Entrance Exhibits

F

foz

Well-Known Member
entrance exhibits - the first exhibit the visitor sees as they enter through the zoo gates. Do they have an impact? what makes the best entrance exhibits?

I feel that some zoos have specific exhibits to give grand entrance to the zoo, a good example of this would be chester's elephant exhibit found right at the start of the zoo. I think that entrance exhibits can either be some of the most memorable or some of the most easily forgotten. Of course some zoos would want to reserve their main draws (such as big cats, great apes and elephants). at the very beggining of a zoo there is the feeling of rush, to go and see the rest of the zoo rather than take the time at the very entrance of the zoo. So what animals make the best entrance?
 
I can't think of any zoo with an entrance exhibit here: the larger, more tourist focused zoos (like Columbus) have a five minute walk through concessions and gift shops before you even get close to an exhibit and zoos like Bronx has four entrances, making a single entrance exhibit hard.
 
San Diego has the Flamingo Lagoon right as you enter. I think that is a really nice way to start off. Also the Wild Animal Park has the African Walkthrough Aviary as your first animal experience which is also excellent. I think birds are a great way to start off the zoo experience. Lots of color, not a big enough draw to create congestion problems right at the entrance bottleneck.
 
In Bioparc Valencia, crossing the bridge separating the main entrance of the zoo, on right hand (the most logical walking direction) you can see the flamingoes lagoon.
 
The Kodiak Bear one at Hagenbecks Tierpark in Hamburg is one of the most memorable exhibits I have ever seen. You didn't need to enter the zoo to see the bears, you could watch them off the street, it was surely a memorable sight and still sits in me 18 years later, but I was 10 when I visited Hagenbecks for the first time. A very good first impression!
 
Flamingos seem to be a popular entrance feature, I think Paignton had them at one point, and maybe still do? Also Bristol has them very close to their entrance too.
 
The nearest exhibits to the entrance at Edinburgh are the Patagonian sea lion pool and of course, the Chilean flamingo aviary.
At the HWP, the first species to be seen is the forest reindeer (the only ones in the UK), followed by the reserve for yak, kiang and bactrian camel.
 
In my home zoo, Copenhagen, I guess that the lion exhibit must be regarded as the entrance exhibit although the bright colours of the birds in the flamingo exhibit right behind it may be what first catches your eye if you are new to the zoo. Built in 1971, as the zoo started an 11 year long process of shutting down and finally demolishing the old carnivore house from 1875, I have no idea if there was a concious thought about its placement or if that just happened to be the available space at the time. The zoo´s long term plan is to build a new lion exhibit in the Africa zone of the zoo, but that is a really long term plan...

When the new polar bear exhibit, The Arctic Ring, opens in a couple of years, I think it will be perceived as the entrance exhibit.
 
Marwell's first exhibit is the black swan pond, which was actually created accidentally a few months after the zoo opened to the public: The Director John Knowles was speaking to two other members of staff when suddenly an explosion sounded behind them followed by a high turrent of water, the result of a burst pipe. The water quickly flooded a reasonable area of land, and this was later adapted into an enclosure for black swan and other waterfowl both captive and wild, though for the first few weeks of it's life when the water was crystal clear the keepers used it as an after-hours swimming pool! 37 years on and it still holds these species today, along with emperor tamarins on the island. Whilst it is not a major draw the layout and fountain in the middle create a very pleasant setting as visitors walk up the entrance into the zoo itself.
 
Bristol and Paignton still have flamingos at their entrance. Bristol also has Javan langurs opposite their entrance.
 
Ash said:
Bristol and Paignton still have flamingos at their entrance. Bristol also has Javan langurs opposite their entrance.
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I find Bristol entrance exhibits a real let down compared to the rest of the collection, well the Languar's enclosure that it.
 
taun said:
I find Bristol entrance exhibits a real let down compared to the rest of the collection, well the Languar's enclosure that it.
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That concrete Langur enclosure is one of the older buildings at Bristol nowadays and isn't very attractive. I think most people actually turn left and see the Flamingo aviary and Lions first. In the past, the first animals people used to see at Bristol were the Orangutans when they lived(pre 1976) where the Lions are situated now.

