number three is the invisible zoo of invisible animals?
Whose visited what this year
- Thread starter garyjp
- Start date
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Each block is a separate month. First visits have an asterisk. Repeat visits in brackets.
My total is 27 collections. 22 of them were my first visits. My first year in which I made a point of visiting zoos rather than just seizing opportunities when they arose. Now that I'm living in China it's unlikely I will approach either of these totals for the next few years, but we'll see.
Whipsnade Zoo*
Linton Zoo*
Bristol Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Colchester Zoo*
Paradise Wildlife Park*
Helsinki Zoo
Tropicario Herpetarium*
Copenhagen Zoo*
Skansen*
Skansen Aquarium*
Tallinn Zoo*
Hamerton Zoo*
Horniman Museum*
Shepreth*
Howletts*
Port Lympne*
London Zoo
(Howletts)
Banham Zoo*
Berlin Zoo*
Berlin Tierpark*
(Port Lympne)
Cat Survival Trust*
Paignton Zoo*
Chester Zoo
Changzhou Wild Animal Park*
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium*
Hongmei Park Aviary*
My total is 27 collections. 22 of them were my first visits. My first year in which I made a point of visiting zoos rather than just seizing opportunities when they arose. Now that I'm living in China it's unlikely I will approach either of these totals for the next few years, but we'll see.
Whipsnade Zoo*
Linton Zoo*
Bristol Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Colchester Zoo*
Paradise Wildlife Park*
Helsinki Zoo
Tropicario Herpetarium*
Copenhagen Zoo*
Skansen*
Skansen Aquarium*
Tallinn Zoo*
Hamerton Zoo*
Horniman Museum*
Shepreth*
Howletts*
Port Lympne*
London Zoo
(Howletts)
Banham Zoo*
Berlin Zoo*
Berlin Tierpark*
(Port Lympne)
Cat Survival Trust*
Paignton Zoo*
Chester Zoo
Changzhou Wild Animal Park*
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium*
Hongmei Park Aviary*
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
I do enjoy ranking zoos, even if it seems to put the Fishing cat amongst the Nicobar Pigeons on this site. Rather than try to rank them in order of which is 'best' which can often feel like a fool's quest, I went for a much more subjective and personal approach:
If I hadn't visited either in a long time, which would I rather spend the day at?
Chester Zoo
Copenhagen Zoo
Berlin Zoo
Colchester Zoo
Whipsnade Zoo
Berlin Tierpark
Howletts
Port Lympne
Helsinki Zoo
London Zoo
Paignton Zoo
Dudley Zoo
Bristol Zoo
Banham Zoo
Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
Skansen
Hamerton Zoo
Paradise Wildlife Park
Shepreth
Tallinn Zoo
Changzhou Wild Animal Park
Cat Survival Trust
Skansen Aquarium
Tropicario Herpetarium
Linton Zoo
Horniman Museum
Hongmei Park Aviary
I couldn't decide which I preferred out of Prague Zoo or Plzen Zoo so I put them together on number two and left a blank line at number three.
ZSL London Zoo (probably around 10 visits)
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (probably around 6 visits)
Chessington Zoo (x2)
Bristol Zoo (x1)
SeaLife London Aquarium (x1)
RSCC (x1)
First visits were to Bristol, London Aquarium and RSCC. Had been to Chessington many, many years ago, so long ago it practically counts as a first visit. Not many this year, but life tended to get in the way. Lots of visits to the ZSL collections makes up for that I feel
Really enjoyed my trip to Bristol, especially as I also made time for the City Museum (with it's amazing natural history gallery) and M-Shed which has a plaster-cast of Alfred the Gorilla's head.
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (probably around 6 visits)
Chessington Zoo (x2)
Bristol Zoo (x1)
SeaLife London Aquarium (x1)
RSCC (x1)
First visits were to Bristol, London Aquarium and RSCC. Had been to Chessington many, many years ago, so long ago it practically counts as a first visit. Not many this year, but life tended to get in the way. Lots of visits to the ZSL collections makes up for that I feel
Really enjoyed my trip to Bristol, especially as I also made time for the City Museum (with it's amazing natural history gallery) and M-Shed which has a plaster-cast of Alfred the Gorilla's head.
