Best UK Zoo Lion enclosure

[britishzoofan]

This is just a bit of fun to judge the general consensus on the best enclosure for Lion's in the UK zoos. 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 perhaps list the enclosures in order of what they determine to be the best.

Unfortunately I couldn't find photos of all exhibits, so if anyone has been to Whipsnade, Howletts, Port Lympne (unsure if on show), Dartmoor, Wingham or Lincolnshire WP could they describe the exhibit, compare it to others and possibly provide photos.

If you want to vote for: Bristol, Chessington, Dudley, Edinburgh, Howletts, South Lakes, Port Lympne, Belfast, Big Cat Sanctuary, Blackpool, Colchester, Combe Martin, Linton, Newquay, Dartmoor, Wingham, Five Sisters, Folly Farm, Borth, Paradise WP, Lincolnshire WP or Isle of Wight then vote for the other option in the poll and post in the thread to highlight which collection you have voted for.

I have chosen to do a separate poll for safari parks because firstly this poll already has numerous options and secondly it is not a direct comparison between zoo and safari park enclosures, especially for Lions.

Bristol (Asiatic)

Cotswold (Asiatic)

Chessington (Asiatic)

Chester (Asiatic)

Dudley (Asiatic)

Whipsnade (Asiatic)

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.

London (Asiatic)

Paignton (Asiatic)

Edinburgh (Asiatic)

Howletts (Barbary)

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.



South Lakes (Barbary)

Port Lympne (Barbary)

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.

Belfast (Barbary)

Big Cat Sanctuary

Blackpool

 

[britishzoofan]

YWP

Colchester

Combe Martin

Africa Alive

Linton

Flamingo Land

Newquay

Dartmoor

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.

Wingham

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.

Noah's Ark

Five Sisters

Folly Farm

Borth

Paradise WP

Lincolnshire WP

Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.

Isle of Wight

 

[amur leopard]

While this should be London given the budget for Land of the Lions, which of course consists of a lot more than what is in the photo, I think YWP is probably just better. Although I will probably change my mind, because of the signage in LOTL and the different viewing opportunities.

 

[britishzoofan]

While this should be London given the budget for Land of the Lions, which of course consists of a lot more than what is in the photo, I think YWP is probably just better. Although I will probably change my mind, because of the signage in LOTL and the different viewing opportunities.

Feel free to provide additional pictures to give members a better overview of exhibits. I have only provided one of each outdoor enclosure to make it a fair competition.

 

[Pertinax]

Whipsnade's are African Lions btw... although I haven't seen it I imagine Chester's new exhibit may score fairly highly in this.

 

[Panthera1981]

Not that I’m trying to influence anything, but there are FAR more superior lion exhibits than London’s offering!

Considering the obscene amount of money that was thrown at it, the end result could and should have been a lot better IMO.

 

[pipaluk]

Not that I’m trying to influence anything, but there are FAR more superior lion exhibits than London’s offering!

Considering the obscene amount of money that was thrown at it, the end result could and should have been a lot better IMO.

I agree, there are plenty of better enclosures than London's, most built at a fraction of the cost!

 

[James Barber]

I prefer Folly Farm's Lion enclosure due to the theming around it and the themed indoor viewing area. I have yet to see Chester's new enclosure.

 

[britishzoofan]

Whipsnade's are African Lions btw... although I haven't seen it I imagine Chester's new exhibit may score fairly highly in this.

Thanks on zootierliste they were listed as Asiatic.

Yes, you would expect Chester to do well in this category considering it is a new exhibit and their performance in past polls where they have won the most votes in 7/11. However, that is not the case at the moment.

 

[britishzoofan]

I agree, there are plenty of better enclosures than London's, most built at a fraction of the cost!

Of course construction costs will be much higher in London, yet despite that it does appear to still have cost a lot of money. As an aside the amount of money spent on the enclosure shouldn't really matter too much in this poll (although some members may choose to take it into account).

 

[ShonenJake13]

Yorkshire’s easily win out here - simple yet effective, large space, lovely landscaping, and most importantly suit multiple rescue groups which is what they have!

London’s should arguably be the best but theming shouldn’t be what gives a zoo the win. Likewise, Chester’s new enclosure is lovely but until the foliage starts to grow out a bit more it’s pretty barren.

