European (Tea)Cup - HEAD-TO-HEAD: Chester vs Prague (Islands)

[TeaLovingDave]

As the title suggests, this one will focus on the ISLANDS category - as previously, the match will last for three days and although discussion of your reasoning and provision of supplementary evidence is not mandatory (except in cases of a 5:0 vote) it *is* very much encouraged.

Moreover, even if one does not feel comfortable voting, please do ask questions, post comments relating to your opinions on the evidence presented, and generally-speaking get involved in the wider discussion!

 

[EliasNys]

This is once again a very close one. Chester literally has an islands complex. Prague counters that with two Australian zones and an indonesian jungle. Species wise both have some very nice species, although I like Prague slightly more in this regard. Both zoos have anoa. The orangutan exhibit is clearly superior at Chester. Chester has banteng, but Prague has taiwanese pangolin and both cloud rats... honestly, I know to vote 3/2 but not who gets the 3 points...

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Judging from everything I've learnt about Prague, it definitely has the quantity to match and possibly exceed Chester, but I think the ultimate question here is "does it have the QUALITY to match?", which is something I personally cannot answer easily.

Because the main point of discussion with Chester has to be "Islands" itself, and that alone is going to take something special to top, methinks.

 

[Kalaw]

This is close, but I will be voting 3-2 Prague here, for the following reasons:

1) it has the best Australian zone that I’ve ever seen in ‘Darwin Crater’ which has a stupendously good Tassie enclosure, wombats, echidnas, puff adders, your standard kangaroo walkthrough and two aviaries including a gorgeous wetlands one filled with a breeding flock of Little Pied Cormorants and the beautiful Rufous Night-heron. This isn’t even all of the zoo’s Australian offerings though: Eastern Wallaroos, cassowaries, a wonderful walkthrough with Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and more. Chester on the other hand has very little in this department.

2) with their Formosan origin, the pangolins count. Not only is Prague one of just two European holders of the species, but they are the only ones to breed them. With the first female born set to move to Vienna, Prague may down the line become crucial in establishing a continental population. Chester has a fair few triumphs of its own, like Tuatara and Babirusa, but for me the pangolins is more remarkable.

3) numerous excellent, rarity-packed aviaries throughout for relevant species. A particular highlight in this regard would be the pair of New Guinea walkthroughs in Rakos’, one for Pesquet’s Parrots and two species of bird-of-paradise, another a large walkthrough with the likes of Salvadori’s Fig-parrot and Helmeted Friarbird. In the same building is also a Jamaican aviary, a Philippine aviary and an enormous Kea aviary. The Parrot Trail has such island rarities as Purple-naped Lory, Large Fig-parrot and Mindanao Lorikeet. The enormous Stork Aviary (far more attractive than any aviary of a comparable size at Chester) has relevant species including rarities like Spot-billed Pelicans. When it comes to birds, I don’t think this is close. Many of these species do breed at Prague.

4) in spite of its flaws (mediocre orangutan enclosure, for example), the Indonesian Jungle is a big asset here. Several wonderful paludariums and open-topped pools including an astonishing turtle collection, one of the best Binturong enclosures I’ve ever seen shared with Smooth-coated Otters, not to mention Palawan Porcupines, Bornean Earless Monitors and the only Sunda Slow Loris in Europe. Over the years, Prague has seen more breeding success with Komodo Dragons than any other European zoo. That said, I must admit that with RotRA and the fittingly named ‘Islands’ complex, Southeast Asia is definitely an area where Chester is ahead of Prague, although by less than what one may think. Elsewhere in the zoo, Malayan Tapir and Lowland Anoa also have enclosure that I would deem superior to their Chester counterparts, and the Fishing Cat enclosure is exceptionally good. The all-indoor Palawan Leopard Cat enclosure is a minor blemish despite the rarity of the species.

5) in terms of reptiles, as well as the earless monitors and Komodos that I’ve already mentioned in the Indonesian Jungle, there are also subspecies-pure Galapagos Giant Tortoise in a very good enclosure and an impressive breeding setup for Green and Cuban Ground Iguanas within the Feline & Reptile Pavilion, some portions of which are shared with North Antillean Slider and such lovely birds as Cuban Grassquits.