My visits for 2015
Bristol [1]
Chester [7]
Dudley [1]
Exmoor [1]
Hayle [1]
Martin Mere [2]*
Newquay [1]
Paignton [7]
Slimbridge [6]*
* at these places I spent considerably more time viewing the wild birds on the reserves than the stock of the collections.
Alan
Bristol [1]
Chester [7]
Dudley [1]
Exmoor [1]
Hayle [1]
Martin Mere [2]*
Newquay [1]
Paignton [7]
Slimbridge [6]*
* at these places I spent considerably more time viewing the wild birds on the reserves than the stock of the collections.
Alan
azcheetah2
Well-Known Member
I know this is in the UK forums but we don't have a thread in the US section and another US chatter posted his, I'll squeeze in...
Bearizona --- first visit
Keepers of the Wild --- second visit
It's kind of amusing in a way. When I got a new car in Octtober 2014 I visioned myself going all over the place since I'm only about a six or so hour drive from Albuquerque, El Paso and Los Angeles, but where have I gone...? Northern Arizona. I live in the central part of the state.
I did have actual plans to visit Santa Ana Zoo and Orange County Zoo in California and the ruins of the old Griffith Park Zoo (some of the concrete exhibits still exist), unforeseen circumstances caused me to cancel the trip.
2016 will lead me either to the Los Angeles trip, the San Francisco area or out east to Kentucky. If I had the means, I'd do all three, but monthly car payments won't allow that. Hahaha
Bearizona --- first visit
Keepers of the Wild --- second visit
It's kind of amusing in a way. When I got a new car in Octtober 2014 I visioned myself going all over the place since I'm only about a six or so hour drive from Albuquerque, El Paso and Los Angeles, but where have I gone...? Northern Arizona. I live in the central part of the state.
I did have actual plans to visit Santa Ana Zoo and Orange County Zoo in California and the ruins of the old Griffith Park Zoo (some of the concrete exhibits still exist), unforeseen circumstances caused me to cancel the trip.
2016 will lead me either to the Los Angeles trip, the San Francisco area or out east to Kentucky. If I had the means, I'd do all three, but monthly car payments won't allow that. Hahaha
Come tomorrow me and the wife would have reached 40 zoos (well number 40 is planned to visit tomorrow), plus a few re-visits to our local Banham. Those with an * are fist time visits:
