Top 10 UK zoos, based on exhibit design

I agree with a lot of what you've written gentle lemur!

Another vote for BUGS (formerly Web of Life) at London Zoo. Easily the most innovative exhibit of the last decade in the UK. Durrell are particularly good on primate exhibits, though I'm glad they've recognised their gorilla house needs replacing.

I haven't been to Edinburgh since Budongo opened, but I was very impressed with their penguin exhibit. I haven't been to Living Coasts either, but it did win the exhibit of the year award from EAZA so it must deserve a mention.

Despite all the recent multi-million pound exhibits at Chester (I'm thinking of the orang, jaguar and elephants) none of them strike me as outstanding. My favourite is Islands in Danger.

Another favourite of mine is the Asian short-clawed otter/red panda exhibit at the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
 
I've been thinking about this a bit so here goes:

#1 Budongo Trail, Edinburgh Zoo: Simply out-standing exhibit, big outdoor enclosure and three indoor ones, great interpretation and based around conservation of a real forest.

#2 Realm of the Red Ape, Chester Zoo: Great for the animals and lots of species for visitors.

#3 BUGs (when I went, still the web of life), London Zoo: Wonderful exhibit focusing mainly on inverterbrates and nice interpretation.

#4 Spirit of the Jaguar, Chester Zoo: Amazing exhibits for the cats and the habitats are brilliantly done.

#5 Tiger Sanctuary, Isle of Wight Zoo: Probably the best tiger habitats I have ever seen and actually based on real places.

#6 Living Coasts Aviary, Living Coasts: This aviry is HUGE and home to all sorts of costal species in enclosures, and free-flying.

#7 Seal and Penguin Coasts, Bristol Zoo: Brilliant set of habitats and some really innovative features.

#9 Madagascar, Cotswold Wildlife: Nice walk-through habitat with lots of vegetation and a variety of lemur species.

#10 Roof of the World, Marwell Zoo: A good simulation and great for the leopards.

And I've probably forgotten a few.
 
CZJimmy said:
Cat-Man, can i ask why Marwell's tiger enclosure is on your list? From the photos i've seen, it appears a bit too bare for my liking in a Tiger enclosure... (although this may be a bad angle on the photos)
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It has definatly improved over the years, although the one with the lone male in is bare, like you said

i might re-think this list, all of the exhibits on it are very good, so they are all equal now

i also like magigascar at cotswold, and yes, none of the multi-million pound exhibits at chester strike me out either
 
As expected the usual suspects have been mentioned Budongo,ROTRA,BUGS etc.While i do agree they are all quality exhibits here are some of my less obvious favourites;
Belfast-spectacled bears-stunning redeveloped bear grotto.Also really like the primate section.
Whipsnade-brown bears-large wooded area,simple but effective.
Banham-tigers-huge area with a platforms.pools and trees.
South Lakes-Australian bush walk-simple wooded enclosure with good variety of wallabies
Chester-Twilight zone-huge free flying bat aviary
Edinburgh-penguins-large pool and nesting areas-good for birds and visitors alike.
Blackpool-lemur wood-i know lemur walk-through areas are pretty common these days but the whole enclosure is so pleasant.Good mix of open land and woodland sloping down to a small pond.
London-Clore Rainforest Lookout-the sort of exhibit you could watch all day.Similar enclosures at Blackpool and Twycross deserve a mention.
I am sure if it had been completed on my only visit Marwell's siamang enclosure would have been in my list as it looked stunning unfinished.
As to the question of the best zoo in the UK i would say it comes down to the ones with the least number of poor exhibits and i would personally list in no particular order;
Wipsnade
Chester
Belfast
Marwell
I would throw in Edinburgh as everything they have built in the last 10 years has been superb and London for its history.Please be aware this is only personal opinion and that i have not visited many of the south coast zoos
 
Im fairly certain everything i would have mentioned is here already. But im pleased someone mentioned the Welsh Mountain Zoo's Otter/Panda exhibit, one of the very few good enclosures they have there i'd say. It's a much better improvement for the Pandas, whose previous enclosure has now been given to the Corellas.
It's not the best enclosure for the visitors though as the animals are rather difficult to spot, the pandas especially.
 
