What will be the best zoo in 2015?

What will be the best zoo in 2015?

  • Total voters
    77
There are a lot of other great zoos besides the ones you listed. And why shouldn't DAK be eligible? It technically is a zoo and in my opinion any zoo reviewed in ABZ should be eligible for this discussion.
 
BlackRhino said:
There are a lot of other great zoos besides the ones you listed. And why shouldn't DAK be eligible? It technically is a zoo and in my opinion any zoo reviewed in ABZ should be eligible for this discussion.
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I doubt there's any other zoos that would have a legit chance at being #1 in 2015.

I don't consider it a zoo, I consider it a theme park since it has roller coasters/rides, and most people go there in large part due to other reasons than viewing animals.

There's nothing wrong with that at all, but I wouldn't consider it a zoo in the traditional sense.
 
mstickmanp said:
How about the Oklahoma City Zoo with the opening of their new Asian exhibits in 2011?
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I've never been there, but I would think it would be difficult for them to jump up from the 7-15 range to #1.

Edit: Actually I was there, but it was a long time ago, around 1989.
 
mweb08 said:
I don't get how this is a response to what I said. I didn't say anything negative about CGF at all, I just said one exhibit or the top exhibits at a zoo shouldn't be all this is judged on. You have to consider the whole zoo, that should be obvious.

I also didn't say anything that should have led to "one could go to a zoo with every animal in the world, but if they are all in cramped cages what's the point."

And Queens Zoo and Central Park Zoo are different zoos, they don't count towards the Bronx Zoo. If that was the case, I guess SDWAP would be part of SDZOO.
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In addition to CGF, the Bronx has numerous exhibits that are of top quality (and many have won awards for excellence): Jungle World, Baboon reserve, World of Birds, Wild Asia, Childrens Zoo, Butterfly Garden, Tiger Mountain, Himalayan Highlands, Sea Bird Aviary, Zoo Center, Wild Dogs, African Plains, Madagascar. For fans of diversity, Mouse House, the Monkey House and the Reptile House offer many interesting species in very nice exhibits. No other zoo has as many top-notch exhibits, and despite the economic setbacks of the past few years, it is almost certain that additional world-class exhibits will be built there in the next 5 years.

Beyond this, the conservation efforts of the Bronx Zoo's parent organization (WCS) dwarf those of any zoo-based organization anywhere on earth.

Nothing at Columbus indicates it will ever be anything more than a very complete collection displayed in acceptable but not outstanding exhibits, and the future of San Diego is cloudy based on the disasterous execution of Elephant Odyssey.
 
I wasn't arguing against the Bronx Zoo, I was arguing against BR's logic of just focusing on CGF being the best exhibit in the country, and a few other top exhibits while ignoring the rest of the zoo.

I will go to the Bronx Zoo soon, and I will see how I rank it vs San Diego, Omaha, Columbus, Miami, etc.

I'm not considering anything like conservation/charity in this.

I would say Columbus' exhibits are mostly better than just acceptable, although you're right that they aren't outstanding. Not sure how good their future exhibits will be.

I obviously disagree with you about EO, but no need to argue about that again, but like I said before, they need to step it up to stay on top, it will be interesting to see what the next major project will be and how good it turns out.
 
Well, I didn't vote because it's too hard to decide. But one factor for best in the future could be having room to grow, which gives North Carolina and Miami a distinct advantage (neither of which I have personally been to, but both look excellent). The young and growing Nashville Zoo could fall into this category too - I will be there in a week and a half for clouded leopard cubs and post a review with pics. The nearby Memphis Zoo is definitely in my top ten and will improve in the next couple years with new hippo/Africa area (plus Teton Trek opening next month).

San Diego's growth in the near future seems tied to the master plan for Balboa Park in which it is located. The entire park (a fantastic museum and trail complex) is in need of a multi-million dollar upgrade which the city was still debating last I heard. The ultimate plan, according to occasional president's reports in the zoo member magazine, is to build a new multi-level parking structure for zoo and park, which would free up the current zoo parking lot for zoo exhibit expansion. Given the current economic recession, I fear this will be put off for a while.
 
I voted for Bronx and I've visited there 2 times. In the summer, it's just an amazing place to take in. The scope of the exhibits is very large in most cases, and the attention to detail, (as mentioned already) is meticulous. There just isn't anything about the place that isn't classy. I guess that's why I love it so much. They have some classic elements of what zoos used to feel like, ie old buildings, a park-like feel and an abundance of species, yet they still provide exhibits for the animals which are top quality. There's an aspect of what I remember zoos being that is present there that has seemingly been pushed out of other good zoos as they evolved or modernized. They improved with the times and ethical climate as well as any zoo, but they maintained something intangible while doing it. I also really enjoy walking long stretches of wooded path between exhibits as opposed to seeing them stacked on top of each other like a subdivision. I'd say SD or Seattle would be my next choices, but I haven't been to SD in over ten years. I fear from what I read here that it's not the place I remember it being. I hope that isn't the case.
 
Oh, and exhibit wise Bronx is just incredible. Himalayan Highlands, Tiger Mountain, Madagascar, JungleWorld, CGF, Baboon Reserve, World of Birds, etc. Other than SD, most zoos would give their eye teeth just to have one exhibit on par with those 7.
 
