Best and worst local zoo exhibits

[JVM]

Milwaukee's Small Mammal House is such a difficult exhibit - the nocturnal area is wonderful, and the former otter exhibit has turned out to be a great place for sloths, but the main section is otherwise absolutely terrible. I would absolutely agree their Aviary is extremely underrated though.

LPZ is pretty clear-cut - Regenstein Center for African Apes is the best primate exhibit I've had the pleasure of visiting (obviously I'm not as well-traveled as most of you!) and yeah, although I do like some of the outdoor habitats for smaller species, the indoor exhibits and grottos for the Lion House are terrible.

I can't pick a 'worst' for Brookfield - not because there aren't exhibits that deserve criticism, but because I can't think of any exhibit that is head and shoulders worse than the rest. Great Bear Wilderness is a pretty solid exhibit.

 

[natel12]

Pittsburgh zoo best African savannah the islands POV Aquarium
Worst tropical forest and domestic animals

 

[Elephants and Alligators]

Lowery Park Zoo

Best: Main Elephant Paddock (large, grassy, and spacious! Though a little on the barren side)
Worst: Bull Elephant Paddock (seriously though, why are bull elephant paddocks always so...... Bad?)

Busch Gardens

Best: African velvit (what can I say that hasn't already been said?)
Worst: Some Of The Animal Ambassador Cages (arent animal ambassadors supposed to be educational?)

 

[TheEthiopianWolf03]

Oakland zoo

Best- This was hard but the 6 acre African elephant exhibit is the best one as of now (California trail is gonna have large bear exhibits)

Worst- Chimpanzee exhibit. It’s extremely outdated and needs a major overhaul. At least Oakland zoo said they won’t get any more apes until the fix the chimpanzee exhibit.

 

[birdsandbats]

NEW Zoo & Adventure Park

Best - Wisconsin Trail and Riley Building
Worst - Snow Leopard exhibit.

 

[Sheather]

Brookfield Zoo:

Best: Feathers and Scales South American aviary
Worst: Tropic World gorilla exhibits, especially the one for the old male.

Birds and Reptiles seems to be a really nice exhibit complex to me, not even on the bad list.
Great Bear Wilderness is really good, one of the best bear exhibits.

 

[StoppableSan]

Best: Big Cat Falls, Bear Country, McNeil Avian Center
Worst: Giraffe Exhibit, PECO Primate Reserve, Rare Animal Conservation Center

 

[Fallax]

Time for a European perspective.

Chester Zoo

Best: Sumatran Tiger Exhibit, Malayan Sun Bear and Binturong Exhibit, Spirit of the Jaguar, Tsavo Black Rhino Reserve.

Worst: Honestly this is really hard but I would have to say the 'Nissen Hut' because it just looks ugly. Also I would prefer the Galapogos Tortoise have a larger exhibit with an outdoor enclosure but that might just be me.

 

[The Speeding Carnotaurus]

Brookfield Zoo:
Best: Habitat Africa Forest, Great Bear Wilderness

Worst: Feathers and Scales, Reptiles and Birds

 

[agnmeln]

Worst: Honestly this is really hard but I would have to say the 'Nissen Hut' because it just looks ugly. Also I would prefer the Galapogos Tortoise have a larger exhibit with an outdoor enclosure but that might just be me.

I agree with this! Maybe with the Tropical Realm set for redevelopment, this could be on the cards!

 

[Sheather]

Why is there so much bad opinion of the Feathers and Scales and Reptiles and Birds buildings?
They're amazing bird enclosures.

 

[Fallax]

I agree with this! Maybe with the Tropical Realm set for redevelopment, this could be on the cards!

If I had a choice, I would use the small lawn near the aquarium and build them and indoor space. Maybe convert the aquarium for some Galapagos species...

 

[agnmeln]

They’re one of my favourites at the zoo so I would love to see more of a feature made of them.

 

[The_UltimateBea]

Maryland Zoo

Best: (Area) Maryland Wilderness Children's zoo
(Exhibit) African Watering Hole
Worst: Red ruffed lemur enclosure


San Diego Zoo

Best: (Area) Lost Forest
(Exhibit) Asian Leopards


San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Best: (Area) African Plains
(Exhibit) Stenbok/Sitatatunga Waterfall Enclosure
Worst: (Area) Maybe Nairobi Village - not bad just worst of the best
(Exhibit): Hidden Jungle

 

[Gomphothere]

Bronx Zoo:
Best: Congo Gorilla Forest and Madagascar!;
Worst: Pheasants and Birds of Prey.

 

[Echobeast]

Denver Zoo:
Best - Toyota Elephant Passage
Worst - Felines building

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:
Best - African Rift Valley
Worst - Monkey Pavilion

 

[MKE Zoo guy]

I wish there was a way where we could see some of these that people are talking about. I mean I know we could look them up but I guess I’m a visual person and hearing everyone talking about the best and worse I kinda want to see that as they are being talked about.

 

[TZDugong]

Toronto Zoo:

Best- Olive Baboon exhibit.
Worst- Orangutan exhibit.

 

[Gomphothere]

I wish there was a way where we could see some of these that people are talking about. I mean I know we could look them up but I guess I’m a visual person and hearing everyone talking about the best and worse I kinda want to see that as they are being talked about.

Google images is your friend. For example, if you google "Bronx Zoo Congo Gorilla Forest" in images, you'll get a whole page of images, including a map of the entire exhibit complex and pictures of many of the individual exhibits. The same is true if you substitute Madagascar for Congo Gorilla Forest.

 

[savethelephant]

I wish there was a way where we could see some of these that people are talking about. I mean I know we could look them up but I guess I’m a visual person and hearing everyone talking about the best and worse I kinda want to see that as they are being talked about.

A lot of exhibits are also shown on the site zoolex. Not all but quite a few from a vast variety of zoos. It also shows what animals in the exhibit were first exhibited (with the number as well), history of the building process, and background of sorts.
ZooLex Gallery