How many zoos have you visited? (poll 2)

How many zoological parks have you visited?

  • 1-9

    Votes: 71 14.4%
  • 10-24

    Votes: 155 31.4%
  • 25-49

    Votes: 99 20.1%
  • 50-99

    Votes: 83 16.8%
  • 100-199

    Votes: 50 10.1%
  • 200-299

    Votes: 16 3.2%
  • 300 or more

    Votes: 19 3.9%

  • Total voters
    493
UK:
  1. Amazon World Zoo Park
  2. Arundel Wetland Centre
  3. Bentley Wildfowl
  4. Birdworld
  5. Blair-Drummond Safari Park
  6. Blue Reef Aquarium - Hastings
  7. Bristol Aquarium
  8. Bristol Zoo
  9. British Wildlife Centre
  10. Butterfly and Insect World - Lasswade
  11. Chester Zoo
  12. Colchester Zoo
  13. Cotswold Wildlife Park
  14. Crocodiles of the World
  15. Deep Sea World - North Queensferry
  16. Drusillas Park
  17. Durrell Wildlife Park
  18. Edinburgh Zoo
  19. Five Sisters Zoo
  20. Hamerton Zoo Park
  21. Hemsley Conservation Centre
  22. Howletts Wild Animal Park
  23. Isle of Wight Zoo
  24. Knockhatch Adventure Park
  25. Longleat Safari Park
  26. Lyme Regis Aquarium
  27. Marwell Zoo
  28. Monkey World
  29. Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
  30. Sea Life Brighton
  31. Sea Life London
  32. Shepreth Wildlife Park
  33. Tilgate Nature Centre
  34. Wingham Wildlife Park
  35. Woburn Safari Park
  36. ZSL London Zoo
Not sure whether these ones qualify:
  1. East Links Family Park
  2. Middle Farm
  3. Raystede Centre
  4. Spring Barn Farm
  5. Tiggywinkles
  6. Washbrooks Farm
  7. White Post Farm
Europe:
  1. ARTIS - Netherlands
  2. Barcelona Aquarium - Spain
  3. Barcelona Zoo - Spain
  4. Bioparc Fuengirola - Spain
  5. Crete Aquarium - Crete, Greece
  6. Crocodile Park - Spain
  7. La Garenne - Switzerland
  8. Marineland - Mallorca, Spain
  9. Nausicaa Aquarium - France
  10. Ostrich Farm - Rhodes, Greece
  11. Safari Zoo - Mallorca, Spain
  12. Zoo Natura Parc - Mallorca, Spain
Canada:
  1. Bloedel Conservatory - British Columbia
  2. Vancouver Aquarium - British Columbia
 
I'm still just playing with rookie numbers, but:

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Sea World (Cleveland)

Zoo Atlanta

Tennessee Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium

Wildlife Habitats (Grandfather Mountain State Park)

Petit Creek Farms

The last two are very small, but I guess they count. Grandfather Mountain only houses four species, and Petit Creek Farms is just a junky little roadside place, although its website indicates that it's done some expansion and (possible) improvement since my last visit several years ago.
 
I have visited 21 zoos since 2018 :

France
Zoo de Beauval
Bioparc de Doué la Fontaine
Zoo de la Boissière du Doré
La Vallée des singes
Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes (Paris)
Réserve de la Haute Touche
Zoo de Lyon
Zoo du Reynou
Les Loups de Chabrières
Natur'zoo de Mervent
Parc des Félins
Spaycific'zoo
Zoo de Thoiry

Germany
Tierpark Berlin
Zoologischer Garten Berlin
Zoo Dresden
Zoo Duisburg
Zoo Leipzig
Zoo Wilhelma Stuttgart