While I do think it will take alot for a zoo to overtake Bronx or San Diego, there is plenty of room to move into the Top 10. As Arizona said, North Carolina and Miami both have plenty of room to grow; and isn't North Carolina going to be adding a large exhibit in the near future?

By 2015 Jacksonville should have Monsoon Asia, the manatee/sea turtle/avian rehab facility, along with revamped Plains of East Africa and Great Apes of the World.
 
FSBlue said:
While I do think it will take alot for a zoo to overtake Bronx or San Diego, there is plenty of room to move into the Top 10. As Arizona said, North Carolina and Miami both have plenty of room to grow; and isn't North Carolina going to be adding a large exhibit in the near future?

By 2015 Jacksonville should have Monsoon Asia, the manatee/sea turtle/avian rehab facility, along with revamped Plains of East Africa and Great Apes of the World.
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So is Jacksonville your pick?
 
I did say that the Columbus Zoo would definitely challenge San Diego, the Bronx and Omaha as being the best zoo in the country in a few years time, and I stand by that statement. The link below talks about a $40 million proposal to add a 175-room hotel onto the site, and with "Polar Frontier" opening in late 2009, a 70-acre African Savanna opening in a few years, and then with the proposed hotel and South American zone Columbus could well be one of the world's great zoos. I voted for San Diego in the poll, but no one really knows what that zoo has planned for the immediate future.

The Columbus Dispatch : $40 million zoo proposal would add on-site hotel
 
Interesting topic! Back in 1994, when I wrote my first book (The Zoo Book: A Guide to America's Best -- the predecessor to our current America's Best Zoos), in my chapter about the North Carolina Zoo, I called it "the 21st Century's Best Zoo". They used that in their advertising for years! This assessment of mine was based on the NC Zoo's (then) plans to build and open huge continental sections every 5 or 6 years, with each section being similar to their ultra-natural and spacious African and North American sections. Had they been able to stick to this plan, by now they would have similar sections for Australian, South American, and I believe also Asian animals -- with a European section under construction. But alas, state budget problems forced them to severely slow down their ambitious plans. My point here is that we can't always see the future, merely based on current plans. I agree that Columbus looks like a sure-fire contender for #1, according to their current plans, but who knows what might slow them down in the next 6-7 years.

As for the comparison of Bronx vs San Diego, if we're merely talking about great exhibit designs, then yes, Bronx probably wins. As one friend of mine and I have put it, if we were to only look at the empty exhibits, the Bronx is #1. But once you consider the animals that are in those exhibits, for me it's a no-brainer, and I therefore cast my vote for San Diego. Two words summarize my initial reasoning: Pandas and koalas. San Diego is the only USA zoo with both of these most-popular crowd-drawing animals. Add to them a pair of amazing underwater hippo windows, a great polar bear exhibit, above average gorilla and bonobo views, Elephant Odyssey, the Kopje, probably the best plants in any zoo, Sea World quality shows, a Disney-quality sky ride, and a unique London-style doubledecker bus tour -- all in all, I find it hard to see how anyone does not see this zoo as #1 -- and I'm confident they will work hard to maintain this status.

One more thing to consider, in casting a vote for the Bronx Zoo: In the past year, the Bronx has closed down the World of Darkness, the Rare Animal Range, and their sky ride. This is not insignificant. It says the Bronx is going the opposite direction, due to the current harsh economy. If the economy recovers soon, this may turn around. But few economists are predicting much of a recovery anytime soon. Thus, I believe that the ultra-close competition between San Diego and Bronx has actually widened in San Diego's favor, and very well might continue to separate. The Bronx's real competition now may be with Omaha for the #2 and #3 positions in the USA.
 
Interesting post ANyhuis, thanks. And good point about the Bronx closing down some exhibits, that certainly doesn't help their cause, nor does the fact that they'll be without elephants in the future. So sure, as you said, Bronx probably has an edge in quality of exhibits, at least when just thinking of the top ones, however SD has the edge in species, and that will only grow wider once the elephants leave the Bronx.

I plan on going to the Bronx on Friday, that is why I haven't voted yet.
 
It's not like Bronx's elephants will be gone in just a few years. They are only in their late 30's. They have at least another 20 years, if not more with how elephant care is improving in zoos.
 
BlackRhino said:
It's not like Bronx's elephants will be gone in just a few years. They are only in their late 30's. They have at least another 20 years, if not more with how elephant care is improving in zoos.
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Yeah, most likely, I'm just thinking long-term.
 
Nice summary ANyhuis, and it's interesting how the top zoos being tossed around are often San Diego, Bronx, Omaha and Columbus. Of course opinions are subjective and others on ZooChat might endorse a few zoos besides those 4, but it seems as if the top zoos are often difficult to displace at the top of any imaginary ranking system. I have seen all 4 zoos being mentioned, and they are the 4 best I've visited in North America. Of course I am also quite partial to Woodland Park and Miami, but those would be 5th and 6th on my personal list.

The North Carolina Zoo is intriguing, as everyone seems to rave about the African and North American areas...but then that is all the zoo has. If only they get the funding for a future Asian zone then that zoo could once again challenge the other great U.S. establishments. Another zoo that has recently grown in leaps and bounds is Minnesota, as with the 2008 award-winning North American redevelopment, the 2009 award-winning Russia's Grizzly Coast, the record-breaking attendance last year, and now the upcoming redesign of the entrance (Japanese macaques, penguins, meerkats, bison, etc) that excellent zoo could well be a serious contender for America's top 10.
 
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