Amur leopard's Summer travels
I didn’t take detailed notes or photos on my visit in April, and so I don’t feel equipped to respond to AL’s criticisms in detail, but my overall view is that he has overstated them - perhaps because he has so far not had a lot of experience with Asian zoos?
What little notes I do have are in the form of some messages sent to former ZooChat user FunkyGibbon during my visit, and what I said to him then was that the zoo was generally ok but that the only reason to visit was the forest elephant life-tick - the exhibit quality wouldn’t warrant a return visit for me. I also said that it was similar to some less well-off Eastern European zoos I have visited.
Out of curiosity - and it being a useful benchmark based on my own experiences - how does Asa compare to Bratislava Zoo?
It’s actually a very good comparison.
I think that there is even a correlation that on average more inadequate zoos house more rarities. That is not a 1-1 correlation, but I feel it has something to it as zoos with shady housing generally have less qualms about importing wild caught individuals (from sometimes shady sources).
I’ve actually only got Ueno left on this particular excursion (and Japan Amphibian lab but that’s more of a specialist facility). I’m ready for and almost expecting some very similar quality exhibits at Ueno, but I guess I’ll have to see. As you say I haven’t visited any Asian zoos before this trip so it’s very much new territory for me, so I can see that I might have a different and less experienced benchmark with regards to the quality of exhibitry. Having said that I said it as I saw it relative to other places I’ve seen.
I also am under the impression that I will be missing some of the better exhibitry on offer in Japanese zoos at places like Tama or Zoorasia but I couldn’t justify fitting them in on a trip where zoos weren’t the main or even side objective. But I would be very interested to hear whereabouts Asa and Ueno would rank relative to the other Japanese zoos you visited, as it would help to get a feel for how it compares.
biggest_dreamer
Well-Known Member
Absolutely scathing review of Asa, but it sounds well deserved. It's difficult to see the exhibit quality based on the photos in the gallery, but perhaps that's for the better. I'm eagerly awaiting the Ueno review.
Not going to review the Japan Amphibian Laboratory further than saying I very much enjoyed my visit and had a great talk with the owner, but here is a species list for comparison with @Veno's from not so long ago:
Unseen species in blue.
Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica)
Japanese toad (Bufo japonicus formosus)
Japanese fire-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster)
Tago's brown frog (Rana tagoi)
Kajika frog (Buergeria buergeri)
Forest green tree frog (Zhangixalus arboreus)
Schlegel's green tree frog (Zhangixalus schlegelii)
Recently-discovered species (Glandirana reliquia)
Japanese ratsnake (Elaphe climacophora)
Four-lined ratsnake (Elaphe quadrivirgata)
Daruma pond frog (Pelophylax porosus)
Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus)
Marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus)
Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
Allegheny mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus)
Ornate horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata)
Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)
Green toad (Bufo viridis)
African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)
Australian green tree frog (Litoria caerulea)
Squirrel treefrog (Dryophytes squirellus)
Senegal running frog (Kassina senegalensis)
Phantasmal poison frog (Epipedobates tricolor)
Eiffinger's tree frog (Kurixalus eiffingeri)
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Anderson's salamander (Ambystoma andersoni)
Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
Barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)
Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus)
Smaller blotched salamander (Hynobius stejnegeri)
Buchi salamander (Hynobius naevius)
Mitsyama salamander (Hynobius nebulosus)
Shikoku clawed salamander (Onychodactylus kinneburi)
Tsushima salamander (Hynobius tsuensis)
Hida salamander (Hynobius kimurae)
Oita salamander (Hynobius dunni)
Nagato salamander (Hynobius nagatoensis)
Abu salamander (Hynobius abuensis)
Highland salamander (Hynobius utsunomiyaorum)
Iwami salamander (Hynobius iwami)
Izumo salamander (Hynobius kunibiki)
Setouchi salamander (Hynobius setouchi)
Isizuchi salamander (Hynobius hirosei)
Tsurugi salamander (Hynobius tsurugiensis)
Yamato salamander (Hynobius vandenburghi)
Chugoku spotted salamander (Hynobius sematonotus)
Mahoroba salamander (Hynobius guttatus)
Tokyo salamander (Hynobius tokyoensis)
Chikushi spotted salamander (Hynobius oyamai)
Bandai clawed salamander (Onychodactylus intermedius)
Japanese black salamander (Hynobius nigrescens)
Akaishi salamander (Hynobius katoi)
Ezo salamander (Hynobius retardatus)
Tohoku clawed salamander (Onychodactylus nipponoborealis)
Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii)
Japanese clawed salamander (Onychodactylus japonicus)
Spotted fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra salamandra)
Galician fire salamander (Salamandra salamanadra gallaica)
Barred fire salamander (Salamandra salamanadra terrestris)
Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)
Three toed amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum)
Greater siren (Siren lacertina)
Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl)
Some really cool species in there as you can imagine and a really impressive native salamander collection. Highly recommend visiting. As for changes since Veno's visit - there's been I think maybe one species substituted out for another with regards to the native salamanders, and a couple of changes with the frogs and non-native salamanders, but otherwise pretty constant, which is generally a good sign.
Unseen species in blue.
Japanese tree frog (Hyla japonica)
Japanese toad (Bufo japonicus formosus)
Japanese fire-bellied newt (Cynops pyrrhogaster)
Tago's brown frog (Rana tagoi)
Kajika frog (Buergeria buergeri)
Forest green tree frog (Zhangixalus arboreus)
Schlegel's green tree frog (Zhangixalus schlegelii)
Recently-discovered species (Glandirana reliquia)
Japanese ratsnake (Elaphe climacophora)
Four-lined ratsnake (Elaphe quadrivirgata)
Daruma pond frog (Pelophylax porosus)
Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus)
Marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus)
Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
Allegheny mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus)
Ornate horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata)
Cranwell's horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)
Green toad (Bufo viridis)
African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)
Australian green tree frog (Litoria caerulea)
Squirrel treefrog (Dryophytes squirellus)
Senegal running frog (Kassina senegalensis)
Phantasmal poison frog (Epipedobates tricolor)
Eiffinger's tree frog (Kurixalus eiffingeri)
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Anderson's salamander (Ambystoma andersoni)
Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)
Barred tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)
Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum)
Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus)
Smaller blotched salamander (Hynobius stejnegeri)
Buchi salamander (Hynobius naevius)
Mitsyama salamander (Hynobius nebulosus)
Shikoku clawed salamander (Onychodactylus kinneburi)
Tsushima salamander (Hynobius tsuensis)
Hida salamander (Hynobius kimurae)
Oita salamander (Hynobius dunni)
Nagato salamander (Hynobius nagatoensis)
Abu salamander (Hynobius abuensis)
Highland salamander (Hynobius utsunomiyaorum)
Iwami salamander (Hynobius iwami)
Izumo salamander (Hynobius kunibiki)
Setouchi salamander (Hynobius setouchi)
Isizuchi salamander (Hynobius hirosei)
Tsurugi salamander (Hynobius tsurugiensis)
Yamato salamander (Hynobius vandenburghi)
Chugoku spotted salamander (Hynobius sematonotus)
Mahoroba salamander (Hynobius guttatus)
Tokyo salamander (Hynobius tokyoensis)
Chikushi spotted salamander (Hynobius oyamai)
Bandai clawed salamander (Onychodactylus intermedius)
Japanese black salamander (Hynobius nigrescens)
Akaishi salamander (Hynobius katoi)
Ezo salamander (Hynobius retardatus)
Tohoku clawed salamander (Onychodactylus nipponoborealis)
Siberian salamander (Salamandrella keyserlingii)
Japanese clawed salamander (Onychodactylus japonicus)
Spotted fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra salamandra)
Galician fire salamander (Salamandra salamanadra gallaica)
Barred fire salamander (Salamandra salamanadra terrestris)
Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)
Three toed amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum)
Greater siren (Siren lacertina)
Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl)
Some really cool species in there as you can imagine and a really impressive native salamander collection. Highly recommend visiting. As for changes since Veno's visit - there's been I think maybe one species substituted out for another with regards to the native salamanders, and a couple of changes with the frogs and non-native salamanders, but otherwise pretty constant, which is generally a good sign.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
What a truly astonishing species catalogue with many of these species that I haven't heard of before. A true herpers paradise!
I don't think I will review Osaka as there is plenty of material on the aquarium already on ZC and I didn't have much time in the aquarium myself so don't really have great recollection of all the aspects, particularly as it isn't laid out in a way that lends itself to reviews in my opinion. The only thing I will say was that I was given a time slot which entailed hanging around the area for three hours before being able to enter. While frustrating and a long time to wait, I appreciated that things were this way rather than either 1. letting everyone in simultaneously and having crazy congestion throughout the visit or 2. making everyone wait in line for the same period of time. It makes a lot of sense, especially since it was still congested when I got in three hours later.
So as I'm passing on Osaka (at least for now), here is the last review of this particular trip - hopefully there'll be more in about a week's time.
Ueno Zoo 19/08/23
Ueno Zoo is Japan's oldest zoo, opened in 1882. It's been through quite the rollercoaster of a history since then, with multiple massive events shaping its modern-day layout. The zoo is split in two a la London (though a bit more evenly than the latter) by a road, with the respective sections connected by a bridge. It has three entrances, so I'll start the review at the main entrance and attempt to work around the zoo systematically. Ueno is a zoo that lies somewhere between Seoul and Asa in terms of exhibitry, but the range in enclosure quality within the zoo makes it hard to judge exactly where it lies. The worst enclosures are on par with the worst at Seoul, but the best aren't nearly as good as Seoul's best. Some of Asa's animals actually do better than their counterparts in Tokyo but generally speaking Ueno is clearly a cut above Asa, at least from my point of view.
The entrance fee is, again, very cheap. An adult pays 600 Yen for entry (3.20 GBP) and a child 300 Yen. The Annual pass for Ueno costs two and a half times less than a single adult ticket for entry to London Zoo. It's really quite the contrast with many UK zoos and even many aquariums that I visited on this trip, particularly COEX.