This is the closest I’ve come to voting Chester so far in their three encounters, but I still think Prague is just better. Chester is better for Southeast Asia (slightly) and Madagascar (by far); Prague is better for Australia and other smaller islands (New Guinea, the Caribbean, etc). The various walkthrough aviaries are superior to any counterparts at Chester and offer a wonderful experience, the pangolins and birds-of-paradise have no real answer and the sheer bulk of relevant offerings, often held in the sort of exhibits that are scarcely ever replicated at other zoos, was a joy.

This really is a 55/45, but it is Prague that has the edge for me.

 

[EliasNys]

This is close, but I will be voting 3-2 Prague here, for the following reasons:

1) it has the best Australian zone that I’ve ever seen in ‘Darwin Crater’ which has a stupendously good Tassie enclosure, wombats, echidnas, puff adders, your standard kangaroo walkthrough and two aviaries including a gorgeous wetlands one filled with a breeding flock of Little Pied Cormorants and the beautiful Rufous Night-heron. This isn’t even all of the zoo’s Australian offerings though: Eastern Wallaroos, cassowaries, a wonderful walkthrough with Scaly-breasted Lorikeets and more. Chester on the other hand has very little in this department.

2) with their Formosan origin, the pangolins count. Not only is Prague one of just two European holders of the species, but they are the only ones to breed them. With the first female born set to move to Vienna, Prague may down the line become crucial in establishing a continental population. Chester has a fair few triumphs of its own, like Tuatara and Babirusa, but for me the pangolins is more remarkable.

3) numerous excellent, rarity-packed aviaries throughout for relevant species. A particular highlight in this regard would be the pair of New Guinea walkthroughs in Rakos’, one for Pesquet’s Parrots and two species of bird-of-paradise, another a large walkthrough with the likes of Salvadori’s Fig-parrot and Helmeted Friarbird. In the same building is also a Jamaican aviary, a Philippine aviary and an enormous Kea aviary. The Parrot Trail has such island rarities as Purple-naped Lory, Large Fig-parrot and Mindanao Lorikeet. The enormous Stork Aviary (far more attractive than any aviary of a comparable size at Chester) has relevant species including rarities like Spot-billed Pelicans. When it comes to birds, I don’t think this is close. Many of these species do breed at Prague.

4) in spite of its flaws (mediocre orangutan enclosure, for example), the Indonesian Jungle is a big asset here. Several wonderful paludariums and open-topped pools including an astonishing turtle collection, one of the best Binturong enclosures I’ve ever seen shared with Smooth-coated Otters, not to mention Palawan Porcupines, Bornean Earless Monitors and the only Sunda Slow Loris in Europe. Over the years, Prague has seen more breeding success with Komodo Dragons than any other European zoo. That said, I must admit that with RotRA and the fittingly named ‘Islands’ complex, Southeast Asia is definitely an area where Chester is ahead of Prague, although by less than what one may think. Elsewhere in the zoo, Malayan Tapir and Lowland Anoa also have enclosure that I would deem superior to their Chester counterparts, and the Fishing Cat enclosure is exceptionally good. The all-indoor Palawan Leopard Cat enclosure is a minor blemish despite the rarity of the species.

5) in terms of reptiles, as well as the earless monitors and Komodos that I’ve already mentioned in the Indonesian Jungle, there are also subspecies-pure Galapagos Giant Tortoise in a very good enclosure and an impressive breeding setup for Green and Cuban Ground Iguanas within the Feline & Reptile Pavilion, some portions of which are shared with North Antillean Slider and such lovely birds as Cuban Grassquits.

This is the closest I’ve come to voting Chester so far in their three encounters, but I still think Prague is just better. Chester is better for Southeast Asia (slightly) and Madagascar (by far); Prague is better for Australia and other smaller islands (New Guinea, the Caribbean, etc). The various walkthrough aviaries are superior to any counterparts at Chester and offer a wonderful experience, the pangolins and birds-of-paradise have no real answer and the sheer bulk of relevant offerings, often held in the sort of exhibits that are scarcely ever replicated at other zoos, was a joy.

This really is a 55/45, but it is Prague that has the edge for me.

Prague's orangutan enclosure isn't *that* bad. Their macaque enclosure nearby however...

You also didn't mention the only breeding pair of Kagu in Europe.

Madagascar is also quite a strong area of Prague, although I must admit I simply don't know exactly what Chester's Madagascar zone looks like. But Prague has 3 lemur enclosures, fossas, Madagascar sacred Ibis etc. Which is already more than the average zoo has.

