Europe's 100 must see exhibits

Similar exhibits: There were quite some options to fill in this slot. When it comes to tigers specifically there are two other exhibits to highlight, both are however a good deal smaller (though still >4000 square metres). The most bizarre is the Siberian tiger coliseum in Zoo Eberswalde, Germany, and there is the Siberian tiger enclosure in the Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie, UK too.

It's a pity there aren't too many high-quality photographs in the gallery showing the HWP exhibit, as it truly is excellent!
 
83. Siberian tiger enclosure
Kristiansand Dyrepark, Norway
Opened: 2002
Size: 7000 square metres
Inhabitants: Siberian tiger


In a country with some of the highest animal welfare standards, being a popular but big mammal has some advantages when it comes to getting housing. Norway’s only tigers are housed in what is basically a fenced in part of forest, creating something as close to the natural habitat as possible. Perfect for the tigers, with plenty of water, space and hiding places, but less optimal for the visitors. Even though there are visitor paths on most sides of the enclosure, seeing one is not necessarily easy. By having a hidden visitor bunker-path running through a part of the enclosure, you stand a better chance of seeing these big cats up-close. Seeing an active tiger here is obviously a true highlight and this is a good example on how to create a large natural enclosure, while ensuring visitors at least have a reasonable chance to see an animal properly. That visitors actually want to se an animal seems to be forgotten quite often in the new trend of creating huge big cat enclosures. Unfortunately proper separation options seem to be lacking here, as in many other big cat enclosures, with only one spacious outdoor enclosure being available.

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@twilighter

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Similar exhibits: There were quite some options to fill in this slot. When it comes to tigers specifically there are two other exhibits to highlight, both are however a good deal smaller (though still >4000 square metres). The most bizarre is the Siberian tiger coliseum in Zoo Eberswalde, Germany, and there is the Siberian tiger enclosure in the Highland Wildlife Park, Kingussie, UK too. For lions the 1.2 hectare enclosure in Zoo Wuppertal, Germany, is a clear highlight, it is simple, but with some interesting Kopje landscaping. France is probably leading the way in creating large/oversized cat exhibits with the new lion complex in the Zoo Boissiere du Dore being noteworthy as well as the large number of huge enclosures in Parc des Felins, Nesles for lions and tigers. These French enclosures are huge, but a very simple affair. Such enclosures and especially the French ones, can open the debate on whether an enclosure can actually be too big.

Zoo Eberswalde
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@lintworm

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@Animal

Highland Wildlife Park
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@felis silvestris

Zoo Wuppertal
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@Malayan Tapir

Boissiere du Dore
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Parc des Felins
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@Arizona Docent

I'm very happy that Tigers at Kristiansand made the list, since the exhibit is definitely one of Europe's bests and a big highlight at the zoo. After my visit to Orsa today, I can say that their Siberian Tiger exhibit aslo deserves honorable mention. On one additional note - Europe will lose one of the best Polar Bear facilities ever created...
 
84. Dolphin delta
Dolfinarium, Harderwijk, the Netherlands
Opened: 1997
Size: 4700 square metres
Inhabitants: Bottlenose dolphin


Even among zoo enthusiasts the question whether one should keep cetaceans in captivity is controversial. I am personally not the biggest fan of seeing captive dolphins either, but if there is a way to do it, it is like in the Dolfinarium. The dolphin delta is a large open air complex, with a main enclosure of 3000 square metres, plus several separation options and a total volume of nearly 13 million litres. This makes it Europe’s second largest bottlenose dolphin enclosure, after l’Oceanografic Valencia, but contrary to Valencia this is not a simple concrete pool with crystal clear water and a big show arena. This is more like a natural lagoon, embedded in the landscape, with more turbid water and even some crabs and other smaller inhabitants. The maximum distance a dolphin can swim straight here is 70 metres, so one could still debate whether this is large enough. One thing that all the debate on cetaceans in captivity has caused is a near lack of investment to bring cetacean enclosures to the next level. This means a 25 year old enclosure is still the best we have, something unimaginable for other intelligent mammals like elephants and great apes.