Entering, you hit a pretty big plaza. Ueno is one of those zoos which consists much more of exhibits within and around a large visitor walking area rather than a visitor path through animal enclosures. To your left upon entrance through the main gate is the Japanese area. This was for me one of the more exciting areas of the zoo, as it boasted a large number of native birds. 'Japanese Birds I' is the first building you enter, a semicircular house with predominantly indoor aviaries. The most prominent inhabitants of the house are a fairly large population of Lidth's jays, an endemic and endangered species and one in whose conservation Ueno takes particular interest along with the Svalbard rock ptarmigans right next door. The jays have two outdoor caged aviaries plus an indoors which is much better for picture-taking. Both are adequate space-wise and offer sufficient privacy. The ptarmigans might have a bit more space though in their own exhibit. Next door is a mixed aviary for a number of native small passerines. The aviary rises a fair way up out of visitor view, so most of the birds hung out up there during my visit, resulting in only being able to see two species out of a possible seven (Japanese white eye, Rustic bunting both seen, plus Black-faced bunting, Brambling, Japanese tit, Grey capped greenfinch and Eurasian skylark all signed). Inside this building is also a window into a lovely garden with a pool and feeders with possible wild birds that can be seen signed. It's a nice reminder of the wildlife that frequents the zoo too, and although I only managed to spot a couple of bulbuls, some sparrows and two Large-billed crows, it was a really nice addition. Near that was an aviary for Ruddy kingfisher (ssp. bangsi) and Japanese thrush, both species which I was really pleased to see and in a decent setting with good height. Overall, I thought this was a great part of the zoo and one of the more memorable buildings for the right reasons.
You then move on to a quick path around a pagoda which takes you past a lake for Bewick's swans and a paddock for Japanese serows and Ezo sika deer. The paths loops around a lovely five-story pagoda too, adding to the pleasant setting. Both exhibits were fine, although it would of course be preferable for the swans to be flighted and in a netted exhibit. The serow and deer exhibit was good, with some climbing opportunities for the more montane species and lots of privacy as the animals could retreat around the corner out of view as the deer did during my visit. Beyond that is 'Japanese Birds II', a couple of aviaries for native birds and a squirrel exhibit. One aviary houses Brown eared bulbuls, Pale thrush and Chinese bamboo partridge while the other is for White bellied green pigeon, Brown headed thrush, Japanese woodpigeon and Eurasian collared dove. These were again fairly good, with lots of foliage and shade, with the latter coming in useful given just how hot it was during my visit (high 30s, high humidity...). Next door are the Japanese squirrels, with a couple of glass-fronted exhibits connected by a tunnel. The squirrels were very active and the exhibit appeared to be well suited to their needs, especially physically.
Moving a bit upwards is a sort of mini North American zone. Black tailed prairie dogs are in a fairly large exhibit in front of a paddock for American bison. The prairie dogs didn't exactly draw the short straw in this, with what I thought was a quite a nice exhibit for a species that I'd only seen in almost terrarium-like setups on this trip thus far. The bison on the other hand had a pretty tiny and bare area. This was a recurring theme throughout the zoo for many of the larger animals, not least with the Asian elephants. The exhibit wasn't awful but it really wasn't very good either. The bull elephant exhibit was particularly grim as there was quite literally zero privacy or shade and he spent almost the entirety of my visit laid down on the floor to one side. At least the mother and calf exhibit has a bit of privacy and a pool. It didn't get any better with the Monkeys. Ueno keeps the following species in a series of near-identical cages: Mantled guereza, Geoffroy's spider monkey, White-faced saki, subspecific hybrid Japanese macaques and De Brazza's monkeys. They don't have much height, space or privacy but it still isn't as bad as at Asa at least and the monkeys were predominantly in the shade through the worst of the heat. Overall not what I'd got used to seeing in the UK and France but honestly about on par with Pafos in quality. Beside it is a large rock for Japanese macaques, which I honestly only managed to give a cursory glance but I think it was nice and large, maybe a bit more privacy would be good as ever but it was similar to baboon rock exhibits at Berlin in style.
Around the corner is a row of bear pits. These are viewable from almost every angle, meaning there are precious few places for the bears to hide. Despite this, I thought most of the enclosures weren't a world away in size from some of their counterparts in Europe, especially not those for Sun bears, Asian small clawed otters and Japanese black bears, but the Hokkaido brown bear exhibit was too small and had too little shade. Ueno really should find another home for the brown bear and house a mustelid in this exhibit - thinking one of the more active species like Yellow throated marten or Japanese badger who will use the space. Overall the bear pits aren't horrendous by any means but one or two of the exhibits could definitely be improved and it would be nice if one of the viewing areas were closed so the bears weren't viewable from quite literally 360 degrees around the exhibits.
Moving to the East, you hit a small row of aviaries for Galliformes predominantly. These are generally nice and you could tell the birds appreciated the foliage and shade in the heat that day. The aviaries held Bare faced curassow, Eurasian collared dove, Green pheasant, Australian brushturkey, Red headed woodpigeon and Palawan peacock pheasant. Next to them is a round cage for Eurasian otters. This isn't a bad exhibit really, I just found it a bit odd. The otters have a pretty sizeable pool and can hide from visitors, but the weird part is an elevated tunnel full of water into a separate glass cubicle-like thing. Not sure how often the otters go in there but hey, at least it was interesting. Here's a photo by @akasha showing the enclosure in case anyone is interested - hope she doesn't mind me sharing it. Moving on swiftly, you come to a slightly elevated path through a row of Bird of Prey aviaries. These were generally average, with good height but relatively few furnishings and definitely weren't on the level of those I'd seen in Seoul. Nice species list though, with Japanese scops owl, Mountain hawk eagle (ssp. orientalis), and Japanese ural owl (I think?) plus Bateleur, Harris's hawk, African white backed vulture, Andean condor and Steller sea eagle.
You then hit the Tiger and Gorilla woods area. As I understand it both are vast improvements from their previous set ups, and I found them quite pleasant but as I see both fairly regularly in London I didn't stay for long. Overall, a solid pair of exhibits for Sumatran tigers about on par with those at Seoul and another good exhibit for Western lowland gorillas. Again maybe one less viewing window would be good as the animals must feel a little surrounded. Next to the tigers is a small dark aviary for Edwards's pheasants, which wasn't particularly big but was still a nice addition in an area of the zoo dominated by megafauna.
Beyond this area looping around is the entrance to the upper level of the Tropical birds aviary building. I don't especially remember or have sufficiently detailed notes/records of this building to make a detailed species list including mixes etc, so I'll just list the species I saw below and just describe the bird building in general. The building was fairly similar in style to that of Seoul, with multi-level aviaries viewable from both floors and then some small single-level aviaries on the side. The highlight of the house is clearly the lone Great slaty woodpecker, who actually put on quite the show for me, feeding for an extended period within a metre of where I was stood. It was interesting to see a bird's tongue at work from such a close distance. The bird seemed to almost be the bully of the aviary, attempting to peck a tinamou who got to close multiple times. It really is quite an impressive and beautiful species, and I'm glad I got to see it before it disappears from captivity (as far as I know?). The house isn't exactly bereft of other rarities though, with Northern boobook, Ruddy kingfisher, Bengal common kingfisher, Japanese scops owl and more. The aviaries are typically suitable for the species displayed and I was generally quite pleased with what I saw. There could definitely be a fair bit more foliage in some of the exhibits though as privacy was sometimes the factor that was lacking.
Species list: Fischer's lovebird, Great blue-eared glossy starling, Golden-breasted starling, Violet-backed starling, Crowned hornbill, Toco toucan, White bellied go away bird, Great slaty woodpecker, Elegant crested tinamou, Ruddy kingfisher (bangsi), Bengal common kingfisher, Northern boobook, Japanese scops owl, Long-tailed paradise whydah, White headed buffalo weaver, Laughing kookaburra, Red throated parrotfinch, Triton cockatoo, Blacksmith lapwing, Eurasian oystercatcher, Madagascar crested ibis, African spoonbill, Black necked stilt, Japanese quail, Egyptian plover, Black crowned night heron, Red shouldered macaw, Southern tamandua.
Around the corner is a nicely done tapir exhibit, complete with a spacious moat which the tapirs certainly made use of while I was there. Next to that is the Nocturnal Animal House, a darkened building predominantly lit with blue light. I found all of its exhibits to be good in all honesty, generally fairly spacious, good furnishing and lots of privacy. A fairly large group of Sunda slow loris are in the first, with Chinese pangolin in the next, Masked palm civet and finally Leschenault's rousette. It's an impressive lineup and I especially enjoyed seeing a very active and sprightly pangolin waddling around its exhibit. Across from this is a row of pretty small but functional crane exhibits, with Wattled crane, Black necked crane, Red crowned crane, Hamerkop and Secretarybird. These were in stark contrast to the crane housing in Seoul, but very vaguely adequate. Almost finished with the Eastern garden now as we head across the plaza area to the Arctic complex, an area made up of a bunch of paths weaving through exhibits for Polar bears, Svalbard rock ptarmigans, California sea lions and Harbor seals.
This may well be a bit controversial, especially given that I visited on a very hot day, but I actually thought the Polar bear exhibit was pretty decent. The pool was deep, the exhibits lacked privacy but were spacious enough and within the pool there are a couple of spots the bears can move out of view. The bear was really enjoying himself in the pool given the weather and honestly I thought combined with the somewhat interesting 'water arch' for seals right next door, it made for an interesting experience and one that I'll remember for a while as the sheer power and size of the bear has never been more apparent to me. I didn't get a good look at the seal exhibits but they looked fine from afar, and the ptarmigans are housed in pair of fairly sterile exhibits with glass so foggy it's hard to see anything at all.
