Best of Its Kind

pachyderm pro

pachyderm pro

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I'm sure the majority of members on hear want to construct a zoo at a point in there life, I am no exception. When making a zoo I try to take inspiration from other zoos. So that got me thinking. What are the best exhibits for each animal? That's the question I am asking you. What are the best of their kind animal enclosures for the following? Remember, this enclosure can be from any zoo or animal park across the globe.

Gorilla
Lion
African elephant
Asian elephant
Tiger
Nile hippo
polar bear
baboon
koala
panda
lemur
Komodo dragon

I might ask more later. Feel free to choose other species as well.
 
I'll give it a go.......

Gorilla - NY Bronx Congo forest
Lion - Land of the lions ZSL
African elephant - Cabareceno
Asian elephant - Planckendael
Tiger - HWP
Nile hippo - San Diego zoo
polar bear - HWP
baboon - NY Bronx
koala - Pairi Daiza
panda - National zoo, Washington DC
lemur - Let's say Jersey
Komodo dragon - ZSL

Maybe (or almost certainly) not the best, but perhaps a good starting point.
 
Gorilla- Melbourne Zoo
Lion- Werribee Open Range Zoo
African elephant - Never Seen
Asian elephant- Auckland Zoo
Tiger- Hamilton Zoo or Night Safari
Nile hippo- Werribee Open Range Zoo
polar bear- Havent seen an enclosure I like yet
baboon- Singapore Zoo
koala - Healesville Sanctuary
panda- River Safari ( only one Ive seen )
lemur- Singapore Zoo or Melbourne Zoo
Komodo dragon -Singapore Zoo
 
I've not visited a wide variety of zoos and don't want to include exhibits that I've not seen so this is not definitive and entirely subjective.

Gorilla - Melbourne Zoo - Holds up really well after such a long time but would benefit from a cohesive, multi-generational group which they've just never been able to achieve.
Lion - Werribee Zoo - I'm yet to see a lion exhibit that even comes close.
African elephant - Dubbo Zoo - This wins be default, I've only seen African elephants once.
Asian elephant - Melbourne Zoo - This surely doesn't come close to being the best exhibit for Asian elephants in the world but of the ones that I've seen it offers perhaps the largest space and flexibility.
Tiger - Melbourne Zoo - It is a very beautiful exhibit. Honorable mention goes to Patan Central Zoo in Kathmandu though.
Nile hippo - Werribee Zoo - If Berlin Zoo were in a warmer climate, their exhibit would win hands down but the fact that they have to spend winter indoors gives Werribee the edge.
Polar bear - Rotterdam Zoo - The size isn't impressive but gets the edge over Berlin by having grass and underwater viewing.
Baboon - Singapore Zoo - Such a large group is always going to be impressive but the exhibit is also exceptional so wins hands down.
Koala - Phillip Island Koala Sanctuary - A controversial choice seeing as it's basically a fenced in section of forest with boardwalks up into the tree tops.
Panda - Adelaide Zoo - Not a lot of competition but I quite liked the architecture and it seems quite large compared to exhibits I haven't had the chance to see.
Lemur - Melbourne Zoo - This is the fourth category that Melbourne Zoo has won but these are four of it's flagship exhibits.
Komodo dragon - London Zoo - I remember being quite surprised by this exhibit because I had done a lot of research before I visited (naturally) and had no idea that it existed.
 
Hasn't Detroit Zoo a good Polar bear exhibit? I don't even know how it is, but if anyone knows please tell me!
 
I've only been to a couple of zoos, not nearly as many as most members, so I will focus my contrast between the zoos I've been to - Lincoln Park, Brookfield, Milwaukee, the National Zoo and debatably the Shedd Aquarium. The better zoos are ones I've not visited, so they're not being excluded intentionally.