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Similar exhibits: The only comparable enclosure lies in Tiergarten Nurnberg, Germany, whose dolphin lagoon, opened in 2011, is roughly 5.4 million litres, consisting of 6 connected tanks, whose combined area for the dolphins is roughly 1000 square metres, with additional separation ares for the Californian sea lions which share this space with the dolphins.

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@lintworm
 
84. Dolphin delta
Dolfinarium, Harderwijk, the Netherlands
Opened: 1997
Size: 4700 square metres
Inhabitants: Bottlenose dolphin


Even among zoo enthusiasts the question whether one should keep cetaceans in captivity is controversial. I am personally not the biggest fan of seeing captive dolphins either, but if there is a way to do it, it is like in the Dolfinarium. The dolphin delta is a large open air complex, with a main enclosure of 3000 square metres, plus several separation options and a total volume of nearly 13 million litres. This makes it Europe’s second largest bottlenose dolphin enclosure, after l’Oceanografic Valencia, but contrary to Valencia this is not a simple concrete pool with crystal clear water and a big show arena. This is more like a natural lagoon, embedded in the landscape, with more turbid water and even some crabs and other smaller inhabitants. The maximum distance a dolphin can swim straight here is 70 metres, so one could still debate whether this is large enough. One thing that all the debate on cetaceans in captivity has caused is a near lack of investment to bring cetacean enclosures to the next level. This means a 25 year old enclosure is still the best we have, something unimaginable for other intelligent mammals like elephants and great apes.

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@snowleopard

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@korhoen

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@Orycteropus

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@Maguari


Similar exhibits: The only comparable enclosure lies in Tiergarten Nurnberg, Germany, whose dolphin lagoon, opened in 2011, is roughly 5.4 million litres, consisting of 6 connected tanks, whose combined area for the dolphins is roughly 1000 square metres, with additional separation ares for the Californian sea lions which share this space with the dolphins.

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@Maguari

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@lintworm

It looks cool, but it's not worth visiting cause it's still dolfinarium
 
84. Dolphin delta
Dolfinarium, Harderwijk, the Netherlands
Opened: 1997
Size: 4700 square metres
Inhabitants: Bottlenose dolphin


Even among zoo enthusiasts the question whether one should keep cetaceans in captivity is controversial. I am personally not the biggest fan of seeing captive dolphins either, but if there is a way to do it, it is like in the Dolfinarium. The dolphin delta is a large open air complex, with a main enclosure of 3000 square metres, plus several separation options and a total volume of nearly 13 million litres. This makes it Europe’s second largest bottlenose dolphin enclosure, after l’Oceanografic Valencia, but contrary to Valencia this is not a simple concrete pool with crystal clear water and a big show arena. This is more like a natural lagoon, embedded in the landscape, with more turbid water and even some crabs and other smaller inhabitants. The maximum distance a dolphin can swim straight here is 70 metres, so one could still debate whether this is large enough. One thing that all the debate on cetaceans in captivity has caused is a near lack of investment to bring cetacean enclosures to the next level. This means a 25 year old enclosure is still the best we have, something unimaginable for other intelligent mammals like elephants and great apes.

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@snowleopard

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@korhoen

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@Orycteropus

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@Maguari


Similar exhibits: The only comparable enclosure lies in Tiergarten Nurnberg, Germany, whose dolphin lagoon, opened in 2011, is roughly 5.4 million litres, consisting of 6 connected tanks, whose combined area for the dolphins is roughly 1000 square metres, with additional separation ares for the Californian sea lions which share this space with the dolphins.

