Devilfish's year of adventures

I've posted the Zoorasia species list, and have uploaded my photos from Sunshine Aquarium.

Two new advancements:

1. Next trip booked - leaving in the morning for Egypt followed by a few days in Athens and then Amsterdam.

2. I had a 'lightbulb moment' a few months ago when wondering how best to better my chances at seeing some large rare mammals in the wild: I thought of a long-range thermal imaging camera. So I saved up for one, but feared that it would join my snakehook and portable hummingbird feeder in the pile of nice things I often travel with but rarely (if ever) get used. So I was excited by the release of the 'Seek Reveal', a portable thermal imaging device with a 150-metre range. I bought it, and it was a really nice novelty for a while. Today I returned it. The field of view was quite narrow, photo quality too grainy, screen too bright, and there was no video function - making it a rather quaint but impractical device for my needs.
 
devilfish said:
2. I had a 'lightbulb moment' a few months ago when wondering how best to better my chances at seeing some large rare mammals in the wild: I thought of a long-range thermal imaging camera. So I saved up for one, but feared that it would join my snakehook and portable hummingbird feeder in the pile of nice things I often travel with but rarely (if ever) get used. So I was excited by the release of the 'Seek Reveal', a portable thermal imaging device with a 150-metre range. I bought it, and it was a really nice novelty for a while. Today I returned it. The field of view was quite narrow, photo quality too grainy, screen too bright, and there was no video function - making it a rather quaint but impractical device for my needs.
Click to expand...
I've thought about getting a night-vision scope for watching nocturnal animals, but never have because the quality ones are expensive and they are only of real use if one is stationary (e.g. in a hide) not while out walking around. In some situations it would be brilliant, but most of the time not so much.
 
Chlidonias said:
I thought it was a goblin shark! And I am very very jealous.

This aquarium sounds huge! From your post at least four cetacean species...
Click to expand...

Actually at least 5 species of cetacean if you include the pilot whale: looking through my photos I can clearly see that what I assumed were pilot whales in the show were actually Pseudorca. Sorry!

I have also been informed that the goblin shark survived for a further four days.
 
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Tokyo - Tokyo Tower Aquarium

(Next. This review has been holding up the rest of them as I was hoping to properly count the diverse range of taxa on display from memory and looking through my photos. Unfortunately that’s turned out to be an enormous task, and one which I’m not convinced will be of great interest. Let me know if you’re after a species list or more detail about animals on display.)

I wasn't actually aware of this aquarium until I read about its existence on my first afternoon in Japan.

At the base of Japan's tallest tower is a relatively small aquarium. A few different rooms packed with various fish, mostly freshwater species, from around the world. Packed with various fish. Perhaps a good way to visualise it would be if you think of each room as if it's a pet shop which doesn't actually sell the fish.

Entry is through the shop, buying an expensive ticket at the till. At over ¥1000, the ticket is more than double the price of a tourist ticket to Ueno zoo.

The aquarium is effectively one long hall which is partitioned either by rows of tanks or by more substantial barriers.

The first area is a small foyer with a marine tank built into the wall, some small vivaria for reasonably common 'pet' herps, and a wall of small tanks which features an amazing assortment of unusual pufferfish.

Next is an open space for marine fish. Signage here is very poor. Most fish are in a two-tier row of tanks, with the highlights being a group of mixed morays and a couple of (what I think are) snake eels, but some interesting fish are spread across the reef tanks. An interesting feature in this room is another small wall of little tanks, this time almost each housing pistol shrimps in combination with a young reef fish. The quirky includes a small overhead acrylic tunnel housing bigeyes and soldierfish, although this elongated side - on cylinder appeared to be a standalone tank, rather than a connecting unit. A couple of tanks squeezed in some reasonably large inhabitants, like one for green moray and another for a Napoleon fish. Other tanks here included a mixed display for lionfish & a remora, as well as seahorse and jellyfish tanks.

