Well, there certainly has not been any money spent on the crocodilian exhibits at this newly relocated establishment. Some of the caiman enclosures are fairly small and this large alligator exhibit with its bare cement, bricks and zero frills approach seems like it was located in the barn of a local farmer! Everything is about as basic as it can possibly get, but with 13 crocodilian species to entice zoo nerds then the establishment has become a must-see attraction. The exterior of the building promises an exciting adventure and I'd definitely visit if I lived nearby, but I'm not sure how many guests will repeat a tour on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see what the annual attendance of Crocodiles of the World will be in a few years.
Well, there certainly has not been any money spent on the crocodilian exhibits at this newly relocated establishment. Some of the caiman enclosures are fairly small and this large alligator exhibit with its bare cement, bricks and zero frills approach seems like it was located in the barn of a local farmer! Everything is about as basic as it can possibly get, but with 13 crocodilian species to entice zoo nerds then the establishment has become a must-see attraction. The exterior of the building promises an exciting adventure and I'd definitely visit if I lived nearby, but I'm not sure how many guests will repeat a tour on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see what the annual attendance of Crocodiles of the World will be in a few years.
Funny that you should call it a farmers barn,because all the buildings are ex-agricultural buildings!!As for a no frills approach to building the exhibits yes thats true,but how many collections in the your neck of the woods have bred 3 species of Crocodilian in less than 4 years of being open???For that fact alone the enclosures cannot be that bad,as I could name well over a half dozen collections in the UK that have spent more building a Crocodilian exhibit and have still not bred anything in it despite the fact the exhibits were designed to do just that!!!
As for repeat visit the place is doing very well for them,I suspect because of the very good demonstrations that Shaun and his team put on each day for the visitors,and the fact that all the staff like to make sure the visitors enjoy there visit!
From what I've been told about the place it is a favorite among some very knowledgeable and respected UK ZooChatters and certainly gets visited often by many people. And from the things I've heard, it'll probably have a very excellent attendance in a few years.
I live in the same town, and have never been. I do feel the need to backup zoogiraffe regarding the owner - he is a well respected member of the community, known all the hard work he puts into the care of his animals.
Well, there certainly has not been any money spent on the crocodilian exhibits at this newly relocated establishment. Some of the caiman enclosures are fairly small and this large alligator exhibit with its bare cement, bricks and zero frills approach seems like it was located in the barn of a local farmer! Everything is about as basic as it can possibly get, but with 13 crocodilian species to entice zoo nerds then the establishment has become a must-see attraction. The exterior of the building promises an exciting adventure and I'd definitely visit if I lived nearby, but I'm not sure how many guests will repeat a tour on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see what the annual attendance of Crocodiles of the World will be in a few years.
I don't think it's fair to say no money has been spent on the facility! As I understand it the entire complex was built from scratch on this new site. It is very utilitarian -- not exactly to my liking, I would like to see a lot more greenery, even just around the walls -- but it probably cost a fair bit and it fairly obviously does the job well.
If, as zoogiraffe says, there are very good crocodile displays (shows) then they in themselves will ensure return visits from many non-Zoochatterers. I don't go in for shows so I would probably visit once and that'd be it, but a lot of the regular public -- especially locals with families -- would probably be repeat visitors.
Don't worry Rob, it was sarcastic! I hate the place! If you've ever been into the town you'd realise that every other shop is a bloody cafe!
@Thylo - We have both Starbucks and Costa Coffee in the UK, although I'd never buy a Starbucks - I'd prefer somewhere that pays their taxes!
