Every zoo in the UK has a fair excuse for some muddy and unsightly outdoor enclosures with the weather we have had this year - record annual rainfall after an unusually dry winter and spring. But an indoor enclosure like this is inexcusable in the 21st century. As Gerald Durrell's wrote there is a difference between an enclosure that is basically clean but unsightly, like your living room at the end of the day, and one that looks as if it was given a lick and a promise several years ago.
As long as I see photos like this I will not go near South Lakes, free entry is too expensive if you have to look at sights like this!
Every zoo in the UK has a fair excuse for some muddy and unsightly outdoor enclosures with the weather we have had this year - record annual rainfall after an unusually dry winter and spring. But an indoor enclosure like this is inexcusable in the 21st century. As Gerald Durrell's wrote there is a difference between an enclosure that is basically clean but unsightly, like your living room at the end of the day, and one that looks as if it was given a lick and a promise several years ago.
As long as I see photos like this I will not go near South Lakes, free entry is too expensive if you have to look at sights like this!
Yes but its even more expensive if you visit in the summer,and see the same views as these pictures,I know from experience hence me visiting only when its free entry!
Free or paying I would not go here. It consistently gets rated with bad reviews on here and many of these photos show why. I am also curious as to whether the Zoo Inspection people and Licensing Authorities just accept these sort of conditions without any reservations?
You make an interesting point, as I have not been to my local zoo (Greater Vancouver) in a year and a half simply because I have been disappointed with a number of the enclosures and the many controversial animal deaths over the years. I'd rather drive 5 hours (round-trip) to Seattle and tour a really good zoo.
On the other hand, some folks believe that by supporting the so-called "rubbish zoos" of the world then those facilities will increase their annual attendance and thus have money for improving their exhibits. The flipside is that if everyone boycotted their local crappy zoo then that is a sure way to see it go under and not survive long-term, or perhaps the animals will languish in perpetuity. I am of the philosophy that a zoo is generally worth a one-time visit (for example Cougar Mountain Zoo in Seattle - very poor!) but unless a vast new exhibit complex opens then I will never again re-visit that particular establishment. If I were to live in England I'd definitely tour South Lakes, but if the photos and comments on this forum are anything to go by it would be my first and last visit.
Some people would say that photos(or comments) do not give the whole picture or story but I always think photos on here are telling evidence of conditions that are to be found at any given Zoo, and from other experiences, I know they pretty much mirror what you can expect to see there. For example, earlier this year (its still 'this' year- just), and out of curiosity after the adverse things I had heard and read, I visited the 'Noah's Ark' Zoo Farm in Somerset. The only difference from the photos showing enclosures there in the Gallery was that the reality was perhaps less inspiring still!
I would expect the same to be the case here too. Though I would normally support the 'one visit at firsthand to see for yourself before drawing conclusions' concept, this place is at the other end of the country from me and I am unlikely to visit the area, let alone the Zoo. But its one I am quite happy to miss.
I do appreciate the principle that it's best to see things for yourself, but frankly life is too short to see everything.
I think it's one of the great advantages of ZooChat that I can let zoogiraffe and his away team visit all these collections so that I don't have to
I do appreciate the principle that it's best to see things for yourself, but frankly life is too short to see everything.
I think it's one of the great advantages of ZooChat that I can let zoogiraffe and his away team visit all these collections so that I don't have to
Thanks for that,I'm quite happy to take one for the site every now and again,with a visit to places like this every now and again!Just don't expect me to repeat doing Noahs next year!!