The next area is similar, though the tanks here are a little more uniform. Two tiers of ‘pet shop tanks’ with a row of slightly larger tanks in the middle of the walkway. A lot of white shiny plastic here gives off a dentist’s clinic vibe too. This long open space focusses on South American fauna and is partly divided by an inadequate tank for giant freshwater fish, including pacu, redtail and ripsaw catfish and alligator gar.
The fish displayed here are an amazing showcase of South American freshwater diversity. The piranha and catfish collections stand out in particular. An amazing 14 species of serrasalmid (piranha family members) are on display, and many more catfish species, including blue whale catfish and gilded catfish. The amazing selection of fish continues down the hall and past the tank for giant freshwater fish. A lot of the tanks have little if any cover for the fish and some have no substrate; this might be less of an issue for tetras in one of the larger tanks but it struck me as highly inadequate for many of the catfish. It also made photography difficult as the fish would have their heads burrowed into the furthest corner from me.

At the end of the South American hall, a pair of alligator snapping turtles are kept separately, and a standalone cichlid tank (partially submerged in another tank) marks a transition into Africa. Many bichir taxa are kept in the surrounding tanks, along with other interesting inhabitants such as goliath tigerfish.

Across is a wall of tanks housing a remarkable 8 species of mormyrid (or more), often alongside various bichirs. I must admit that I’d have mostly been very lost here were it not for the labels on the tanks, which were generally quite accurate and thorough throughout, even if sometimes all they’d have in roman characters was the scientific name. They’re quite small and reminiscent of those in pet shops; you almost expect to find a price on each label given the atmosphere of the aquarium.

The collection’s comprehensive effort continues with an array of Synodontis species, some unusual catfish, slender lungfish and three morphs of marbled lungfish. Beyond this area is the Asian section, with several knifefish, more catfish (including a giant goonch), snakeheads, carp (including bighead and Siamese giant carp), a giant mottled eel and some Australasian species (rainbowfish, bonytongues).

On the way to the shop (and exit) from here, a long pond lines the side of the path, and houses koi, some other carps, and a New Guinea snapping turtle. A couple of tanks for various goldfish/shubunkins by the door are the last to be seen on the way out of the aquarium.

Overall not an aquarium I'd like to live in if I were a fish; a little overcrowded and bland at times. I was reminded a bit of my visit to Melaka's Coral Wonderland in Malaysia - perhaps more because of the surprising array of unusual fish. Conditions here do seem better, but in places they are certainly inadequate. Almost every enclosure would appear adequate in a pet shop but as a public institution with a less rapid turnover (I would hope!) and with the need to educate the public about habitats and what a tank should consistently look like, I would expect much better. Although the labelling is good, it would have been nice to see more of an educational effort here.
 
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Tokyo - Sumida Aquarium

Taking a leaf from other zoochatters, I've decided to try and embed photos into this report to make it a little easier to read:


In an attempt to free up the following day, whilst at the top of the Tokyo tower I suggested to my friend that we visit the skytree tower the same evening. That way we'd get an aerial view of Tokyo by night and we'd tick off another attraction from our list. Ideally the next day could then be spent at Tama zoo.

Another incentive was that Sumida aquarium, at the base of the skytree tower, was open late into the evening.
We managed to squeeze in a few more sights, and got to Sumida aquarium almost 2 hours before closing time.

We agreed to meet up after 1.5h so that we'd have time to buy tickets and get up the skytree tower before last entry.

The first room in the aquarium showcases tropical freshwater fish in magnificent tanks. There weren't any fish I noticed which aren't commonly available in the trade, but the well-planted 'aquascapes' look very impressive.



Given the lack of unusual animals but outstanding beauty of this aquarium so far, I got the impression that I might not need more than an hour here.

I was proven wrong even by the next exhibit; a jellyfish display with at least 8 species on display, including at least two comb jelly taxa. A large tank for mature moon jellies would have been better used for giant Echizen jellies, but the wall of Kreisel tanks for less common jellies and a 'lab' with glass windows for visitors to look in were very nice touches.



Next were some darkened enclosures for 'deep sea' creatures (spiny lobster, isopods, flashlight fish...), with a series of jewel tanks across the way housing an interesting array of small fish and invertebrates; among these were yellow garden eels. Some freshwater species dot the next open space, including a tank for several Japanese eels. This area features images of the works of the artist Hokusai, who is most famous for his views of Mount Fuji - the Great Wave off Kanagawa being the most famous of these, and providing inspiration to many, including the logo of the 'Quiksilver' brand.
A wide viewing window into the top of the ocean tank ('Tokyo tank') stretches along a wall to the right and spreads to the lower floor, whilst the exhibition space opens up with views over rails on the left over the large indoor penguin pool on the lower floor, and on the right to the main tall viewing window into the Tokyo Tank, a large tank featuring sandtiger sharks, moray eels, several rays and various smaller fish.