Really appreciating the time and effort that has gone into these answers.

Many of these exhibits l was unaware of, so well worth the reading.

What l did find interesting is how most of us are very comfortable with just using the name of a exhibit. Often that does not describe exactly what animal it contains!
 
zooman said:
What l did find interesting is how most of us are very comfortable with just using the name of a exhibit. Often that does not describe exactly what animal it contains!
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It's the same all over the world isn't it? Wild Asia @ Taronga for example...

I'll have a little rethink of my list and post it later.
 
CZJimmy said:
It's the same all over the world isn't it? Wild Asia @ Taronga for example...

I'll have a little rethink of my list and post it later.
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You are 100% correct CZJ.

I had never noticed it till now. I only noticed as l was unaware of some of these exhibits.
 
Right, an updated list from me after a bit of thought...

Realm of the Red Ape @ Chester Zoo (Orangs and Gibbons) - as mentioned numerous times before, the best Orang enclosure in the country. Very high, netted roof and walls, climbing oppurtunities, roof feedings, indoor planting, stimulated indoor rainfall etc

B.U.G.S. @ London (invertabrates) - top notch presentation of animals which are usually skipped by visitors

Tiger Falls @ Whipsnade (amur tigers) - thick vegetation, pools, space, good visitor viewing oppurtunites

Brown Bear @ Whipsnade - thick vegetation, large, pools

Elephants @ Whipsnade - large grass paddock, regular walks, sand, pools, shade structure, decent bull paddock, decent house

Monkey Islands @ Chester (Mandrills, sulawesi macaques, spider monkeys, lion-tailed macaques) - densley packed vegetation, woodchip floors indoors, lots of natural looking enrichment devices, lots of climbing oppurtunities

Tapir enclosure @ Longleat (Brazilian Tapir) - simple, foresty, pools

Clore Rainforest @ London Zoo (birds, monkeys, sloths) - captivating,

Orang Island @ Jersey (Orangs and gibbons) - thick vegetation, lots of high climbing opputunities,

Spectacled Bear @ Chester Zoo (Spectacled Bears, Coati) - thick vegetation, differing terrains, climbing logs and rocks, waterfalls, a stream

-----

and ones I haven't seen in person

Paignton Orang Island
Belfast Spectacled Bear
Bristol penguin
Port Lympne rhino
Port Lympne gorilla
Port Lympne tapir
Cotswold Lemur enclosure
Edinburgh Zoo Budongo (chimps)
 
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I would like to add a few from Scotland here at the HWP, the standout exhibits for me are.

The Japanese macaque exhibit a huge multi acre habitat, built around a small loch, with undulating landscape, wooded areas and a small island in the loch, a truly stunning habitat.

The markhor/bharal/goral enclosures, set in the centre of the park at the peak of a small hill, these two enclosure are placed in a stunning setting overlloking the park and beyond to the Cairngorm mountains, but the enclosures themselves are fantastic for the animals a mixture of sheer cliffs, rocky outcrops and forested areas, a true representation of their native Himalayas.

Siberian musk deer/goral enclosure at Edinburgh zoo another slice of hillside woodland for these rare animals, and perhaps soon to a pair of giant pandas.

African plains at Edinburgh zoo, a huge field for lesser kudu, nyala and Grevy's zebra, again built on a slope with an artificial waterhole overlooked by a wooden viewing hut.

Maji Mzuri at Edinburgh zoo, a large enclosure with pond and many viewing points for a group of African wild dogs, with an adjoining aviary for marabou, hammerkop, violet touraco, lilac breasted roller, Madagascar teal and 5.0 Kirk's dik-dik.