1. Linton Zoo*
2. Hamerton Zoo*
3. Shepreth Wildlife Park*
4. Amazona Zoo*
5. Colchester Zoo
6. Woburn Safari Park*
7. London Zoo*
8. Banham Zoo
9. Dudley Zoo*
10. West Midlands Safari Park*
11. Twycross Zoo
12. Port Lympne Reserve*
13. Wingham Wildlife Park*
14. Shorelands Wildlife Gardens*
15. Whipsnade Zoo
16. Paradise Wildlife Park*
17. Yorkshire Wildlife Park*
18. Woodside Wildlife Park*
19. RSCC*
20. Wildwood Trust*
21. Howletts Wild Animal Park*
22. Thrigby Wildlife Gardens*
23. Marwell Zoo*
24. Monkey World*
25. Paington Zoo*
26. Dartmoor Zoo*
27. Exmoor Zoo*
28. Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park*
29. Longleat Safari Park*
30. Africa Alive!
31. Cotswold Wildlife Park*
32. Hemsley Conservation Centre*
33. British Wildlife Centre*
34. Chessington Zoo*
35. Tropical Wings Zoo*
36. Chester Zoo*
37. Knowsley Safari Park*
38. Blackpool Zoo*
39. South Lakes Safari Zoo*
40. Birmingham Conservation Centre*
1. Linton Zoo*
2. Hamerton Zoo*
3. Shepreth Wildlife Park*
4. Amazona Zoo*
5. Colchester Zoo
6. Woburn Safari Park*
7. London Zoo*
8. Banham Zoo
9. Dudley Zoo*
10. West Midlands Safari Park*
11. Twycross Zoo
12. Port Lympne Reserve*
13. Wingham Wildlife Park*
14. Shorelands Wildlife Gardens*
15. Whipsnade Zoo
16. Paradise Wildlife Park*
17. Yorkshire Wildlife Park*
18. Woodside Wildlife Park*
19. RSCC*
20. Wildwood Trust*
21. Howletts Wild Animal Park*
22. Thrigby Wildlife Gardens*
23. Marwell Zoo*
24. Monkey World*
25. Paington Zoo*
26. Dartmoor Zoo*
27. Exmoor Zoo*
28. Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park*
29. Longleat Safari Park*
30. Africa Alive!
31. Cotswold Wildlife Park*
32. Hemsley Conservation Centre*
33. British Wildlife Centre*
34. Chessington Zoo*
35. Tropical Wings Zoo*
36. Chester Zoo*
37. Knowsley Safari Park*
38. Blackpool Zoo*
39. South Lakes Safari Zoo*
40. Birmingham Conservation Centre*
Having made my final 2 visits of 2015 today, my total zoo visits were 53 to 30 different collections, smashing my previous best of 17 zoos( last year).
First visits are marked*
Whipsnade x 10
Colchester x7
Linton x3
London x3
Hamerton x2
Shepreth x2
Twycross x2
Blackpool x2
Amazona *
Shorelands *
Africa Alive
Banham
Thrigby Hall
Monkeyworld
Bournemouth Oceanarium*
Alton Towers Sealife*
Welsh Mountain*
Chester
Dudley *
Wild Place*
Bristol
RSCC
Port Lympne
Paradise WP
Yorkshire WP*
Marwell
Tilgate Nature Centre
Edinburgh
Wildwood*
Howletts
I don't think I can rank all 30, but top ones would be:
Chester
Whipsnade
Colchester
Edinburgh
Port Lympne
Howletts
Yorkshire WP
Bristol
Of the first visits, I liked all the 'real' zoos and would return to them all, but in addition to YWP, I particularly liked Dudley and Amazona.
First visits are marked*
Whipsnade x 10
Colchester x7
Linton x3
London x3
Hamerton x2
Shepreth x2
Twycross x2
Blackpool x2
Amazona *
Shorelands *
Africa Alive
Banham
Thrigby Hall
Monkeyworld
Bournemouth Oceanarium*
Alton Towers Sealife*
Welsh Mountain*
Chester
Dudley *
Wild Place*
Bristol
RSCC
Port Lympne
Paradise WP
Yorkshire WP*
Marwell
Tilgate Nature Centre
Edinburgh
Wildwood*
Howletts
I don't think I can rank all 30, but top ones would be:
Chester
Whipsnade
Colchester
Edinburgh
Port Lympne
Howletts
Yorkshire WP
Bristol
Of the first visits, I liked all the 'real' zoos and would return to them all, but in addition to YWP, I particularly liked Dudley and Amazona.
devilfish
Well-Known Member
An excellent question - what a great way to rank them.
(I'm still a bit surprised by the order of a few on your list
)
Here goes..... quite a lot of first-time visits marked in bold, but not *too* many multiple visits. Furthermore, quite a few collections which I "usually" visit in a given year have not been visited this year. I have still managed 41 zoo visits this year, across 34 collections - of which 18 were new this year.