Moving across the bridge into the Eastern side, the first thing you hit are the pandas. Entering from the top, you first come across a Red panda exhibit which is ok but again a bit on the small side, followed by a row of aviaries for Temminck's tragopan, Golden pheasant and Lady Amherst's pheasant. It's a nice little Chinese area, but it as always very much plays second fiddle to the liquorice loanees next door. Giant pandas are in pretty nice surroundings as is typical for the species, which spacious indoor exhibits for both individuals and multiple outdoor areas. While the pandas were more active than they typically seem to be, it also served as a reminder for just how overhyped they are, with a large queue having formed outside while I was in there. Anyway, moving on swiftly South you hit the Children's Zoo, which does have some interesting exhibits interspersed in there. You have a pretty tiny and low Emu area, some again fairly low aviaries for Oriental storks and Aleutian Canada goose, a pretty sizeable Crested porcupine area (with AC) and an island with a couple of tall trees for what I assume must be pinioned Steller sea eagles. The best exhibit of the lot in this area though is a fairly large cage for Inca terns and Eurasian oystercatchers. A nice mix of two very lovely species, plus a couple of smaller cages for Japanese night heron and Japanese ural owl next door.
Across the lake is another waterfowl exhibit, this time for Oriental stork, Aleutian cackling goose and Swan goose, with a little piece of the lake in there too. Working your way up you come to the Madagascar area, comprising two buildings. The first is a small roundhouse for both indoor and 'outdoor' cages for Fossa and Black lemurs (separately of course). Both good size, lots of foliage and nice species. Stuck to the side of Aye aye forest is a large cage for Black and white ruffed lemurs, who were making an absolute racket but remained concealed in the vegetation. Entering Aye aye forest is quite the change of scenery, particularly on a sunny day as it is absolutely pitch black. Signs for Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Greater hedgehog tenrecs and Lesser Hedgehog tenrec as well as a series of Aye aye exhibits are hardly discernable in the dimly lit environment, let alone a glimpse of the tenrecs themselves. The aye-ayes were more co-operative, but it was far to dark to even try and get a photo. Was somewhat hoping for streaked tenrec in here as it was previously kept, but they must have died out fairly recently. In the same building is a diurnal exhibit for Ring tailed lemurs and Radiated tortoises, creating another stark contrast with the pitch black of the nocturnal area. There's nothing much more to say about the Madagascar area to be honest, it's a nice lineup of species in generally good exhibits and represents the island quite well except for the lack of birds.
Just up from there is the Terrarium. The exotics area is in a big greenhouse with ample space and all the species are typically in exhibits ranging from pretty small to fairly good. There's nothing terribly special about it although again the species list is far from bad. The Saltwater crocodile is an absolutely gargantuan individual, but this means that it appears to have outgrown its pool. Having said this I don't image it is particularly active either way so maybe it isn't a massive deal either way. Golden-breasted starlings are free flying in the greenhouse. Below is a species list:
Japanese giant salamander, Saltwater crocodile, Australian lungfish, West African black turtle, Northern caiman lizard, Pig nosed turtle, Chinese crocodile lizard, West African dwarf crocodile, Asian arowana, Oblong turtle, Australian green tree frog, Surinam toad, Budgett's frog, Dyeing poison frog, Quince monitor, Iberian ribbed newt, Greater siren, Malayan gharial, Sri Lankan black turtle, Annam leaf turtle, Galapagos tortoise, Emerald tree boa, Leopard gecko, Tropical girdled lizard, Gila monster, Beaded lizard, California kingsnake, Western hognose snake, Burmese python, Scheltopusik, Eastern bluetongued skink, Green iguana, Yellow footed tortoise, Pacific boa.
As you reach the end of the path through the greenhouse you come to a small room on your left with lots of small terrariums for native species. The terrariums were all mostly adequate although the turtle pools were too small and lacked any sort of privacy.
Species list: Tokyo salamander, Tohoku salamander, Japanese black salamander, Japanese clawed salamander, Japanese fire-bellied newt, Montane brown frog, Kajika frog, Daruma pond frog, Eastern Japanese toad, Japanese tree frog, Mamushi, Japanese keelback, Burrowing ratsnake, Japanese four-lined snake, Japanese ratsnake, Japanese five-lined skink, Japanese gecko, Japanese grass lizard, Red eared slider, Reeves' pond turtle, Japanese pond turtle, Chinese softshell turtle, Glandirana reliquia, Mandarina hirosei, Anderson's crocodile newt, Miyako grass lizard.
Almost there now. Apologies if it's all getting a bit brief but I'm writing from an airport at 5 in the morning so it's hard not to want to wrap things up a bit faster than usual. Anyway you next have a loop around a series of exhibits for large African hoofstock. These are all far too small and outdated and at least half the animals should be found better homes, allowing more room for the rest. The singular Common hippo in particular felt as if it should make way for more room for Pygmy hippos. The Giraffe exhibit should really be combined as soon as possible with the now empty Okapi exhibit. Barbary sheep and Black rhino are each in sterile, barren and tiny paddocks. It's not a good look for a zoo which otherwise didn't have too many black marks to its name. Nearby are decent enclosures for Eastern grey kangaroo and Collared peccary, plus an avairy for American flamingos and a couple of suitable pools for African penguins. I want to finish the review on the excellent Shoebill exhibit however, as this was teeming with vegetation and the Shoebill was very curious and active. It was definitely one of the highlights in a fairly variable zoo, and it felt odd that one of the best exhibits was right next to definitely some of the worst, but it in a way encapsulates the zoo nicely.
Ueno is a zoo with many problems, that much is for sure. Major reshuffling needs to happen in the ungulate exhibits and the Monkey house and Bear pits also need some serious work in parts. The main problem is that developments don't seem to be particularly quick in coming, in stark juxtaposition with Japan in general where buildings seemed to be springing up all over and still at a rapid pace. Or at least that's the impression I got from my limited time there. Ueno clearly has the potential to be a lovely zoo and a pleasant visit, as shown by its tiger and gorilla exhibits which seemed fairly recent, it's just a matter of whether it can secure the funding and find the initiative to make changes for the better.
And with that, my reviews of Asian zoos are complete. Might post a little addendum on perceived cultural and day-to-day differences later plus maybe a little travel advice for people looking to come over for the first time, though admittedly I'm not the most experienced myself.
So as I'm passing on Osaka (at least for now), here is the last review of this particular trip - hopefully there'll be more in about a week's time.
Ueno Zoo 19/08/23
Ueno Zoo is Japan's oldest zoo, opened in 1882. It's been through quite the rollercoaster of a history since then, with multiple massive events shaping its modern-day layout. The zoo is split in two a la London (though a bit more evenly than the latter) by a road, with the respective sections connected by a bridge. It has three entrances, so I'll start the review at the main entrance and attempt to work around the zoo systematically. Ueno is a zoo that lies somewhere between Seoul and Asa in terms of exhibitry, but the range in enclosure quality within the zoo makes it hard to judge exactly where it lies. The worst enclosures are on par with the worst at Seoul, but the best aren't nearly as good as Seoul's best. Some of Asa's animals actually do better than their counterparts in Tokyo but generally speaking Ueno is clearly a cut above Asa, at least from my point of view.
The entrance fee is, again, very cheap. An adult pays 600 Yen for entry (3.20 GBP) and a child 300 Yen. The Annual pass for Ueno costs two and a half times less than a single adult ticket for entry to London Zoo. It's really quite the contrast with many UK zoos and even many aquariums that I visited on this trip, particularly COEX.
Entering, you hit a pretty big plaza. Ueno is one of those zoos which consists much more of exhibits within and around a large visitor walking area rather than a visitor path through animal enclosures. To your left upon entrance through the main gate is the Japanese area. This was for me one of the more exciting areas of the zoo, as it boasted a large number of native birds. 'Japanese Birds I' is the first building you enter, a semicircular house with predominantly indoor aviaries. The most prominent inhabitants of the house are a fairly large population of Lidth's jays, an endemic and endangered species and one in whose conservation Ueno takes particular interest along with the Svalbard rock ptarmigans right next door. The jays have two outdoor caged aviaries plus an indoors which is much better for picture-taking. Both are adequate space-wise and offer sufficient privacy. The ptarmigans might have a bit more space though in their own exhibit. Next door is a mixed aviary for a number of native small passerines. The aviary rises a fair way up out of visitor view, so most of the birds hung out up there during my visit, resulting in only being able to see two species out of a possible seven (Japanese white eye, Rustic bunting both seen, plus Black-faced bunting, Brambling, Japanese tit, Grey capped greenfinch and Eurasian skylark all signed). Inside this building is also a window into a lovely garden with a pool and feeders with possible wild birds that can be seen signed. It's a nice reminder of the wildlife that frequents the zoo too, and although I only managed to spot a couple of bulbuls, some sparrows and two Large-billed crows, it was a really nice addition. Near that was an aviary for Ruddy kingfisher (ssp. bangsi) and Japanese thrush, both species which I was really pleased to see and in a decent setting with good height. Overall, I thought this was a great part of the zoo and one of the more memorable buildings for the right reasons.
You then move on to a quick path around a pagoda which takes you past a lake for Bewick's swans and a paddock for Japanese serows and Ezo sika deer. The paths loops around a lovely five-story pagoda too, adding to the pleasant setting. Both exhibits were fine, although it would of course be preferable for the swans to be flighted and in a netted exhibit. The serow and deer exhibit was good, with some climbing opportunities for the more montane species and lots of privacy as the animals could retreat around the corner out of view as the deer did during my visit. Beyond that is 'Japanese Birds II', a couple of aviaries for native birds and a squirrel exhibit. One aviary houses Brown eared bulbuls, Pale thrush and Chinese bamboo partridge while the other is for White bellied green pigeon, Brown headed thrush, Japanese woodpigeon and Eurasian collared dove. These were again fairly good, with lots of foliage and shade, with the latter coming in useful given just how hot it was during my visit (high 30s, high humidity...). Next door are the Japanese squirrels, with a couple of glass-fronted exhibits connected by a tunnel. The squirrels were very active and the exhibit appeared to be well suited to their needs, especially physically.