The penguin enclosure at Edinburgh zoo, this massive outdoor pool for a colony of 200 penguins, is home to king, gentoo and rockhoppers, a huge pool with a bridge over it, with plenty of areas for nesting and under water viewing too.
 
Cat-Man said:
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
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While I do like Marwell's Aridlands exhibit, I don't see how you can posibly say it feels like you're in the desert when you are there: a breeze-block barn with some fairly dodgy paintings on the wall, and some glass-fronted stables in which the addax and gazelles are warmed by undisguised electric heaters. It's Marwell functionalism at its best - and there's nothing wrong with that!
 
Colchester's Africa House
Fairly typical odd Colchester design, but lots of interesting species, a nice balcony overlooking the muddy paddock for various ungulates, and a great leaf-cutter ant exhibit.

London's Gorilla Kingdom
Lots will disagree, but it gives wonderful views of the gorillas when they are outdie, the walk-through aviary is very nice, and the interpretation is excellent. Could do with more indoor space, of course.

Bristol's Penguins and Seals
For all the reasons stated above - although I did think it was looking a bit shabby when last I saw it.

Edinburgh's Monkey House
Pretty old and a pretty basic design, but for the past twenty years it has had wonderful species in it, with some fantastically furnished enclosures. Never seen the aye aye though.

Cotswolds WP's Madagascar Exhibit
It's just very well done, with some interesting things in there along with the predictable ruffeds and ring-taileds.

London's African Bird Safari
Of the many lovely old buildings at London, the Stork & Ostrich House wa spossibly the least lovely - but this walk-through is very well done, and the birds make a good show in there.

Howletts Gorillas
Obviously.

Drusillas's Bat House
Drusillas is my local zoo, but I've not been for several years - it's just too commercial for me, and the animals don't seem to be as important as the playgrounds. but the Bat House is very good - not darkened, so you get a good view of the bats, and with an outdoor 'aviary', which they use in the summer. It's pretty simple, but it gets away from the idea that bats are creepy which seems to be propagated by showing them in darkened buildings or caves.

Chester's Tropical Realm
It's flawed, obviously, but it is a great zoo exhibit, and I would take it any day over the rather unsatisfying orang utan house.

London's Reptile House
It looks like a provincial railway station, but the collection is great and the building has stood the test of time. I'm sure it will be obliterated soon, and turned into something far more trendy.

I wouldn't say I was a particular fan of London at all, but they are much more an exhibit-based zoo than most.
 
sooty mangabey said:
While I do like Marwell's Aridlands exhibit, I don't see how you can posibly say it feels like you're in the desert when you are there: a breeze-block barn with some fairly dodgy paintings on the wall, and some glass-fronted stables in which the addax and gazelles are warmed by undisguised electric heaters. It's Marwell functionalism at its best - and there's nothing wrong with that!
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i dont know why i like it so much, but could be bigger, althought the outside is great.
 
i've just remembered how fantastic chesters monkey islands were, for the animals and for visitors. i particularly loved trying to find the mandrills on their wonderful island, i could literally spend hours wtahcing the groups.

i must also mention the west midlands reptile house. holding some fantastic species (for example king cobra) in some great enclosures. the nocturnal house isn't bad either if a little small. i spent most of my time watching the highly active aye-aye! What a treat!:D
 