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@Maguari

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@lintworm
Like many others, I have very mixed feelings about cetacean captivity. I enjoy seeing them, but not once have I seen a tank that I felt was of an adequate size. With that said, I've always thought this exhibit was fantastic and rather surprised it hasn't been the inspiration for many more dolphin pools worldwide. How well do the dolphins breed here? I'd be really curious to here if there have been any welfare studies done that indicate how much better an enclosure like this is for the animals compared to the more typical concrete stadium. While it's much smaller, I always been really interested in Nurnberg's complex as well and I think the mix with sea lions is a super neat concept. Watching the two species interact sounds quite fascinating.

We almost had something similar here in America with SeaWorld's Blue World project which would have been a series of lagoons with a combined 10 million gallons (roughly 37 million liters) for killer whales. Unfortunately, pressure from activists and general public outcry put the kibosh on that project before any progress was ever made.
 
Reading this today reminded me of another European cetacean enclosure that is surely also a must see! But I won’t say just yet in case it’s still to come.
 
Quite a few no-brainers since my last post. I like the inclusion of the giant salamander-house of Prague. It was build after my last visit and I frankly forgot it existed :) it looks very nice but perhaps more importantly and disappointingly is that it is quite unique in the European Zoo world.

Dolfinarium’s Delta is in my opinion also obvious. I’m not as strongly against keeping cetaceans in captivity as some of the other people, but I agree that it’s very disappointing that it has never been rivalled since it was build, let alone surpassed. Noone seem to have passed the concrete pool, not even Nurnberg (fancy though it is). I wonder if anyone ever will, not anytime soon at least.

Last time I was there, part of the lagoon was used for pinnipeds (californians?). Are they all gone?
 
Like many others, I have very mixed feelings about cetacean captivity. I enjoy seeing them, but not once have I seen a tank that I felt was of an adequate size. With that said, I've always thought this exhibit was fantastic and rather surprised it hasn't been the inspiration for many more dolphin pools worldwide. How well do the dolphins breed here? I'd be really curious to here if there have been any welfare studies done that indicate how much better an enclosure like this is for the animals compared to the more typical concrete stadium. While it's much smaller, I always been really interested in Nurnberg's complex as well and I think the mix with sea lions is a super neat concept. Watching the two species interact sounds quite fascinating.

We almost had something similar here in America with SeaWorld's Blue World project which would have been a series of lagoons with a combined 10 million gallons (roughly 37 million liters) for killer whales. Unfortunately, pressure from activists and general public outcry put the kibosh on that project before any progress was ever made.

The dolphins in Harderwijk seem to be doing fine from a health point of view, and have bred well here, but there is currently a breeding stop at European zoos, as they are on full capacity. I am not aware of any comparative studies that compare this exhibit with a more traditional dolphinarium.

On most of my Nuremberg visits the dolphins and sea lions were kept separated, but that seems to always be temporary, but on paper it is an interesting mix for both species.

Reading this today reminded me of another European cetacean enclosure that is surely also a must see! But I won’t say just yet in case it’s still to come.

I am guessing you mean the beluga sea pen at the Vestmannaeyjar in Iceland. To me that is not a zoo exhibit, so it won't appear here, although it is the most natural cetacean enclosure in Europe.

Ehhhhhhhh

Bold assumption to say it's against ideology.

Maybe you should explain why you wrote your first point, I also don't know what you are hinting at...

Last time I was there, part of the lagoon was used for pinnipeds (californians?). Are they all gone?

They should still be there according to the map (though I haven't visited in ages too), but I left that part of the lagoon out, because it didn't add anything to the story.
 
