In the US zoo forum we recently had a discussion of whether the San Diego Zoo is a great zoo or an over-rated zoo. The discussion branched out into whether there were common definitions of great and bad zoos that people could agree on. Unsurprisingly there was not a great deal of consensus, but it was a good discussion.
I wanted to start a discussion of what the best zoo exhibits in the world are for specific species. The way that I am framing the question is from the perspective of a hypothetical community that wanted to build a new zoo from scratch and asked themselves "What is the best exhibit in the world for Animal Species X that we could use as a good model for our exhibit?"
I am listing my candidates for the best zoo exhibits for specific species based on these criteria:
1. It is an exhibit that interests and pleases a broad spectrum of zoo visitors, from the most casual visitor with no deep interest in animals or zoos to uber zoo critics who visit zoos all the time.
2. It is an exhibit that is recognized as excellent by animal care professionals (keepers, vets, zoo management, biologists, etc.) and zoo visitors, and most importantly is an excellent home for the animals that live in it.
3. The exhibit makes some attempt to raise awareness of what the natural habitat of the exhibit resident's wild cousins is like and what conservation challenges it is facing. This may be achieved through signs, graphics, keeper and docent talks, etc.
These are only my opinions and based only on the zoos that I have visited. I would enjoy hearing what other criteria people use to judge "model" exhibits and what they consider to be the best exhibits for any particular species.
Reticulated Giraffes: Disney Animal Kingdom. This open savanna exhibit is an immersive home for giraffes, many antelope species, savanna bird species, and zebras. The safari vehicles allow the visitor to get closer to the animals than in many zoo exhibits and appreciate the full size of the animals. I realize that the limited access to view the animals is a major criticism of this exhibit.
African Savanna Elephants: Disney Animal Kingdom. A big exhibit (the largest in the world?) that is lushly planted. It is the closest replica of natural elephant habitat that I have seen in a zoo. The exhibit is large enough to keep a herd structure resembling a wild African elephant herd. Elephant conservation is a major theme of the ride that takes visitors by this habitat.
Runner Up: San Diego Safari Park. A large exhibit with a natural herd structure. It has the distinct advantage that visitors can watch the elephants for as long as they want.
Western Lowland Gorillas: Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest.Fantastic immersion exhibit with great interpretation of gorilla and other African forest species. A pioneer exhibit in making the exhibit animals meaningful ambassadors for the conservation of their wild relatives.
Polar Bears: Polar Bear Plunge, San Diego Zoo. Great underwater viewing opportunities. Interactive keeper talks allow visitors to see the bears close up and demonstrate their amazing size and strength. Interactive interpretive exhibits on the arctic ecosystem, polar bear biology, and climate change make the zoo bears meaningful conservation ambassadors for their wild relatives.
Grizzly Bears: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle.Immersion exhibit that really does make one feel like you are in the natural habitat of the animal. Opportunity for the bears to fish. This exhibit is also superb for river otters, elk, and arctic foxes.
Magellianic Penguins: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle. Immersion exhibit that makes one feel like you are on the coast of South America. Great opportunities to watch the penguins swim underwater.
Tuna: Monterey Bay Aquarium. Huge Open Ocean exhibit showcases these fantastic fish that most of us only know from cans and sandwiches. They are amazing wild animals and this exhibit really showcases this. I did not realize that it was possible to fall in love with the wonders of tuna until I saw this exhibit. Demand that your local zoo or aquarium build a tuna exhibit (yeah, right).
Sharks: Shark Reef, Las Vegas.This was a great surprise to me. It is a really good, if compact, aquarium at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Their showcase exhibit is a huge open water exhibit with several shark species, green sea turtle, barracudas, and several other fish species. The primary interpretive tool is a handheld audio tour with informative and entertaining info on all of the species exhibited.
Hippos: Disney Animal Kingdom. The main hippo exhibit is huge and displays a large pod of hippos in a naturalistic river exhibit. This is the closest replica of real hippo habitat that I have ever seen in a zoo. There is a smaller exhibit with underwater viewing along the Pangani Trail where the hippos can be viewed for as long as you want.
Insects and Other Invertebrates: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson.Zoos can do a great deal for biology awareness and education by introducing people to the species that make up the largest chunk of biodiversity on the planet, the arthropods, in an engaging way. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has fantastic exhibits of the invertebrate life of the Sonoran Desert.
Runner Ups: San Francisco and San Diego Zoos have really good insect exhibits. The Santa Barbara has an innovative exhibit called "Ewwwww!" that attempts to introduce people to insects, spiders, and reptiles to people in an non-threatening way. I understand that the Cincinnatti Zoo has a great insect house but have not seen it yet. The Bronx Zoo has done great work integrating insects into their rain forest exhibits.
I would be very interested to know what other people think are the best exhibits in the world for the species listed above and for other species like:
Big Cats, Orangutans, Black Rhinos, Antelope, Antarctic Penguins, Parrots, Crocodiles, Sea Lions and Seals, Any other species people want to include.