Switzerland
Zoo Basel
Zoo Zürich
 
As of this week, I have visited my 40th zoological facility. I have so far added 5 new facilities in 2024, which are in bold. Facilities I have visited previously, but revisited this year are in italics.
  1. Adventure Aquarium
  2. American Museum of Natural History
  3. Audobon Aquarium of the Americas
  4. Bronx Zoo
  5. Disney's Animal Kingdom
  6. Florida Aquarium
  7. GatorLand USA
  8. Georgia Aquarium
  9. Greensboro Science Center
  10. Greenville Zoo
  11. Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
  12. Howell Woods Environmental Center
  13. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
  14. Lazy 5 Ranch
  15. Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center
  16. Long Island Game Farm
  17. Long Island Reptile Museum (Closed)
  18. Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
  19. Museum of Life and Sciences
  20. National Aquarium at Baltimore (first visit in 15+ years).
  21. New York Aquarium
  22. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
  23. North Carolina Zoo
  24. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
  25. Philadelphia Zoo
  26. Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach
  27. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
  28. SeaLife Charlotte-Concord
  29. SeaLife Orlando
  30. SeaWorld Orlando
  31. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
  32. Smithsonian National Zoo
  33. Sylvan Heights Bird Park
  34. Tennessee Aquarium
  35. Triangle Metro Zoo (Closed)
  36. Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center
  37. Virginia Living Museum
  38. Virginia Zoo
  39. Zoo Atlanta
  40. ZooTampa at Lowry Park
 
Another update, and thanks to travels both within the UK and further afield I have now crossed the line into a new category! As usual, additions are presented in italics.

Collections visited as of 26/05/2024: 210


Austria: 10 collections

Blumengärten Hirschstetten (first visited 2022)
Haus der Natur (first visited 2022)
Haus des Meeres (first visited 2022)
Innsbruck Alpenzoo (first visited 2015)
Schmetterlinghaus Wien (first visited 2023)
Tiergarten Hellbrunn (first visited 2022)
Tiergarten Schönbrunn (first visited 2022)
Tiergarten Wels (first visited 2023)
Welt der Gifte (first visited 2022)
Wustenhaus Schönbrunn (first visited 2022)

Belgium: 4 collections

Pairi Daiza (first visited 2019)
Serpentarium Blankerberge (first visited 2019)
Zoo Antwerp (first visited 2018)
Zoo Planckendael (first visited 2019)

Croatia: 1 collection

Zoo Zagreb (first visited 2022)

Czech Republic: 14 collections

AkvaTera Plzen (first visited 2017)
Krokodýlí Zoo Praha (first visited 2017)
Prague Zoo (first visited 2017)
Zoo Brno (first visited 2019)
Zoo Dvůr Králové (first visited 2019)
Zoo Hluboká (first visited 2022)
Zoo Jihlava (first visited 2017)
Zoo Liberec (first visited 2023)
Zoo Olomouc (first visited 2024)
Zoo Ostrava (first visited 2019)
Zoo Plzen (first visited 2017)
Zoopark Chomutov (first visited 2017)
Zoopark Zájezd (first visited 2022)
Zoo Zlín (first visited 2023)

Denmark: 3 collections

Den Bla Planet (first visited 2023)
Eskilstrup Krokodille Zoo (first visited 2023)
Zoo Kobenhavn (first visited 2023)

France: 3 collections

Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes (first visited 2024)
Parc Zoologique de Paris (first visited 2024)
Zoo Mulhouse (first visited 2024)