After this space are a row of four long parallel tanks exhibiting coral reef life. One of these is a beautiful, well-lit but fairly standard reef tank, another very similar but featuring the stunning wrought iron butterflyfish. Although I would see it again throughout the trip, it was incredible to get good views of this taxon: imagine an outline of a butterflyfish which someone has frantically crosshatched with a grey and white pens, but neater, with a bright yellow rim to the tail and posterior fins. I decided that this is one of my favourite fish, and that I believe nothing pulls of the colour yellow as well as a butterflyfish.



Also in this area were a tank for larger fish including some native small sharks, and a seabed tank exhibiting a further three species of garden eel (white-spotted, along with the more common spotted and splendid species).



From here there are two ways to get to the lower floor; a winding ramp over the penguin and fur seal pools, or a sloping corridor lined with mirrors, screens and jellyfish tanks. Very impressive.
A small, darkened viewing area for the Tokyo tank juts off at the end of this corridor, with the main viewing window round the corner.

Also in this area are a set of small tanks holding Tokyo salamander, ricefish and freshwater gobies. Ornamental fish in a variety of tanks then dot the path towards the underwater viewing windows for the fur seal pool with a small tunnel too. Beyond this are some medium sized tanks for some native marine species, including two giant spiny lobster specimens held individually.



In front of the penguin viewing windows are a trio of what appear to be touchpools, each holding a young green turtle - they appeared to be a matter of weeks/months old. I think the penguin pool is alleged to be Japan's largest indoor penguin enclosure (but advertising is a little less straightforward) - effectively a rocky area surrounded by water, with acrylic walls altering underwater viewing all around. Raised viewing areas and the aforementioned upper floors allow better views of the penguins' land area. Part of this complex is taken up by a small enclosure for a pair of South American fur seals. After this, a few mini tanks held 'romantic' fish by the exit in celebration of Valentine’s Day (kissing gourami etc.).



I found this to be a very pleasant aquarium. I thought it was a great balance between suiting the visiting public and the nerdy enthusiast. Aesthetically pleasing, a reasonable size, and overall a very enjoyable visit. I felt the Tokyo tank was maybe a little underwhelming; views from each area were a little dissatisfying, photography difficult and the blue lighting used distorts the impression members of the public can take from the tank.

I felt that if asked to recommend one Tokyo aquarium to a visiting friend (who is not an enthusiast), this would probably be it. A lot could be better - better lighting and hiding places for fish, some of the enclosures could be more spacious - but the typical visitor experience is very impressive. With an interesting selection of taxa on display it’s a very interesting aquarium.

Despite my efforts and careful schemes, we spent the following day in Disneyland. Still brilliant, but Tama would have been nice! I couldn't complain though - I had promised to compromise this trip, and although I'd suggested I might only visit two zoos during our time in Japan, within 36 hours of landing my friend had already waited outside three aquaria while I made unscheduled visits.
 
Just thought I'd post that I've been really enjoying this thread, and your many pictures in the galleries! :)
 
Tokyo - Tokyo Sea Life Park

I had some trouble working out which collections to visit on my last full day in Tokyo.

Ueno was one of my two priority collections for the trip, but Tama seemed to have a stronger native collection, king cheetah and has a mole house. Because of location and ease of access, it had to be Ueno. So I went to Ueno following what was supposed to be a quick visit to Tokyo Sea Life Park. Run by the Tokyo Zoological Park Society, the same organisation as Ueno and Tama zoos (among others), as it's not too far from Ueno I thought the collections might work well with each other. It wasn't as easy as I had hoped though.

Getting ready in the morning, I was in the bathroom when the room and everything inside started to shake as if on a train. Nothing major, and nothing fell on the floor, but it was my first Japanese earthquake.

I got to the park around 30 minutes after opening. It is located by the sea outside the city centre, in another complex with amusement rides. Apparently bird-watching can frequently be fruitful, with sightings of black-faced spoonbill reported. Unfortunately I didn't have the time or the lenses to take advantage of this.

