Chester Zoo.
I chose this thread to post my review on because Chester Zoo has a lot of threads and I didn't want to start a new one and this one doesn't have a date on the title.
My Thoughts
I am going to make this review as honest as possible and to do that I'll have to start with the opinions I had before visiting. I wanted to dislike it. Simple as that. Chester Zoo, in my mind, has become the Collingwood (sorry to any non-Australians) of the zoo world. It has so many fans that seem to think it can do no wrong. I was hoping to be disappointed so that I could post a review about how high my hopes were and how those hopes were slashed and burned by a zoo that didn't live up to its hype.
I visited today and I have to say that I was disappointed. I don’t get to write a review that belittles a collection that is so loved by so many. It's fantastic! I stayed for the full 6 hours it was open and I was never in search for something to do. The first time I checked my watch was at 3:15 and I realised that I still wanted to see the okapis again, do another lap of Realm of the Red Ape, have one last look at the giant otters, try and get a glimpse of the babirusa, and the list goes on and on. It felt like I was playing a video game and I could see that the timer was going to run out before I could pass every level. I'm a self-confessed, Chester Zoo convert.
One has to wonder if Elephants of the Asian Forest isn't the first stop for absolutely every visitor? It couldn't be closer to the entrance. I can remember when this exhibit was posted on Zoolex and I would have sold a kidney to see it in person. It certainly isn't a bad exhibit. There is really personal viewing in the Eastern (the 'Adventure' Map isn't oriented so I'm just assuming up is North) end of the exhibit, the pool is big, and the house is really interesting. But what really made the exhibit for me was the large, cohesive group of elephants of all different ages. It felt like this is the closest I've come to seeing a real herd of elephants.
Tsavo was my first stop after the elephant exhibit. There are two things I would change about this exhibit. First of all, I would pick the whole thing up and move it closer to the equator. I imagine on a sunny day in the middle of summer it must be an incredible exhibit. Unfortunately I would be surprised if it made it above 10 degrees today and the sun hardly made an appearance. The second thing I didn’t like was the hyrax exhibit. They can’t be very old but both exhibits are smaller than I thought they should have been and they are completely enclosed on all sides. How many black rhinos share the exhibits? I saw two in the rhino house but there are maybe four exhibits so hopefully more rhinos are around to fill up all of the exhibits. I really liked the walk-through aviary in this section. It was similar to the African Bird Safari at London but better. More variety and more space made it a really pleasant aviary. The painted dog exhibit is a great new addition too.
This review is turning into quite the saga. I won’t include every exhibit or else I (and you) will be here for ages. I’ll just go through my highlights. The next area I went to in the hope of catching its star attractions early in the day was the cloud forest area. I only saw the coatis perched on the tops of some massive poles at the back of the main exhibit the first, second, third and fourth times I retraced my steps through this beautiful area. Is it fifth time lucky with spectacled bears because that did the trick? I walked up from past the tapirs and saw a small crowd gathered around the exhibit and I practically charged my way up to the fence, throwing prams and elderly people aside, so that I could get even a fleeting glimpse of my fifth bear species (coincidence?). I was so terrified that this would only be a brief sighting I went photo mad. Anyway the bear put on quite a show and as the crowd moved away I had the whole exhibit to myself for about 20 minutes as it made its way around the whole exhibit doing bear-y things. When it decided that behind the hill was the best place to stay I moved along to the second part of the exhibit and the other bear (this one’s markings were less obvious. They were more like a Y between its eyes) was having a bit of fun too. My perseverance paid off. Chester Zoo could have a really world class South American section if it was possible to consolidate some of their fantastic exhibits into one area. It’s a shame that the jaguars, condors, giant otters, bush dogs, and a few others couldn’t be further apart. That does bring up one of the biggest highlights of the day (maybe even my life). Why has there never been a massive push for giant otters until the last few years? These are surely one of the best display species ever. Imagine if Chester Zoo’s pair can expand into a medium-sized family group. The exhibit is certainly big enough. What made it even better was that I happened to be passing by as a keeper walked up and threw them a couple of fish each.
Realm of the Red Ape is the only area that didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I’m sure it’s a good home for the apes that call it home but boy is it ugly and the netted outdoor exhibits feel really enclosed. Out of the two great ape exhibits I much preferred the chimpanzee island to ROTRA. For the most part it’s cosmetic things like the gigantic concrete trees that dominate the indoor areas and the repetitiveness of all of those vertical ropes. The big outdoor exhibits look really good but I only saw two lar gibbons sitting in the corner of one of them all day.
Some of the other species highlights from a zoo that more than manages to live up to any expectations include two new species of crane (and fifth spoonbill), my first red river hogs, bush dogs, gemsbok, three new species of deer (brow-antlered, Philippine spotted and chilean pudu), quite a few new antelopes and an unforgettable collection of hornbills (and a bird of paradise species too). I did get to see an okapi for the first time
They have been one of my favourite species for a long time. But two species eluded me were the babirusa and giant anteaters (I’ve still not seen one). So that’s my thoughts about Chester Zoo.
Edit:I almost forgot the worst part of my day. The gift shop was sold out of guide books. How can a zoo sell out of guidebooks? This means that I have a massive favour to ask anyone who is willing to help me out. I don't think I'll be going back while I'm here so if there is anyone who visits regularly and is willing to get one. I'll pay you back somehow (internet banking?) I realise that it is a very weird request from a stranger.
I love that - it makes them sound so machiavellian! 
, but you're right that it does look much better on a sunny day.
). It really needs to capture the ecosystem with lizards, snakes, amphibians and insects of Kenya if it is to be a world class exhibit.