Germany: 43 collections

Aachener Tierpark (first visited 2018)
Allwetterzoo Münster (first visited 2023)
AquaDom & SEALIFE Berlin (first visited 2018)
Aquazoo Dusseldorf (first visited 2018)
Biosphäre Potsdam (first visited 2018)
Erlenbis-Zoo Hannover (first visited 2016)
Klimahaus Bremerhavn (first visited 2016)
NaturZoo Rheine (first visited 2023)
Planten un Blomen (first visited 2016)
TerraZoo Rheinberg (first visited 2018)
Tiergarten Nurnberg (first visited 2015)
Tiergarten Schönebeck (first visited 2018)
Tierpark Berlin (first visited 2014)
Tierpark Chemnitz (first visited 2018)
Tierpark Hagenbeck (first visited 2016)
Tierpark Hellabrunn (first visited 2015)
Tierpark Oberwald (first visited 2024)
Tropen-Aquarium Hagenbeck (first visited 2016)
Vogelpark Niendorf (first visited 2016)
Vogelpark Olching (first visited 2015)
Weltvogelpark Walsrode (first visited 2016)
Wildgehege Klovensteen (first visited 2016)
Wildpark Connewitz (first visited 2018)
Wildpark Grafenberger Wald (first visited 2018)
Wildpark Schwartze-Berge (first visited 2016)
Wilhelma (first visited 2015)
Zoo am Meer (first visited 2016)
Zoo-Aquarium Berlin (first visited 2014)
Zoo Augsburg (first visited 2015)
Zoo Berlin (first visited 2014)
Zoo Cottbus (first visited 2023)
Zoo Dortmund (first visited 2018)
Zoo Dresden (first visited 2018)
Zoo Duisburg (first visited 2018)
Zoo Frankfurt (first visited 2018)
Zoo Halle (first visited 2018)
Zoo Karlsruhe (first visited 2024)
Zoo Köln (first visited 2018)
Zoo Krefeld (first visited 2018)
Zoo Leipzig (first visited 2014)
Zoo Magdeburg (first visited 2014)
Zoo Rostock (first visited 2023)
Zoo Wuppertal (first visited 2018)

Hungary: 1 collection

Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden (first visited 2022)

Italy: 1 collection

Naturmuseum Südtirol (first visited 2022)

Netherlands: 8 collections

BestZoo (first visited 2018)
Burger's Zoo (first visited 2018)
Dierenpark Amersfoort (first visited 2018)
Dierenpark Ouwehands (first visited 2023)
Dierenpark Zie-Zoo (first visited 2018)
Diergaarde Blijdorp (first visited 2018)
Dolfinarium Harderwijik (first visited 2023)
Natura Artis Magistra (first visited 2018)

Poland: 4 collections

Nowe Zoo Poznan (first visited 2019)
Stare Zoo Poznan (first visited 2019)
Zoo Warsaw (first visited 2019)
Zoo Wroclaw (first visited 2019)

Portugal: 2 collections

Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa (first visited 2019)
Oceanário de Lisboa (first visited 2019)

Slovakia: 1 collection

Zoo Bratislava (first visited 2022)

Spain: 6 collections

Aquàrium de Barcelona (first visited 2019)
Bioparc Valencia (first visited 2019)
Faunia (first visited 2019)
L'Oceanogràfic (first visited 2019)
Parc Zoològic de Barcelona (first visited 2019)
Zoo Aquarium de Madrid (first visited 2019)

Switzerland: 6 collections

Bärenpark Bern (first visited 2024)
Tierpark Dählhölzli (first visited 2024)
Tierpark Lange Erlen (first visited 2024)
Voliere Zurich (first visited 2024)
Zoologischer Garten Basel (first visited 2024)
Zoo Zurich (first visited 2024)