Kirkleatham Owl Centre x1
West Midland Safari Park x1
The Falconry Centre, Hagley x1
Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre x1
Lakes Aquarium x1
World Owl Trust x1
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis x1
Chester Zoo x6
Cotswold Falconry Centre x1
Cotswold Wildlife Park x1
Crocodiles of the World x1
Hawk Conservancy Trust x1
Bristol Zoo x1
Wild Place x1
Tierpark Hellabrunn x1
Wilhelma x1
Innsbruck Alpenzoo x1
Vogelpark Olching x1
Tiergarten Nürnberg x1
Zoo Augsburg x1
Scottish Owl Centre x1
Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre x1
International Centre for Birds of Prey (Duncombe Park) x1
Jesmond Dene Pets Corner x1
Lake District Wildlife Park x2
Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre x1
Reaseheath Zoo x1
Twycross Zoo x1
Manchester Museum Vivarium x2
Yorkshire Wildlife Park x1
Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre x1
SEA LIFE Blackpool x1
Blackpool Zoo x1
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo x1
Kirkleatham Owl Centre x1
West Midland Safari Park x1
The Falconry Centre, Hagley x1
Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre x1
Lakes Aquarium x1
World Owl Trust x1
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis x1
Chester Zoo x6
Cotswold Falconry Centre x1
Cotswold Wildlife Park x1
Crocodiles of the World x1
Hawk Conservancy Trust x1
Bristol Zoo x1
Wild Place x1
Tierpark Hellabrunn x1
Wilhelma x1
Innsbruck Alpenzoo x1
Vogelpark Olching x1
Tiergarten Nürnberg x1
Zoo Augsburg x1
Scottish Owl Centre x1
Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre x1
International Centre for Birds of Prey (Duncombe Park) x1
Jesmond Dene Pets Corner x1
Lake District Wildlife Park x2
Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre x1
Reaseheath Zoo x1
Twycross Zoo x1
Manchester Museum Vivarium x2
Yorkshire Wildlife Park x1
Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre x1
SEA LIFE Blackpool x1
Blackpool Zoo x1
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo x1
Gee some of you have been to a lot of zoos this year. i guess being in the industry zoo visits can become a bit like a busman's holiday. So here is my rather minuscule list for this year (ignoring of course Moonlit Sanctuary as I live on the property). New zoos in bold.
Melbourne Zoo (for meetings)
Taronga Park Zoo (for meetings)
Featherdale
Symbio Wildlife Park
Giant Koala
Kaniva Fauna Park
San Diego Zoo
Melbourne Zoo (for meetings)
Taronga Park Zoo (for meetings)
Featherdale
Symbio Wildlife Park
Giant Koala
Kaniva Fauna Park
San Diego Zoo
I think I only went to two zoos this year:
Willowbank (NZ)
Danang Zoo (Vietnam)
The end.
Willowbank (NZ)
Danang Zoo (Vietnam)
The end.
Guess I'll also drop my full list here, despite not living in the UK. Not that much different parks but still quite a lot of visits. First time visits marked in bold as well, of course.
Antwerp Zoo x3
Apenheul Primate Park x1
Aqua Zoo Friesland x6
Burgers' Zoo x3
DierenPark Amersfoort x3
Dierenpark Emmen x1
Durrell Wildlife Park x4
Great Aquarium Saint-Malo x1
Natura Artis Magistra x1
Planckendael Zoo x1
Rare Species Conservation Centre x1
Rotterdam Zoo x8
Antwerp Zoo x3
Apenheul Primate Park x1
Aqua Zoo Friesland x6
Burgers' Zoo x3
DierenPark Amersfoort x3
Dierenpark Emmen x1
Durrell Wildlife Park x4
Great Aquarium Saint-Malo x1
Natura Artis Magistra x1
Planckendael Zoo x1
Rare Species Conservation Centre x1
Rotterdam Zoo x8
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Right seeing as its now 2016 in the UK,and I will not be doing any more visits for 2015,thought I would just put up my small list of visits that I did in 2015.
Anything in bold is a place I visited multiple times during the year,anything in Red and bold I visited for the first time during the year!So here goes my little list,
1) Chester Zoo
2) Cheshire Falconry Centre
3) Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre
4) Dudley Zoo
5) Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
6) Flamigoland
7) ICBP Duncombe Park
8) Scarborough Sealife Centre
9) Blackbrook Zoo
10) West Midlands Safari Park
11) Hagley Bird of Prey Centre
12) The Lakes Aquarium
13) Muncaster World Owl Trust
14) Lakeland Wildlife Centre
15) Reaseheath Zoo
16) Rodbaston Animal Zone
17) Twycross Zoo
18) Cotswold Falconry Centre
19) Cotswold Wildlife Park
20) Crocodiles of the World
21) The Hawk Conservancy at Weyhill
22) Bristol Zoo
23) Wildplace
24) British Wildlife Rescue Centre at Amerton Farm
25) Jungle World,Ballymena
26) The World of Owls,Randalstown
27) The Ark Open Farm
28) Castle Espie WWT
29) Ward Park Aviarys,Bangor Northern Ireland
30) Belfast Zoo
31) Dublin Zoo
32) Tatyo Park
33) Bray Sealife Centre
34) Martin Mere WWT
35) Blue Planet Aquarium
36) Matlock Farm Park
37) Matlock Bath Aquarium
38) Blackpool Sealife Centre
39) Blackpool Zoo
40) Peak Wildlife Park
41) The Raptor Foundation
42) Hamerton Zoo Park
43) Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
44) Tropiquaria
45) Exmoor Zoo
46) Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park
47) Lake District Wildlife Park
48) Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre
49) Linton Zoo
50) ICBP Newent
51) Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre
52) Heythrop Zoological Gardens
53) Hoo Animal Farm
54) Welsh Mountain Zoo
55) Living Rainforest
56) Beale Park
57) Hemsley Conservation Centre
58) Howletts Wild Animal Park
59) Wingham Wildlife Park
60) Rare Species Conservation Centre
61) Wildwood
62) Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
63) Chessington World of Adventure
64) Beaver Hall Farm Park
65) Knowsley Safari Park
66) Walton Hall Childrens Zoo
67) Bristol Aquarium
68) London Zoo
69) Faunia Wildlife Gardens
70) Yorkshire Wildlife Park
71) The Tropical Butterfly House North Anston
72) Whipsnade Zoo
So that is my list for 2015!