The aquarium complex consists of a main building, with an outdoor wetlands route which follows a stream.

Entry to the main building is via a large glass dome with ongoing building work.
Around the dome is an infinity pond. On clear days, as on my visit, Mount Fuji is visible despite being over 100 km away.



Once in the main building, an escalator takes visitors down to the aquarium proper - starting the visit on the upper floor. A tank for scalloped hammerheads, and a viewing area for the main tank which stars schools of bluefin tuna are highlights here. The tuna tank is actually a large track which encloses an auditoríum, with two deeper areas. 360° viewing is available from the auditorium with large viewing windows around the outside too.



On the lower floor, the route starts with an exhibit called 'the seas of the world'; a series of tanks in clusters of 4-5 focusing on a different ocean system. Interestingly, animals displayed here have been sourced from different aquaria around the world, which are proudly listed by each tank cluster. As with many Japanese aquaria, the highlight here was the deep sea area, with Japanese sawsharks and several other interesting beasts.



After passing through the Tuna auditoríum, the next attraction is a huge outdoor pool displaying life at the shoreline with small tanks around the main pool showcasing smaller fish and invertebrates. Shark and ray touchpools line the path towards the outdoor penguin pool. This is apparently Japan's largest penguin exhibit, and houses Humboldt, rockhopper and king penguins together, with a fenced - off section housing fairy penguins. I only saw one, but it was my first.



Visitors then re - enter the main building to find a large kelp tank, inspired and stocked(?) by Monterey Bay Aquarium.
A corridor is lined by tanks for Japanese marine fish with a seabird enclosure at the end. Tufted puffins and guillemots are held here along with rainbow trout.
An escalator then takes visitors back upstairs to the shop.
After leaving the main building, visitors can take the wetland walk alongside man-made waterways. Two small buildings ('Ponds' and 'streams') each contain one large tank and several smaller enclosures for native life. In between the two buildings is a small pond emulating a rice paddy, it seems, for tiny fish, snails and crustaceans.



Towards one end of this wetland walk is an aviary holding cranes and black-faced spoonbill.

I imagine that a trip would be rounded off nicely with a birdwatching session on the nature reserve. I managed to spend over 3 hours here - much longer than expected, and unfortunately that impacted heavily on my available time at Ueno.
 
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Tokyo - Ueno Zoo

I made it to Ueno Zoo with just under 3 hours for my visit. It seemed like a reasonable amount of time - the zoo looks quite manageable on the map – but I was also aware that I’d been getting slower at visiting zoos in recent months, perhaps as I was putting more emphasis on the quality of some of my photos. The giant panda complex was closed for breeding attempts, so I thought that might save some time, but the real surprises were the animal houses. Two bird houses, a nocturnal house, a reptile house and a small mammal house took a lot more time than expected (I didn’t make it to the aye-ayes.) The number of aviaries on site also pleasantly surprised me.

I was a little surprised by the standard of the zoo. Whereas Zoorasia (which I’d visited the day before) would have comfortably fit at the higher end of European zoos, some of Ueno’s enclosures seemed a lot more bland/average. The zoo itself feels like I’d expect a typical city zoo a couple of decades ago: lots of concrete, lots of animals, great in many places but a little gloomy in others.

Although this was only my second Japanese zoo, and I’m sure Ueno is one of the better collections in the country, I could appreciate the opening comments in Ken Kawata’s recent article for International Zoo News (Dec 2015):
‘From the streets of Paris or New York, the newest fashion surfaces in the streets of Tokyo overnight. The forefront of the top-of-the-line consumer culture is on full display at the capital’s street corner. One assumes that Japan is a modernized Western society floating on the eastern edge of Asia. That, however, symbolizes a skewed observation and may shift as one looks into specific topics. If the visitor happens to be a zoo man, a few minutes after passing a zoo gate he begins to sense something not harmonious with the America-centric and Eurocentric mind. Great apes, large felids and pachyderms are showcased just as in any zoo. Yet exhibit design, size of animal enclosures and the overall ambience do not sit comfortably with the glitter of bustling streets just a few blocks away. Or for that matter, the image of Japan as the economic and industrial giant. Visiting zoo fans could be forgiven for expecting a first-rate zoo here. But if he is an insider of world’s zoos, he would probably place Japan somewhere between the West (Europe and North America) and the Third World. He may also be aware that Japan is one of the countries densely populated by zoos (and aquariums), yet little is known about them in the outside world. There exists a vast vacuum of information and communication that envelopes the arc-shaped archipelago.’

