5 Aquarium.

 

[birdsandbats]

- a Sea Life facility should not be a Top 5 Aquarium.

I have to disagree with this one, sorry. Sea Life Minnesota is an excellent aquarium. It's somewhat small but the tunnel tanks are awesome and the Green Sawfish are a highlight. I've never been to another Sea Life aquarium but I've heard that Minnesota is better than pretty much all of the other ones.

 

[15399]

I have to disagree with this one, sorry. Sea Life Minnesota is an excellent aquarium. It's somewhat small but the tunnel tanks are awesome and the Green Sawfish are a highlight. I've never been to another Sea Life aquarium but I've heard that Minnesota is better than pretty much all of the other ones.

Interesting. I didn't realize Sea Life Minnesota was considered a top-class aquarium. Thanks for letting me know!

 

[Aardwolf]

Most of the other SeaLife are very cookie-cutter - I've been to four including Minnesota, and apart from that one they've all been so similar that I've pretty much lost interest in the chain. For that reason I almost skipped the Minnesota one when I was in the Twin Cities, and am very glad I didn't. It won't crack my top 5 for aquariums, but it might make by top 10