What makes a really good zoo?
- Thread starter tigris115
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Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
For me it's mainly the scenery and the "naturality" of the exhibits, and the diversity of species not limiting to the popular ABC animals (I would enjoy a Jaguarundi or a Sand Cat as much as a Lion or a Cheetah for example).
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- Great and consistent exhibit quality
- Great species list overall
And that is pretty much it. So long as the zoo has great exhibits alongside great species variety, I would practically guarantee it would be a great zoo.
Bonus points if they have hippos.
- Great species list overall
And that is pretty much it. So long as the zoo has great exhibits alongside great species variety, I would practically guarantee it would be a great zoo.
Bonus points if they have hippos.
Seeing a zoo do something that makes it truly stand out from the rest. Take my three favourite zoos of all time: Chester, Berlin (Zoo), and Zürich.
All of these have a few things in common:
1. A wide variety of species showing the diversity of the animal kingdom.
2. World class exhibitry.
3. Something truly unique, be that species rare in other zoos or exhibits that are one of a kind in nature.
These three zoos check all these boxes for me.
All of these have a few things in common:
1. A wide variety of species showing the diversity of the animal kingdom.
2. World class exhibitry.
3. Something truly unique, be that species rare in other zoos or exhibits that are one of a kind in nature.
These three zoos check all these boxes for me.
I won't say that a large number of species is necessary ti be a great zoo. Smaller zoos have their charm too if your expectations aren't to high.
Probably something unique should happen during the visit for being great. Maybe an unusual encounter with an animal, an unique exhibit or a first sighting of something rare.
Probably something unique should happen during the visit for being great. Maybe an unusual encounter with an animal, an unique exhibit or a first sighting of something rare.
TheImmigrant1
Well-Known Member
I'd say immersion is the big one for me. Even some zoos with an amazing collection of species can be subpar if their exhibits are lackluster and unnatural looking. If I feel like I'm in a new world thanks to the scenery, architecture, and theming of an area the zoo has done its job. Examples like China or Teton Trek at the Memphis Zoo, Africa Rocks at San Diego, Expedition Peru at Nashville Zoo, and Range of the Jaguar are prime examples of this.
A red River hog. Bonus points for each additional one.
Brandywine is an S-tier zoo. (Seriously it is quite charming despite all the challenges it's faced but that's not my main point.)
The stuff I actually like in a zoo usually changes depending on what I'm feeling - but consistent factors for me would be cool and obscure species, the "San 4" (elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra in an ideal sense) and, most importantly, cool exhibit design. I'm one to appreciate a zoo going all in on immersion, be it subtle design (Pittsburgh's African Savanna being themed after an African river or North Carolina's Watani Grasslands taking advantage of its massive undulating landscape, the hoofstock/pachyderm/carnivore paddocks at Zoo Miami), hyper-theming/museum-style galleries (anything the WCS does, especially something like Congo Gorilla Forest or San Diego's Lost Forest/Elephant Odyssey/Africa Rocks/Wildlife Explorers Basecamp), abstract or imaginative cultural theming incorporated into otherwise immersive galleries (JungleWorld's GORGEOUS entry lobby with its hanging South Asian tapestries/mirror effect or the little cultural details incorporated into the otherwise very naturalistic landscape, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Maharajah Jungle Trek), or even modern/historical architecture incorporated in a tasteful manner (Antwerp's Valley of the Great Apes/Buffalo Savanna or Paris Zoological Park's, well... EVERYTHING), you get the picture. In my opinion Bronx does all of these things, and while I can't say it's my *ideal* zoo, it's still a damn good zoo. Stellar collection, everything you could want as far as representation, EXQUISITE design ranging from subtle to downright inventive, what more could you ask for?
The stuff I actually like in a zoo usually changes depending on what I'm feeling - but consistent factors for me would be cool and obscure species, the "San 4" (elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra in an ideal sense) and, most importantly, cool exhibit design. I'm one to appreciate a zoo going all in on immersion, be it subtle design (Pittsburgh's African Savanna being themed after an African river or North Carolina's Watani Grasslands taking advantage of its massive undulating landscape, the hoofstock/pachyderm/carnivore paddocks at Zoo Miami), hyper-theming/museum-style galleries (anything the WCS does, especially something like Congo Gorilla Forest or San Diego's Lost Forest/Elephant Odyssey/Africa Rocks/Wildlife Explorers Basecamp), abstract or imaginative cultural theming incorporated into otherwise immersive galleries (JungleWorld's GORGEOUS entry lobby with its hanging South Asian tapestries/mirror effect or the little cultural details incorporated into the otherwise very naturalistic landscape, Disney's Animal Kingdom's Maharajah Jungle Trek), or even modern/historical architecture incorporated in a tasteful manner (Antwerp's Valley of the Great Apes/Buffalo Savanna or Paris Zoological Park's, well... EVERYTHING), you get the picture. In my opinion Bronx does all of these things, and while I can't say it's my *ideal* zoo, it's still a damn good zoo. Stellar collection, everything you could want as far as representation, EXQUISITE design ranging from subtle to downright inventive, what more could you ask for?