Anyway, being a little less grim, I enjoyed my visit. Sure, there wasn’t a mole house or a king cheetah here, but there were so many endemic animals, unusual beasts and impressive pavilions that I was very happy indeed. It’s also worth noting that there are some very impressive (and historical) buildings on site, including the five-storied pagoda.


In terms of collection, I keep flitting between which group of animals are best represented here. The zoo displays a nice selection of animals, and offers a great selection of animals to the public. There aren’t too many fish on display, but that is no major sin considering the number of quality aquaria nearby. I didn’t manage to see the entire zoo though.


*Birds:* The first bird house I came across was that for Japanese birds. A couple of glass-fronted aviaries for garden, woodland and riverine species are followed by a pair of Amami jays and then a pair of Svalbard rock ptarmigan, apparently a gift from the Norwegian royal family. Beyond this house is a series of outdoor aviaries for more Japanese birds houses a connecting tunnel for Japanese squirrels to use from their enclosure at the base of the tree to get to the aviary for jays.

After walking past the elephants and monkeys, the next birds to be seen are in a series of aviaries which seemed to focus on pheasants. Not exclusively Japanese endemics here, but it was nice to see Japanese pheasant and red-headed wood pigeon. Demonstrating part of a pretty strong ‘exotic’ collection are bare-faced curassow and Australian brushturkey.

The raptor aviaries also housed an impressive array of birds, Japanese sparrowhawk, mountain hawk-eagle and what looked to me like a Japanese buzzard (unlabeled) were highlights, along with a decent owl and vulture collection.

The main bird house is a seemingly small building with enclosures for tamandua in the centre and small aviaries around the sides; at the far end of the hall are viewing areas into the top of a couple of very tall aviaries, again with some very interesting (mostly tropical) species on display. There are a few more aviaries for tropical birds on the outside too.


A series of stork and crane aviaries (with black-necked cranes among the residents) is the last of the set of aviary rows I came across. More commonly seen bird enclosures, including an emu paddock, ibis aviary, flamingo and penguin enclosures almost complete the notable bird collection, but then there are shoebills. I saw a pair in neighbouring wetland aviaries which were very nicely planted. They each seem to have previously been multiple aviaries which have been knocked into one – although one of these enclosures is pleasant enough, the other looks pretty impressive.



*Mammals:* The zoo’s enclosures for larger mammals range from cages for the monkeys to quite nice habitats for the lions and tigers. The new gorilla complex also seems decent. A number of mediocre enclosures are dotted around the zoo, with ‘bear hill’ and the surrounding area containing a varied mix; this part of the zoo does house a nice array of mammals though, from Japanese field vole to Japanese badger (a species which seemingly manages to keep very well hidden from me) and Hokkaido brown bear.

The nocturnal house is a small affair with just four glass-fronted enclosures for Chinese pangolin, leopard cat, Leschenault’s rousette and a shared unit for Bengal slow loris and lesser mouse deer. The zoo’s main nocturnal area is the lower floor of the small mammal house. Here we have a group of tarsiers, two species of flying squirrel, short-beaked echidnas, numerous terrestrial rodents… an amazing collection. This continues from the upper floor of the house which has a huge selection of small rodents, including both large and small Japanese field mice, gerbils and voles. Here are also a couple of bat enclosures, a small indoor manul enclosure, and exhibits for meerkats and three-banded armadillos. Often adequate, but many of the enclosures here could be much nicer. Still – the inhabitants make this an amazing zoo building.


Rushing past some enclosures for larger creatures, like hippo, kangaroo and giant anteater, I made it to the vivarium (reptile house) just 10 minutes before the zoo was due to close. Despite all zoo buildings closing half an hour before the zoo closes, security kindly allowed me to go round the house quickly. I rushed about, taking few photos of things which interested me, with a guard locking up and walking a few feet behind me when she wasn’t reminding me to be quick. Fortunately I got a good look at the place, and among other unusual creatures I saw my first Japanese giant salamanders. With such a brief experience I won’t put reptiles and amphibians under a separate heading, but I’ll be posting quite a few of those photos to the gallery.


