This is on display around the zoo and on the leaflets you can get at the entrance. It isn't yet on the website. It's very good in my view although I think it could include some more animals. Still an improvement and very attractive.
Nightlife: not many! What was once a vast collection is now distinctly half-hearted, with a pretty small collection: brown rats, Malagasy jumping rats, galago, naked mole rats, Australian water rats, potto, loris, chinchilla, Seba's bats. And it's very dark!
Aquarium: not what it was in the distant past, but vastly better now than it has been at any time that I have known it (30 years or so). Strong collections of both saltwater and freshwater fish - pretty old-fashioned in its displays (lots of relatively small tanks rather than anything big) but good for seeing things (and they're all labelled - a rarity in aquariums!).
Thanks very much for the information and your thoughts on the zoo, sooty. I was last at the zoo in 2001. It looks like much has improved since then with the gorilla forest, tiger exhibit, penguin area, etc.
I adore zoo maps and having amassed a collection of almost 900 of them from around the world I must say that I'm quite impressed with London Zoo's new map. It is the same company that has overhauled the San Diego maps in recent years and naturally there are a few quirks but in general it is quite impressive. Now I just need someone to mail me a copy. Chester Zoo, with one of the worst maps in existence, would do well to take note of London's progress.
I have to agree that zoo maps are something I enjoy viewing, however the animations on this map are something. It certainly is a lot better than Chester's newer maps.
I just spotted the spelling mistake too - terrible!
The orientation makes sense as visitors enter from the north so it shows them what is in front of them so to speak. It isn't anything new, I think all the maps I have from the early nineties onwards have this orientation.
By the way, I have a few copies of the map - A4 folded. If anyone wants one, let me know.
Nightlife: not many! What was once a vast collection is now distinctly half-hearted, with a pretty small collection: brown rats, Malagasy jumping rats, galago, naked mole rats, Australian water rats, potto, loris, chinchilla, Seba's bats.
The severe pruning of the collection is a great shame indeed, and I wish I had seen it in the 1990's when it was still a pretty strong selection, though it does bear noting that slender loris, potto, moholi galago and australian water rat are still all damn nice, and unusual, species.
I agree, the aardvark picture is the worst one. there's also a blue peafowl instead of green peafowl and the owl looks a bit generic, like an image they happened to have handy. I'd have added warthog, maybe an ibis on the Snowdon Aviary. Although the positioning of the Mappins is, I guess, a stylistic representation. On the whole I think it is very attractive.
I do remember that the San Diego zoo map from the same company has a really dodgy picture. If you didn't know the zoo layout you'd never guess that one of the animals is supposed to be a Japanese serow.
I looked up the web site Shirokuma and some of the zoo maps would make very nice posters blown up i know some of the art work is representative, but to non experts they are OK and a nice change from lion, tiger or elephant posters some zoo's sell.
I`m visiting ZSL tomorrow for the first time in about 20 years (!!) many thanks for this as having perused it I have noted exactly where the fast-track entrance is which I hadn`t clocked when booking my ticket !!