Lucas Lang
Well-Known Member
Good Habitat (If have ability I would prefer much natural one)
Nice Species (Not so important, but it is always a pleasure to observe rare species in a zoo)
Education (Let people learn from the exhibition, rather than just see animal)
Nice Species (Not so important, but it is always a pleasure to observe rare species in a zoo)
Education (Let people learn from the exhibition, rather than just see animal)
A zoo that is easy to reach by people who rely on public transport.
A zoo with a wide range of animals, especially phyla that most zoos ignore
A zoo with animals that are not kept in hundreds of other zoos
A zoo that breeds animals that can be released into the wild
A zoo that keeps animals in enclosures that enable them to show natural behaviour
A zoo that uses audio-visual material to interest visitors about species they don't know about; a common name, scientific name and map aren't that interesting. The internet exists.
A zoo that lets visitors know when certain species are likely to be more active
A zoo that keeps its website updated
A zoo that promotes lesser-known species, rather than well-known ones
A zoo that co-operates with other zoos by promoting discounts for visitors who want to see certain species absent for the collection
A zoo with a wide range of animals, especially phyla that most zoos ignore
A zoo with animals that are not kept in hundreds of other zoos
A zoo that breeds animals that can be released into the wild
A zoo that keeps animals in enclosures that enable them to show natural behaviour
A zoo that uses audio-visual material to interest visitors about species they don't know about; a common name, scientific name and map aren't that interesting. The internet exists.
A zoo that lets visitors know when certain species are likely to be more active
A zoo that keeps its website updated
A zoo that promotes lesser-known species, rather than well-known ones
A zoo that co-operates with other zoos by promoting discounts for visitors who want to see certain species absent for the collection
With this criteria alone nearly every zoo in the US fails.
TheImmigrant1
Well-Known Member
Not Houston! The metro railway is just a 5-minute walk away.
A few things for me:
1. Good animal welfare. This trumps everything else. No matter how well the visitor aspects of a zoo shine and how impressive a species list is, first and foremost a good zoo has the best interest of its animals in mind by providing adequate space, adequate social stimulation, adequate enrichment, freedom of movement, etc.
2. Biodiversity. Zoos should be showcasing the vast diversity of animal life. While zoos can (and should) keep some of those iconic, large, popular species, that shouldn't occur at the expense of keeping a well-balanced collection with smaller mammals, ungulates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fish, and invertebrates. Even though I happen to not be a fan of all these taxa, I still think it is important for any zoo to highlight the diversity of animal life and have a wide variety of different species on display. This is also regardless of collection size- a small zoo can be really good and still have biodiversity on display, even if their collection is only fifty species, provided that those fifty species contain animals from across all the taxa I mentioned.
3. A strong layout. While I don't necessarily care how a zoo is thematically designed (e.g. geography vs. biomes vs. taxonomy), I do care that there is a logical layout to the zoo, such that one can see the entire zoo in a logical manner without backtracking.
4. Effective use of space and terrain. Zoos should use the space that they have, and use it appropriately. A zoo with substantial rocky sections should use that to their advantage and house animals that climb on rocky terrain in the wild (e.g. snow leopards, markhor, bighorn sheep, hamadryas baboons, gelada), whereas a zoo that has acres of flat, sprawling grasslands would be wise to invest in an African Savanna exhibit, or other grasslands animals. Zoos that effectively use space, and have exhibits that incorporate into them natural terrain, can make for a really unique and impressive zoo experience.
5. Opportunities to get up close to animals. This doesn't need to be the entire collection, and this doesn't necessarily mean petting, but exhibits that allow for an up close view to animals are really great, in my opinion. Large glass windows looking directly into an exhibit, for instance, or walk-through aviaries with no barriers between visitors and birds, are both great ways for zoos to achieve this, but other ways work as well as long as they minimize the space between visitors and animal exhibits (Note- this does not mean build smaller exhibits so that visitors are closer to the animals. This just means allowing the opportunity for those up-close interactions at exhibits, while still allowing the animals freedom of choice).
