Biggest, bestest, exhibit of all time..!

NZ Jeremy

NZ Jeremy

Well-Known Member
snowleopard said:
Perhaps someone should start a new thread, if there isn't one already, on the best multi-million dollar zoo exhibits. We could analyze these massive investments and begin to nitpick on the qualities and detrimental side effects of each. I agree that at many locations there is a lot of money being tossed around, but there are not many outstanding exhibits being built that justify the enormous cost.
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Snowleopard has thrown down the gauntlet...
Its like Jim Carey vs Matthew Broederick @ Medieval Times in The Cable Guy...

What is the biggest, bestest, most impressive exhibit of all time (well actually lets limit it too since 2000)..!

- Wild Asia or GSO at Taronga Zoo..? (Total over AU $100 million..!)
- The $135 million Arctic exhibit at Calgary Zoo..? (That one's for you Snowleopard..!)
- The $180 million LA Zoo is spending (or has spent) on Gorillas, Elephants, Golden Monkeys, entrance etc...
- San Diego's $40 million + Elephant oddysey..?
- Chesters &50 million (Thats a pound sign!), "Superzoo"..?
- The Columbus "Waterpark/Superzoo" development..?

European guys help me out, not sure of the (likely) fantastic exhibits in construction (or planned) in Europe..?

Should the money have been spent on something else..? Should half the money in each of these investments been spent in-situ..?

So let the debate begin what IS the best exhibit of all time (educationally, for conservation, research and entertainment)..?

Let the vs. games begin..!
 
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Well-done, close to perfection:

- Burger's Bush, Desert and Ocean at Burger's Zoo Arnhem
- Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo

Well-done:

- Rio Negro exhibit at Duisburg Zoo
- Indonesian Rainforest, Zoo Praha
- Africa from near, Zoo Praha (not multi million i think, but a very well done exhibit of many small mammals)
- Playa Pinguinos, Emmen Zoo (high in education and a perfect, huge pinguin exhibit)

Heared is well done:
- Masaola Rainforest, Zurich Zoo
- Total rebuild of the old (and very bad) Ruhr Zoo Gelsenkirchen to "Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen"
- Orang-house, Hamburg Zoo
- Hippo exhibit, Berlin Zoo

Looking forward too:
- Elephant house, Copenhagen Zoo (but seeing what happened at Cologne, also very afraid)

For me, total loss and waste of money:
- Elephant exhibit, Cologne Zoo

edit: Really curious about the Lied Jungle and Desert Dome exhibits at Omaha's Henrly Doorly Zoo and the Journey to Atlantis exhibit at San Diego's Sea World
 
jwer said:
Well-done, close to perfection:

- Burger's Bush, Desert and Ocean at Burger's Zoo Arnhem
- Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo

Well-done:

- Rio Negro exhibit at Duisburg Zoo
- Indonesian Rainforest, Zoo Praha
- Africa from near, Zoo Praha (not multi million i think, but a very well done exhibit of many small mammals)
- Playa Pinguinos, Emmen Zoo (high in education and a perfect, huge pinguin exhibit)

Heared is well done:
- Masaola Rainforest, Zurich Zoo
- Total rebuild of the old (and very bad) Ruhr Zoo Gelsenkirchen to "Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen"
- Orang-house, Hamburg Zoo
- Hippo exhibit, Berlin Zoo

Looking forward too:
- Elephant house, Copenhagen Zoo (but seeing what happened at Cologne, also very afraid)

For me, total loss and waste of money:
- Elephant exhibit, Cologne Zoo

edit: Really curious about the Lied Jungle and Desert Dome exhibits at Omaha's Henrly Doorly Zoo and the Journey to Atlantis exhibit at San Diego's Sea World
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I've been to zoom erlebniswelt; it's indeed quite well done and has very good exhibits, though some do miss somethings. By the way, this zoo sadly greatly lacks in education.
I might post some pictures or it soon though, so watch out for that.

I agree on Burgers' zoo and the oceanium : they are very nicely done and I love them. Just for the oceanium (except the penguins, though) I'd go back to rotterdam.
Just for the bush and the desert I'd go back to arnhem.
I posted some pics of bush and desert in the gallery, for the ones unknowing.

btw, may I be so free to ask why you do not like the cologne elephant house ? I haven't been there yet (hope to get there this year, actually) , but from what I've seen on photo, it doesn't look quite so bad.
 