Moving a bit upwards is a sort of mini North American zone. Black tailed prairie dogs are in a fairly large exhibit in front of a paddock for American bison. The prairie dogs didn't exactly draw the short straw in this, with what I thought was a quite a nice exhibit for a species that I'd only seen in almost terrarium-like setups on this trip thus far. The bison on the other hand had a pretty tiny and bare area. This was a recurring theme throughout the zoo for many of the larger animals, not least with the Asian elephants. The exhibit wasn't awful but it really wasn't very good either. The bull elephant exhibit was particularly grim as there was quite literally zero privacy or shade and he spent almost the entirety of my visit laid down on the floor to one side. At least the mother and calf exhibit has a bit of privacy and a pool. It didn't get any better with the Monkeys. Ueno keeps the following species in a series of near-identical cages: Mantled guereza, Geoffroy's spider monkey, White-faced saki, subspecific hybrid Japanese macaques and De Brazza's monkeys. They don't have much height, space or privacy but it still isn't as bad as at Asa at least and the monkeys were predominantly in the shade through the worst of the heat. Overall not what I'd got used to seeing in the UK and France but honestly about on par with Pafos in quality. Beside it is a large rock for Japanese macaques, which I honestly only managed to give a cursory glance but I think it was nice and large, maybe a bit more privacy would be good as ever but it was similar to baboon rock exhibits at Berlin in style.
Around the corner is a row of bear pits. These are viewable from almost every angle, meaning there are precious few places for the bears to hide. Despite this, I thought most of the enclosures weren't a world away in size from some of their counterparts in Europe, especially not those for Sun bears, Asian small clawed otters and Japanese black bears, but the Hokkaido brown bear exhibit was too small and had too little shade. Ueno really should find another home for the brown bear and house a mustelid in this exhibit - thinking one of the more active species like Yellow throated marten or Japanese badger who will use the space. Overall the bear pits aren't horrendous by any means but one or two of the exhibits could definitely be improved and it would be nice if one of the viewing areas were closed so the bears weren't viewable from quite literally 360 degrees around the exhibits.
Moving to the East, you hit a small row of aviaries for Galliformes predominantly. These are generally nice and you could tell the birds appreciated the foliage and shade in the heat that day. The aviaries held Bare faced curassow, Eurasian collared dove, Green pheasant, Australian brushturkey, Red headed woodpigeon and Palawan peacock pheasant. Next to them is a round cage for Eurasian otters. This isn't a bad exhibit really, I just found it a bit odd. The otters have a pretty sizeable pool and can hide from visitors, but the weird part is an elevated tunnel full of water into a separate glass cubicle-like thing. Not sure how often the otters go in there but hey, at least it was interesting. Here's a photo by @akasha showing the enclosure in case anyone is interested - hope she doesn't mind me sharing it. Moving on swiftly, you come to a slightly elevated path through a row of Bird of Prey aviaries. These were generally average, with good height but relatively few furnishings and definitely weren't on the level of those I'd seen in Seoul. Nice species list though, with Japanese scops owl, Mountain hawk eagle (ssp. orientalis), and Japanese ural owl (I think?) plus Bateleur, Harris's hawk, African white backed vulture, Andean condor and Steller sea eagle.
You then hit the Tiger and Gorilla woods area. As I understand it both are vast improvements from their previous set ups, and I found them quite pleasant but as I see both fairly regularly in London I didn't stay for long. Overall, a solid pair of exhibits for Sumatran tigers about on par with those at Seoul and another good exhibit for Western lowland gorillas. Again maybe one less viewing window would be good as the animals must feel a little surrounded. Next to the tigers is a small dark aviary for Edwards's pheasants, which wasn't particularly big but was still a nice addition in an area of the zoo dominated by megafauna.
Beyond this area looping around is the entrance to the upper level of the Tropical birds aviary building. I don't especially remember or have sufficiently detailed notes/records of this building to make a detailed species list including mixes etc, so I'll just list the species I saw below and just describe the bird building in general. The building was fairly similar in style to that of Seoul, with multi-level aviaries viewable from both floors and then some small single-level aviaries on the side. The highlight of the house is clearly the lone Great slaty woodpecker, who actually put on quite the show for me, feeding for an extended period within a metre of where I was stood. It was interesting to see a bird's tongue at work from such a close distance. The bird seemed to almost be the bully of the aviary, attempting to peck a tinamou who got to close multiple times. It really is quite an impressive and beautiful species, and I'm glad I got to see it before it disappears from captivity (as far as I know?). The house isn't exactly bereft of other rarities though, with Northern boobook, Ruddy kingfisher, Bengal common kingfisher, Japanese scops owl and more. The aviaries are typically suitable for the species displayed and I was generally quite pleased with what I saw. There could definitely be a fair bit more foliage in some of the exhibits though as privacy was sometimes the factor that was lacking.
Species list: Fischer's lovebird, Great blue-eared glossy starling, Golden-breasted starling, Violet-backed starling, Crowned hornbill, Toco toucan, White bellied go away bird, Great slaty woodpecker, Elegant crested tinamou, Ruddy kingfisher (bangsi), Bengal common kingfisher, Northern boobook, Japanese scops owl, Long-tailed paradise whydah, White headed buffalo weaver, Laughing kookaburra, Red throated parrotfinch, Triton cockatoo, Blacksmith lapwing, Eurasian oystercatcher, Madagascar crested ibis, African spoonbill, Black necked stilt, Japanese quail, Egyptian plover, Black crowned night heron, Red shouldered macaw, Southern tamandua.
Around the corner is a nicely done tapir exhibit, complete with a spacious moat which the tapirs certainly made use of while I was there. Next to that is the Nocturnal Animal House, a darkened building predominantly lit with blue light. I found all of its exhibits to be good in all honesty, generally fairly spacious, good furnishing and lots of privacy. A fairly large group of Sunda slow loris are in the first, with Chinese pangolin in the next, Masked palm civet and finally Leschenault's rousette. It's an impressive lineup and I especially enjoyed seeing a very active and sprightly pangolin waddling around its exhibit. Across from this is a row of pretty small but functional crane exhibits, with Wattled crane, Black necked crane, Red crowned crane, Hamerkop and Secretarybird. These were in stark contrast to the crane housing in Seoul, but very vaguely adequate. Almost finished with the Eastern garden now as we head across the plaza area to the Arctic complex, an area made up of a bunch of paths weaving through exhibits for Polar bears, Svalbard rock ptarmigans, California sea lions and Harbor seals.
This may well be a bit controversial, especially given that I visited on a very hot day, but I actually thought the Polar bear exhibit was pretty decent. The pool was deep, the exhibits lacked privacy but were spacious enough and within the pool there are a couple of spots the bears can move out of view. The bear was really enjoying himself in the pool given the weather and honestly I thought combined with the somewhat interesting 'water arch' for seals right next door, it made for an interesting experience and one that I'll remember for a while as the sheer power and size of the bear has never been more apparent to me. I didn't get a good look at the seal exhibits but they looked fine from afar, and the ptarmigans are housed in pair of fairly sterile exhibits with glass so foggy it's hard to see anything at all.
Moving across the bridge into the Eastern side, the first thing you hit are the pandas. Entering from the top, you first come across a Red panda exhibit which is ok but again a bit on the small side, followed by a row of aviaries for Temminck's tragopan, Golden pheasant and Lady Amherst's pheasant. It's a nice little Chinese area, but it as always very much plays second fiddle to the liquorice loanees next door. Giant pandas are in pretty nice surroundings as is typical for the species, which spacious indoor exhibits for both individuals and multiple outdoor areas. While the pandas were more active than they typically seem to be, it also served as a reminder for just how overhyped they are, with a large queue having formed outside while I was in there. Anyway, moving on swiftly South you hit the Children's Zoo, which does have some interesting exhibits interspersed in there. You have a pretty tiny and low Emu area, some again fairly low aviaries for Oriental storks and Aleutian Canada goose, a pretty sizeable Crested porcupine area (with AC) and an island with a couple of tall trees for what I assume must be pinioned Steller sea eagles. The best exhibit of the lot in this area though is a fairly large cage for Inca terns and Eurasian oystercatchers. A nice mix of two very lovely species, plus a couple of smaller cages for Japanese night heron and Japanese ural owl next door.
Across the lake is another waterfowl exhibit, this time for Oriental stork, Aleutian cackling goose and Swan goose, with a little piece of the lake in there too. Working your way up you come to the Madagascar area, comprising two buildings. The first is a small roundhouse for both indoor and 'outdoor' cages for Fossa and Black lemurs (separately of course). Both good size, lots of foliage and nice species. Stuck to the side of Aye aye forest is a large cage for Black and white ruffed lemurs, who were making an absolute racket but remained concealed in the vegetation. Entering Aye aye forest is quite the change of scenery, particularly on a sunny day as it is absolutely pitch black. Signs for Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Greater hedgehog tenrecs and Lesser Hedgehog tenrec as well as a series of Aye aye exhibits are hardly discernable in the dimly lit environment, let alone a glimpse of the tenrecs themselves. The aye-ayes were more co-operative, but it was far to dark to even try and get a photo. Was somewhat hoping for streaked tenrec in here as it was previously kept, but they must have died out fairly recently. In the same building is a diurnal exhibit for Ring tailed lemurs and Radiated tortoises, creating another stark contrast with the pitch black of the nocturnal area. There's nothing much more to say about the Madagascar area to be honest, it's a nice lineup of species in generally good exhibits and represents the island quite well except for the lack of birds.