1. Good animal welfare. This trumps everything else. No matter how well the visitor aspects of a zoo shine and how impressive a species list is, first and foremost a good zoo has the best interest of its animals in mind by providing adequate space, adequate social stimulation, adequate enrichment, freedom of movement, etc.
2. Biodiversity. Zoos should be showcasing the vast diversity of animal life. While zoos can (and should) keep some of those iconic, large, popular species, that shouldn't occur at the expense of keeping a well-balanced collection with smaller mammals, ungulates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fish, and invertebrates. Even though I happen to not be a fan of all these taxa, I still think it is important for any zoo to highlight the diversity of animal life and have a wide variety of different species on display. This is also regardless of collection size- a small zoo can be really good and still have biodiversity on display, even if their collection is only fifty species, provided that those fifty species contain animals from across all the taxa I mentioned.
3. A strong layout. While I don't necessarily care how a zoo is thematically designed (e.g. geography vs. biomes vs. taxonomy), I do care that there is a logical layout to the zoo, such that one can see the entire zoo in a logical manner without backtracking.
4. Effective use of space and terrain. Zoos should use the space that they have, and use it appropriately. A zoo with substantial rocky sections should use that to their advantage and house animals that climb on rocky terrain in the wild (e.g. snow leopards, markhor, bighorn sheep, hamadryas baboons, gelada), whereas a zoo that has acres of flat, sprawling grasslands would be wise to invest in an African Savanna exhibit, or other grasslands animals. Zoos that effectively use space, and have exhibits that incorporate into them natural terrain, can make for a really unique and impressive zoo experience.
5. Opportunities to get up close to animals. This doesn't need to be the entire collection, and this doesn't necessarily mean petting, but exhibits that allow for an up close view to animals are really great, in my opinion. Large glass windows looking directly into an exhibit, for instance, or walk-through aviaries with no barriers between visitors and birds, are both great ways for zoos to achieve this, but other ways work as well as long as they minimize the space between visitors and animal exhibits (Note- this does not mean build smaller exhibits so that visitors are closer to the animals. This just means allowing the opportunity for those up-close interactions at exhibits, while still allowing the animals freedom of choice).
All of the WCS zoos meet this criteria! The New England Aquarium does as well.
For me.
- High quality exhibits - Good size and offer the animals good enrichment opportunities.
- Good track record of breeding various endangered species.
- A selection of unusual species, not just the typical animals that are commonly seen elsewhere.
- Offers ways of learning about animals and nature that isn't just reading signs.
- For smaller and mid sized zoos, being aware of their size limitations and not trying to hold larger animals just because they are popular, or only holding a limited number of larger species which are given decent sized enclosures.
- High quality exhibits - Good size and offer the animals good enrichment opportunities.
- Good track record of breeding various endangered species.
- A selection of unusual species, not just the typical animals that are commonly seen elsewhere.
- Offers ways of learning about animals and nature that isn't just reading signs.
- For smaller and mid sized zoos, being aware of their size limitations and not trying to hold larger animals just because they are popular, or only holding a limited number of larger species which are given decent sized enclosures.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
High quality exhibits, diverse and balanced collection, strong conservation message, subtle theming, and a unique layout make an excellent zoo.
Pleistocene891
Well-Known Member
Berlin has world class exhibits? I’m not very familiar with European zoos, but based on the media gallery, Berlin looks like a “stamp collection” zoo.
Nikola Chavkoski
Well-Known Member
Most beautifull zoos to me, are those set up in a natural surroundings outside a city, particularly new zoos build enterely on a green field and with as much as less use of concrete as possible, like for enclosure walls, visitors walkouts (for example, sandy or wooden paths instead, or nake ground) or artifitial houses that are not animal enclosures. Example that come to my mind, Wild Place project of Bristol Zoo. White Oak Conservation Centre. Selwo Adventura Safari in Spain.
Lok Kawi Zoo on Malaysian Borneo had lush tropical vegetation and quite a minimal visitor infrastructure interference.
And added non-essential things in a zoo, like dinosaur or any other statues, kids playing grounds, museum exhibitions, some different type of houses that are not animal indoor enclosures, very old zoos in cities, all makes a zoo less unique and less interesting to me.
Lok Kawi Zoo on Malaysian Borneo had lush tropical vegetation and quite a minimal visitor infrastructure interference.
And added non-essential things in a zoo, like dinosaur or any other statues, kids playing grounds, museum exhibitions, some different type of houses that are not animal indoor enclosures, very old zoos in cities, all makes a zoo less unique and less interesting to me.
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