I do believe the tuataras and babirusas are a good counter against the pangolins though, but ofc that depends on which species you like most.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Some very good points and arguments raised by @Kalaw - although I have a fair few rebuttals up my sleeve for when I clock out from work in a few hours primarily relating to relative quality of exhibitry, the value/notability of certain species and the breeding thereof, and a few points relating to both collections which have yet to be highlighted.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Madagascar is also quite a strong area of Prague, although I must admit I simply don't know exactly what Chester's Madagascar zone looks like. But Prague has 3 lemur enclosures, fossas, Madagascar sacred Ibis etc. Which is already more than the average zoo has.

Funnily enough, Chester's Madagascar zone also has two or three lemur enclosures (including the country's only Coquerel Sifakas, and one of only two in the UK to have sifaka full stop) AND a fossa enclosure.

 

[EliasNys]

Funnily enough, Chester's Madagascar zone also has two or three lemur enclosures (including the country's only Coquerel Sifakas, and one of only two in the UK to have sifaka full stop) AND a fossa enclosure.

Looking at ZTL, both zoos seem to have a very choice lemur collection. Prague also has ganzhorn's mouse lemur and goodman's mouse lemur, which i forgot to mention. They also have ring-tailed lemur in one enclosure, White-belted black-and-white ruffed lemur in another and white-ruffed in the third. Chester has Coquerel's sifaka's as you mentioned already, but also has White-belted black-and-white ruffed lemur, ring-tailed, red-bellied, red ruffed, Lac Alaotra, crowned and black lemur. 5v8, so it indeed seems like Chester takes a win here, at least with lemurs.

 

[Kalaw]

Prague's orangutan enclosure isn't *that* bad. Their macaque enclosure nearby however...

You also didn't mention the only breeding pair of Kagu in Europe.

Madagascar is also quite a strong area of Prague, although I must admit I simply don't know exactly what Chester's Madagascar zone looks like. But Prague has 3 lemur enclosures, fossas, Madagascar sacred Ibis etc. Which is already more than the average zoo has.

I do believe the tuataras and babirusas are a good counter against the pangolins though, but ofc that depends on which species you like most.

I agree the orangutan enclosure isn’t ‘bad’ which is why I intentionally didn’t say it was. But it is very average, which is why I called it ‘mediocre.’ The EEP have advised Prague to make some changes from what I’ve heard. On the flip side, I actually don’t mind the macaque enclosure which I felt offered a lot of height and privacy, though it could have done with a bit more to enable foraging (can’t quite remember, or judge from images, what the natural substrate was like).

I had no idea Prague breeds Kagu, that’s another big bonus. In general, I’ve only scratched the surface of Prague’s island bird collection.

Looking at ZTL, both zoos seem to have a very choice lemur collection. Prague also has ganzhorn's mouse lemur and goodman's mouse lemur, which i forgot to mention. They also have ring-tailed lemur in one enclosure, White-belted black-and-white ruffed lemur in another and white-ruffed in the third. Chester has Coquerel's sifaka's as you mentioned already, but also has White-belted black-and-white ruffed lemur, ring-tailed, red-bellied, red ruffed, Lac Alaotra, crowned and black lemur. 5v8, so it indeed seems like Chester takes a win here, at least with lemurs.

As offshow species don’t count (unless they pertain to a relative ex situ conservation programme), it’s actually 3-8 on lemurs with both of Prague’s mouse lemurs being offshow, whilst Chester has such species as Aye-aye and Coquerel’s Sifaka. I love all the lemur enclosures at Prague especially the Black-and-white Ruffed island, but in terms of climbing, size and privacy (maybe not aesthetics), Chester’s are definitely better. There is also perhaps one of Europe’s best Fossa enclosures, though Prague also has an amazing setup for the species.

 

[EliasNys]

I had no idea Prague breeds Kagu, that’s another big bonus. In general, I’ve only scratched the surface of Prague’s island bird collection

Well I phrased that a bit wrong. They are the only zoo able to breed Kagu, since they are the only one with a female in Europe, but so far the species has not bred there.

 

[EliasNys]

I agree the orangutan enclosure isn’t ‘bad’ which is why I intentionally didn’t say it was. But it is very average, which is why I called it ‘mediocre.’ The EEP have advised Prague to make some changes from what I’ve heard. On the flip side, I actually don’t mind the macaque enclosure which I felt offered a lot of height and privacy, though it could have done with a bit more to enable foraging (can’t quite remember, or judge from images, what the natural substrate was like

And I am sorry to double post but I really disagree on the macaque enclosure being decent. It is way too small and the macaques have no outdoor acces. There are a lot of climbing opportunities though, which makes it a bit better, but still...

