Shoebill aviary, July 2012

One of the best things at the zoo - and, given the breeding that has taken pace within, one of the more successful too. Good to see a covered aviary, meaning that the birds are not clipped in any way. The blue building behind is the zoo\'s rather perfunctory reptile house, built to look and feel like a ship, for some reason.

In the spring 2014 issue of Zoo Grapevine magazine there was a 5-page review that raved about Pairi Daiza, essentially calling the facility one of the very best zoos in Europe. Since then I believe that the zoo has added giant pandas, koalas, gorillas, orangutans and other delights, thus becoming a world-famous establishment. Would it be fair to say that this Belgian zoo has expanded faster than just about any other European zoological attraction? A comparison to Leipzig sounds appropriate, but is Pairi Daizi really one of the very best zoos in Europe? A zoo acquaintance recently told me that this zoo would quite possibly be a lock for one of the 10 best in Europe and I am eager to hear other opinions on the matter.

On a side note, the shoebill aviary appears to be rather spectacular.

It is a very eclectic zoo with lots of unusual animals and strong geographical theming with replica buildings and ethnographical displays . Although the animals are not always in the right zones, for example giant otters are in the Chinese area. I have visited a few times and each time its collection has grown. This year alone it added koalas, gorilla and orangutan exhibits. New animals like the bear cuscus. It is also developing a northern North American area with non animal exhibits like a flying boat and railroad area. Generally the enclosures are of a good to high standard but some areas do look rushed. It still has a very good bird collection but has definitely focused more on the mammals recently. It is in summary very different from other zoos! I will download a few more photos.