Just up from there is the Terrarium. The exotics area is in a big greenhouse with ample space and all the species are typically in exhibits ranging from pretty small to fairly good. There's nothing terribly special about it although again the species list is far from bad. The Saltwater crocodile is an absolutely gargantuan individual, but this means that it appears to have outgrown its pool. Having said this I don't image it is particularly active either way so maybe it isn't a massive deal either way. Golden-breasted starlings are free flying in the greenhouse. Below is a species list:
Japanese giant salamander, Saltwater crocodile, Australian lungfish, West African black turtle, Northern caiman lizard, Pig nosed turtle, Chinese crocodile lizard, West African dwarf crocodile, Asian arowana, Oblong turtle, Australian green tree frog, Surinam toad, Budgett's frog, Dyeing poison frog, Quince monitor, Iberian ribbed newt, Greater siren, Malayan gharial, Sri Lankan black turtle, Annam leaf turtle, Galapagos tortoise, Emerald tree boa, Leopard gecko, Tropical girdled lizard, Gila monster, Beaded lizard, California kingsnake, Western hognose snake, Burmese python, Scheltopusik, Eastern bluetongued skink, Green iguana, Yellow footed tortoise, Pacific boa.
As you reach the end of the path through the greenhouse you come to a small room on your left with lots of small terrariums for native species. The terrariums were all mostly adequate although the turtle pools were too small and lacked any sort of privacy.
Species list: Tokyo salamander, Tohoku salamander, Japanese black salamander, Japanese clawed salamander, Japanese fire-bellied newt, Montane brown frog, Kajika frog, Daruma pond frog, Eastern Japanese toad, Japanese tree frog, Mamushi, Japanese keelback, Burrowing ratsnake, Japanese four-lined snake, Japanese ratsnake, Japanese five-lined skink, Japanese gecko, Japanese grass lizard, Red eared slider, Reeves' pond turtle, Japanese pond turtle, Chinese softshell turtle, Glandirana reliquia, Mandarina hirosei, Anderson's crocodile newt, Miyako grass lizard.
Almost there now. Apologies if it's all getting a bit brief but I'm writing from an airport at 5 in the morning so it's hard not to want to wrap things up a bit faster than usual. Anyway you next have a loop around a series of exhibits for large African hoofstock. These are all far too small and outdated and at least half the animals should be found better homes, allowing more room for the rest. The singular Common hippo in particular felt as if it should make way for more room for Pygmy hippos. The Giraffe exhibit should really be combined as soon as possible with the now empty Okapi exhibit. Barbary sheep and Black rhino are each in sterile, barren and tiny paddocks. It's not a good look for a zoo which otherwise didn't have too many black marks to its name. Nearby are decent enclosures for Eastern grey kangaroo and Collared peccary, plus an avairy for American flamingos and a couple of suitable pools for African penguins. I want to finish the review on the excellent Shoebill exhibit however, as this was teeming with vegetation and the Shoebill was very curious and active. It was definitely one of the highlights in a fairly variable zoo, and it felt odd that one of the best exhibits was right next to definitely some of the worst, but it in a way encapsulates the zoo nicely.
Ueno is a zoo with many problems, that much is for sure. Major reshuffling needs to happen in the ungulate exhibits and the Monkey house and Bear pits also need some serious work in parts. The main problem is that developments don't seem to be particularly quick in coming, in stark juxtaposition with Japan in general where buildings seemed to be springing up all over and still at a rapid pace. Or at least that's the impression I got from my limited time there. Ueno clearly has the potential to be a lovely zoo and a pleasant visit, as shown by its tiger and gorilla exhibits which seemed fairly recent, it's just a matter of whether it can secure the funding and find the initiative to make changes for the better.
And with that, my reviews of Asian zoos are complete. Might post a little addendum on perceived cultural and day-to-day differences later plus maybe a little travel advice for people looking to come over for the first time, though admittedly I'm not the most experienced myself.
The otters do use it, well at least I saw them in the tube during my visit.
The giant pandas exhibit is quite new (they were in the east garden before).
Sadly the bamboo lemurs are no more, they were in the Madagascar house before. That makes 2 rare species you missed there.
The worst Ueno part is definitely the megafaunas exhibit. Way too small and should probably move most of them to Tama or other facilities.
Also I know you didnt miss it in your visit, but you seems to miss the most interesting house of them all in the review (wink wink tarsier wink wink aardvark).
Think you get East and west mixed up here
The giant pandas exhibit is quite new (they were in the east garden before).Sadly the bamboo lemurs are no more, they were in the Madagascar house before. That makes 2 rare species you missed there.
The worst Ueno part is definitely the megafaunas exhibit. Way too small and should probably move most of them to Tama or other facilities.
Also I know you didnt miss it in your visit, but you seems to miss the most interesting house of them all in the review (wink wink tarsier wink wink aardvark).
Tge Gorilla and Tiger woods opened at 1996. It is sad that Ueno was able to continue making decent enclosures since then. It is especially bonkers when you consider that the elephant enclosure opened in 2004, the bear pits opened in 2006, and the polar bear and seal complex opened in 2011!!
I meant to say wasn’t.
Thanks a lot for the reminder. In my haste to wrap things up I forgot this last area, which is of course the Small Mammal House. It has to be up there in terms of highest density of mammal rarities in a single building as the place is brimming with cool species. However, again, enclosures are very hit or miss. Particularly the Pallas's cat exhibits struck me as really bad as both enclosures for the species had zero hiding spots and were maybe 3sqm in size? The building is split into a ground level floor for just small mammals and then a lower level for nocturnal exhibits. The Small mammal area was generally better I thought with regards to space but in general the exhibits are all a bit cubicle-like for me and this did slightly taint the enjoyment of seeing an active Tarsier for example.
Species list: Large Japanese field mouse, Harvest mouse, Small Japanese field mouse, Asian house shrew, Greater Egyptian jerboa, Sugar glider, Southern three-banded armadillo, Degu, Brazilian guinea pig, Ryukyu flying fox, Pallas's cat, Cairo spiny mouse, Japanese grass vole, Seba's short-tailed bat, Demidoff's bushbaby, Spectral tarsier, Common marmoset, Cottontop tamarin, Dwarf mongoose, Meerkat, Prevost's squirrel, Cape hyrax, Naked mole rat, Southern African pygmy mouse, Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, Aardvark, Pygmy slow loris, African forest dormouse, Senegal bushbaby, Three-striped night monkey, Six banded armadillo, Kinkajou.
Next up will be Loro Parque as a quick interlude after my little note on the countries I visited as a whole compared to the UK.
Loro Parque 11/07/23
Loro Parque has long been touted by numerous travel websites as one of, if not the best, zoo in Europe and in a way, I can see why. The park is wreathed in an aura of artificial grandeur. The entrance, a large complex of red and golden Thai-themed buildings, is accompanied by a massive koi pond and a wall of greenery beyond. Almost every building in the park is cloaked in (often tacky) theming, every window is spotless, every show perfectly rehearsed and choreographed. The only area of the zoo that breaks this pattern are the ubiquitous parrot cages (ironically the zoo's most notable feature). Loro Parque is a prime example of a facility that prioritises visitor experience over all else. That is of course not to say animals get the short end of the stick, but the commercial nature of the place was palpable throughout.
Perhaps nowhere else was this more apparent than at the shows. Every show was preceded by a ten minute advertisement reel for both the zoo itself and its sister attraction, Siam Park. The cetacean shows in particular were sleek and well practised; the orcas performed three times a day, the dolphins four times, sea lions five times... It was my first time seeing orcas but in a way I almost regretted it, as it moreso felt as if I was watching a video of the show rather than being truly present.
With most of the caveats out of the way, onto the meat of the review. I personally visited the zoo in backwards order to avoid crowding, so started with the aquarium. I will therefore run through largely in that order on here. The Aquarium is very well presented and exceeded my expectations. The species lineups were nice, tanks were generally geographically accurate and windows were clean, particularly that of the shark tunnel. There were, however, a few issues. Overcrowding was a problem in many of the exhibits (particularly clownfish, pacu and moray exhibits), and the not-quite-deceptive-enough lighting in the ocean tank betrayed its small size. Despite these flaws I enjoyed the aquarium overall. Similarly the nursery for hatchling parrots nearby was well presented an the window into the laboratory used for investigation of parrot intelligence was a nice touch. Next came a large area predominantly for parrots. Housing for these birds was highly variable, ranging from outstanding to poor. For a zoo who emphasises the abnormal intelligence of Psittaciformes in both their shows and their signage, the housing of some of their larger birds (amazons and macaws) in cages comparable in size to a toilet cubicle is disappointing. The maintenance of their collections at such blistering heights (350 parrot taxa or thereabouts now) does not necessarily require the continued usage of such small cages, with examples of alternative housing methods to be found around the very same institution.
Katandra Treetops is one such example - a very tall aviary dedicated predominantly to parrots and larger passerines, although somewhat also inhabited by Demoiselle cranes, a couple of egret species and pheasants. A treetop walkway takes visitors up to the treeline, where they can see lories and parakeets 20 metres up at eye level. It doesn't hold a candle to the best parrot walkthroughs in Europe (looking at Doue here) but it does an excellent job and acts in stark contrast to some of the housings elsewhere in the zoo. There are of course exhibits for parrots that lie between the two extremes - Papuan parrots are housed in quaint mixed species aviaries which appeared to work well for the animals. The new Oceanian aviary is similarly great, with a giant species list yet sufficient space in nice surroundings and with good height. Cockatoos and large macaws each have a few larger mixed aviaries oddly filled with mock rock but generally adequate. Ultimately nothing struck me as unacceptable, but for a zoo that so clearly has the funds to do better for some of their most notable inhabitants, it felt off at times.
Next come exhibits for lions, lemurs and meerkat, unashamedly riding off the popularity of various animated films (with such creative names as Simba etc.). The enclosures for the species are adequate but definitely nothing special - cross viewing is particularly a problem in the lion exhibit, which is a mish-mash of mock rock and carefully trimmed greenery. This style of exhibitry is almost entirely a constant across every enclosure for terrestrial megafauna in the zoo and I personally dislike it. Privacy is at a premium, it detracts from the animals and it is a slightly annoying spot between natural and totally unnatural. All in all, the overappliance of mock rock throughout the park felt unnecessary and frustrating given the park's geology.