85. Burgers’ Ocean
Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Opened: 2000
Size: 3600 square metres, 8 million litres
Inhabitants: roughly 150 fish species, >100 coral species and many other invertebrates


This aquarium is a triumph and while it contains multiple great tanks, the core strength lies in the overall design. While former director Antoon van Hooff gets a lot of credit for his vision on zoo design, it would not have been possible without Tom de Jongh, the now retired curator and exhibit designer of the zoo. The Ocean is not only conceptually strong, by following a clear journey through a clearly defined ecosystem: the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, but even more so by its execution. The Ocean was designed in such a way that, bar a few small blips, visitors see exactly what the designer wants them to see and that is all natural. There is no cross-viewing here or obvious empty tank walls. Additionally the rock work and artificial corals are of a high quality, with a great eye for detail. The deeper part of the lagoon tank shows the craftsmanship of Mr. de Jongh the best. There are no less than 6 viewing areas at different levels into the tank, but each gives an unique view into this large tank, which through smart landscaping and complete lack of cross viewing seems even bigger than it is. The obvious highlight is however the living coral reef tank, with 750.000 litres the largest on the continent. Three viewing panels invite you to look at this ecosystem from different perspectives. As much as possible this tank maintains its own water quality and food for the inhabitants, and while filtration and fish feeding is still necessary, this tank can partly do it itself. With nearly 50 fish species, 100 species of coral, of which multiple reproduce sexually due to an artificial moon, and countless invertebrates (including over 50 species of foraminifera, to everyone’s surprise), this tank always has something new to discover. The remainder of the aquarium has highlights for the casual visitor with a large shark tank and an acrylic tunnel with a breeding group of ocellated eagle rays. It is a pity that most do not consciously appreciate the skill that went into designing this aquarium, just make sure you take a good look at the design at your next visit.

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Similar exhibits: I do not know any other aquarium that combines a clear concept, strong design and exhibit quality at this scale.
 
85. Burgers’ Ocean
Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Opened: 2000
Size: 3600 square metres, 8 million litres
Inhabitants: roughly 150 fish species, >100 coral species and many other invertebrates


This aquarium is a triumph and while it contains multiple great tanks, the core strength lies in the overall design. While former director Antoon van Hooff gets a lot of credit for his vision on zoo design, it would not have been possible without Tom de Jongh, the now retired curator and exhibit designer of the zoo. The Ocean is not only conceptually strong, by following a clear journey through a clearly defined ecosystem: the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, but even more so by its execution. The Ocean was designed in such a way that, bar a few small blips, visitors see exactly what the designer wants them to see and that is all natural. There is no cross-viewing here or obvious empty tank walls. Additionally the rock work and artificial corals are of a high quality, with a great eye for detail. The deeper part of the lagoon tank shows the craftsmanship of Mr. de Jongh the best. There are no less than 6 viewing areas at different levels into the tank, but each gives an unique view into this large tank, which through smart landscaping and complete lack of cross viewing seems even bigger than it is. The obvious highlight is however the living coral reef tank, with 750.000 litres the largest on the continent. Three viewing panels invite you to look at this ecosystem from different perspectives. As much as possible this tank maintains its own water quality and food for the inhabitants, and while filtration and fish feeding is still necessary, this tank can partly do it itself. With nearly 50 fish species, 100 species of coral, of which multiple reproduce sexually due to an artificial moon, and countless invertebrates (including over 50 species of foraminifera, to everyone’s surprise), this tank always has something new to discover. The remainder of the aquarium has highlights for the casual visitor with a large shark tank and an acrylic tunnel with a breeding group of ocellated eagle rays. It is a pity that most do not consciously appreciate the skill that went into designing this aquarium, just make sure you take a good look at the design at your next visit.

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Similar exhibits: I do not know any other aquarium that combines a clear concept, strong design and exhibit quality at this scale.

Something else that Burgers' Ocean does well and deserves a mention, is the clear "story" it tells

You enter in the tide pools, walk down into the deeper lagoon, then the coral reef, open ocean, deep sea, and end up back at a harbour
 
Something else that Burgers' Ocean does well and deserves a mention, is the clear "story" it tells

You enter in the tide pools, walk down into the deeper lagoon, then the coral reef, open ocean, deep sea, and end up back at a harbour

I pretty much wrote that, didn't I :p:

The Ocean is not only conceptually strong, by following a clear journey through a clearly defined ecosystem: the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific
 
Maybe you should explain why you wrote your first point, I also don't know what you are hinting at...