Lincoln Park Zoo has found a lot of strength in it's presentation of primates, beating out my other zoo experiences with gorillas, chimpanzees, gibbons and snow monkeys. Some of the other primate exhibits are a little more diroama-style, but they maintain a good variety and the animals seem to do well. I also think their Children's Zoo offers some excellent habitats for beavers and otters. I have yet to see the new penguin and bear habitats.

Brookfield excels at a variety of species, and while there's probably better bear exhibits out there, Great Bear Wilderness is certainly preferable to the older grottos at the other zoos mentioned. Wolf Woods is pretty famous on ZooChat for being such a good exhibit, even if the animals aren't active as often as they could be.

Milwaukee is an older location that could use improvement in many areas, but many of it's more recent buildings are of decent to better quality. The Lions and Tigers have much more interesting habitats here than they do at the other two zoos above, with good indoor and outdoor viewing. I would also like to say I've always enjoyed the Humboldt Penguin habitat near the opening of the zoo.

The Shedd Aquarium is the only aquarium I've been to, so they basically win by default.

The National Zoo is the only of these with pandas or a permanent Komodo dragon exhibition, and I really enjoyed the former upon my lone visit.

I'm reluctant to award for Elephants, Hippos, Baboons, Lemurs, or Koalas, three of which I've only seen at one location and two of which none of the zoos are particularly impressive with.
 
pachyderm pro said:
I'm sure the majority of members on hear want to construct a zoo at a point in there life, I am no exception. When making a zoo I try to take inspiration from other zoos. So that got me thinking. What are the best exhibits for each animal? That's the question I am asking you. What are the best of their kind animal enclosures for the following? Remember, this enclosure can be from any zoo or animal park across the globe.

Gorilla
Lion
African elephant
Asian elephant
Tiger
Nile hippo
polar bear
baboon
koala
panda
lemur
Komodo dragon

I might ask more later. Feel free to choose other species as well.
Click to expand...
Best I've Seen

Gorilla- Bronx (Runner-up: Houston, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Dallas, San Diego, Busch Gardens)
Lion- Columbus/San Diego Safari Park (Runner-up: Busch Gardens, Dallas)
African Elephant- North Carolina/Dallas (Runner-up: Disney's Animal Kingdom, San Diego Safari Park)
Asian Elephant- Dublin (Runner-up: National)
Tiger- Bronx (Runner-up: Columbus, Dallas)
Nile Hippopotamus- San Diego (Runner-up: Toledo, Busch Gardens, Disney's Animal Kingdom)
Polar Bear- Detroit (Runner-up: Columbus, North Carolina)
Baboon- Bronx (Runner-up: Toronto)
Koala- San Diego (Runner-up: Columbus, Cleveland)
Giant Panda- National (Runner-up: Atlanta, San Diego)
Lemur- Bronx (Runner-Up: North Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego Safari Park)
Komodo Dragon- Fort Worth/Columbus (Runner-up: Jacksonville, Disney's Animal Kingdom)

Best I Haven't Seen

Gorilla- Woodland Park (Runner-up: Kansas City, Sedgwick, Denver, Saint Louis, Louisville)
Lion- Denver/Sedgwick/Kansas City/Omaha (Runner-up: Oregon, Caldwell, Woodland Park)
African Elephant- Omaha/Sedgwick County (Runner-up: Reid Park, Birmingham, Fresno Chaffee, Cheyenne Mountain)
Asian Elephant- Saint Louis/Oregon (Runner-up: Los Angeles, Denver, Oklahoma City, Zurich, Melbourne)
Tiger- Minnesota, San Diego Safari Park (Runner-up: Virginia, Woodland Park, Cheyenne Mountain, Hogle)
Nile Hippopotamus- Saint Louis/Memphis (Runner-up: Berlin, San Antonio)
Polar Bear- Assiniboine Park (Runner-up: Hogle, Buffalo, Toronto)
Koala- Taronga Zoo
Giant Panda- Toronto
Lemur- Omaha (Runner-up: Sedgwick, Woodland Park, Denver)
Komodo Dragon- Phoenix
 
kiang said:
I'll give it a go.......