United Kingdom: 103 collections

Amazon World Zoo Park (first visited 2013)
Aquarium of the Lakes (first visited 2015)
Askham Bryan Wildlife Park (first visited 2024)
Axe Valley Wildlife Park (first visited 2021)
Battersea Park Children's Zoo (first visited 2017)
Birdland Park and Gardens (first visited 2013)
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park (first visited 2011)
Blackbrook Zoo (first visited 2013)
Blackpool Zoo (first visited 2011)
Blue Reef Tynemouth (first visited 2009)
Bristol Aquarium (first visited 2024)
Bristol Zoo (first visited 2011)
Butterfly World Stockton (first visited c.1999)
Calderglen Zoo (first visited 2022)
Cedars Nature Centre (first visited 2017)
Chester Cathedral Falconry (first visited 2017)
Chester Zoo (first visited 2010)
Chestnut Centre Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park (first visited 2011)
Colchester Zoo (first visited 2013)
Cotswold Falconry Centre (first visited 2014)
Cotswold Wildlife Park (first visited 2013)
Crocodiles of the World - original site (first visited 2013)
Crocodiles of the World - new site (first visited 2014)
Deep Sea World (first visited 2022)
Dudley Zoo (first visited 2011)
East Park Animal Centre (first visited 2017)
Edinburgh Zoo (first visited 2010)
Exmoor Zoo (first visited 2013)
Falconry Days (first visited 2013)
Five Sisters Zoo Park (first visited 2012)
Flamingo Land (first visited c.1992)
Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park (first visited 2012)
Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre (first visited 2013)
Hagley Falconry Centre (first visited 2015)
Hamerton Zoo (first visited 2011)
Hawk Conservancy Trust (first visited 2015)
Heythrop Zoo (first visited 2014)
Highland Wildlife Park (first visited 1989)
Howletts Wild Animal Park (first visited 2012)
ICBP Duncombe Park (first visited 2015)
Jesmond Dene Pets Corner (first visited 2015)
Kew Gardens (first visited 2009)
Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens (first visited 2013)
Kielder Water Bird of Prey Centre (first visited 2012)
Kirkleatham Owl Centre (first visited 2015)
Lake District Wildlife Park (first visited 2015)
Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre (first visited 2015)
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis (first visited 2015)
Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre (first visited 2022)
Lotherton Bird Gardens (first visited 2018)
Libertys Raptor and Reptile Centre (first visited 2006)
Linton Zoo (first visited 2014)
Liverpool World Museum (first visited 2009)
Living Coasts (first visited 2013)
Manchester Museum Vivarium (first visited 2011)
Marwell Zoo (first visited 2013)
Monkey Haven (first visited 2013)
Monkey World (first visited 2021)
National Marine Aquarium (first visited 2024)
Newquay Zoo (first visited 2013)
North Anston Tropical House (first visited 2014)
Northumberland Zoo (first visited 2023)
Paignton Zoo (first visited 2013)
Paradise Park (first visited 2021)
Pickering Park Aviaries (first visited 2024)
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park (first visited 2013)
Potters Tropical Village and Owl Adventures (first visited 2024)
Reaseheath Zoo (first visited 2015)
Regent's Park Waterfowl Collection (first visited 2017)
Scottish Owl Centre (first visited 2015)
SEALIFE Blackpool (first visited 2015)
SEALIFE Loch Lomond (first visited 2022)
SEALIFE Manchester (first visited 2016)
SEALIFE Oban (first visited 1989)
SEALIFE Scarborough (first visited c.1992)
SEALIFE Weymouth (first visited 2021)
Shaldon Wildlife Trust (first visited 2013)
Shepreth Wildlife Park (first visited 2014)
Skye Serpentarium (first visited 1998)
South Lakes Wild Animal Park (first visited 2012)
The Deep (first visited 2017)
Thirsk Bird of Prey Centre (first visited 2015)
Thorp Perrow Arboretum (first visited 2013)
Tropical World Leeds (first visited 2013)
Tropiquaria (first visited 2021)
Twycross Zoo (first visited 2011)
Welsh Mountain Zoo (first visited 2012)
West Midland Safari Park (first visited 2015)
West Park Aviaries (first visited 2024)
Whitby Marine Discovery Centre (first visited 2023)
Wingham Wildlife Park (first visited 2017)
Wild Animal Adventures (first visited 2014)
Wild Discovery (first visited 2018)
Wild Place (first visited 2013)
Wildwood Trust (first visited 2017)
Woburn Safari Park (first visited 2013)
World Owl Trust Muncaster Castle (first visited 1990)
WWT Martin Mere (first visited 2013)
WWT Slimbridge (first visited 2013)
WWT Washington (first visited 2004)
Yorkshire Wildlife Park (first visited 2014)
ZSL London Zoo (first visited 2012)
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (first visited 2013)

What will be the 100th zoo in the UK? Some naff little place or a big one? And you have a similar choice for your 200th zoo. Go with an establishment that hardly anyone has heard of, or tour one of the big boys. Either way, congratulations are soon in order!