When Dolfinarium stepped out of the NvD (Dutch zoo society) and explained themselves to want to steer away from being a zoo and be more of a amusements park I stopped believing they are worth visiting. Despite this pool being the best dolphin exhibit in the world to my beliefs.
Just wouldn't pay a way too expensive ticket for what would just be seeing a dolphin habitat and a handful of other view worthy things.

Perhaps I should have explained it more but didn't feel like potentially derailing or going into a classic cetacean debate so I left it at silly ramblings.
 
When Dolfinarium stepped out of the NvD (Dutch zoo society) and explained themselves to want to steer away from being a zoo and be more of a amusements park I stopped believing they are worth visiting. Despite this pool being the best dolphin exhibit in the world to my beliefs.
Just wouldn't pay a way too expensive ticket for what would just be seeing a dolphin habitat and a handful of other view worthy things.

Perhaps I should have explained it more but didn't feel like potentially derailing or going into a classic cetacean debate so I left it at silly ramblings.

Leaving the zoo society was a monumental mistake by the Dolfinarium management and certainly did not do their already muddled public image any good.

The two times I visited in the last 15 years much of the visits consisted of going from animal show to animal show, and while the shows certainly did have some educational elements, I do remember a lot of more questionable elements that seemed much more oriented towards spectacle and entertainment.

Something that also disturbed me a lot was the very commercial atmosphere and the large number of signs advertising expensive animal interaction programs.

I don't think I will be visiting again. Especially now that Steller's sea lions and walrus are on display at another facility closer to me (Pairi Daiza).

That said, I don't think Dolfinarium Harderwijk has a bright future ahead.

85. Burgers’ Ocean
Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Opened: 2000
Size: 3600 square metres, 8 million litres
Inhabitants: roughly 150 fish species, >100 coral species and many other invertebrates


This aquarium is a triumph and while it contains multiple great tanks, the core strength lies in the overall design. While former director Antoon van Hooff gets a lot of credit for his vision on zoo design, it would not have been possible without Tom de Jongh, the now retired curator and exhibit designer of the zoo. The Ocean is not only conceptually strong, by following a clear journey through a clearly defined ecosystem: the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, but even more so by its execution. The Ocean was designed in such a way that, bar a few small blips, visitors see exactly what the designer wants them to see and that is all natural. There is no cross-viewing here or obvious empty tank walls. Additionally the rock work and artificial corals are of a high quality, with a great eye for detail. The deeper part of the lagoon tank shows the craftsmanship of Mr. de Jongh the best. There are no less than 6 viewing areas at different levels into the tank, but each gives an unique view into this large tank, which through smart landscaping and complete lack of cross viewing seems even bigger than it is. The obvious highlight is however the living coral reef tank, with 750.000 litres the largest on the continent. Three viewing panels invite you to look at this ecosystem from different perspectives. As much as possible this tank maintains its own water quality and food for the inhabitants, and while filtration and fish feeding is still necessary, this tank can partly do it itself. With nearly 50 fish species, 100 species of coral, of which multiple reproduce sexually due to an artificial moon, and countless invertebrates (including over 50 species of foraminifera, to everyone’s surprise), this tank always has something new to discover. The remainder of the aquarium has highlights for the casual visitor with a large shark tank and an acrylic tunnel with a breeding group of ocellated eagle rays. It is a pity that most do not consciously appreciate the skill that went into designing this aquarium, just make sure you take a good look at the design at your next visit.

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Similar exhibits: I do not know any other aquarium that combines a clear concept, strong design and exhibit quality at this scale.

An absolutely exemplary aquarium in my opinion, also evidenced by some of their marine breeding results.

I have been able to visit the off-show areas of Burgers' Ocean twice over the years, these spaces are just as impressive as the exhibits themselves. Also impressive to see that some exhibits - especially the big shark tank - are in fact even larger than they seem to be from the visitor areas.
 