Gorilla - NY Bronx Congo forest
Lion - Land of the lions ZSL
African elephant - Cabareceno
Asian elephant - Planckendael
Tiger - HWP
Nile hippo - San Diego zoo
polar bear - HWP
baboon - NY Bronx
koala - Pairi Daiza
panda - National zoo, Washington DC
lemur - Let's say Jersey
Komodo dragon - ZSL

Maybe (or almost certainly) not the best, but perhaps a good starting point.
Click to expand...
Land of the Lions at London Zoo?! You are joking surely.....? There are plenty of better lion exhibits in the UK, let alone Europe or the rest of the world! There must be plenty of better Komodo Dragon exhibits too( Colchester for a start).
 
My Turn.

Gorilla - Schmutzer Primate Center
Lion - Givskud Zoo
African Elephant - Dallas Zoo
Asian Elephant - African Lion Safari Canada
Tiger - Jacksonville Zoo
Nile Hippopotamus - Berlin Zoo
Polar Bear - Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Baboon - Knowsley Safari Park
Koala - San Diego Zoo
Giant Panda - Everland Resort
Lemur - Duke Lemur Center
Komodo Dragon - ZSL London Zoo
 
Might aswell give it a go (Only of zoos I have actually been to and seen the exhibit)
Gorilla: Dublin Zoo
Lion: West Midland Safari Park
African Elephant: Knowsley
Asian Elephant: Dublin/Chester
Tiger: ZSL London Zoo
Common Hippo: Flamingo Land/WMSP
Polar Bear: Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Baboon: Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Koala: Edinburgh
Panda: Edinburgh
Lemur: ZSL London Zoo
Komodo Dragon: Chester Zoo
 
Best I've seen

Gorilla -> San Diego Zoo
Lion -> Basel
African elephant -> none convincing enough
Asian elephant -> Zurich // Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Sri Lanka
Tiger -> Australia Zoo // San Diego (? my memory is blurry on both)
Nile hippo -> San Diego Zoo (architectonically: Berlin)
polar bear -> Vienna
baboon -> Zurich (Gelada)
koala -> animal rescue stations in Australia generally
panda -> Chengdu Panda Base
lemur -> Zurich (Masoala)
Komodo dragon -> none convincing enough

Furthermore
red panda -> Prague
orang utan -> Singapore
brown bear -> Arth Goldau // Skansen
spectacled bear -> Zurich
giant salamander -> Ueno
eagle -> Prague
mountain hoofstock -> Prague
penguins -> Loro Parque
 
Polar bear has to be Detroit zoo
Gorilla is Bronx zoos Congo forest I believe it's called
Giant panda should be national zoo, along with Asian elephants
Nile hippo would either be San Diego Dallas or saint Louis
Cleveland has a very nice koala exhibit but I haven't seen many koala exhibits
Columbus or Cincinnati for African lion?
For an African savannah exhibit it would have to be Columbus, also I believe they have the best bonobo exhibit also in my mine a top five tiger exhibit
Sure you can disagree as this is my opinion but I haven't seen a gigantic number of zoos I probably am incorrect
 
Gorilla - Bronx Zoo
Lion - SD Safari Park
African Elephant - North Carolina Zoo
Tiger - Minnesota Zoo, SD Safari Park
Giant Panda - Smithsonian National Zoo
 
Ones I've seen are in bold:

Gorilla: Lincoln Park (Saint Louis runner-up, NY Bronx)
African elephant: Indianapolis (Dallas)
Asian elephant: Saint Louis (Smithsonian runner-up)
Tiger: San Diego
Nile Hippo: San Diego (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
Polar Bear: Brookfield (Detroit)
Baboon: Phoenix (NY Bronx)
Koala: San Diego (Los Angeles runner-up)
Panda: Smithsonian (I've also seen San Diego & Memphis, neither are even close)
Lemur: Smithsonian (outdoor exhibit with waterfall) (San Francisco)
Komodo Dragon: San Diego/Phoenix
 
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