Right here goes in no particular order,
Shepreth Wildlife Park the Nocturnal House nice exhibit for Pygmy Slow Loris and a SUPERB mixed exhibit of Long-nosed Potaroo`s, Egyptian Fruit Bats and Moles this has been done very cheap along the side of a long bank although i will confess the Mole is a wild one that just happens to live in the bank.
Newquay Zoo Tropical House is well planted with a great series of mixed exhibits,all of whichare mixed mammal and bird the main flight area used to be mixed Mammal,Bird,Reptile,Amphibian and Fish and at the time was probably unique in the zoo world.
Blackbrook Zoo Penguin exhibit for the size of zoo this is just a superb enclosure which would grace many a larger collection with no problem.
Bristol Zoo first one mentioned else where Penguin and Seal Coast its been said in all the other posts about.
Bristol again for its Bug World some nice species of inverts exhibited in unique and educational way showing the great diversity of inverts the world has.
Chestnut Centre the Giant Otter enclosure shows with carefull thought even a Victorian Ornamental Pool can become a very natural exhibit with carefull planting.
London Zoo the Monitor Lizard enclosure in Gorilla Kingdom gives the animal different height levels and surfaces to be used all on one very well planted exhibit.
Lotherton Hall Bird Garden Walk-through African Aviary at least 15 species of bird living in very near harmony in a well planted and designed exhibit be it water for the ducks and waders or trees and bushes for the Touracos and Hornbills,personnlay i hope Chesters works as well as this does.
Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens all of the exhibits for the American Alligators,Salt-water Crocodile and Mugger to me they just look right and give the animals deep water and decent sized land area to bask on when they fell the need.
Belfast Zoo not going to pick one exhibit just say that in all the enclosures the animals needs come first as some of the primates if they don`t want to go outside you don`t see them as their is no indoor viewing for some of the houses and these normally house the rare species once spent 1 hour just waiting at the Golden Cat exhibit just to got a 30 second view of it.
 
zoogiraffe said:
Moles this has been done very cheap along the side of a long bank although i will confess the Mole is a wild one that just happens to live in the bank.



Belfast Zoo not going to pick one exhibit just say that in all the enclosures the animals needs come first as some of the primates if they don`t want to go outside you don`t see them as their is no indoor viewing for some of the houses and these normally house the rare species once spent 1 hour just waiting at the Golden Cat exhibit just to got a 30 second view of it.
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I love that about the Mole,

Belfast zoo! I had no idea they were so animal requirement focused. Have never been there. Will have to now.

I LOVE ZOOCHAT!!!
 
zooman said:
Belfast zoo! I had no idea they were so animal requirement focused. Have never been there. Will have to now.

/QUOTE]

Well if you want to see the Black-footed Cats you need to go behind the scenes as they are not on show,but yes the animals do get well cared for by the very dedicated small team of keepers at the Zoo.
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My contributions:


Colchester Zoo - I don't think there's any really bad exhibit here. Nearly all enclosures are naturally furnished with rocks, foliage and water features, which not only give the animals plenty of places to hide but also make the enclosures themselves look really beautiful. The Pallas Cat exhibit is a good example of this; it's only small, but the cats are very hard to see! The African area is also very good and makes me think I'm really in the middle of an African savannah (the humidity when I've been there helped though)!

Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary - This is a fairly local place to me and is only 2 acres in size, but I think they show perfectly how to contrust excellent enclosures on a budget. The Lynx Cave is the highlight and has been rightfully commended, but there are a lot of other very good enclosures too. Good use of rocks and water again, the animals are housed imaginately and there's a good compromise between giving the animals some privacy, and great public viewing!
 
I definately think Durrell are up there for enclosure design, especially it terms of what it provides for the animals. The gorilla indoor definately needs a revamp, but outside is pretty good, orangs is excellent, macaques is also pretty good (these last two have won awards for enclosure design) the mixed species exhibit with the bears, howler monkeys (on that note, did you know they have 2 babies?!), otter and coatis is amazing and sadly oftern gets forgotten about as it is the first enclosure people get to and then forget about it later! The new meerkat / mixed species exhibit looks like it is going to be pretty cool!!! The walled garden area, where the meerkats and lemurs currently reside is being revamped this year into a madagascar themed exhibit, as seen in may other zoos.
 
dodogirl said:
The new meerkat / mixed species exhibit looks like it is going to be pretty cool!!! The walled garden area, where the meerkats and lemurs currently reside is being revamped this year into a madagascar themed exhibit, as seen in may other zoos.
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I have not seen meerkats and lemurs sharing an enclosure. Are there other species in with them?
 
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