85. Burgers’ Ocean
Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Opened: 2000
Size: 3600 square metres, 8 million litres
Inhabitants: roughly 150 fish species, >100 coral species and many other invertebrates


This aquarium is a triumph and while it contains multiple great tanks, the core strength lies in the overall design. While former director Antoon van Hooff gets a lot of credit for his vision on zoo design, it would not have been possible without Tom de Jongh, the now retired curator and exhibit designer of the zoo. The Ocean is not only conceptually strong, by following a clear journey through a clearly defined ecosystem: the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, but even more so by its execution. The Ocean was designed in such a way that, bar a few small blips, visitors see exactly what the designer wants them to see and that is all natural. There is no cross-viewing here or obvious empty tank walls. Additionally the rock work and artificial corals are of a high quality, with a great eye for detail. The deeper part of the lagoon tank shows the craftsmanship of Mr. de Jongh the best. There are no less than 6 viewing areas at different levels into the tank, but each gives an unique view into this large tank, which through smart landscaping and complete lack of cross viewing seems even bigger than it is. The obvious highlight is however the living coral reef tank, with 750.000 litres the largest on the continent. Three viewing panels invite you to look at this ecosystem from different perspectives. As much as possible this tank maintains its own water quality and food for the inhabitants, and while filtration and fish feeding is still necessary, this tank can partly do it itself. With nearly 50 fish species, 100 species of coral, of which multiple reproduce sexually due to an artificial moon, and countless invertebrates (including over 50 species of foraminifera, to everyone’s surprise), this tank always has something new to discover. The remainder of the aquarium has highlights for the casual visitor with a large shark tank and an acrylic tunnel with a breeding group of ocellated eagle rays. It is a pity that most do not consciously appreciate the skill that went into designing this aquarium, just make sure you take a good look at the design at your next visit.

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Similar exhibits: I do not know any other aquarium that combines a clear concept, strong design and exhibit quality at this scale.
This is why Europe don't have a lot of good standalone aquarium, the best one is in a zoo!
 
82. Giant salamander house
Zoo Prague, Czechia,
Opened: 2014
Size: 200 square metres
Inhabitants: Chinese giant salamander, Mangshan pit viper, impressed tortoise


From a zoo that takes pride in displaying unusual species, this might be the best example of how to highlight the unknown. From the outside this unobtrusive house blends in perfectly into the landscape. The inside is managed in a slightly different day-night cycle than outside, with darkness coming in the early afternoon, giving a higher chance to see active salamanders. The salamanders themselves are kept in 5 tanks, which can be connected, and together these tanks form a small stream. Several impressive specimens are kept and viewing options are good, so even regular visitors should be able to get good views of this species, which can be surprisingly hard to properly see despite its size. Prague would not be Prague if they would not cram in some more rarities. Here two terraria showcase endangered and rarely kept Chinese reptiles: Impressed Tortoise and Mangshan Pit Viper. Unfortunately for us, but probably better for the salamander, photography is officially forbidden inside and this is normally well policed. Only in the Czech republic could one probably find someone whose job it is to tell people not to take pictures of rare ectotherms…

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Similar exhibits: Good large salamander displays are hard to find, but the hellbender exhibit in Zoo Basel, Switzerland is excellent. Replicating a little stream, water flows through 3 connected tanks, of which the middle one consists of 4 separate enclosures for breeding purposes. No pictures have been uploaded to the gallery yet, but there are some on their website (Schlammteufel – eine selten in Zoos gehaltene Amphibienart). Zoo Prague has two more houses with plenty of terraria and a giant tortoise house in the lower part alone, but the other ectotherm highlight here is clearly the Gharial house. Another fine small house showing rarely displayed reptiles, including several critically endangered turtle species. And fortunately photography is not forbidden there.

Zoo Prague:
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Photography isn't allowed inside, here's some photos from inside.
 
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