I was fortunate enough to see all 9 of these exhibits last summer on my epic tour of zoos in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. I'll rank them from worst to best:
# 9 - Antwerp is easily the worst elephant exhibit on the list. The enclosure is far too small for any elephants, let alone the two young males that I saw there last summer. I suppose that some could argue that the zoo having elephants is a positive thing as there is always a need for bachelors to be housed somewhere, but the whole elephant complex is not up to modern standards and it should be shut down in my opinion and converted to another species.
# 8 - Artis Amsterdam has a stunning architectural statement with its elephant exhibit and I love the look of it from a visitor perspective, especially the amazing pool that slopes down to the main pathway. However, the indoor stalls are ancient and the big Fred Flintstone rocks and smallish space leave this zoo low on the list. Both Antwerp and Artis have elephants, but will they both still have them in 20 years?
# 7 - Burgers is a leafy, shady exhibit that is perfect for a couple of elderly elephants, but it is not in the same ballpark as the more modern habitats on this list. It's more than adequate for now, but what will become of this enclosure in a decade or two ?
# 6 - Pairi Daiza has an immense sandy desert for their elephants, with a few temples and not much else on the horizon. In terms of space the enclosures there are impressive, but in terms of management of the animals (hands-on) it's all very dodgy in the year 2020. The amazing thing is that Pairi Daiza has close to 20 Asian elephants and perhaps people are voting with that in consideration as admittedly it is an extraordinary total!
# 5 - Dierenrijk was a really surprising zoo for me, with top-notch exhibits for the likes of chimpanzees, Barbary macaques, brown bears, polar bears and many other species. The brand-new greater one-horned rhino exhibit there with several types of hoofstock all together is fantastic. As for the elephants, they share a vast field with chital, red deer and crab-eating macaques, which is kind of bizarre as the outdoor enclosure is almost completely barren of anything. The zoo would be higher on the list if they had a mountain of rocks there for the primates (like at Beekse Bergen for that zoo's African elephants) or even some huge sand dunes for the 4 different species to explore.
# 4 - Amersfoort has elephants as a highlight of what is a quirky, interesting zoo. The indoor and outdoor areas are both packed with rubbing posts and various enrichment options, with piles of sand for the elephants to rummage around in. The exhibit could be a bit larger, but overall it's more than adequate and there is even a section of the indoor viewing where elephants are seen through glass. How often does that happen in the zoo world?
# 3 - Emmen has an outstanding indoor pool and check out the photo on this thread. It's a huge water structure and the indoor and outdoor areas are very nicely done and everything is pretty much brand-new. However, the style of the exhibit is odd, with the elephants being a bit limited because I'm not sure how often they navigate the oddly terraced landscape. All the elephants during my visit hung around on the upper sections, although perhaps they really do utilize all the space. A more frequent visitor would have to answer that question.
# 2 - Rotterdam has an excellent elephant exhibit, with the outdoor area the right mixture of terrain. It's not flat as a pancake as Pairi Daiza or Dierenrijk and instead Blijdorp Zoo has tall metal and wooden 'trees' outdoors where the zoo hangs enrichment items. There are rocks and piles of sand and enough space for the elephants to roam around. The indoor area, revolutionary a quarter-century ago, is looking a bit aged but overall I think that Rotterdam has a slightly larger total area than Amersfoort and better landscaping than Emmen and so second place for Rotterdam is where I'm placing it. This is such a great zoo and it's probably underrated by Euro zoo nerds these days. A pair of very good exhibits (elephants and gorillas) are going to be overhauled as part of the zoo's '2030 Master Plan' and Rotterdam's current elephant exhibit is already one of the best.
# 1 - Planckendael is the winner in my opinion. This is the centerpiece of the large Asian loop at this terrific zoo, with the elephants seen from multiple angles as visitors walk along a long trail and get glimpses of elephants through the undergrowth. The indoor area is decent, with a deep pool, but it is the outdoor zone that excels. There is a main image of the elephants up high in a sort of viewing tower that showcases the exhibit very well. Then visitors go all the way around the habitat, almost as if the humans are on a trek through the 'jungle' to find elephants.