....and the winners are National Marine Aquarium as my 100th UK collection, and Zoo Karlsruhe as my 200th collection full stop :)
 
I am currently on 31 unless I have miscounted. Including any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display.

Australia (24)
Australian Capital Territory (2):
1. Canberra Walk-in Aviary
2. National Zoo and Aquarium
New South Wales (15):
3. Australian Museum (had stick insects on display until 2019)
4. Blackbutt Reserve
5. Calmsley Hill City Farm (has a few native species)
6. Central Gardens Nature Reserve
7. Featherdale Wildlife Park
8. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park
9. Hunter Wetlands Centre (has herps, Freckled Ducks and an eel)
10. Mogo Wildlife Park
11. Nowra Wildlife Park / Shoalhaven Zoo
12. Oceanworld Manly (Closed)
13. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
14. Sydney Zoo
15. Symbio Wildlife Park
16. Taronga Western Plains Zoo
17. Taronga Zoo Sydney
Northern Territory (2):
18. Bark Hut Inn (has crocodiles, emus and buffalo)
19. Monsoon Garden (has various turtles, fish and yabbies)
Tasmania (5):
20. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
21. Devils@Cradle
22. Launceston City Park (has Japanese Macaques)
23. Tamar Wetlands Centre (has a few native fish species)
24. ZooDoo Zoo

Canada (4)
25. African Lion Safari
26. Shubenacadie Wildlife Park
27. Toronto Zoo
28. Vancouver Aquarium

United Kingdom (3)
29. A dinosaur park that I can't remember the name of with reptiles and wallabies
30. Blair Castle (has Red Deer - or at least did in 2014 when I went)
31. London Zoo
 
My 300th post and by 50th zoo (Voliere Zurich) are just a few weeks apart, so it feels fitting to note one with the other.

Looking at information and images online, I realise that the aquarium section of the Charmouth Coast Centre that prompted me to include it on my previous list probably never existed. :p I was very young when I visited.

I have also included both the number of times that I have visited each zoo and the year of my most recent visit. :)

United Kingdom
(31):
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo (x1 / 2014)
Beaver Water World (now closed) (x1 / 2015)
Blue Reef Aquarium Portsmouth (x1 / 2015)
Bristol Zoo Gardens (now closed) (x5 / 2021)
Chessington World of Adventures (x1 / 2022)
Chester Zoo (x1 / 2021)
Colchester Zoo (x3 / 2022)
Cotswold Wildlife Park (x1 / 2023)
Crocodiles of the World (x1 / 2019)
Dartmoor Zoo (x1 / 2018)
Exmoor Zoo (x4 / 2023)
Edinburgh Zoo (x1 / 2021)
Hemsley Conservation Centre (x1 / 2022)
Highland Wildlife Park (x1 / 2021)
Howletts Wild Animal Park (x1 / 2019)
Longleat Safari Park (x1 / 2019)
Marwell Zoo (x4 / 2020)
Monkey World (x1 / 2019)
National Marine Aquarium Plymouth (x2 / 2017)
New Forest Wildlife Park (x1 / 2018)
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm (x3 / 2023)
Paignton Zoo (x3 / 2019)
Sea Life London (x1 / 2019)
Sea Life Brighton (x2 / 2016)
Shaldon Zoo (x1 / 2023)
Tropiquaria Wildlife Park (x2 / 2015)
Weston-super-Mare Seaquarium (now closed) (x2/ 2016)
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary (x1 / 2023)
Wild Place Project (x1 / 2020)
Wildwood Escot (x2 / 2018)
Woburn Safari Park (x1 / 2019)
ZSL London Zoo (x21 / 2023)
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (x8 / 2023)

France (5):
Aquarium Nausicaa (x2 / 2016)
Menagerie du Jardins des Plantes (x1 / 2018)
Parc Zoologique de Paris (x1 / 2018)
Zoo de La Fleche (x1 / 2019)
ZooParc de Beauval (x1 / 2019)

Germany (2):
Tierpark Hagenbeck (x1 / 2023)
Zoo Magdeburg (x1 / 2023)

