What will be the best zoo in 2015?

What will be the best zoo in 2015?

  • Total voters
    77
ANyhuis said:
Actually, there are 2 clearly different methods for determining which is the "best" zoo. The method I use, subconsiously, is to look at the overall zoo -- its strengths and weaknesses, then categorize the different zoos and rank them according to their strengths and weaknesses in the different categories. In the end, I (again subconsiously) accumulate all of the ratings and sort of "average" them, coming up with an overall score for each zoo. This way, a zoo like San Diego can have a few negative rankings (ie, bad exhibits) and still be an easy #1, if it has enough positive rankings (ie, best collection, many great exhibits, key animals, etc.) to "cancel out" the few negative rankings.

The other way of determination, which apparently some of you use, is what I call the "Weakest Link" method (named after an old British game show). In this method, you simply look at the zoo's weakest points and whichever zoo has the "best weak points", that zoo is #1. This is the ONLY way that San Diego could be ranked anywhere less than the best zoo in America, in my humble opinion.

"You ARE the weakest link! Good-bye!"
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Iv'e always thought you to be one to advocate one's opinion? I personally think Bronx is the best (and yes I've been to Bronx and San Diego (San Diego 3 times) so im pretty familiar with it although I haven't been since the opening of Elephant Odyssey.

The reason I think the Bronx Zoo is the best is because of the spectacular exhibitry. Congo Gorilla Forest alone is worth the admission and then some and I spent nearly an hour in that section of the zoo watching the gorillas and exploring the other exhibits. Simply seeing 20+ gorillas in an ultra-natural environment with superb viewing opportunities makes for an unparalleled zoo experience. Besides Congo there are many other fantastic exhibits that our among the best of their kind. The underrated Tiger Mountain (I didn't realize how great it was until I visited), JungleWorld, Madagascar, Asian Monorail, Baboon Reserve, and Himalayan Highlands are fantastic. I love the park like setting and how a visit to the Bronx Zoo is different each season and in my opinion zoos are one of the most fantastic places to enjoy the change of seasons! Something one cannot do in San Diego. You won't be seeing Tigers or Snow Leopards playing in fresh blankets of snow in San Diego. And there is nothing like walking around a zoo on a crisp fall day when one practically has the zoo to themselves. I also think there is no other zoo with as much a conservation initiative as the Bronx, something I find very important for a facility that is going to display animals.

And I'm not saying your wrong in saying San Diego is best as probably many more people agree San Diego is better than Bronx, but in my opinion I think Bronx is better for the reasons listed. Just trying to show a different perspective and how I think that you cannot state it as fact that San Diego is THE best when people disagree.
 
BlackRhino said:
Just trying to show a different perspective and how I think that you cannot state it as fact that San Diego is THE best when people disagree.
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I think that's really the point, though. The only way that this notion of "Best Zoo" makes any sense is "My favorite." We're not measuring the fastest sprinter or who can hold their breath longest. One person's criteria as "having the most species in the collection regardless of exhibitry" is every bit as valid as another person's "best exhibits even though the collection is more limited," which is no better than "Best food choices and shows even though the collection is typical and the exhibits date from the 1980s." Even "It's the Zoo I know and love best so it IS best!"

Many of us here have been pretty clear over the years what our preferences and zoo values are. It's weird how we like to have the same old battles over and over again. Does anyone believe that they are really going to influence anyone else's opinion??? Or perhaps that, like with contemporary political "discourse" screaming one's opinion over and over seems to make it "Correct"? :rolleyes:
 
Its hard because you never know what zoos will do on a day to day basis. one day the exhibit its a good idea and next its a bad idea. With the zoos mentioned here we do know some of there future plans if they do hold up. woodland park zoo will have a new sloth bear & Tiger exhibits. San Diego WAP will have a new Tiger Exhibit.Toronto zoo will have probably still have Pandas. San diego will have the new australia exhibit by then and new reptile house. Columbus zoo will have new africa section. North carolina will have new polar bear exhibit. Hopefully Henry Doorly zoo will have either bear exhibits or big cat exhibits done.Idk bout Miami or Bronx what they will have in store. Other zoos that might compete with the best are Denver zoo with toyota elephant passage with all the money they will get it will be interesting what the zoo has in store next,Minnesota zoo with its amazing collection of animals what new species will they bring in,LA zoo south american section,Memphis zoo new hippo exhibit,National zoo with north american section seal/sea lion exhibit and asian elephant exhibit all completed,brookfield zoo & st. louis zoo
 
@jusko Brookfield Zoo will be getting back African Elephants not Asian and I belive that Columbus Zoo has the brightest future.
 
I live in travel distance to columbus zoo. wow what a zoo love it but i still think San Diego & possibly Omaha's Henry Doorly zoo might come up top if they follow thru with there plans at Henry Doorly zoo meaning renovating Bear grotoos and Big cat exhibits. And now i think bout maybe Denver zoo. Does anyone know if the Bronx zoo has anything in store for the future like new exhibits?
 
I feel like Denver Zoos Toyota Elephant Passage is going to be a long awaited bust. I do not think the exhibit is going to be very good.
 
jusko88 said:
Does anyone know if the Bronx zoo has anything in store for the future like new exhibits?
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It seems new exhibits come in turns for all the WCS parks. After the Bronx had its share of new exhibits, Central Park got the new Snow Leopard exhibit. It seems that currently most of the money is for the NY Aquarium's new shark exhibit. The Bronx won't be having any major exhibits soon, but I read in an article that they will be having a more interactive African safari experience, including a 4-D theater with real smells and whatnot. I also read a new animal care center.
 
@jusko88- Yes the Bronx will be getting a new exhibit, which is why they closed the Monkey House. But as BeardsleyZooFan has pointed out, the WCS parks get new exhibits in turns; so we currently do not know when construction will start.
 
I think that anheimzoo his right about the monkey house. Also what other zoo could spend hundreds of millions on improvements and employ thousands of people around the world doing conservation. The san diego zoo and WCS have about the same spending of 200 million dollars a year but san diego spends only 18 million on conservation compared to wcs's 84 million.
 
Now, I voted quite a while ago, but the only reason I didn't pick Henry Doorly (even though I probably wasn't thinking this when I voted) was because those ambitious master plans, no doubt, will not be finished by then. Best Zoo in 2030? Maybe Henry Doorly.
 
I'm going to go out on a limb and say none. I think a smaller zoo not listed with room for expansion will emerge as the best. If not probably either San Diego or Bronx.

~Thylo:cool:
 
ThylacineAlive said:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say none. I think a smaller zoo not listed with room for expansion will emerge as the best. If not probably either San Diego or Bronx.

~Thylo:cool:
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Well there's not much time for that. Maybe if this was best zoo by 2025.
 
Saint Louis Zoo should really be an option in this poll. Almost none of its exhibits are sub-par, and a good number of them are excellent. They are close to opening the new state-of-the-art polar bear exhibit and recently acquired 13 additional acres to develop. They have great success in breeding endangered species and participate in countless international conservation programs. And on top of all of this, they offer free admission to the public, something that none of the listed zoos have.
 
I also really like the national zoo and the tampa lowry park zoo.

The national zoo is a very very good middle-sized zoo, but it has great conservation efforts.

The tampa lowry park zoo is very good. It has a very diverse and large collection, and it is much smaller and easier to navigate than larger zoos like san diego.

I still do think that a lot of the other big zoos are fantastic, and I am not saying the ones above are the best, but I like them a lot too.
 
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