Xerxes said:
btw, may I be so free to ask why you do not like the cologne elephant house ? I haven't been there yet (hope to get there this year, actually) , but from what I've seen on photo, it doesn't look quite so bad.
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Since I bet i'll get more reactions i'll try and explain straight away. First of all, the stables are huge and reasonably well done, but the floor (mostly, if not all) is covered with concrete so in the end they'll spent most of their time inside on concrete.

Outside isn't much better, since their enclosure (apart for the large water feature) is completely barren. Allthough most is sand, it's so compacted (and kept that way) that they're on a hard floor again. There's no place to hide and no shelter outside, and the only play feature are some logs strewn about.

The space (for a brand new huge elephant exhibit) is not very large at all. But for Cologne being a pure City-Zoo and thus being not that big it still means that almost a quarter of the zoo is covered with a monstrous elephant exhibit. Meanwhile other exhibits are old and many suffer adequate space.

It totally rips the park out of proportion, one half is the elephants and the other halve is "the rest" and it feels that way when you are in the park. For me, this Zoo should have tried to keep 1.3 or something in a much smaller scaled and nicer looking exhibit to keep it in scale with the rest...

just my 2 cents.
 
What is the Elephant exhibit at Cologne Zoo like? I really like the look of the one opening in Copenhagen
 
@jwer: Like I wrote before: the Lied Jungle has many, many flaws.

"The" perfect exhibit? Still looking for it...Usually, I rather fall for small and in comparison to those "mega"-buildings inexpensive exhibits like the ozelot exhibit in Aschersleben ( a rather small East German zoo) that usually have a way better cost-benefit ratio, especially on the long run.
 
I agree sometimes inexpensive and smaller exhibits can be very good. I've seen some very good ones on that respect too. And hey, even an ugly exhibit can still be good to the animal.
I've seen very good mega-exhibits and mega-houses myself, but also some I don't like as much.
 
@Xerxes: The question is: have You seen these mega-exhibits from every angle, especially from the point of view of the ones (both humans & animals) that have to deal with it ever day? And from that of experts? I'm still quite often surprised when pointed out the more or less obvious flaws in new zoo buildings by long-term experienced zoo staff or people of other professions covering aspects of the building and maintaining of such houses (f.e. architects, pest control...).
 
I would mainly agree with jwer.

jwer said:
Heared is well done:
(...)
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Masoala Rainforest, Zurich Zoo - The best exhibit build I know.
(build, that is - many exhibits which are fencing a chunk of natural habitat are better).

Orang-house, Hamburg Zoo - very good
Jungle World, Bronx zoo - very good

Mixed feeling:
Congo Gorilla Forest, Bronx zoo
- good education, but smallish and lots of disguised high-voltage
Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen
- enclosures good except moose, but kitschy with ghosts etc.
Hippo exhibit, Berlin Zoo
- great indoors, but outside small.
Elephant park, Cologne
- Agreed. Good for elephants, but empty and ugly architecture. BTW, ground indoors was sand, at least so I remember.

Some naturalistic exhibits are great, because they are natural:
- snow leopards in Zurich (fenced hillside)
- snow leopards in Rostock, Germany (fenced forest)

I'm curious about: polar bears in Scandinavian wildlife park, Tropic World in Brookfield, Chicago, great aquarium in Cancun, Mexico. Anybody seen them?

And anybody knows how much Desert and Jungle in Arnhem costed?
 
Sun Wukong said:
@Xerxes: The question is: have You seen these mega-exhibits from every angle, especially from the point of view of the ones (both humans & animals) that have to deal with it ever day? And from that of experts? I'm still quite often surprised when pointed out the more or less obvious flaws in new zoo buildings by long-term experienced zoo staff or people of other professions covering aspects of the building and maintaining of such houses (f.e. architects, pest control...).
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In understand the problem. The ones that design them, sadly don't know too much of it and don't get enough talk with the ones who do.
They should get more information and do more talking. If they did, such flaws would be eliminated.
I've looke carefully at a lot, but alass not seen much of the things behind the scenes. I do have talked to some people that know more than I do, but not much to keepers.
I've seen quite a bit of these mega-exhibit, although not all and not enough to clearly judge.
Look, I'm open to your opinion, and I agree to some extent; I'm also open to information. I know some of these exhibits are sadly flawed.
In my opinion, in recent years only money and visitors are considered well enough. Not animals and staff, which saddens me.
But it still is my right to like these exhibits. I just... like those things.
I might be less experienced in zoos then you are.