Switzerland (2):
Voliere Zurich (x1 / 2023)
Zoo Zurich (x1 / 2023)

Netherlands (1):
Koninklijke Burgers' Zoo (1x / 2022)

Belgium (1):
Zoo Antwerpen (1x / 2022)

Borderline (6):
Aquarium de la Cité des Sciences Paris (x1 / 2018)
Crystal Palace Park Zoo (15~ / 2023)
Horniman Museum and Gardens (50+ / 2023)
Leeds Castle Bird of Prey Centre (1x / 2015)
WWT London (3x / 2019)
WWT Slimbridge (2x / 2020)

Total Zoos: 50
Total Visits: 165
Realised I have entirely forgotten about Paradise Wildlife Park (now known as Hertfordshire Zoo), which means my 50th zoo visit was not Voliere Zurich, but Zoo Zurich, a much more symbolic milestone, as the greatest zoo that I have ever visited by some margin.

Since making that list, I have also added Sea Life Weymouth, which brings my total up to 52.
 
I am currently on 31 unless I have miscounted. Including any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display.

Australia (24)
Australian Capital Territory (2):
1. Canberra Walk-in Aviary
2. National Zoo and Aquarium
New South Wales (15):
3. Australian Museum (had stick insects on display until 2019)
4. Blackbutt Reserve
5. Calmsley Hill City Farm (has a few native species)
6. Central Gardens Nature Reserve
7. Featherdale Wildlife Park
8. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park
9. Hunter Wetlands Centre (has herps, Freckled Ducks and an eel)
10. Mogo Wildlife Park
11. Nowra Wildlife Park / Shoalhaven Zoo
12. Oceanworld Manly (Closed)
13. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
14. Sydney Zoo
15. Symbio Wildlife Park
16. Taronga Western Plains Zoo
17. Taronga Zoo Sydney
Northern Territory (2):
18. Bark Hut Inn (has crocodiles, emus and buffalo)
19. Monsoon Garden (has various turtles, fish and yabbies)
Tasmania (5):
20. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
21. Devils@Cradle
22. Launceston City Park (has Japanese Macaques)
23. Tamar Wetlands Centre (has a few native fish species)
24. ZooDoo Zoo

Canada (4)
25. African Lion Safari
26. Shubenacadie Wildlife Park
27. Toronto Zoo
28. Vancouver Aquarium

United Kingdom (3)
29. A dinosaur park that I can't remember the name of with reptiles and wallabies
30. Blair Castle (has Red Deer - or at least did in 2014 when I went)
31. London Zoo

Not sure that Blair castle counts it's a place that I have visited and seen the deer, but if I count it means I also have to count nearly two dozen places like it, but that feels like I should also be counting village duck ponds, they have a lovely one in Moreton on the marsh in the Cotswolds
 
Not sure that Blair castle counts it's a place that I have visited and seen the deer, but if I count it means I also have to count nearly two dozen places like it, but that feels like I should also be counting village duck ponds, they have a lovely one in Moreton on the marsh in the Cotswolds
My criteria was any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display. The deer at Blair count for me. You could have a different criteria on your list.
 
My criteria was any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display. The deer at Blair count for me. You could have a different criteria on your list.

I think that when the non-domestic species in question is a native taxon which just happens to live within the grounds of a stately home in the Scottish Highlands, it's pushing even your definition a little :p akin to saying the garden area next to my block of flats counts as a zoo because it contains hedgehogs!
 
I think that when the non-domestic species in question is a native taxon which just happens to live within the grounds of a stately home in the Scottish Highlands, it's pushing even your definition a little :p akin to saying the garden area next to my block of flats counts as a zoo because it contains hedgehogs!
Oh, so the deer are wild? I didn't know that. In that case, I will remove Blair Castle from my list?
 
My criteria was any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display. The deer at Blair count for me. You could have a different criteria on your list.
I prefer to use to the term "animal collections" rather than "zoos" because (at least in theory) it stops certain types of people from saying "that doesn't count".