The jaguar and tiger exhibits were similarly styled with the former in particular being noticeably small. For me, the magic of seeing the animals lies hand in hand with seeing them in a context that resembles their natural environment. As such seeing a jaguar for the first time in quite a while was personally let down by the way in which the zoo chose to display them. Again, the frustration lies in the fact that the zoo has the means to improve the situation, but I will concede that it is a fairly subjective point of view and that from an objective perspective the size of the exhibit is my only complaint.
Moving on there is a much better red panda exhibit with a tall live tree and a plethora of hiding places. Next to it is a Pygmy hippo exhibit with a large and deep pool and nice underwater viewing. The only qualm is that both the land area and that of the alligators elsewhere in the park were too small despite a sizeable water area. A row of mediocre exhibits for otters, tortoises and bat is followed by a small South American area with surprisingly good exhibits for anteaters, sloths, capybaras and a handful of callitrichids. Then comes the best exhibit in the entire zoo.
Planet Penguin is outstanding and without a shadow of a doubt the best penguin exhibit I have seen, Antarctic or otherwise. Visitors enter up an escalator and are immediately faced with a nicely done Humboldt penguin exhibit, all indoors but chilled. The pool is deceptively deep, as is only clear once visitors loop around to the end of the building, where there is a viewing pane into a 5 metre deep pool for the penguins mixed with an impressive fish lineup including shadefish, snappers and even guitarfish. Yet this is not the flagship exhibit of the building. Visitors pass through a tunnel into a large hall. A gigantic Antarctic penguin exhibit fills the centre, while visitors process around it on a conveyor belt. This belt moves at what initially feels like a slow pace, but the exhibit is so well constructed that most visitors stay on it for the duration of its path around the exhibit. Four penguin species are displayed in a chilled exhibit with a massive land area and a pool that stretches the entire length of the exhibit. I spent at least half an hour watching the penguins interact, even though the exhibit was dimly lit at that time to mimic the sunlight hours in the Antarctic. The conveyor belt was not the only viewing option, visitors can walk around it at their own pace or watch the penguins from an elevated viewing platform. Signage in the building is excellent, with information not only about lifespan, diet, range etc. but also moulting patterns and cycles in each species. All in all, absolutely deserving of its spot in Europe's Top 100 and you would be hard pressed to find many better penguin exhibits anywhere in the world (Detroit?).
Finally on the way to the Orca Show is a small building called Aqua Viva. Loro Parque does a pretty fabulous job of displaying jellyfish. The lighting is excellent, tanks are large and the species lineup is sizeable and excellent relative to most zoos or even aquaria, where Cnidarian representation is often limited to a small tank for dozens of Moon jellyfish. Perhaps most interestingly there is a window into the room where the jellyfish are bred and the breadth of information on the lifecycle and development of a jellyfish is simply unmatched in any facility I've visited. The fact that a large crowd had gathered at this window reading the signage and talking with those working in the lab is testament to the truth behind the ethos that any species can be displayed in a way that gets the public invested and interested. One of the biggest factors in the success of the exhibit however is doubtlessly its placement. The jellyfish are situated in an area through which almost all visitors to the park will pass, rather than a dead end up a far flung corner. For all the frustration with its commercial aspects, Loro Parque did impress me with its occasional desire to showcase species that are more often than not glossed over both in zoos and aquaria, as well as its dedication to conservation efforts both in the Canaries and further afield.
And that more or less covers everything! Overall, I did enjoy my visit for the numerous high points, but there was a sense that there was serious wasted potential, particularly when it came to some of the megafauna enclosures and parrot cages. Tenerife is an island that has real natural beauty and varied ecology (as attested to by Alexander von Humboldt himself, who was especially fond of the island and its volcano) so it was disappointing to see such a liberal usage of mock rock in a place with such a favourable climate for botany. The commercial aspect is admittedly hard to steer clear of in a park with dolphins, orcas etc. but some of the exhibits left me oddly feeling as if I hadn't really seen the animals in real life despite being separated by a window pane. In general though, what its exhibits for terrestrial animals lacked, its marine exhibits made up for. Planet Penguin and Aqua Viva in particular were stand out exhibits which I felt were a step in the right direction for sure. Hopefully the park keeps going that way.
Species list will be up later, although it might not be absolutely comprehensive in the way @ShonenJake13's was from not so long ago, which can be read here. There have been a couple of changes since then though so hopefully there'll still be some sort of use to mine too
. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of those who've visited (and those who haven't too) as I recognise there are some very subjective elements to any review.
Loro Parque has long been touted by numerous travel websites as one of, if not the best, zoo in Europe and in a way, I can see why. The park is wreathed in an aura of artificial grandeur. The entrance, a large complex of red and golden Thai-themed buildings, is accompanied by a massive koi pond and a wall of greenery beyond. Almost every building in the park is cloaked in (often tacky) theming, every window is spotless, every show perfectly rehearsed and choreographed. The only area of the zoo that breaks this pattern are the ubiquitous parrot cages (ironically the zoo's most notable feature). Loro Parque is a prime example of a facility that prioritises visitor experience over all else. That is of course not to say animals get the short end of the stick, but the commercial nature of the place was palpable throughout.
Perhaps nowhere else was this more apparent than at the shows. Every show was preceded by a ten minute advertisement reel for both the zoo itself and its sister attraction, Siam Park. The cetacean shows in particular were sleek and well practised; the orcas performed three times a day, the dolphins four times, sea lions five times... It was my first time seeing orcas but in a way I almost regretted it, as it moreso felt as if I was watching a video of the show rather than being truly present.
With most of the caveats out of the way, onto the meat of the review. I personally visited the zoo in backwards order to avoid crowding, so started with the aquarium. I will therefore run through largely in that order on here. The Aquarium is very well presented and exceeded my expectations. The species lineups were nice, tanks were generally geographically accurate and windows were clean, particularly that of the shark tunnel. There were, however, a few issues. Overcrowding was a problem in many of the exhibits (particularly clownfish, pacu and moray exhibits), and the not-quite-deceptive-enough lighting in the ocean tank betrayed its small size. Despite these flaws I enjoyed the aquarium overall. Similarly the nursery for hatchling parrots nearby was well presented an the window into the laboratory used for investigation of parrot intelligence was a nice touch. Next came a large area predominantly for parrots. Housing for these birds was highly variable, ranging from outstanding to poor. For a zoo who emphasises the abnormal intelligence of Psittaciformes in both their shows and their signage, the housing of some of their larger birds (amazons and macaws) in cages comparable in size to a toilet cubicle is disappointing. The maintenance of their collections at such blistering heights (350 parrot taxa or thereabouts now) does not necessarily require the continued usage of such small cages, with examples of alternative housing methods to be found around the very same institution.
Katandra Treetops is one such example - a very tall aviary dedicated predominantly to parrots and larger passerines, although somewhat also inhabited by Demoiselle cranes, a couple of egret species and pheasants. A treetop walkway takes visitors up to the treeline, where they can see lories and parakeets 20 metres up at eye level. It doesn't hold a candle to the best parrot walkthroughs in Europe (looking at Doue here) but it does an excellent job and acts in stark contrast to some of the housings elsewhere in the zoo. There are of course exhibits for parrots that lie between the two extremes - Papuan parrots are housed in quaint mixed species aviaries which appeared to work well for the animals. The new Oceanian aviary is similarly great, with a giant species list yet sufficient space in nice surroundings and with good height. Cockatoos and large macaws each have a few larger mixed aviaries oddly filled with mock rock but generally adequate. Ultimately nothing struck me as unacceptable, but for a zoo that so clearly has the funds to do better for some of their most notable inhabitants, it felt off at times.
Next come exhibits for lions, lemurs and meerkat, unashamedly riding off the popularity of various animated films (with such creative names as Simba etc.). The enclosures for the species are adequate but definitely nothing special - cross viewing is particularly a problem in the lion exhibit, which is a mish-mash of mock rock and carefully trimmed greenery. This style of exhibitry is almost entirely a constant across every enclosure for terrestrial megafauna in the zoo and I personally dislike it. Privacy is at a premium, it detracts from the animals and it is a slightly annoying spot between natural and totally unnatural. All in all, the overappliance of mock rock throughout the park felt unnecessary and frustrating given the park's geology.
The jaguar and tiger exhibits were similarly styled with the former in particular being noticeably small. For me, the magic of seeing the animals lies hand in hand with seeing them in a context that resembles their natural environment. As such seeing a jaguar for the first time in quite a while was personally let down by the way in which the zoo chose to display them. Again, the frustration lies in the fact that the zoo has the means to improve the situation, but I will concede that it is a fairly subjective point of view and that from an objective perspective the size of the exhibit is my only complaint.
Moving on there is a much better red panda exhibit with a tall live tree and a plethora of hiding places. Next to it is a Pygmy hippo exhibit with a large and deep pool and nice underwater viewing. The only qualm is that both the land area and that of the alligators elsewhere in the park were too small despite a sizeable water area. A row of mediocre exhibits for otters, tortoises and bat is followed by a small South American area with surprisingly good exhibits for anteaters, sloths, capybaras and a handful of callitrichids. Then comes the best exhibit in the entire zoo.
Planet Penguin is outstanding and without a shadow of a doubt the best penguin exhibit I have seen, Antarctic or otherwise. Visitors enter up an escalator and are immediately faced with a nicely done Humboldt penguin exhibit, all indoors but chilled. The pool is deceptively deep, as is only clear once visitors loop around to the end of the building, where there is a viewing pane into a 5 metre deep pool for the penguins mixed with an impressive fish lineup including shadefish, snappers and even guitarfish. Yet this is not the flagship exhibit of the building. Visitors pass through a tunnel into a large hall. A gigantic Antarctic penguin exhibit fills the centre, while visitors process around it on a conveyor belt. This belt moves at what initially feels like a slow pace, but the exhibit is so well constructed that most visitors stay on it for the duration of its path around the exhibit. Four penguin species are displayed in a chilled exhibit with a massive land area and a pool that stretches the entire length of the exhibit. I spent at least half an hour watching the penguins interact, even though the exhibit was dimly lit at that time to mimic the sunlight hours in the Antarctic. The conveyor belt was not the only viewing option, visitors can walk around it at their own pace or watch the penguins from an elevated viewing platform. Signage in the building is excellent, with information not only about lifespan, diet, range etc. but also moulting patterns and cycles in each species. All in all, absolutely deserving of its spot in Europe's Top 100 and you would be hard pressed to find many better penguin exhibits anywhere in the world (Detroit?).