@ Jurek ,about zoom erlebniswelt. The ghosts are kitschy and so is the Alaska attraction. I do like some of the theming. Good zoo, in my opinion ,but it does miss some things (education there to be my main point).
I don't know how much Arnhem's mega-halls costed. The only things I know is they costed a great lot back then. Sadly, I have no values.

Btw - I also know some good ,large exhibits that are not like the huge new mega things. I like the tigers at Ouwehands ,the plains at the beekse bergen safaripark, the monkeys living free in forests in apenheul (monkey park) ,and more.
I'm a big fan of fenced areas of 'nature' (forest, grassland) etc. They can be very good.
 
These exhibits in particular have impressed me!

Basel zoo's african area - new lion/crocdile house, cheetah, wild dogs and small mammals

Berlin zoo's hippo house
Frankfurts asian cat house
Emmens north american area
Zurichs masola hall
 
In terms of money spent, Gorilla Kingdom at London has been a let down for me (obviously, it has been mentioned on these forums previously by other members). For £5 million, I expected something more "foresty" and more stimulating for the gorillas. The interpretation on it is good however...

Masaola appears magnificent from the photos
Realm of the Red Ape is a personal favourite for me, mainly because I've seen nearly every square inch of it and Orangs are my favourite animals ;) . It pulls off the Asian forest feel well and the Orangs have much more room than in the previous house (which i liked, but knew it wasn't the best)

There are probably more but i'm having a bit of a block at the moment...
 
@Xerxes: Once again, this was no personal rebuke; I just stated why it's difficult to say "This mega-building is great" as we don't know what hidden flaws it might contain.

We, and this is again addressed to all, also have to remember that a "perfect" exhibit for a zoofan is not always a perfect exhibit for the average zoo visitor. In fact, I have heard quite a few visitors complain at the Masoala Exhibit that they didn't see enough or any animals at all, even though there is helpful staff around trying to help them spot animals. Another flaw in regard to "Masoala": it's easily overcrowded.

Additionally, I'm also doubtful that the often non-economical "mega-zoo buildings" convey the right message in terms of environmental protection & pollution control, especially if You find Philippine Teak products for sale in such a zoo building next to a "Save the Rainforest" poster...The anti-zoo lobby loves to dig its claws into this aspect, and they are partly correct; yet a combination of zoo & national park like in Masoala/Zürich's case is one possibilty how the wish of western zoogoers for a "rainforest experience" can be combined with a conservation plan. Hope this could also be true for some of the other "mega-buildings" mentioned...
 
Sorry sun. I had no intention of creating a conflict; I was just stating my thought on the matter.
And indeed, I agree on what you are saying. I am recently quite disturbed by the lack of openness in many zoos. They all seem to hide things.
Easy to pick on, isn't it ?

I haven't seen the exhibit at Zürich, as it's a bit out of reach for me currently, but I've heard similar things about other exhibits, including the halls in Burgers' zoo and the new asian hall at my local animal park (planckendael).
I'm afraid many zoo visitors aren't yet that much into the search the animal or biome thing.
I admit I've had to get used to it. I guess many just want to see the animal right away, preferably in front of their eyes.
I guess it's a bit of a problem.

Additionally, I'm also doubtful that the often non-economical "mega-zoo buildings" convey the right message in terms of environmental protection & pollution control, especially if You find Philippine Teak products for sale in such a zoo building next to a "Save the Rainforest" poster...The anti-zoo lobby loves to dig its claws into this aspect, and they are partly correct; yet a combination of zoo & national park like in Masoala/Zürich's case is one possibilty how the wish of western zoogoers for a "rainforest experience" can be combined with a conservation plan. Hope this could also be true for some of the other "mega-buildings" mentioned...
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Again, nail on the head.
The same can be said of zoos still getting plants (don't mind that so much) and animals (mostly fish, but also others) from the wild.
Look ,they have an educational function for sure. But then again, shouldn't they be giving the right example of what they are trying to teach people ? of course.
Should they combine these halls with in-situ ? of course.
I'm afraid it's not true for many exhibits. Too bad ; they're missing a chance.
A chance for education, a chance for conservation and a chance to withstand the arguments of the anti-zoo lobby.
 
There are no perfect exhibits in the world, and the majority of zoo enclosures are either much too small or don't have enough enrichment for the captive animals. Having said that, there are many good but not great exhibits worldwide.

