Best Giant Tortoise enclosure in the Benelux

[felis silvestris]

This is just a bit of fun to judge the general consensus on the best enclosure for Giant toetoises in the UK. I have added a few photos from the gallery to make it easier for members to compare the different exhibits. If anyone wants to make an argument for a particular enclosure, please feel free to do so. Also, I would encourage people to list the enclosures in order of what they think is best.

The Warty pig poll is closing soon if you haven’t yet voted do so before it closes.

Pairi Daiza (Aldabra)



Monde Sauvage (Aldabra)

Unfortunately there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. If someone can describe it or provide a photo that would be great.

Amersfoort (Aldabra)





Artis (Aldabra)





Ouwehands (Aldabra)





Reptillenzoo Iguana (Aldabra and Galapagos)



Rotterdam (Galapagos)



Photo credits to @KevinB @vogelcommando @snowleopard @felis silvestris @Mr Gharial

 

[felis silvestris]

Rotterdam’s indoors:

 

[KevinB]

Here are some photos of the giant tortoise exhibit at Monde Sauvage.

I voted for the exhibit at Amersfoort - it was definitely my favorite among the exhibits I have myself seen.

 

[Mr Gharial]

This is just a bit of fun to judge the general consensus on the best enclosure for Giant toetoises in the UK.

Ah, yes. Amersfoort, Blijdorp and Artis. Some of the most well-known UK zoos

For me, it's a toss-up between Amersfoort and Ouwehands. As they have the best indoor and outdoor options out of the zoo's shown.

Amersfoort has the better indoor enclosure, but Ouwehands has separation opportunities that allow them to have multiple sizes and generations of tortoises.

I'll be voting for Amersfoort. But that's admittedly because this one is fresher in my memory. So I have a better memory of how great it is.

Also: you mentioned the warty pig poll closing, but I don't see any warty pig poll?

 

[felis silvestris]

Ah, yes. Amersfoort, Blijdorp and Artis. Some of the most well-known UK zoos

For me, it's a toss-up between Amersfoort and Ouwehands. As they have the best indoor and outdoor options out of the zoo's shown.

Amersfoort has the better indoor enclosure, but Ouwehands has separation opportunities that allow them to have multiple sizes and generations of tortoises.

I'll be voting for Amersfoort. But that's admittedly because this one is fresher in my memory. So I have a better memory of how great it is.

Also: you mentioned the warty pig poll closing, but I don't see any warty pig poll?

It’s in the UK forum. Some of the posts are copy pasted from UK threads so I might have forgotten to change the names.

 

[snowleopard]

It's either Amersfoort or Ouwehands for this one. The tortoise enclosure at Amersfoort is beautifully situated in an open spot within deep forest, with several tall trees inside the exhibit. The house has mainly natural substrate in all directions, while at Ouwehands the house appears to have a cement floor. I voted for Amersfoort.

 

[felis silvestris]

Score update. It’s a two horse race between Amersfoort and Ouwehands so far, with the former being a fair but ahead. We’ve not seen any arguments for Ouwehands yet.

 

[Blijdorpenaar]

I voted for Ouwehands. I'll admit up front that it's been a long time since I've seen either in person, but the UFO-like shelter in Amersfoort is a bit tacky in my opinion. Also, the enclosure in Ouwehands looks like it's simple in terms of costs and maintanance, while still offering a variety of nooks and landscape elements. That having been said, I also think Rotterdam scores high on many of those, even if it's not visually spectacular (water features are a plus).

 

[felis silvestris]

Poll closed. Congratulations to Amersfoort for having the Best Giant Tortoise enclosure in the Benelux. There were a few enclosures here that are decent, but it seemed to be between Ouwehands and the winner, with Amersfoort possibly edging due to having a great indoors and outdoors enclosure. This is now their second win.

Amersfoort: 70.6%
Ouwehands: 29.4%