In this case, if the deer are captive I would count it but if they are actually wild then I wouldn't count it. However I don't know if they are wild. They seem to be enclosed and fed, and this link (A fun-filled stay at Atholl Estates Woodland Lodges Scotland) says
"Our 2 1/2 hour tour finished at the deer park in the grounds of Blair Castle. Sandy told us that forty-five years earlier he’d found an orphaned deer in the hills and brought it back to the castle. There he hand reared it and saved it from certain death. And so, Blair Castle’s deer park was established."
 
I prefer to use to the term "animal collections" rather than "zoos" because (at least in theory) it stops certain types of people from saying "that doesn't count".

In this case, if the deer are captive I would count it but if they are actually wild then I wouldn't count it. However I don't know if they are wild. They seem to be enclosed and fed, and this link (A fun-filled stay at Atholl Estates Woodland Lodges Scotland) says
"Our 2 1/2 hour tour finished at the deer park in the grounds of Blair Castle. Sandy told us that forty-five years earlier he’d found an orphaned deer in the hills and brought it back to the castle. There he hand reared it and saved it from certain death. And so, Blair Castle’s deer park was established."

The deer in the park itself are captive deer (Blair castle run a major three day event, a horse sporting event and the reason I’ve visited it) and they do deer feeds etc. Edited to add similar to say the white fallows at Houghton who are a managed park deer.

The atholl estate (of which Blair is a part) also maintain managed wild deer and run stalking etc.
 
Last edited:
That's exactly what I thought.

It's up to you but I live in the UK and will not be counting it or any of the other deer parks with one native species as I said I've seen a lot of them and they alone would take me past your total and would push me close to 500 collections visited if I did but I'm happy with being over 400 and not having to clutch at straw's as to what a collection is.
 
It's up to you but I live in the UK and will not be counting it or any of the other deer parks with one native species as I said I've seen a lot of them and they alone would take me past your total and would push me close to 500 collections visited if I did but I'm happy with being over 400 and not having to clutch at straw's as to what a collection is.
No-one has said you have to count it. It's really great that you have visited so many more captive animal collections than some other person, but why do you feel the need to be so belligerent and say that someone is "clutching at straws" because you don't agree with what they consider to be a captive animal collection?
 
I am currently on 31 unless I have miscounted. Including any facility with at least one non-domestic species on display.

Australia (24)
Australian Capital Territory (2):
1. Canberra Walk-in Aviary
2. National Zoo and Aquarium
New South Wales (15):
3. Australian Museum (had stick insects on display until 2019)
4. Blackbutt Reserve
5. Calmsley Hill City Farm (has a few native species)
6. Central Gardens Nature Reserve
7. Featherdale Wildlife Park
8. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park
9. Hunter Wetlands Centre (has herps, Freckled Ducks and an eel)
10. Mogo Wildlife Park
11. Nowra Wildlife Park / Shoalhaven Zoo
12. Oceanworld Manly (Closed)
13. SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
14. Sydney Zoo
15. Symbio Wildlife Park
16. Taronga Western Plains Zoo
17. Taronga Zoo Sydney
Northern Territory (2):
18. Bark Hut Inn (has crocodiles, emus and buffalo)
19. Monsoon Garden (has various turtles, fish and yabbies)
Tasmania (5):
20. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary
21. Devils@Cradle
22. Launceston City Park (has Japanese Macaques)
23. Tamar Wetlands Centre (has a few native fish species)
24. ZooDoo Zoo

Canada (4)
25. African Lion Safari
26. Shubenacadie Wildlife Park
27. Toronto Zoo
28. Vancouver Aquarium

United Kingdom (3)
29. A dinosaur park that I can't remember the name of with reptiles and wallabies
30. Blair Castle (has Red Deer - or at least did in 2014 when I went)
31. London Zoo
I just realised I completely forgot about Questacon - the National Science and Technology Centre, which had a coral reef themed saltwater fish tank when I visited in 2021. This brings my overall total to 32, my Australian total to 25 and my Australian Capital Territory total to 3.
 
