Best place for a zoo to be

animalszoos

animalszoos

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Basically already stated in the title: Where do you think the best place is for a zoo to be?

I think inside a city (like Amsterdam or London) limits space a lot, however I prefer zoos to be less than 1 hour drive away from the city centre.

Can you think of any zoos that are in a great location?
 
I think the San Diego Zoo and safari park are both located in locations ideal for zoos. Both are in a mild climate with solid temperature year round, that has fertile soil for dense vegetation and expansive hills with geography that makes for unique and interesting designs for architecture.

They are also both in a large tourist city, that brings people worldwide in, something that definitely boosts attendance. They may not be the best for cold climate animals, but both the zoo and safari park are just for warm weather animals.
 
d1am0ndback said:
I think the San Diego Zoo and safari park are both located in locations ideal for zoos. Both are in a mild climate with solid temperature year round, that has fertile soil for dense vegetation and expansive hills with geography that makes for unique and interesting designs for architecture.

They are also both in a large tourist city, that brings people worldwide in, something that definitely boosts attendance. They may not be the best for cold climate animals, but both the zoo and safari park are just for warm weather animals.
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I agree with this. It would be neat to see some zoos in colder climates with a focus on those species.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, I hope I'm doing this the right way.
Currently working on a fictional zoo and the first step was deciding where it would be.
I'm thinking about a few cities but I'd like you guys to tell me what would be the best zoo location in your opinion ?

Keep in mind : weather and climate for animals coming from different sides of the world, tourism, politics, geo-political relationships, and maybe more criteria I didn't think about ?
 
In the USA Charlotte, North Carolina and Las Vegas have been discussed as cities with no zoos. Las Vegas has a desert climate whereas Charlotte is subtropical. This might be good in the Fantasy Zoos section.
 
@Arizona Docent Thank you !

I feel like Las Vegas would be terrible for a real zoo. It is waay to hot, it's hard for a human being in a summer day I can't imagine what it's like for an animal. Especially if you want to keep worldwide species, coming from different climates.
My first idea was Singapore, Pulau Tekong. It's an uninhabited island, used for military on a small portion of the island. Singapore gets a lot of tourism, has great relationships all around. Weather is great for all tropical and subtropical species, and pretty much all big mammals who can adapt well enough. Only problem I see is the terrain, I like the San Diego, LA or Doué La Fontaine relief and the folliage evolution between different zones.
Then I thought about Auckland, weather is a bit cooler, in the winter the average temperature is around 11°C which is not too bad. Yearly average temperature is around 15/16° C.
One of the problem would be the New zealand animal importation laws.
 
Las Vegas (Nevada, not to be confused with the one in New Mexico) is not too hot for a zoo. It just needs to focus on animals that are heat tolerant and not have, for example, polar bears or arctic foxes. There are two zoos in Phoenix, Arizona with very large collections that do fine and the temperature there is virtually identical to Las Vegas. There are also two zoos down the highway in Tucson, which is not quite as hot as Phoenix, but still 100 or more Farenheit in summer. The Living Desert in Palm Desert, California, also does quite well focusing on desert wildlife.
 
Rayane said:
@Arizona Docent Thank you !

I feel like Las Vegas would be terrible for a real zoo. It is waay to hot, it's hard for a human being in a summer day I can't imagine what it's like for an animal. Especially if you want to keep worldwide species, coming from different climates.
My first idea was Singapore, Pulau Tekong. It's an uninhabited island, used for military on a small portion of the island. Singapore gets a lot of tourism, has great relationships all around. Weather is great for all tropical and subtropical species, and pretty much all big mammals who can adapt well enough. Only problem I see is the terrain, I like the San Diego, LA or Doué La Fontaine relief and the folliage evolution between different zones.
Then I thought about Auckland, weather is a bit cooler, in the winter the average temperature is around 11°C which is not too bad. Yearly average temperature is around 15/16° C.
One of the problem would be the New zealand animal importation laws.
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Arizona Docent said:
Las Vegas (Nevada, not to be confused with the one in New Mexico) is not too hot for a zoo. It just needs to focus on animals that are heat tolerant and not have, for example, polar bears or arctic foxes. There are two zoos in Phoenix, Arizona with very large collections that do fine and the temperature there is virtually identical to Las Vegas. There are also two zoos down the highway in Tucson, which is not quite as hot as Phoenix, but still 100 or more Farenheit in summer. The Living Desert in Palm Desert, California, also does quite well focusing on desert wildlife.
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The real issue with Las Vegas is that its Las Vegas. Its mostly a travel destination for alcohol, gambling, partying and more alcohol. Not to mention quite high crime rates, and I'm not just referring to the tragic shooting that took place in October. It's a pretty crazy place and all though it gets boatloads of tourists every day, its mostly adults. And I doubt most adults would go to a zoo without their kids (Unless there zoo geeks like us of course :p).
 
As I said elsewhere, the ideal solution for Las Vegas is for the fairly new Springs Preserve to add more animal habitats to the paltry few they have now.
 
Therefore Las Vegas is not the perfect place for a zoo to be, I believe there is somewhere a climate and temperature that allows hosting both desert animals, tropical and maybe not polar bears but definitely cold mountains animals is good condition year round?
 
They should build a big, world class aquarium next to my house. That would be sweet.

In all seriousness... It should be accessible to a lot of people, so within or nearby a city. Being in a big tourist destination is a bonus. Get more people in general, especially if the zoo can market itself as a place worth visiting during your limited time there.
 
Tilburg in Netherlands is within an hour and half of several very good zoos, in it's own country as well as Germany and Belgium. If anyone hears of any jobs going for talentless slobs and cheap digs in the area, let me know :)
 
I think Kahalui on Maui would be a be a great location for a zoo. It has a tropical climate and plenty of tourists to keep it going. I'm not sure how easily a lot of species could be imported to the island though.
 
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