Zurich Zoo: the Masoala Hall seems to be a contentious exhibit according to some members of ZooBeat, but I think that it is terrific. The snow leopard enclosure, with an awfully steep wall of rock, is also arguably the best exhibit around for that particular species of cat.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: enormous one million gallon tank that sometimes holds great white sharks is impressive for its size, while the 28 foot high kelp forest tank is amazing to see. The whole aquarium is packed with tiny yet informative exhibits. They are currently renovating for their numerous species of penguins, and so I'm looking forward to one day seeing the improvements there.

Denver Zoo: the "Predator Ridge" enclosure won best new exhibit in North America when it opened, even though it could be much bigger. The rotating african wild dogs, spotted hyenas and lions make for interesting viewing. The Denver Zoo is opening in 2009 a $40 million, rotation exhibit with malayan tapirs, greater one-horned rhinos, asian elephants, and a number of other species. It will cover 10 acres and their website has all the details.

San Diego: the exhibits for bonobos, polar bears and the new "monkey trails and forest tales" section of the zoo all have some flaws but overall are very well done.

Adelaide Zoo: for a small zoo they've done well with their southeast Asia immersion section: malayan tapirs, gibbons, orangutans and especially the sumatran tigers all have great enclosures that are comparable to the Asian sections at Taronga and Melbourne.

Seattle: 6 award-winning exhibits, with a great orangutan forest that is looked down upon from a curving boardwalk. The grizzly bear enclosure is regarded as one of the best around for that species.
 
Some of those construction cost estimates can be a little misleading . Calgary is in the midst of such a construction boom that costs are escalating over 18% a year. The original planned "Discovery Project" would cost the Calgary Zoo over 200 million today (a couple of years later). The same project in other regions of the country or world would cost considerably less. Partially in response to these soaring costs features of the project have already been cut. Without federal investment a large portion of the already trimmed project will not be feasible. Federal funding is not assured at this point and US economic instability could further threaten investments.

Personally, I wasn't keen on the implementation of the components of the plan that have been dropped. Besides my concerns about the difficulty of acquiring Beluga whales and their husbandry I thought they would effervesce a cauldron mixture of controversy about the Zoo, which indeed has happened.

All the plans for the Arctic Shores and Antarctic Landing (105 million of the 133 million revised Project Discovery) have been kept rather secretively, especially in light of criticisms launched by ZooCheck Canada. The few drawings I've managed to find and the few snippets of information I've gathered have revealed the following features:
Originally envisioned as a project that would globally revolutionize modern Zoo practices of animal husbandry, exhibitry, interpretation, education, and cultural connections. In addition it was planned to contribute to economic development of the North, particularly in the tourism industry.
10 million litres of water (for belugas, seals, and polar bears, probably considerably less now that the beluga section has been axed)
underground below water viewing tunnels for all animals
Areas to dig, climb, and swim
Built in enrichment devices like extensive use of live fish dispensers
Multiple pools for the polar bears (hopefully providing a means of separating different individuals or groups).
High polar bear vantage points that would permit visuals fields over many kilometers
Classrooms adjacent to the exhibit spaces for both penguins and arctic animals (would bring the Zoo total to over 6 separate classroom facilities)
Multiple levels like underground penguin exhibits below terracing for a restaurant and other features (presumedly to save space)
Around 300,000 square feet, although I think this total wouldn't include the square footage on each "floor"


Hmmm..that was a little long, but if anyone is still curious about this project I would be more than happy to discuss it :)
 
The more info the better..!

Do you know of any good links..? I've had a quick look at the zoo's website...
 
Cologne's elephant park is quite impressive, I thought. The indoor surface definitely looks like concrete but I didn't get a close look - it could equally be a rubberised material such as Chester have employed. The outside space is relatively barren (save for a lot of fake rock and a couple of pools) but it was interesting to see the elephants making full use of the space and moving around as a herd, something I've not seen at Chester. The surface is compacted sand but I observed one of the eles digging up the ground with its feet Architecturally, it might not be wonderful, but it is a lot more interesting than some recent elephant houses (again, dare I mention Chester....). It's not really possible to get a good impression of the whole building from outside, but from the inside the roof is an impressive sight.

I would agree with the comment that it is out of scale with the rest of the zoo. Maybe as the site continues to develop and some of the older, more cramped enclosures are replaced with more spacious ones, that problem will be less evident.
 
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