 

[Paul.Haerle]

Well I phrased that a bit wrong. They are the only zoo able to breed Kagu, since they are the only one with a female in Europe, but so far the species has not bred there.

They could breed but I think that would be inbreeding, as they got all their Kagus from Walsrode and Walsrode had in recent years only one breeding pair until the breeding female died. (But there should be two [or hopefully more] private breeders).

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Chester has a fair few triumphs of its own, like Tuatara and Babirusa, but for me the pangolins is more remarkable.

As a counterpoint to this, the breeding successes with Babirusa at Chester (along with the collection later orchestrating the import of new blood from the USA) are pretty much the sole reason the species is still present within European collections - not all that much more than a decade ago, the entire European population was elderly and post-reproductive with the exception of the animals at South Lakes and Chester, largely due to the fact that the species had traditionally been kept in single-pair groups.... which, as Chester discovered, is ill-suited to the husbandry and breeding behaviour of the species, which fares rather better with a harem situation.

Now, the species is successfully breeding at a total of eight collections, with a number of other collections holding potential breeding groups. I would call that pretty remarkable.

The enormous Stork Aviary (far more attractive than any aviary of a comparable size at Chester) has relevant species including rarities like Spot-billed Pelicans.

You seem to have a particular soft spot for that walkthrough stork aviary (which is indeed very good) but I think you are slightly exaggerating how good it is compared to the larger category-relevant bird exhibits at Chester - Monsoon Forest and Tropical Realm beat it hands down in terms of appearance, even if I will grant it is more aesthetically-attractive than the South American and Caribbean walkthrough aviary. The only real edge that the Stork Aviary has over the former two exhibits is that the species within the Czech exhibit tend to be larger!

Over the years, Prague has seen more breeding success with Komodo Dragons than any other European zoo.

It should be noted that this is *mostly* because Prague has been refusing to follow a Europe-wide halt on breeding the species which the ESB instituted several years ago due to a lack of prospective new holders I will send you a PM with more on this subject!

The various walkthrough aviaries are superior to any counterparts at Chester and offer a wonderful experience,

Again, Prague has zero answer to Monsoon Forest and Tropical Realm in this regard - and as I will discuss anon, the other category walkthrough exhibits at Chester aren't to be sniffed at either.

There is also perhaps one of Europe’s best Fossa enclosures, though Prague also has an amazing setup for the species.

Compared to the general "baseline" for Fossa exhibits, the Prague exhibit is indeed pretty good, although I think "amazing" is a bit of an overstatement.

However, compared to the Chester exhibit (which I would say is hands-down *the* best for the species in Europe with no qualifier such as "one of" required) it is mediocre

Well I phrased that a bit wrong. They are the only zoo able to breed Kagu, since they are the only one with a female in Europe, but so far the species has not bred there.

They could breed but I think that would be inbreeding, as they got all their Kagus from Walsrode and Walsrode had in recent years only one breeding pair until the breeding female died. (But there should be two [or hopefully more] private breeders).

Yeah, sadly I think we will be losing Kagu in European collections (both public and private) within a few years - not only has there been a population crash and the development of an extreme sex imbalance, but last I heard there is now only one private breeder having any success with the species.

----

An overview of what Chester has to offer in this category to follow

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

I feel I cannot stress enough how insane Chester Zoo's "Islands" section actually is, and I know I'd fail to really put it into words, but to put it as briefly as possible, it includes the following animals...

• Lowland Anoa
• Banteng
• Dusky Pademelon
• Sumatran Orangutan
• Sumatran Tiger
• Sun Bear
• Silvery Gibbon
• Southern Cassowary
• Sunda Gharial
• Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo

And that's just what the official website bothers to list. There's so much more - numerous species of small birds in two walkthrough areas, quite a few unusual reptiles and amphibians, AND one section dedicated to south-east Asian invertebrates, many of which I'd consider quite rare for any zoo.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

As regards what Chester has to offer in this regard, it seems most logical to start with the exhibits located outside the Islands complex itself, before focusing on the "main event" as it were. To save both time and my mental energy I'll be recycling a lot of posts made by myself and others in the past, but I'll update things as-and-when required.

