Top 10 UK zoos, based on exhibit design
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twycrosszoo
Well-Known Member
Not sure about compiling top 10 list but can almost certainly mention a few outstanding exhibits for the animals but not necessarily to look at. Colchester Zoos Squirrel monkey and agouti exhibit is a great animal exhibit with lots of climbing frames for the monkeys. Howletts would be mentioned for the new langur and lion tailed macaque enclosures alone, Port Lympne with the new open top exhibits for colobus monkeys and of coarse the huge Palace of the Apes deserves some praise. Edinburghs new Chimp exhibit Budongo deserves praise as an exhibit in itself although it could do with more animals, and the Living Links building for capuchins etc is another worthy example of environmental enrichment in an exhibit.
Anyone have any other ideas to add to this?!!!.
Anyone have any other ideas to add to this?!!!.
Thanks for that twycrosszoo. I appreciate what you have written.
I should not have reqested "top 10". Following the lead of many threads l see here.
What you have written is exactly what l am looking for. I dont need the "top 10".
I do want to hear about great UK exhibits. Thanks for your input.
I should not have reqested "top 10". Following the lead of many threads l see here.
What you have written is exactly what l am looking for. I dont need the "top 10".
I do want to hear about great UK exhibits. Thanks for your input.
Realm of the Red Ape at Chester is a great exhibit for Orangs. Thick planting and soil indoors, simulated rainfall in the indoor exhibit and feeding takes place from the roof so that Orangs can climb and eat as if they were in the canopy. The orangs also share with lar gibbons.
Most of the Aspinall gorilla cages seem very good for the inhabitants.
Budongo looks very good for the chimps at Edinburgh (see the photo of their outdoor exhibit!)
Port Lympne's rhino set up seems very good
Whipsnade's elephant exhibit and walks are very good for the elephants.
Most of the Aspinall gorilla cages seem very good for the inhabitants.
Budongo looks very good for the chimps at Edinburgh (see the photo of their outdoor exhibit!)
Port Lympne's rhino set up seems very good
Whipsnade's elephant exhibit and walks are very good for the elephants.
I am unaware of the actuall needs of Rhinos. I would agree tat Port Lympne's big paddoks are great for them.
Whipsnade and Elephants l had no idea they were considered good at this. Last time l was there 20 years ago. It was a huge cold windy place! I have no strong memories of it except there cheetahs.
Thx matey
I was referring to it in terms of welfare for the eles. Huge grass paddock, sand, pool, shade structure, decent sized bull paddock, regular walks etc...
dawnaforsythe
Active Member
Chester orangutans
I'd really like to travel to the UK to see this exhibit. Is Feb or March a good time, or should I wait and visit in the summer?
I'd really like to travel to the UK to see this exhibit. Is Feb or March a good time, or should I wait and visit in the summer?
March may be a perfect time to visit the zoo. The weather in the UK is usually starting to get better at that time and the crowds at the zoo haven't built up to the numbers that you can get in the summer (which can get very uncomfortable at times, especially in RORA).
Now back to the topic
Spirit of the Jaguar at Chester comprises of four huge exhibits both indoors and outdoors for jags which are very natural. The downside is they can be so big the cats can be hard to spot!
Roof of the World is Marwell's large snow leopard exhibit remeniscent of the Himalayas, complete with rock faces and alpine planting.
Clore Rainforest Lookout & B.U.G.S! at London Zoo are very well laid out indoor exhibits with a wide range of species.
Roof of the World is Marwell's large snow leopard exhibit remeniscent of the Himalayas, complete with rock faces and alpine planting.
Clore Rainforest Lookout & B.U.G.S! at London Zoo are very well laid out indoor exhibits with a wide range of species.
taun
Well-Known Member
Spirit of the Jaguar has some bad points, like the bad use of space in the visitors areas. The raingorest side is some what smaller than the savannah side (I suppose th heavy planting makes up for this).
Similar problem with Tywcross's leopard enclosure a little on the small side for me but other than that a good enclosure.
taun
Well-Known Member
Bristols penguin/seal complex is a good enlcosure, and definitely not what I expected when I entered.
It depends on who for, this is probably the best enclosure in the country for the orangs (the island, at least) but for visitors they can be extremely difficult to spot. This is quite a common theme when determining whether an exhibit is any good or not and i think that a happy medium is best.
here are a few of my faverouite exhibits
Marwell snow leopard exhibit (roof of the world)
A overall great exhibit, rocks lake , mini waterfall great simulation for the leopards
Port Lympne arfican experiance
another great exhibit, so natural for the animals (giraffe, antilope, gnu, ostrich, zebra)
Marwell aridlands
such a great exhibit, fells like your in the desert (dorcas/dama gazelle, addax and arabian sand cat aswell as reptiles and small mammels in desert house
Port lympne Malayan Tapir
A wonderful enclosure, for visitors and animals alike, feels like your in the jungle. pool mud wallow and lots of trees, bushes plants and shrubs are just some of the many things in the exhibits. it is also a very large exhibit, (a few acres i think)
Port lympne Rhino complex
Large, spacious paddoks, lots of mud wallows, great
Howletts/Port lympne all cat enclosures
great exhibits for the cats, lots of rocks, plants, climing oppotunities and usually a pool
Whipsnade Tiger
a great specially designed exhibit, good for both humans and animals alike
Marwell Tiger
lots of trees, rocks and logs for them to clime, and a pool. another great exhibit
Howletts/Port lympne all dog exhibits
great exhibits for wolves, Dholes, hunting dogs and bush dogs. always a forest area and a open area
Paington ape islands
great exhibits and lots of stimulation for both gorillas, Orangutangs aswell as gibbons. there are lots of climing oppotunities and heavily planted grounds, toys and structures, aswell as natural climing oppotunities.
