Great thread, should be an annual event.
Having mulled a little, my choices are:
1. First visits to Berlin Zoo Aquarium and Berlin Tierpark (first visit to the Zoo planned for 2016). They fully lived up to other peoples' exaltations and my own expectations. A bonus was realising how truly great the rest of the city is too;
2. In terms of zoo news , my highlight would be the high volume of positive news and changes emanating from UK collections. It seems that most UK collections, big and small, have chosen to expand, add new exhibits, improve old exhibits and/or bring in new species. In addition, a number of new collections have entered the scene. I can't remember the UK zoo scene seeming this vibrant for a long time. I appreciate many will have their pet moans and a few collections have "let the side down" but I believe, by and large, the direction and strength of changes occurring all over the UK is very positive.
3. I like to be a little different/contrary on occasion, but in this case I really can't think of anything that matches RSCC's failure in terms of disappointment. Looking back, with hindsight, at the facts of the situation it was always going to happen. That's not to say it's failure was inevitable, just inevitable given the way things were played. I console myself with the Neil Young lyric, "it's better to burn out than to fade away" -this place burned very brightly indeed, if only for a very small time.
A final highlight for me, not neatly fitting into any of the above categories, was the IZES meet-up. It was a treat to meet so many like-minded enthusiasts, new and old, for the weekend (I'm still struggling to comprehend the giant size of the baked cheeses served at the evening meal at Wildwood
).
I look forward to seeing them anyway.
