What animals tend to have the worst exhibits?

Cetaceans, in my humble opinion. That's not to say many species don't do well in captivity, because some absolutely do. But I feel like a lot of zoos and aquariums lack the 'aesthetic' part when it comes to Cetacean enclosures. Some examples of zoos that I feel have succeeded in bringing out the aesthetic part of their Cetacean enclosures include SeaWorld Gold Coast and Discovery Cove, to name a few.
 
ketoflukes said:
Cetaceans, in my humble opinion. That's not to say many species don't do well in captivity, because some absolutely do. But I feel like a lot of zoos and aquariums lack the 'aesthetic' part when it comes to Cetacean enclosures. Some examples of zoos that I feel have succeeded in bringing out the aesthetic part of their Cetacean enclosures include SeaWorld Gold Coast and Discovery Cove, to name a few.
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I wholeheartedly agree. It's so strange we still keep such intelligent animals in simple concrete pools, there should at least be rocky coves for them to explore.
 
I would have to say Giraffes. Many giraffe enclosures that I come across are just a pit of sand or grass with a few shaded areas and an enrichment feeder or two. Granted, there are a few pretty good enclosures for the giraffes that I have seen, like the one at drive-thru zoos/safari parks (since they have "free" roaming) and the Colombus Zoo's enclosure. And once I'm able to make it to Dallas, I heard their exhibit is beautiful, and it's unusual to incorporate both elephants and giraffes in the same exhibit.
 
Sean Crowley said:
I would have to say Giraffes. Many giraffe enclosures that I come across are just a pit of sand or grass with a few shaded areas and an enrichment feeder or two. Granted, there are a few pretty good enclosures for the giraffes that I have seen, like the one at drive-thru zoos/safari parks (since they have "free" roaming) and the Colombus Zoo's enclosure. And once I'm able to make it to Dallas, I heard their exhibit is beautiful, and it's unusual to incorporate both elephants and giraffes in the same exhibit.
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I mean, do giraffes need much more than that? If you make that sand/grass pit large enough, you’ve got a decent to great giraffe home.
 
Corangurilla said:
I mean, do giraffes need much more than that? If you make that sand/grass pit large enough, you’ve got a decent to great giraffe home.
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Yes, but. I think the theming for giraffe exhibits isn't really great. I feel there should be more natural types of theming to make visitors and the giraffes feel they are in an African savannah. (even tough giraffes probably cant comprehend that)
 
Sean Crowley said:
Yes, but. I think the theming for giraffe exhibits isn't really great. I feel there should be more natural types of theming to make visitors and the giraffes feel they are in an African savannah. (even tough giraffes probably cant comprehend that)
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I agree that giraffes are a species worthy of consideration for this thread, however the reasoning has absolutely nothing to do with theming, as what can you get themed to be more "natural" than grass and a few trees?
The reasons I nominated giraffes were that: 1. Many of the giraffe yards I've seen are too small for the animals. Any giraffe exhibit should be at least a third of an acre (ideally larger), and unfortunately many (especially in roadside zoos, but also some AZA places) aren't even that large.
2. Indoor housing. Especially in cold or rainy climates, giraffes spend a lot of time indoors. Many zoos have indoor giraffe exhibits/giraffe barns that are either too small. If you're a zoo in a cold climate keeping giraffes (or other large tropical species), you should be putting as much, if not more effort, into your winter housing/indoor spaces as you are into the outdoor yards, as in the end that's where they'll be spending a lot of their time too.
 

The original post asked which animals have the worst exhibits-- it did not ask which animals typically have exhibits that provide poor welfare. Animal welfare is a very important metric upon which an exhibit's quality should be judged, but for some of us, things like aesthetics play a role in exhibit quality as well. That being said, I agree that aesthetics is not a common issue in giraffe enclosures specifically.
 
Neil chace said:
I agree that giraffes are a species worthy of consideration for this thread, however the reasoning has absolutely nothing to do with theming, as what can you get themed to be more "natural" than grass and a few trees?
The reasons I nominated giraffes were that: 1. Many of the giraffe yards I've seen are too small for the animals. Any giraffe exhibit should be at least a third of an acre (ideally larger), and unfortunately many (especially in roadside zoos, but also some AZA places) aren't even that large.
2. Indoor housing. Especially in cold or rainy climates, giraffes spend a lot of time indoors. Many zoos have indoor giraffe exhibits/giraffe barns that are either too small. If you're a zoo in a cold climate keeping giraffes (or other large tropical species), you should be putting as much, if not more effort, into your winter housing/indoor spaces as you are into the outdoor yards, as in the end that's where they'll be spending a lot of their time too.
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Absolutely. Some indoor housing is dismal.
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
The original post asked which animals have the worst exhibits-- it did not ask which animals typically have exhibits that provide poor welfare. Animal welfare is a very important metric upon which an exhibit's quality should be judged, but for some of us, things like aesthetics play a role in exhibit quality as well. That being said, I agree that aesthetics is not a common issue in giraffe enclosures specifically.
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I must have read this thread incorrectly. My mistake.
 
Sean Crowley said:
I must have read this thread incorrectly. My mistake.
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Haha, I was actually intending to defend your post! My previous comment was more directed towards Corangurilla. I was trying to explain that aesthetics, in addition to animal welfare, should be considered when evaluating the quality of an exhibit. Animal welfare is still more important than aesthetics, but aesthetics do matter.
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
Haha, I was actually intending to defend your post! My previous comment was more directed towards Corangurilla. I was trying to explain that aesthetics, in addition to animal welfare, should be considered when evaluating the quality of an exhibit. Animal welfare is still more important than aesthetics, but aesthetics do matter.
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My notifications said you quoted my post but you didn’t? Weird.
But yeah, aesthetics and functionality are both important factors. An exhibit can be perfectly good for welfare but also be a total eyesore (cough The Red Ape Church cough).
 
pachyderm pro said:
I'd also say macaws are my number one pick, at least for US zoos. Europe is definitely far ahead when it comes to parrot husbandry and the only American zoos I can think of that keep macaws in large exhibits fully flighted are Queens and Indianapolis. There may be others I'm not thinking of at the moment, but it's slim pickings.

Definitely agree on hippos, orangutans and snakes as well. In particular, snake exhibits that don't allow their inhabitants to fully stretch out are a major issue that could lead to health problems. Como Parks horrific little terrariums instantly come to mind.

I'd also throw small cats in there as well, maybe even small carnivores in general. Most zoos like to keep those exhibits smaller for easier visitor viewing, but often times I find they are far too small for what they're designed to hold.


Hard disagree. I'd actually say giraffes are treated pretty well in the majority of zoos. I've generally seen giraffes in large multi-species savannas or wide open pastures where they have amble space. The only truly poor giraffe exhibits I've seen are San Diego and Henry Vilas and the latter is being replaced in the very near future.
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DAK just has straight up free-roaming fully-flighted macaws.
Batto said:
Rabbits and reptiles.
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Yeah, there's lots of disgustingly small rabbit hutches out there. :(
 
birdsandbats said:
Yes.
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Except for the fact that macaws are smarter and better trained, meaning they're less likely to become an accidental snack for a large carnivore (a rather common occurrence with free-roaming peafowl). So, in all honesty, I'd say the DAK Macaw situation is better than most peafowl free-roamers.
 
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