Anything in bold is a place I visited multiple times during the year,anything in Red and bold I visited for the first time during the year!So here goes my little list,
1) Chester Zoo
2) Cheshire Falconry Centre
3) Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre
4) Dudley Zoo
5) Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
6) Flamigoland
7) ICBP Duncombe Park
8) Scarborough Sealife Centre
9) Blackbrook Zoo
10) West Midlands Safari Park
11) Hagley Bird of Prey Centre
12) The Lakes Aquarium
13) Muncaster World Owl Trust
14) Lakeland Wildlife Centre
15) Reaseheath Zoo
16) Rodbaston Animal Zone
17) Twycross Zoo
18) Cotswold Falconry Centre
19) Cotswold Wildlife Park
20) Crocodiles of the World
21) The Hawk Conservancy at Weyhill
22) Bristol Zoo
23) Wildplace
24) British Wildlife Rescue Centre at Amerton Farm
25) Jungle World,Ballymena
26) The World of Owls,Randalstown
27) The Ark Open Farm
28) Castle Espie WWT
29) Ward Park Aviarys,Bangor Northern Ireland
30) Belfast Zoo
31) Dublin Zoo
32) Tatyo Park
33) Bray Sealife Centre
34) Martin Mere WWT
35) Blue Planet Aquarium
36) Matlock Farm Park
37) Matlock Bath Aquarium
38) Blackpool Sealife Centre
39) Blackpool Zoo
40) Peak Wildlife Park
41) The Raptor Foundation
42) Hamerton Zoo Park
43) Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
44) Tropiquaria
45) Exmoor Zoo
46) Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park
47) Lake District Wildlife Park
48) Lakeland Bird of Prey Centre
49) Linton Zoo
50) ICBP Newent
51) Small Breeds Farm Park and Owl Centre
52) Heythrop Zoological Gardens
53) Hoo Animal Farm
54) Welsh Mountain Zoo
55) Living Rainforest
56) Beale Park
57) Hemsley Conservation Centre
58) Howletts Wild Animal Park
59) Wingham Wildlife Park
60) Rare Species Conservation Centre
61) Wildwood
62) Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
63) Chessington World of Adventure
64) Beaver Hall Farm Park
65) Knowsley Safari Park
66) Walton Hall Childrens Zoo
67) Bristol Aquarium
68) London Zoo
69) Faunia Wildlife Gardens
70) Yorkshire Wildlife Park
71) The Tropical Butterfly House North Anston
72) Whipsnade Zoo
So that is my list for 2015!
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
An excellent question - what a great way to rank them.
(I'm still a bit surprised by the order of a few on your list
Thanks! I think perhaps it says more about me than the zoos...
I think I punished zoos with substandard enclosures more than others might; I also enjoy seeing primates more than pretty much anything else so that pushed some others upwards. Then Helsinki is just an anomaly. I love that place.
Is this a mistake? I'm sure Blackbrook ceased last year?
He visited the closed site to wander around the public portions of path and see what was still present/visible onsite; I believe this is to what he refers.