TROPICAL REALM

Although the older of the two tropical houses at Chester, this house still contains a *lot* of noteworthy exhibits relevant to this category - along with a wide variety of unusual and interesting taxa. Moreover, the bulk of the house comprises one of the very best free-flight exhibits in a European collection - although the house is now somewhat time-worn, dating as it does to the 1960s, this also means that the vegetation within is fully-mature and has developed over many years, and a wide variety of bird species are present within the main body of the house. It is quite possible - and very enjoyable - to sit in the house for a prolonged period using binoculars to spot as many species as possible,

Many of the free-flying bird species within Tropical Realm are category-relevant; I believe the following list of species is more or less complete, with category taxa in bold:

• Blue-throated Piping-guan
• Brazilian Tanager
• Pekin Robin
• Asian Fairy Bluebird
• Orange-headed thrush
• Java Sparrow
• Madagascar Red Fody
• Mindanao Bleeding-heart
• Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Sunbittern
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Nicobar Pigeon
• White-naped Pheasant Pigeon
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Blue-crowned Laughingthrush
• Schalow's Turaco
• Great Argus Pheasant
• Blue-naped Mousebird

Within the house there are several large aviaries containing category species such as Visayan Hornbill, Sunda Wrinkled Hornbill, Javan Rhinoceros Hornbill, Javan Green Magpie and Great Hornbill.

The house also contains a series of smaller terraria along the wall containing a variety of amphibians and invertebrates; from memory the only category-relevant terrarium is this large tank for Golden Mantella and Whitebellied Reed Frog:

One of the key highlights within the house, of course, is the new tuatara exhibit, which was converted from an old Galapagos Tortoise exhibit; slightly smaller than the old one, but still extremely good and providing them with plenty of substrate for digging; the second image, although not great quality, is a Google Streetview shot of the exhibit when it held the tortoises and shows the overall scale of the exhibit better than my own photograph does:



The old tuatara exhibit is located opposite, and now contains several species of Malagasy endemic reptiles - this, incidentally, is the exhibit in which the species in question bred for the first time outside New Zealand. Although I preferred the old inhabitants, it is still an extremely good exhibit for the species held within:

As one walks through Tropical Realm after passing the two exhibits discussed above, there is a large and recently-refurbished exhibit for Radiated Tortoise and Oustalet's Chameleon; this contains an open paddock-style exhibit and a heated indoor area:

The other major category-relevant aspect of Tropical Realm is, of course, the mixed exhibit complex for Aye-Aye and Malagasy Jumping Rat. These comprise two spacious onshow exhibits and - I believe - at least one offshow enclosure. Given the nocturnal lighting conditions, the quality of these images is lower than is possible for other exhibits.

FRUIT BAT FOREST

In my opinion, this is the best bat exhibit I have ever seen, with no other exhibit coming close; although for obvious reasons photographs of the interior are somewhat hard to come by, there are images in the gallery showing the layout of the house. As one of the two main occupants of the exhibit comprises a large breeding colony of Rodrigues Flying Fox, it is relevant for this category:

 

[TeaLovingDave]

DRAGONS IN DANGER

The biggest highlights of this house are most certainly the Komodo Dragon exhibits, with both indoor and outdoor enclosures for the species; the dragons have bred at Chester a few times, mostly via parthenogenesis - although a traditional breeding also took place a few years ago. At the present time, Chester is the ESB/EEP studbook coordinator for Komodo Dragon.

Opposite the main indoor exhibit for Komodo Dragon, there is a smaller exhibit which has variously held Malagasy iguanas and skinks, juvenile Ploughshare Tortoise and - most recently and currently - a group of juvenile Komodo Dragon. The first photograph is the best image in the gallery showing the foot of the exhibit and the overall size, although it was taken during a timespan when Ploughshare were in residence rather than the current occupants, whilst the second image shows the upper levels of the exhibit at the present time.

After the Ploughshare Tortoises originally held in the above exhibit grew larger, they were moved into their current exhibit - this photograph shows about half of the overall space, but is the best quality image I was able to find:

Immediately next to this exhibit, there is a large exhibit for Mountain Chicken - another species for which Chester manages the studbook.

