The absolute best zoo exhibits in the world that are models for other zoos

Can someone suggest a model Giant Otter exhibit to look at photos of? I'd really like to see what a good Giant Otter exhibit looks like.

LA Zoo will hopefully be building one, but their current temporary exhibit is a modified former maned wolf exhibit that barely has a pool big enough for them to immerse themselves in...it does not at all showcase them well.
 
DavidBrown said:
Can someone suggest a model Giant Otter exhibit to look at photos of? I'd really like to see what a good Giant Otter exhibit looks like.

LA Zoo will hopefully be building one, but their current temporary exhibit is a modified former maned wolf exhibit that barely has a pool big enough for them to immerse themselves in...it does not at all showcase them well.
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Miami's is pretty good. But I really want to see pics of the newest giant otter exhibit--in Leipzig's Gondwanaland!
 
I visited Zurich's Masoala last year, and while it's a spectacular achievement I was quite disappointed to only see one animal, yes a chameleon with a crowd round it! Didn't see any lemurs at all. For my visit it was more like (UK readers will know what I mean) the Eden Project (a large indoor botanical exhibit.

I realise this is the problem with many immersion exhibits.

Zurich's plans for the new elephant park look spectacular by the way!
 
One of the most unusual exhibits I've seen is Dresden Zoo's underground house containing burrowing animals. It is the only zoo I've seen that has an earthworm enclosure.

I also have fond memories of the saki and uakari house at Cologne Zoo, which I visited in 1982. It had black, white-nosed and monk sakis and red, white and black-headed uakaris - an impressive collection that I shall probably never see again.

These exhibits should have become models for other zoos.
 
Dassie rat said:
One of the most unusual exhibits I've seen is Dresden Zoo's underground house containing burrowing animals. It is the only zoo I've seen that has an earthworm enclosure.
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Thanks for the information Dassie rat. The underground house sounds really interesting. Do you know if this exhibit still exists?

I looked through the Dresden Zoo gallery and did not see any pictures of it, but of course it may just be that no one has posted any pics of it here. I tried looking for it on the Dresden Zoo website also. The website is pretty hard to navigate through if you don't speak German. I made it to the zoo map but couldn't find this exhibit on it. The Google German-English translation wasn't helping much.

I'm curious what animals are in the exhibit. Moles? Naked mole rats?
 
Dassie rat said:
One of the most unusual exhibits I've seen is Dresden Zoo's underground house containing burrowing animals. It is the only zoo I've seen that has an earthworm enclosure.
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Is it (or was it) a popular exhibit?? Do you remember if the guests enjoyed it? Because I've thought of an exhibit featuring underground animals before, but I didn't think it would be all that successful...
 
Hello Anaheim Zoo

I don't remember a lot of interest in the exhibit, which still exists at Dresden Zoo. Unforunately, it can be a case of waiting for the animal to surface and there is no guarantee it wlll do that while you're at the zoo. I remember returning several times to try and see an two-handed worm lizard or ajotle in Frankfurt Zoo's Exotarium, but was unsuccessful. My friend spent a lot of time drawing a group of dholes at Dresden, but wasn't interested in the earthworm display. Similarly, he wasn't interested in the Micrarium, which replaced the Elephant House in Paris's Menagerie. I thought it made a change looking at invertebrates under a microscope. While there has been an increase in the number of invertebrates kept in zoos, there is still a long way to go. The 'Web of Life' exhibit (now BUGS) at London Zoo did not attract as many visitors as it intended to, which is a shame as the members of staff are dedicated to conservation and have bred several species of Partula snail, as well as breeding field crickets and releasing them into the wild.
 
@Zooplantman: Plants are obviously vital for animal survival as food and habitat. What are some model zoo exhibits that showcase plants as "stars" of the exhibits rather than just part of the landscape?

I like how the Monkey Trails complex at San Diego Zoo has an exhibit on carnivorous plants. The Safari Park has a nice exhibit of Baja California plants as part of the Condor Ridge complex. The California Academy of Sciences rain forest exhibit has a cool exhibit on pitcher plants, complete with an interactive model that you can open up to reveal what it had for "lunch" in its juices.
 
DavidBrown said:
@Zooplantman: Plants are obviously vital for animal survival as food and habitat. What are some model zoo exhibits that showcase plants as "stars" of the exhibits rather than just part of the landscape?

I like how the Monkey Trails complex at San Diego Zoo has an exhibit on carnivorous plants. The Safari Park has a nice exhibit of Baja California plants as part of the Condor Ridge complex. The California Academy of Sciences rain forest exhibit has a cool exhibit on pitcher plants, complete with an interactive model that you can open up to reveal what it had for "lunch" in its juices.
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Well I think it happens in several ways. For example, at the Bronx Zoo, we used plants to create the habitat of the exhibit and so connect the fauna to the flora (and the geography). Same with Minnesota Zoo "Russia's Grizzly Coast." It is, let's say, the subtle version.

Then there's the obvious version. At Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's African Savanna, you'd find a collection of grasses with a sign talking about grasses. Disney Animal Kingdom has a fine (or had?) guidebook of the plants. Many zoos offer special tours or even classes on horticulture/landscapes. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden features the landscapes and plants in signs, on their website, in their education program. The red panda exhibit has had signs about Chinese flora since 1985 or so.

All of this is promoted, discussed, encouraged by the Association of Zoological Horticulture (Association of Zoological Horticulture - Home)
 
Zooplantman said:
Well I think it happens in several ways. For example, at the Bronx Zoo, we used plants to create the habitat of the exhibit and so connect the fauna to the flora (and the geography). Same with Minnesota Zoo "Russia's Grizzly Coast." It is, let's say, the subtle version.

All of this is promoted, discussed, encouraged by the Association of Zoological Horticulture (Association of Zoological Horticulture - Home)
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Cool. Thanks for the info and the link. I will check it out.
 
Lion and Tigers - Wuppertal zoo
Best mixed species savannah - Either one of the three at Beekse Bergen or the one at Burgers Zoo
Great Apes - Pongoland at Zoo Leipzig (Also their indoor facilities)
Asia mixed species exhibit - Zoo Beauval
Snowleopard - Kolner Zoo
Leopard - Burgers Zoo
Indoor jungle hall - Burgers Zoo (I haven't seen gondwana yet, but this was the first groundbreaking indoor jungle hall)
Pinguins - Emmen Zoo
Fossa's - Zoo Duisburg
Jaguar - Zoo Krefeld
Cheeta - Beekse Bergen
Hippo's and Nile crocodile - Kolner Zoo
Aquarium - Burgers Ocean

This based on the zoos i visited
 
Sneeuwpanter said:
Lion and Tigers - Wuppertal zoo

This based on the zoos i visited
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Thanks for bringing in some more European zoos into the conversation.

Is there any consensus on where the model elephant exhibits are in Europe? Where are the Euro-zoo African and Asian ele exhibits that people admire?
 
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