 

[Tau]

I have voted 'Other' for Folly Farm.

My reasoning is that at £500,000 it is a reasonable budget compared to most other enclosures at larger zoos. For one group of lions it has extensive indoor housing with multiple dens, yard spaces and two large outside enclosures with good public viewing and educational spaces.

 

[pipaluk]

Thanks on zootierliste they were listed as Asiatic.

Yes, you would expect Chester to do well in this category considering it is a new exhibit and their performance in past polls where they have won the most votes in 7/11. However, that is not the case at the moment.

Whipsnade did hold Asiatic lions from London off show whilst the new lion exhibit was being built around 2015 and then a couple more imported ones after that.

 

[Panthera1981]

Of course construction costs will be much higher in London, yet despite that it does appear to still have cost a lot of money. As an aside the amount of money spent on the enclosure shouldn't really matter too much in this poll (although some members may choose to take it into account).

My argument is WHAT the money was spent on!

I like the langur area and welcomed the increased space for the lions. BUT...to give over a significant amount of worthy exhibit space to extortionately-priced guest lodges really grinds my gears! Space at Regents Park is at a premium due to many factors, but this concept works far better at Whipsnade. I’d be very interested to know how much money these lodges take when compared to Whipsnade’s.

 

[TNT]

I've noticed that Wolds is missing from the list - but as it would unlikely receive any votes, it's not a huge deal.

Also, I would imagine that the Lions at Noahs now have access to the whole big cat complex since the death of Kahn the tiger. There are 4 paddocks and a large house which is deserving of some recognition. Shown below:


The clear winner for me is YWP - Three large exhibits that are all very different from one another, alongside substantial housing.

 

[britishzoofan]

I've noticed that Wolds is missing from the list - but as it would unlikely receive any votes, it's not a huge deal.

Also, I would imagine that the Lions at Noahs now have access to the whole big cat complex since the death of Kahn the tiger. There are 4 paddocks and a large house which is deserving of some recognition. Shown below:
View attachment 439509

The clear winner for me is YWP - Three large exhibits that are all very different from one another, alongside substantial housing.

Thanks for pointing out Wolds holds them. I missed them for Brown Bears as well. Guessing zootierliste has not been updated for that collection.

 

[TNT]

Thanks for pointing out Wolds holds them. I missed them for Brown Bears as well. Guessing zootierliste has not been updated for that collection.

Wold's is very new, and only recently received their zoo licence. They currently have 3.1 lions, in two separate groups; A 2.0 pair that have been at the zoo for a few years, and a 1.1 pair that are more recent additions.

 

[Sand Cat]

Yorkshire’s easily win out here - simple yet effective, large space, lovely landscaping, and most importantly suit multiple rescue groups which is what they have!

London’s should arguably be the best but theming shouldn’t be what gives a zoo the win. Likewise, Chester’s new enclosure is lovely but until the foliage starts to grow out a bit more it’s pretty barren.

Absolutely! Plus the fact that YWP took in rescued animals and they effectively learned to become lions again as they were provided with a stimulating environment. That one gets my vote - although I do like the one at Suffolk too.

 

[Tau]

The clear winner for me is YWP - Three large exhibits that are all very different from one another, alongside substantial housing.

The enclosures at Yorkshire Wildlife Park are indeed very impressive and it was very close for me to consider in comparison to Folly Farm but the lion housing at Folly is greater with multiple large dens and large yards for the lions in comparison to the den or so for each lion group at YWP. That and the second enclosure for the same group made me sway towards Folly but I do agree with you that the YWP enclosure is certainly very impressive and at a level most zoos should aim for to keep lions nowadays.

 

[TNT]

The enclosures at Yorkshire Wildlife Park are indeed very impressive and it was very close for me to consider in comparison to Folly Farm but the lion housing at Folly is greater with multiple large dens and large yards for the lions in comparison to the den or so for each lion group at YWP. That and the second enclosure for the same group made me sway towards Folly but I do agree with you that the YWP enclosure is certainly very impressive and at a level most zoos should aim for to keep lions nowadays.

I will agree there, the Folly housing is very impressive - they actually visited Noah's Ark, and the indoor system is based on theirs... Just on a larger scale