This house also contains several large and densely-vegetated aviaries containing a wide range of species from south-east Asia, all of which are category relevant. The inhabitants include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Black-naped Fruit-dove
• Mindanao Lorikeet
• Mindanao Bleeding-heart
• Yellow-faced Myna
• Malayan Peacock Pheasant
• Cinnamon Ground Dove
• Grey-capped Emerald Dove
• Great Argus
• Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Malay Crestless Fireback
• Chestnut-backed Ground Thrush
• Pink-headed Fruit Dove
• Philippine Mouse Deer

REALM OF THE RED APE

The Bornean Orangutan exhibits which form the central focal point of the Realm of the Red Ape complex are - without a shadow of a doubt - the best in Europe for the species as regards quality, design and visual appeal, much as the exhibits for Sumatran Orangutan over in the Monsoon Forest house are the best for *that* species. I will return to this point anon, but for now I will note that the fact Chester has the best exhibits in Europe for *two* species of great ape, both of which are category relevant, is a massive point in its favour.

The complex as a whole covers a total of around 4,775 m² - I have not included the "old Orang House" immediately adjacent within this total, as although it has historically been used as additional offshow housing for the inhabitants I am not certain this is still the case.



The indoor exhibits (which are shared with Lar Gibbon) comprise a series of several excellent enclosures linked to one another - along with the offshow dens and the outdoor exhibits - by a series of tunnels, and viewed from the upper levels. Some of the indoor exhibits are roofed-over with mesh, both permitting scatter feeding from above and permitting some level of natural airflow and rainfall to reach the exhibits in question.

These exhibits are supplemented by a pair of massive (covering a total of 2,500 m²) and well-vegetated outdoor enclosures providing a large amount of climbing material and options - both ape species have access to these enclosures, which they share with Asian Short-clawed Otter.

The visitor walkway through the house is lined by several smaller aviaries and terrariums for a wide range of south-east Asian species, the vast majority of which are category-relevant. Examples include the following aviaries for Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, and for Red avadavat, White-headed munia and Tricolored parrotfinch:

...and the following exhibits for Blue Tree Monitor and Reticulated Python:

As one leaves the Realm of the Red Ape house, a large and pleasant mixed exhibit for Asian Short-clawed Otter and Babirusa can be seen from the ramp:

----

Images and discussion pertaining to the Madagascar exhibit complex and to the Islands exhibit complex to follow but in case I get side-tracked and do not get the opportunity, I will again repeat my above assertions that the Sumatran Orangutan exhibit within Monsoon Forest is the best for the species in Europe, and that the breeding record at Chester with Sulawesi Babirusa (and the fact that the collection is responsible for "saving" the species in European collections) is of equal or greater significance to the Pangolin breedings at Prague, and make the following points which I intend to return to in more detail:

• The smaller walkthrough aviaries within Islands are excellent.
• Monsoon Forest - both in terms of the free-flying species within the main body of the building and the various exhibits found throughout - is one of the best tropical houses in Europe.
• Islands is filled with world-class exhibits and enclosures; along with the above-mentioned Sumatran Orangutan exhibit (which is mixed with Moloch Gibbon), this area of Chester also contains the best Sun Bear exhibit in Europe, one of the best Sumatran Tiger exhibits in Europe, the best Sulawesi Black Macaque exhibit in Europe, excellent exhibits for species such as Javan Banteng, Visayan Warty Pig, Sulawesi Babirusa and Lowland Anoa - amongst others.
• The Fossa exhibit within the Madagascar exhibit complex is the best in Europe without a shadow of a doubt.
• The exhibit for Coquerel's Sifaka is exceptionally good, one of the top-tier lemur exhibits in Europe as a whole, and Chester should be praised for spearheading attempts to establish a European captive population of the species via the import of several pairs from the USA.

Needless to say, if anyone feels like picking up the baton and covering the above points themselves, and providing supplementary photographs, go for it ditto for anything I have forgotten to mention.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I'd be interested to hear any further thoughts, opinions and arguments - either from those who have already voted, or those who are lurking and are yet to vote!

In the meantime, I haven't the time or spoons to do a full Islands writeup, so here is a quick runthrough of the Madagascar complex:

• an exhibit for a breeding group of Coquerel's Sifaka, with both indoor and outdoor viewing
• an exhibit for a breeding group of Fossa, with both indoor and outdoor viewing
• a large walkthrough lemur exhibit, containing Ring-tailed Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur and Crowned Lemur.

Sifaka

Fossa

As previously noted, I believe this is (by some margin) the best exhibit for the species by some margin:

Lemur Walkthrough

Hopefully someone will provide photographs and discussion for Islands itself!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Chester - 46/85 points - 54.118%
Prague - 39/85 points - 45.882%