What for you makes a perfect zoo?

K

kelc

Member
Like most of you i love visiting the zoo, they make for a good day out with friends and family but what are your favorite bits that if you could have your perfect zoo you would include.

I'm very into conservation so i love Port Lympnes back to the wild campaign. Any zoos who actively advertise their conservation programs i personally find brilliant. I like to know where my donations are going and how their used. once an animal has moved for any reason, i like to know why, if its breeding programs, move to bigger enclosures at other zoos or within the zoo, or sent to a nature reserve.

Education, to me is the best. I love hearing about all these different animals and learning all different facts about how they live and survive. Its nice when people working in the zoos have a great knowledge of the animals they keep and especially when they share their animal facts.

Also whats your favorite animal to see in the zoo which makes the zoo perfect for you and why?

I love the big cats. The carnivore feeds at Chessington are the best time to see the cats show off why they are truly magnificent and beautiful animals.

However i do love to watch the meerkats and they are always playing and interacting with each other, it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

love to hear you views.
 
I have to disagree with the above response. The perfect zoo already exists. Le Parc De Felins in France. If only it was in the states, I would move to whatever city it was in immediately.
 
Everyone has their own opinion. Arizona Docent probably likes Le Parc De Felins because they have excellent exhibits and an excellent variety of cats. However tschalnder71, my opinion is the same as yours; there's no perfect zoo.
 
the question isn't is there a perfect zoo, but what in your opinion would make a perfect zoo for you personally.
 
Chlidonias said:
the question isn't is there a perfect zoo, but what in your opinion would make a perfect zoo for you personally.
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I agree, whereas no zoo is perfect and no zoo ever will be, this question has asked us what we personally like to see in a zoo and what things make our favourite zoos our favourite.

I'll come back with mine later as I'm sure when I have more time I can come up with a decent response of my personal opinions :)
 
In my perfect zoo.....

I tend to arrive at the exhibit just when it is feeding time, or when some thing is giving birth or hatching, the crowds are gone, yet there is someone their to talk to who can answer any pending questions and she is very nice too!. Sloths are always moving around or swimming and those Lions are very active, especially the playful cubs. I can’t believe they have five different species of rhino here either. It is very nice to be regularly invited behind the scenes too, nothing is off show for me. The Orang-utans are great to meet up close personally and have interaction with them. After a wonderful meal (with the company above), it is now evening time and this zoo has the largest mountain gorilla exhibit there is in the world, so I can watch them build their nests, then stroll around the rest of the zoo listening to sounds from the animals at dusk. I think I may just come back tomorrow you know.
 
Chlidonias said:
the question isn't is there a perfect zoo, but what in your opinion would make a perfect zoo for you personally.
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Yes, we all have our favorite zoos but all zoos are so different so its nice to hear what little things people love about zoos something that stands out when you go to a zoo that you love, or something that zoos may not do - or do enough of.

as Pootle says its great when the animals are active. Animals doing normal things in zoos such as building nests it so nice to see. I like to see the animals personality's when they play ect.
 
Pootle said:
In my perfect zoo.....

it is now evening time and this zoo has the largest mountain gorilla exhibit there is in the world, so I can watch them build their nests, then stroll around the rest of the zoo listening to sounds from the animals at dusk. .
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Mountain gorilla exhibit? Nice fairy- tale.
 
Taisha said:
Mountain gorilla exhibit? Nice fairy- tale.
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5 Species of rhino, better fairy tale :p

Anyway, as I said I'd post I will do :)

1) A good mix of some larger common species and some smaller, rarer species. Whereas orangs, rhinos, eles, jags and tigers are all present, so to are elephant-shrews, kiwi, pangolins and fairy penguins.

2) Something that stands out to me in a geeky way [Helodermid house being a prime example]

3) A zoo that doesn't pander to children and families - whereas these are welcome it's not all about them. Yes there could be a play area, but there's also intelligent, educational signage, souvenir shops of cuddly toys are reduced in number and some taxonomic/scientific study books are also availale [I've never seen a C Groves book in a zoo shop, surely one of the prime places to put one!]

4) They do a guide yearly, with a nice map and information on not just the big species, but all animals that they keep, with details about the exhibit, the individual animals etc.

5) Friendly staff that, where animal health and welfare allow, will take me to see a currently off-show animal if said staff member knew how interested I was. Also, for the people that don't ask the same question that every other visitor in the zoo asks, for the question to be answered with interesting, off-record discussions when the staff have established trust and that I'm not just a regular joe visitor.
 
Javan Rhino said:
Also, for the people that don't ask the same question that every other visitor in the zoo asks, for the question to be answered with interesting, off-record discussions when the staff have established trust and that I'm not just a regular joe visitor.
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Or even worse a Zoochatter!
 
jbnbsn99 said:
Surely, you mean 6 species of rhino? ;)
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No, I refuse to mean 6 species of rhino :p

I know that genetic tests prove that the Nile Rhino is a separate species, however the species is far too doomed for me to start getting used to C. cottoni :p
 
I reject the concept of a perfect zoo. Perfection implies a lack of possible improvement. Which would actually be a pretty sad thought.
 
With the Rhino thing and the tendency to "speciate" out everything into smaller and smaller groups is counter productive to saving them. The concept of the Species imo is outdated and should be changed in light of intensive study of genes. I feel as rule we speciate too much now.
 
CGSwans said:
I reject the concept of a perfect zoo. Perfection implies a lack of possible improvement. Which would actually be a pretty sad thought.
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Yes true, which was why my initial post here was so head in the clouds and of fantasy.
 
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