Finally on the way to the Orca Show is a small building called Aqua Viva. Loro Parque does a pretty fabulous job of displaying jellyfish. The lighting is excellent, tanks are large and the species lineup is sizeable and excellent relative to most zoos or even aquaria, where Cnidarian representation is often limited to a small tank for dozens of Moon jellyfish. Perhaps most interestingly there is a window into the room where the jellyfish are bred and the breadth of information on the lifecycle and development of a jellyfish is simply unmatched in any facility I've visited. The fact that a large crowd had gathered at this window reading the signage and talking with those working in the lab is testament to the truth behind the ethos that any species can be displayed in a way that gets the public invested and interested. One of the biggest factors in the success of the exhibit however is doubtlessly its placement. The jellyfish are situated in an area through which almost all visitors to the park will pass, rather than a dead end up a far flung corner. For all the frustration with its commercial aspects, Loro Parque did impress me with its occasional desire to showcase species that are more often than not glossed over both in zoos and aquaria, as well as its dedication to conservation efforts both in the Canaries and further afield.
And that more or less covers everything! Overall, I did enjoy my visit for the numerous high points, but there was a sense that there was serious wasted potential, particularly when it came to some of the megafauna enclosures and parrot cages. Tenerife is an island that has real natural beauty and varied ecology (as attested to by Alexander von Humboldt himself, who was especially fond of the island and its volcano) so it was disappointing to see such a liberal usage of mock rock in a place with such a favourable climate for botany. The commercial aspect is admittedly hard to steer clear of in a park with dolphins, orcas etc. but some of the exhibits left me oddly feeling as if I hadn't really seen the animals in real life despite being separated by a window pane. In general though, what its exhibits for terrestrial animals lacked, its marine exhibits made up for. Planet Penguin and Aqua Viva in particular were stand out exhibits which I felt were a step in the right direction for sure. Hopefully the park keeps going that way.
Species list will be up later, although it might not be absolutely comprehensive in the way @ShonenJake13's was from not so long ago, which can be read here. There have been a couple of changes since then though so hopefully there'll still be some sort of use to mine too
. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of those who've visited (and those who haven't too) as I recognise there are some very subjective elements to any review.
I was about half an hour into the complete species list when I did a little comparison with the ShonenJake's list above and realised there really wasn't that much different and mine was far less comprehensive either way. So I've decided to give a species list of the only novelty since his visit in Feb of 2022, the Oceanian Aviary. That way I save myself a few hours and the embarrassment of posting a list pockmarked with holes.
Oceanian Mixed Aviary species list:
Elegant parrot (Neophema elegans)
Scarlet-chested parrot (Neophema splendida)
Turquoise parrot (Neophema pulchella)
Port Lincoln ringneck (Barnardius zonarius zonarius)
Cloncurry ringneck (Barnardius zonarius macgillivrayi)
Red crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae)
Horned parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus)
Common bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster haematogaster)
Pale headed rosella (Platycercus adscitus palliceps)
Western rosella (Platycercus icterotis)
Northern rosella (Platycercus venustus)
Hooded parrot (Psephotellus dissimilis)
Mulga parrot (Psephotellus varius)
Red rumped parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)
Red winged parrot NS (Aprosmictus erythropterus eythropterus)
Regent parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus)
Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)
Australian king parrot NS (Alisterus scapularis scapularis)
Moszkowski's king parrot (Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii)
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)
Oceanian Mixed Aviary species list:
Elegant parrot (Neophema elegans)
Scarlet-chested parrot (Neophema splendida)
Turquoise parrot (Neophema pulchella)
Port Lincoln ringneck (Barnardius zonarius zonarius)
Cloncurry ringneck (Barnardius zonarius macgillivrayi)
Red crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae)
Horned parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus)
Common bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster haematogaster)
Pale headed rosella (Platycercus adscitus palliceps)
Western rosella (Platycercus icterotis)
Northern rosella (Platycercus venustus)
Hooded parrot (Psephotellus dissimilis)
Mulga parrot (Psephotellus varius)
Red rumped parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)
Red winged parrot NS (Aprosmictus erythropterus eythropterus)
Regent parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus)
Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)
Australian king parrot NS (Alisterus scapularis scapularis)
Moszkowski's king parrot (Alisterus chloropterus moszkowskii)
Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)
A couple of weeks ago now I set off for a trip that was originally planned to take me through a large part of Central Europe, visiting cities in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Belgium. One of the main objectives of the trip was as a result to see some of Europe's best zoos in the process. I would be jumping from hostel to hostel fairly quickly and the longest I'd stay in a single city would be four days.
Almost the entire trip was accomplished by train, so particularly if you're under 25 I'd recommend looking into an Interrail pass - depending on the duration and complexity of your trip it can certainly be worth it, particularly as it offer flexibility with regards to which trains you're able to take. I'll be reviewing ever zoo I visited below along with the occasional species lists of parts of each place. As this is all retrospective, it will be mostly contextualised within a slightly wider perspective than if I just wrote my piece every night on the day, and with hindsight as to how the trip actually ended up.
Day 1 - London to Koeln
The Eurostar to Brussels was very smooth and I was in Bruxelles Midi by 9:30am. I hung around in the station a bit as my train to Koeln was at 10:50am. Bruxelles Midi is a pretty busy station owing to its international rail links and yet has only two toilet areas in the entire place - both only accessible by paying for a token to enter the cubicle. It's a system I've never encountered in the UK or France, so not sure how widespread it is, but struck me as odd that you'd have to pay to go to the toilet.
Making my way back to the board, the train I was going to take had decided to leave from a different station 20 minutes away by train while I was gone. Along with a dozen or so other backpackers headed for the same Koeln connection, I made my way up to Bruxelles Nord to catch the train. I needn't have worried though as the train was half an hour late arriving, meaning it was totally packed when I got on. I managed to find a seat next to a German man who spoke excellent French and English, so after a good conversation, around an hour into the train, the conductor announced something over the intercom in muffled German. Struggling to understand, I turned to the guy next to me (who was laughing sardonically) and asked what had been said. Turns out someone had stolen the cables that hang above the track up ahead. Baffling.
A few minutes later the train stopped, doors opened and the conductor announced this time that a connection that would reach Koeln within an hour and a half was leaving this station in 1 minute. People rushed to get off and we all ran through an underpass to the platform, where we hopped on in the nick of time. Who knows what became of the train that I left, but as a first Deutsche Bahn experience, it could certainly have been better. The new train was slower but eventually I reached Koeln at about 1:30pm. Sticking to my original plan, I decided to board a train bound for Krefeld for a quick spin around the zoo.
The train left around 20 minutes late but by this time I was already used to it. I was halfway there, near Neuss, when the driver announced that the train was stopping in Neuss and would go no further? Zero explanation, just cancelled. Oh well, the Neuss stationmaster said the next train to Krefeld would be in 40 minutes. But again, delayed, delayed again and eventually cancelled outright. I rushed into a train bound for Duesseldorf instead to try and salvage something of the afternoon. After a couple of trains, I reached Aquazoo Duesseldorf.
Aquazoo Duesseldorf
The Aquazoo was built in 1987 and remains one of Duesseldorf's biggest attractions. It consists of a single largely circular building and houses mostly herps and aquatic animals. I'd like to put in place a few caveats before giving my opinion on this place. There were a few factors which might have blighted my enjoyment of the place slightly. First of all, my phone was on the verge of dying, so I knew in the back of my mind I might have a problem getting back to Koeln (where my accommodation was). Second, I was in a pretty bad mood and tired from the half a dozen trains I'd seen cancelled, delayed, vandalised etc. and this might have been reflected in my experience in the aquarium.
Anyway, the aquarium is in a loop that takes you through first marine life, then freshwater life, insects, a small tropical greenhouse and then herps and a couple of mammal exhibits. It's an interesting premise for sure, focusing primarily on life with regards to water but also touches heavily on evolution, natural selection and adaptation. Each area is split into three or four large alcoves with half a dozen terraria/aquaria each. It's a good system and some of the educational material was outstanding, though exclusively in German which made everything a bit harder to understand. The layout was logical, exhibit for herps in particular generally good, and some nice species thrown in there too.
However, and with all the caveats above in place, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. First of all, the signage for individual species was completely outdated and wrong. I found myself regularly passing aquaria in particular with a handful of species within, none of which matched those on the signs. It is partly for this reason and partly because my phone was on 4% that I didn't make a species list for the place. The fact that the signage was wrong for fish in particular was especially frustrating because I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify most of the species in question. Similarly the turtle exhibit in the greenhouse was just signed as 'various sliders, map turtles, cooters'. As an aside, a lot of the collection listed on ZTL is offshow (sengis, various dart frogs, various Madagascan lizards all bts), so that was also slightly disappointing. I think also because I couldn't understand German well enough to effectively translate the signs in a more than rudimentary way, it became tough to understand the vision behind the place without English signage explaining it. Having said that, some of the displays in German appeared to be excellent and highly educational.
In the end I had to rush off back to Koeln but after an hour and a half in the Aquazoo I was fairly thoroughly underwhelmed. I don't know quite what I was expecting but I had hoped that at least the signage would be passable, particularly in an collection predominantly made up of fish where correct signage is paramount. I wouldn't have spent much longer there had I not had to go anyway, but I wouldn't say from my experience that it's at all a must visit place in the area, though it was pleasant enough and would be worth it if one had a bit of time to spare.
Anyway my phone promptly died so boarded a train with little to no idea where my hostel was relative to the train station (an obvious mistake, I know) but thankfully a really kind Spanish woman let me use her phone to check. If she hadn't I'm not quite sure what I'd have done, but the next day I bought a portable charger as an insurance measure, and I highly recommend doing so for those on similar travels.