I didn’t get to see the lemurs, but I wasn’t particularly upset having seen aye-ayes in London less than a week previously. This zoo needs a return visit. :)

Swedish Zoo Fan’s species list from 2013 seems to still be pretty accurate: http://www.zoochat.com/241/ueno-zoo-species-list-july-2013-a-349232/
And on the Ueno Zoo thread markun mentions kiwi and a giant sea eagle aviary over the lake – if it’s where I think it was then it would have been huge: http://www.zoochat.com/241/tokyo-ueno-zoo-21587/
 
Thank you for the excellent reviews Devilfish! Have really been enjoying reading them :)
 
Tokyo - EPSON Aqua Park

My last collection of the day, and indeed of the trip, was EPSON Aqua Park. I had left this one so late in the trip because some sources had stated it closed earlier than it did, and because it had a manta ray, so I thought my friend might be interested in coming along. He managed to find something more interesting to do, so I was left to visit alone. The aquarium isn’t far from Shinagawa station, one of Tokyo’s hubs, but it isn’t well signposted for pedestrian visitors. The building itself is enormous and is part of the Prince Hotel complex, housing a cinema complex, bowling alley, a food court and an aquarium spread over two floors.

Prior to 2015 it was mainly a dolphin stadium and a couple of other exhibits; since then EPSON (of printer fame) have renovated the ‘new’ aquarium. A theme throughout the aquarium was ‘Snow by Naked’; from what I can gather, Naked Inc. are a company which have been designing temporary flourishes (but they don’t seem to be enough to be called exhibitions outright) to working venues. Here the snow theme involves white & shiny media, with an emphasis on white flowers and on crystals (be they ice or Swarovski).

After visitors pay the exorbitant entry fee and encounter their first ‘Snow by Naked’ coral reef tank, they walk past a marine carousel and a cheesy photo opportunity in front of a cartoon coral reef. Next, visitors enter an area containing the first interactive touch-screen tanks I’ve seen. A touch-sensitive transparent screen sits in front of an aquarium tank, and usually requires you to swipe/wipe something or answer a question in order to see the fish behind. As the screen isn’t completely clear, the views of the fish are suboptimal, but other visitors absolutely loved these features.



After this is a white corridor of sparkly reef tanks containing pretty, unlabelled fish. Some of the tanks only held plastic/glass crystals, and no water. Moving on from here is the ‘frozen bar’, a bar set up alongside a long reef tank. A wide range of drinks were being served, and you could take your drink to small standing tables which each held a cylindrical tank for some smaller fish.



Beyond this is the jellyfish room. A very frustrating room. Some very interesting-looking jellies, but no labels, and the fluorescent lighting would be so bright and constantly changing so you can’t get a good look at them. The ‘snow’ theme here manifested itself as projections of giant snowflakes on the ceiling. Don’t get me wrong, it looked very pretty. But that’s about it. Next is an escalator heading upstairs, but on this entire lower floor, I didn’t come across a single identification label.



The first area visitors encounter on the upper floor is a dolphin stadium, with seats arranged ‘in the round’. Visitors can then pass through to a circuit, which includes a series of reef tanks apparently with some temporary displays on the near corridor, and a gift shop at the end, but if you choose to bypass the gift shop, you enter an underwater tunnel for a medium-sized ocean tank which houses several ray species, including an Alfred’s manta. A lot of other interesting fish here but the highlights for me were a pair of sawfish; one green and one dwarf sawfish. The tank seemed shallow given the tunnel took quite a lot of depth out of the centre of the tank, and I’d never have expected to find something as big as a manta in such an exhibit.





At the end of the tunnel, beyond a simple (unlabelled) display of specimens and another large reef tank, visitors can choose to explore some freshwater exhibits which include tanks for Amazonian fish, reptile vivaria and a very plain capybara enclosure, or they can follow the route to the left, past a pathetic South American sealion enclosure, and further glass-fronted enclosures for penguins, spotted seal and short-clawed otters. The path then leads outside (briefly), before coming back into the other side of the dolphin stadium. Dolphins weren’t on display outside showtimes.