whipsnade brown bear
a simple woodland enclosure, a great, natural habitat for the bears and there is even a pool,
all of these zoos should be proud of what they have achivied
Marwell snow leopard exhibit (roof of the world)
A overall great exhibit, rocks lake , mini waterfall great simulation for the leopards
Port Lympne arfican experiance
another great exhibit, so natural for the animals (giraffe, antilope, gnu, ostrich, zebra)
Marwell aridlands
such a great exhibit, fells like your in the desert (dorcas/dama gazelle, addax and arabian sand cat aswell as reptiles and small mammels in desert house
Port lympne Malayan Tapir
A wonderful enclosure, for visitors and animals alike, feels like your in the jungle. pool mud wallow and lots of trees, bushes plants and shrubs are just some of the many things in the exhibits. it is also a very large exhibit, (a few acres i think)
Port lympne Rhino complex
Large, spacious paddoks, lots of mud wallows, great
Howletts/Port lympne all cat enclosures
great exhibits for the cats, lots of rocks, plants, climing oppotunities and usually a pool
Whipsnade Tiger
a great specially designed exhibit, good for both humans and animals alike
Marwell Tiger
lots of trees, rocks and logs for them to clime, and a pool. another great exhibit
Howletts/Port lympne all dog exhibits
great exhibits for wolves, Dholes, hunting dogs and bush dogs. always a forest area and a open area
Paington ape islands
great exhibits and lots of stimulation for both gorillas, Orangutangs aswell as gibbons. there are lots of climing oppotunities and heavily planted grounds, toys and structures, aswell as natural climing oppotunities.
whipsnade brown bear
a simple woodland enclosure, a great, natural habitat for the bears and there is even a pool,
all of these zoos should be proud of what they have achivied
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twycrosszoo
Well-Known Member
In reply to Catman's top ten, I can add to the Port Lympne malayan Tapir exhibit which for those of us who are old enough will remember the Sumatran rhinos in that exhibit, and what a brilliant exhibit it made for them. Remember seeing them using the mud wallows there. Brilliant animals and a brilliant exhibit, shame we may never see them in the UK again.
Regards
Twycrosszoo.
Regards
Twycrosszoo.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
I am very sad that no chester exhibits maid it onto my list
If i remember correctly from another thread you said that you had not yet visited Chester so i would be very surprised if a Chester Exhibit did make it into your top 10,as it not possible to make to make a judgement without seeing something for yourself.Will think about this thread over the weekend and post mine suspect a few of mine will not be mentioned by anybody else.
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I've had to think hard about this question and I haven't come to any very clear conclusions. I think it depends on what you want to see.
Inevitably any list is very subjective, so I doubt if anybody will agree with my complete list of choices.
It's been a long time since I visited, but I think I'd say that the zoo with the best overall standard of animal housing is probably Jersey (although you could argue that Jersey isn't in the UK).
Best enclosure (as I've said here before) I'd award to 'Palace of the Apes' at Port Lympne - for both the gorillas and the visitors, with good enrichment too. I think I'd put PL as second on my overall list, too.
Honourable mentions.
'Budongo' at Edinburgh, the best new building I've seen recently. Most of the modern buildings at Edinburgh are pretty good.
'Madagascar' at Cotswold, multi-species walk-through (check the opening times before you visit).
'BUGS' (formerly 'Web of Life') at Regents Park - mostly invertebrates. Like any long-established zoo, there are some awful old buildings at London and some awful not-so-old ones too (unfortunately). You can learn a lot about historic zoo enclosures and historic mistakes from a visit.
'Realm of the Red Ape' at Chester, I have reservations about the viewing and educational aspects of this one - but if I was an orang, it would top my list.
Best public aquarium design would be 'The Deep' at Hull. The National Marine Aquarium at Plymouth is good too.
To be fair, I ought to add that I've never visited 'Living Coasts' or Belfast and I haven't yet seen the latest developments at Whipsnade (Indian rhinos and sloth bears) or at Marwell (siamangs etc). I don't visit many small collections or butterfly houses either.
I hope this is of interest.
Alan
Inevitably any list is very subjective, so I doubt if anybody will agree with my complete list of choices.
It's been a long time since I visited, but I think I'd say that the zoo with the best overall standard of animal housing is probably Jersey (although you could argue that Jersey isn't in the UK).
Best enclosure (as I've said here before) I'd award to 'Palace of the Apes' at Port Lympne - for both the gorillas and the visitors, with good enrichment too. I think I'd put PL as second on my overall list, too.
Honourable mentions.
'Budongo' at Edinburgh, the best new building I've seen recently. Most of the modern buildings at Edinburgh are pretty good.
'Madagascar' at Cotswold, multi-species walk-through (check the opening times before you visit).
'BUGS' (formerly 'Web of Life') at Regents Park - mostly invertebrates. Like any long-established zoo, there are some awful old buildings at London and some awful not-so-old ones too (unfortunately). You can learn a lot about historic zoo enclosures and historic mistakes from a visit.
'Realm of the Red Ape' at Chester, I have reservations about the viewing and educational aspects of this one - but if I was an orang, it would top my list.
Best public aquarium design would be 'The Deep' at Hull. The National Marine Aquarium at Plymouth is good too.
To be fair, I ought to add that I've never visited 'Living Coasts' or Belfast and I haven't yet seen the latest developments at Whipsnade (Indian rhinos and sloth bears) or at Marwell (siamangs etc). I don't visit many small collections or butterfly houses either.
I hope this is of interest.
Alan