As of today, I have just visited my 50th animal collection, finally allowing me to move up a tier on the poll. And the zoo that got me to this milestone is......the Staten Island Zoo. Ok, it's not the most exciting facility to have as a milestone, but it is a solid zoo overall that I enjoyed.

Also, I realized I had left off an animal collection from earlier; Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I last visited with family and friends back in July 2009 and just remembered that they had captive wild animals (I even just discovered I had pictures from that visit that I took with an old Panasonic camera). Said collection included Gray Wolves, Laughing Kookaburras, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, and Guira Cuckoos. Not sure if others would count it, as it's obviously nowhere near its sister park in Tampa in terms of species.

Here is my current list as of today.
  • Adventure Aquarium (Camden, NJ)
  • American Museum of Natural History (New York, NY)
  • Audobon Aquarium of the Americas (New Orleans, LA)
  • Bergen County Zoo (Paramus, NJ)
  • Bronx Zoo (New York, NY)
  • Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)
  • Central Park Zoo (New York, NY)
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom (Bay Lake, FL)
  • Elmwood Park Zoo (Norristown, PA)
  • Florida Aquarium (Tampa, FL)
  • GatorLand USA (Orlando, FL)
  • Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
  • Greensboro Science Center (Greensboro, NC)
  • Greenville Zoo (Greenville, SC)
  • Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center (West Yellowstone, WY)
  • Howell Woods Environmental Center (Four Oaks, NC)
  • Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (Jacksonville, FL)
  • Lazy 5 Ranch (Mooresville, NC)
  • Lehigh Valley Zoo (Schnecksville, PA)
  • Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center (Riverhead, NY)
  • Long Island Game Farm (Manorville, NY)
  • Long Island Reptile Museum (Closed) (Hicksville, NY)
  • Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
  • Museum of Life and Sciences (Durham, NC)
  • National Aquarium in Baltimore (Baltimore, MD)
  • New York Aquarium (Brooklyn, NY)
  • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh, NC)
  • North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro, NC)
  • Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (Omaha, NE)
  • Philadelphia Zoo (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Prospect Park Zoo (Brooklyn, NY)
  • Queens Zoo (Queens, NY)
  • Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach (Myrtle Beach, SC)
  • Riverbanks Zoo and Garden (Columbia, SC)
  • SeaLife Charlotte-Concord (Concord, NC)
  • SeaLife New Jersey (East Rutherford, NJ)
  • SeaLife Orlando (Orlando, FL)
  • SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, FL)
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Washington, DC)
  • Smithsonian National Zoo (Washington, DC)
  • Staten Island Zoo (Staten Island, NY)
  • Sylvan Heights Bird Park (Scotland Neck, NC)
  • Tennessee Aquarium (Chattanooga, TN)
  • Triangle Metro Zoo (Closed) (Wake Forest, NC)
  • Turtle Back Zoo (West Orange, NJ)
  • Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
  • Virginia Living Museum (Newport News, VA)
  • Virginia Zoo (Norfolk, VA)
  • Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
  • ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa, FL)
 
In order that I’ve been too

• Fresno Chaffe Zoo
• Monterey bay aquarium
• Dallas Zoo
• Sea world San Diego
• San Diego Zoo
• San Francisco zoo
• Oakland Zoo
• Disney Animal Kingdom
• Orange County Zoo
• Los Angeles Zoo
• San Diego Safari Park
 
Italy
Parco natura viva
Cornelle
La Torbiera
Bioparco di Roma
Zoosafari fasano
Zoom torino
Oasi di S.Alessio
Parco faunistico Falconara
Acquario di Genova
Slovenia
Zoo lubiana
Switzerland
Zoo basel
Germany
Tiergarten nurnberg
Zoo leipzig
Zoo berlin
Tierpark berlin
Zoo koln
Czech republic
Prague zoo
Plzen zoo
Netherlands
Zoo rotterdam
Burgers zoo
Belgium
Pairi daiza
Austria
Tiergarten shonbrunn
Haus des meeres
Spain
Bioparc valencia
Oceanografic valencia
 
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