Once again, I stayed past closing and was followed (/pursued?) out by a member of staff.
This was clearly an aquarium which just wanted to look nice. Swamp everything in bright blue light, keep the visitor areas dark, and sprinkle snowflake designs and fake crystals to make everything look pretty. Educational messages seemed to be only a bonus. I discovered late in my visit that the electronic information panels on the upper floor did actually change to give further species profiles – they were just excruciatingly slow at doing so. Nonetheless, some of the profiles were excellent (e.g. for the sawfish).
 
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Egypt - Alexandria Aquarium

The next continent and country. :)

Following a sightseeing day in Cairo, we drove to Alexandria late in the evening.

The following morning my family decided to go for lunch near the aquarium, which was fortunate.
My last visit to the aquarium was over 18 months ago and it hadn't changed for several years prior to this. A discussion with an enthusiastic senior member of staff back then revealed that they were trying to renovate and reopen a disused part of the aquarium.
Several years ago, the displays of the aquarium were arranged along two corridors; one going away from the entrance, and then another coming back after rounding a large freshwater tank for koi. The first corridor was lined with windows looking out over the harbour with amazing views across the city, and I'd missed this atmosphere since this area was closed.

In the interim, a second display hall was opened, lined with tanks on both sides with a large freshwater tank at the end of the hall.
This year I was pleased to find that the entrance area has been renovated, with a proper ticket desk and removal of the 'turtle tub' [see the gallery], and renovation of these older corridors. Another feature is an outdoor terrace looking out on the harbour, but this is mostly used as a smoking area.




Visiting on a Friday (the weekend), it was the busiest I'd ever seen the aquarium.




The collection still consists of uniform tanks holding mostly Mediterranean and Red Sea Fauna. The scrolling red LED displays which displayed species information have fortunately fallen out of fashion, with laminated printed signs used instead (but they're very inaccurate).

Nice to see that there are still a Nile softshell turtle and loggerheads on display, though the larger turtles could do with much more space, and the youngest turtle would probably have better prospects if released properly after a temporary stint in the aquarium.



Apart from the mayhem of the crowds, a noticeable feature this time was the incredibly high number of dead tankmates left on display. Without being too gruesome, almost every tank contains a former inhabitant in a different deceased condition. A real shame.

An unusual pufferfish and an odd (cigar?) wrasse completed this visit's set of rarer inhabitants, but I wouldn't rush to visit on a busy day again.

 
I'm really digging your zoo reviews from around the world, devilfish.

In the Ueno Zoo review is that last picture the reptile house? It looks like a full-scale indoor rain forest exhibit. Do they have birds flying around in there?
 
DavidBrown said:
I'm really digging your zoo reviews from around the world, devilfish.

In the Ueno Zoo review is that last picture the reptile house? It looks like a full-scale indoor rain forest exhibit. Do they have birds flying around in there?
Click to expand...

Thanks. :)

Yes that's the walk-through area of the vivarium. Very impressive. I didn't see any birds or signs for them, but you're right, it could easily do with some free-flying specimens (if the crocodile and monitor enclosures are covered up).
 
An advancement:

For the last few weeks I've been in the UK waiting to confirm a placement in a hospital in Brazil which specialises in dealing with envenomations. I've now been confirmed and have booked my flights. A fairly convoluted route, as I'm taking a detour into the Andes (:D:D:D:D:D), but I've managed to extend the short stopovers in Colombia and Peru on the way back in a few weeks' time at minimal extra cost.

I've yet to book one of the flights, and I think there'll be a few more internal flights to sort out pretty soon. :)

Sub-Saharan Africa was on the cards but it seems that I might have a chance for a short trip either early in the summer, or it'll have to wait.
 
Thanks. It'll be my third visit to the continent. I spent a month in Ecuador in 2006, and then 6 weeks crossing from Rio de Janeiro to Lima in 2010 - but on that trip I broke my leg in an accident in Bolivia and was obviously much more limited then. Those trips were mostly wildlife-focussed so I'll see what I can fit into this trip. I'm hoping for a few interesting wild places though, and I'm still aiming for some interesting zoos - starting on Saturday. ;)
The majority of my other reports are already written (I think I only have three to write/complete) but it takes a while to upload photos so I'll work through them when I can.
 
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