Would be interested to see what others thought of the Aquazoo and whether I just had a bad day - I'm sure it would be lovely experience were all the signage correct but at least for me it does detract from the visit when you have no clue what you're looking at.
Almost the entire trip was accomplished by train, so particularly if you're under 25 I'd recommend looking into an Interrail pass - depending on the duration and complexity of your trip it can certainly be worth it, particularly as it offer flexibility with regards to which trains you're able to take. I'll be reviewing ever zoo I visited below along with the occasional species lists of parts of each place. As this is all retrospective, it will be mostly contextualised within a slightly wider perspective than if I just wrote my piece every night on the day, and with hindsight as to how the trip actually ended up.
Day 1 - London to Koeln
The Eurostar to Brussels was very smooth and I was in Bruxelles Midi by 9:30am. I hung around in the station a bit as my train to Koeln was at 10:50am. Bruxelles Midi is a pretty busy station owing to its international rail links and yet has only two toilet areas in the entire place - both only accessible by paying for a token to enter the cubicle. It's a system I've never encountered in the UK or France, so not sure how widespread it is, but struck me as odd that you'd have to pay to go to the toilet.
Making my way back to the board, the train I was going to take had decided to leave from a different station 20 minutes away by train while I was gone. Along with a dozen or so other backpackers headed for the same Koeln connection, I made my way up to Bruxelles Nord to catch the train. I needn't have worried though as the train was half an hour late arriving, meaning it was totally packed when I got on. I managed to find a seat next to a German man who spoke excellent French and English, so after a good conversation, around an hour into the train, the conductor announced something over the intercom in muffled German. Struggling to understand, I turned to the guy next to me (who was laughing sardonically) and asked what had been said. Turns out someone had stolen the cables that hang above the track up ahead. Baffling.
A few minutes later the train stopped, doors opened and the conductor announced this time that a connection that would reach Koeln within an hour and a half was leaving this station in 1 minute. People rushed to get off and we all ran through an underpass to the platform, where we hopped on in the nick of time. Who knows what became of the train that I left, but as a first Deutsche Bahn experience, it could certainly have been better. The new train was slower but eventually I reached Koeln at about 1:30pm. Sticking to my original plan, I decided to board a train bound for Krefeld for a quick spin around the zoo.
The train left around 20 minutes late but by this time I was already used to it. I was halfway there, near Neuss, when the driver announced that the train was stopping in Neuss and would go no further? Zero explanation, just cancelled. Oh well, the Neuss stationmaster said the next train to Krefeld would be in 40 minutes. But again, delayed, delayed again and eventually cancelled outright. I rushed into a train bound for Duesseldorf instead to try and salvage something of the afternoon. After a couple of trains, I reached Aquazoo Duesseldorf.
Aquazoo Duesseldorf
The Aquazoo was built in 1987 and remains one of Duesseldorf's biggest attractions. It consists of a single largely circular building and houses mostly herps and aquatic animals. I'd like to put in place a few caveats before giving my opinion on this place. There were a few factors which might have blighted my enjoyment of the place slightly. First of all, my phone was on the verge of dying, so I knew in the back of my mind I might have a problem getting back to Koeln (where my accommodation was). Second, I was in a pretty bad mood and tired from the half a dozen trains I'd seen cancelled, delayed, vandalised etc. and this might have been reflected in my experience in the aquarium.
Anyway, the aquarium is in a loop that takes you through first marine life, then freshwater life, insects, a small tropical greenhouse and then herps and a couple of mammal exhibits. It's an interesting premise for sure, focusing primarily on life with regards to water but also touches heavily on evolution, natural selection and adaptation. Each area is split into three or four large alcoves with half a dozen terraria/aquaria each. It's a good system and some of the educational material was outstanding, though exclusively in German which made everything a bit harder to understand. The layout was logical, exhibit for herps in particular generally good, and some nice species thrown in there too.
However, and with all the caveats above in place, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would. First of all, the signage for individual species was completely outdated and wrong. I found myself regularly passing aquaria in particular with a handful of species within, none of which matched those on the signs. It is partly for this reason and partly because my phone was on 4% that I didn't make a species list for the place. The fact that the signage was wrong for fish in particular was especially frustrating because I'm not knowledgeable enough to identify most of the species in question. Similarly the turtle exhibit in the greenhouse was just signed as 'various sliders, map turtles, cooters'. As an aside, a lot of the collection listed on ZTL is offshow (sengis, various dart frogs, various Madagascan lizards all bts), so that was also slightly disappointing. I think also because I couldn't understand German well enough to effectively translate the signs in a more than rudimentary way, it became tough to understand the vision behind the place without English signage explaining it. Having said that, some of the displays in German appeared to be excellent and highly educational.
In the end I had to rush off back to Koeln but after an hour and a half in the Aquazoo I was fairly thoroughly underwhelmed. I don't know quite what I was expecting but I had hoped that at least the signage would be passable, particularly in an collection predominantly made up of fish where correct signage is paramount. I wouldn't have spent much longer there had I not had to go anyway, but I wouldn't say from my experience that it's at all a must visit place in the area, though it was pleasant enough and would be worth it if one had a bit of time to spare.
Anyway my phone promptly died so boarded a train with little to no idea where my hostel was relative to the train station (an obvious mistake, I know) but thankfully a really kind Spanish woman let me use her phone to check. If she hadn't I'm not quite sure what I'd have done, but the next day I bought a portable charger as an insurance measure, and I highly recommend doing so for those on similar travels.
Would be interested to see what others thought of the Aquazoo and whether I just had a bad day - I'm sure it would be lovely experience were all the signage correct but at least for me it does detract from the visit when you have no clue what you're looking at.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
These reviews are incredible, @amur leopard , although I cannot deny that I am getting very, very envious.
This year has been my best ever in terms of foreign zoos visited, with 3 (4 including the tiny Voliere Zurich, which I personally count, but perhaps I shouldn't), but this puts it to shame. I hope you enjoyed your travels, and I very much look forward to reading the rest of your reviews!
Its completely irrelevant to the zoo reviews, but I am very surprised to hear that you have never had to pay for a toilet in the UK. I find it to be a very common thing, especially in London and especially at major train stations (Waterloo and Paddington come to mind). I too had some issues with Deutsche Bahn when travelling in Germany in terms of delays, and found the trains in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland to be far better. Even still, it is miles more convenient than National Rail in my opinion.
And regarding the signage, it does seem to be a very common thing in aquariums, both within zoos and as independent attractions, which I assume is down to the sadly short lifespans of certain fish species. Although the turtle signage seems particularly bad, and I am grateful that I have never encountered such a thing myself.
This year has been my best ever in terms of foreign zoos visited, with 3 (4 including the tiny Voliere Zurich, which I personally count, but perhaps I shouldn't), but this puts it to shame. I hope you enjoyed your travels, and I very much look forward to reading the rest of your reviews!
Its completely irrelevant to the zoo reviews, but I am very surprised to hear that you have never had to pay for a toilet in the UK. I find it to be a very common thing, especially in London and especially at major train stations (Waterloo and Paddington come to mind). I too had some issues with Deutsche Bahn when travelling in Germany in terms of delays, and found the trains in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland to be far better. Even still, it is miles more convenient than National Rail in my opinion.
And regarding the signage, it does seem to be a very common thing in aquariums, both within zoos and as independent attractions, which I assume is down to the sadly short lifespans of certain fish species. Although the turtle signage seems particularly bad, and I am grateful that I have never encountered such a thing myself.
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Thanks @amur leopard for your informative writing about your journeys in Europe. When I spent over a month in western Europe, visiting 95 zoos in the summer of 2019, I was astonished to see toilets everywhere that required a fee to enter. That is totally unheard of in North America and I've been all across Canada, all 50 U.S. states and into Mexico on several occasions and never once paid for the use of a toilet. In Europe, it's a rampant idea.
I, in stark contrast to you, had a wonderful time at Aquazoo Lobbecke Museum (Dusseldorf, DE). I really struggled to see it all in two hours as the facility has 25 rooms packed with an astonishing 126 animal exhibits. I counted only 5 mammal species and 5 bird species, but 57 reptile/amphibian species and 26 invertebrate species. I didn't bother with fish, as it would have been an overwhelming task! The Aquazoo has a layout that might be unique and a LOT to see within a building that is not huge. Everything is densely packed and it's really too bad that the whole train situation 'derailed' your day because otherwise you might have loved this place.
I, in stark contrast to you, had a wonderful time at Aquazoo Lobbecke Museum (Dusseldorf, DE). I really struggled to see it all in two hours as the facility has 25 rooms packed with an astonishing 126 animal exhibits. I counted only 5 mammal species and 5 bird species, but 57 reptile/amphibian species and 26 invertebrate species. I didn't bother with fish, as it would have been an overwhelming task! The Aquazoo has a layout that might be unique and a LOT to see within a building that is not huge. Everything is densely packed and it's really too bad that the whole train situation 'derailed' your day because otherwise you might have loved this place.
Prochilodus246
Well-Known Member
I'm really enjoying your reviews @amur leopard they're a good read and give a very good overview of the collections. It is also nice to read that you are doing exactly what I am doing in the next five years of travelling Germany & Czechia via train to visit collections. With a few of the photos already uploaded from Wuppertal it looks as though the trip is/has going/gone well however, as per usual aquarium signage is poorly updated and this counterbalanced with your lack of phone battery and limited fish knowledge will have greatly hindered your enjoyment of the collection as you mentioned that you struggled to ID the species you were seeing.
As @Kalaw says it is rather peculiar that you haven't had to pay to use a toilet as you are coming from London. Even living in a small village in the countryside you do have to pay to use public toilets that are on the high street or in larger public parks.
As @Kalaw says it is rather peculiar that you haven't had to pay to use a toilet as you are coming from London. Even living in a small village in the countryside you do have to pay to use public toilets that are on the high street or in larger public parks.