I wanted to start a discussion of what the best zoo exhibits in the world are for specific species. The way that I am framing the question is from the perspective of a hypothetical community that wanted to build a new zoo from scratch and asked themselves "What is the best exhibit in the world for Animal Species X that we could use as a good model for our exhibit?"
I am listing my candidates for the best zoo exhibits for specific species based on these criteria:
1. It is an exhibit that interests and pleases a broad spectrum of zoo visitors, from the most casual visitor with no deep interest in animals or zoos to uber zoo critics who visit zoos all the time.
2. It is an exhibit that is recognized as excellent by animal care professionals (keepers, vets, zoo management, biologists, etc.) and zoo visitors, and most importantly is an excellent home for the animals that live in it.
3. The exhibit makes some attempt to raise awareness of what the natural habitat of the exhibit resident's wild cousins is like and what conservation challenges it is facing. This may be achieved through signs, graphics, keeper and docent talks, etc.
These are only my opinions and based only on the zoos that I have visited. I would enjoy hearing what other criteria people use to judge "model" exhibits and what they consider to be the best exhibits for any particular species.
Reticulated Giraffes: Disney Animal Kingdom. This open savanna exhibit is an immersive home for giraffes, many antelope species, savanna bird species, and zebras. The safari vehicles allow the visitor to get closer to the animals than in many zoo exhibits and appreciate the full size of the animals. I realize that the limited access to view the animals is a major criticism of this exhibit.
African Savanna Elephants: Disney Animal Kingdom. A big exhibit (the largest in the world?) that is lushly planted. It is the closest replica of natural elephant habitat that I have seen in a zoo. The exhibit is large enough to keep a herd structure resembling a wild African elephant herd. Elephant conservation is a major theme of the ride that takes visitors by this habitat.
Runner Up: San Diego Safari Park. A large exhibit with a natural herd structure. It has the distinct advantage that visitors can watch the elephants for as long as they want.
Western Lowland Gorillas: Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest.Fantastic immersion exhibit with great interpretation of gorilla and other African forest species. A pioneer exhibit in making the exhibit animals meaningful ambassadors for the conservation of their wild relatives.
Polar Bears: Polar Bear Plunge, San Diego Zoo. Great underwater viewing opportunities. Interactive keeper talks allow visitors to see the bears close up and demonstrate their amazing size and strength. Interactive interpretive exhibits on the arctic ecosystem, polar bear biology, and climate change make the zoo bears meaningful conservation ambassadors for their wild relatives.
Grizzly Bears: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle.Immersion exhibit that really does make one feel like you are in the natural habitat of the animal. Opportunity for the bears to fish. This exhibit is also superb for river otters, elk, and arctic foxes.
Magellianic Penguins: Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle. Immersion exhibit that makes one feel like you are on the coast of South America. Great opportunities to watch the penguins swim underwater.
Tuna: Monterey Bay Aquarium. Huge Open Ocean exhibit showcases these fantastic fish that most of us only know from cans and sandwiches. They are amazing wild animals and this exhibit really showcases this. I did not realize that it was possible to fall in love with the wonders of tuna until I saw this exhibit. Demand that your local zoo or aquarium build a tuna exhibit (yeah, right).
Sharks: Shark Reef, Las Vegas.This was a great surprise to me. It is a really good, if compact, aquarium at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Their showcase exhibit is a huge open water exhibit with several shark species, green sea turtle, barracudas, and several other fish species. The primary interpretive tool is a handheld audio tour with informative and entertaining info on all of the species exhibited.
Hippos: Disney Animal Kingdom. The main hippo exhibit is huge and displays a large pod of hippos in a naturalistic river exhibit. This is the closest replica of real hippo habitat that I have ever seen in a zoo. There is a smaller exhibit with underwater viewing along the Pangani Trail where the hippos can be viewed for as long as you want.
Insects and Other Invertebrates: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson.Zoos can do a great deal for biology awareness and education by introducing people to the species that make up the largest chunk of biodiversity on the planet, the arthropods, in an engaging way. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum has fantastic exhibits of the invertebrate life of the Sonoran Desert.
Runner Ups: San Francisco and San Diego Zoos have really good insect exhibits. The Santa Barbara has an innovative exhibit called "Ewwwww!" that attempts to introduce people to insects, spiders, and reptiles to people in an non-threatening way. I understand that the Cincinnatti Zoo has a great insect house but have not seen it yet. The Bronx Zoo has done great work integrating insects into their rain forest exhibits.
I would be very interested to know what other people think are the best exhibits in the world for the species listed above and for other species like:
Big Cats, Orangutans, Black Rhinos, Antelope, Antarctic Penguins, Parrots, Crocodiles, Sea Lions and Seals, Any other species people want to include.
!
. While I do not know whether or not Detroit focuses as much on conservation, it seems San Diego does the polar bears better in this area. Global warming is discussed, along with other Arctic climate changes and different topics, but presentation is unrivaled at Detroit. But yeah, if Detroit does address the conservation issues, and addresses them well, then my bad! That's what I get for judging on pictures! 