Jersey has a 'First impressions' exhibit of the Spectacled Bears/Otters and Coatis, spcifically designed to be the first enclosure visitors see.

Twycross are presumably doing much the same with their new Visitor Centre/SnowLeopard/Wading bird aviary.

Many zoos always used to have a display of Flamingoes near the entrance- some still do but it doesn't seem so widespread as it used to be.

My favourite UK entrance to a 'zoo' is perhaps Howletts- nothing particularly and no frills but you are straight into the animal exhibits. Paignton's is quite nice too with the bridge and waterfowl etc.
 
My first thought was the same as Baldur's - old Carl Hagenbeck was a great showman who put his bears in the shop window. When you think about it, you realise it was an inspired choice: the bears are big, easily recognisable and quite active, moreover they familiar enough to attract attention - but they also give passers-by the promise of more exotic species inside the zoo if they pay their entrance fee.
Interestingly enough, in earlier years Chester put bears by the entrance too. The original entrance was where the staff car park is now, just in front of the current staff entrance, so the first animals you saw were the wapiti (in the current bongo paddock, which also included the crane aviary if I remember correctly) and the sun bears in the round enclosure where the bushdogs are now.
I ought to mention Port Lympne, where you enter the zoo by a bridge from the car park, passing over a road; then you walk past a cage with baboons (spare males from the troop that are now mixed with the rhino) before you reach the entrance building which houses the tills and the shop.
Finally one from the future, which might turn out to be spectacular. The new entrance building at Twycross includes a large enclosure for snow leopards and an aviary for waders. I have only seen plans so I'm not sure how good the views will be - but if I were the architect, I would try to make entry to the zoo a very positive and stimulating experience.

Alan
 
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In urban zoos it's always nice to be greeted with green space and water the moment you walk into a zoo - I guess that was the intention with the flamingo ponds previously mentioned. In rural zoos I find it's nice to have an impression of lots of space, and for this reason I like Cotswold and Whipsnade. Twycross is easily the worst zoo entrance I've seen, so I'm glad they are doing something about it.
 
Toronto has a small aviary containing an aged Bald Eagle, Mikisi (who has limited flight I believe), for their entrance exhibit. Previously the exhibit housed Hyacinth Macaws, Trapogans and if my memory serves me, Golden Lion Tamarins (unless I'm just thinking of the outdoor encloses for the America's pavilion). Before one even pays to get in, though, there's a waterway where one may see some of the local wildlife, wild. Mostly I've seen ducks, swans, geese but I have seen Great Blue Herons.
 
To add to Meaghans list, there is all kinds of waterfowl and native wildlife before you enter. When you enter is Mikisi's exhibit, I don't think there was ever GLT's there. However last year the zoo moved Mikisi for breeding purposes and will continue to do so, will he was gone they had blue jays and wild turkeys in there.
 
My local zoo in San Francisco is one that features its best exhibit right at the entrance and even has a viewing area for it outside of the admission area! It is a large mixed species African Savanna exhibit with reticulated giraffe, Grant's zebra, greater kudu, scimitar-horned oryx, ostrich, and crowned crane.
 
In the LA Zoo, the first exhibit people see is the Sea Life Cliffs (formerly known as Sea Lion Cliffs before the Sea Lions were replaced) which is home to Harbor Seals. There is also a lush American Alligator exhibit near by which is home to famous Reggie, who lived in a lake near Los Angeles for almost 2 years. Reggie has now become the unofficial mascot of the zoo.
 
I have seen a few other interesting animal exhibits that are immediatly located at the entrance to the zoos I have visited. Oregon Zoo has an excellent mountain goat exhibit at its entrance, Denver Zoo has a nice dwarf mongoose exhibit, and Kansas City has an excellent river otter and swan pair of exhibits. The first two are both the beginning exhibits of more extensive themed complexes which adjoin the entrances, while the last is a stand alone exhibit seperate from any others. All three are very different but contain animals who are typically active so they are successful.
 
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Well I would guess that Henry Doorly has the best set of exhibits right after you walk in. Lied Jungle, Desert Dome/Kingdoms of the Night, and the Wild Kingdom Pavilion.
 
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