European (Tea)Cup - HEAD-TO-HEAD: Chester vs Prague (Water and Wetlands)

[TeaLovingDave]

As the title suggests, this one will focus on the WATER AND WETLANDS 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!

 

[Paul.Haerle]

Prague has among others breeding Brazilian Mergansers, Horned Screamers, Buffy Fish Owls, Pel's Fishing Owls, White-faced Ibises, Madagascar Sacred Ibises, Milky Storks, Wattled Jacanas and Little Pied Cormorants in their bird collection.

 

[EliasNys]

Hmm let's see. Prague has the "bird wetlands" exhibits. The netted exhibits are very good and have many rarities ( shoebill, Brazilian merganser etc.) but sadly they also keep some pinioned birds here. There is also the fur seal and penguin exhibits, both of which are decent, but don't stand out. The giant salamander pavilion then is certainly a huge bonus for Prague, same with the gharial pavilion. And they also have a nice sitatunga yard, shared with pinioned Marabou. There are also two flamingo exhibits, and a pelican pond, all with pinioned inhabitants. However, they also have some very nice aviaries near the cliffs that house waterfowl species in proper aviaries. There are also some relevant owl species and in darwin's Crater there is a nice Australian wetland aviary. The Indonesian jungle offer smooth coated otters, and some fish and turtle exhibits. Frogs also live here. They have a unique mudskipper enclosure here too. The mayor point against Prague is, except the pinioned birds, the polar bear exhibit. It is simply awful. The north American river otter exhibit nearby is nice though. They also have a hippo house, which is often criticized, but tbh it seemed quite alright to me. Only the land area is really on the smaller side. I don't know Chester that well but I think that they have a real chance here, with the many shortcomings Prague has.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Chester doesn't really have a designated aquatic section aside from a pretty basic aquarium, but it does have a few nice enclosures that fit the theme. These include...

• A Humboldt Penguin pool which is pretty standard but still decent.
• A really solid Giant Otter pool.
• A large Flamingo aviary which also includes an assortment of other wetland birds.
• The butterfly house has free-roaming frogs in a stream running through the exhibit, which I'm pretty sure should count.
• There is a fishtank in the Jaguar house (housing piranhas, I seem to recall).
• Islands has a few aquatic species - I noted a very unusual Tentacled Snake for one thing - and it culminates in a Sunda Gharial exhibit.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

A really solid Giant Otter pool.

The best exhibit for the species in Europe, I would contend

A large Flamingo aviary which also includes an assortment of other wetland birds.

Correction; two large flamingo aviaries which include an assortment of other wetland birds, one South American themed and the other African themed.

There are a fair few other exhibits you've omitted, too - but as usual I shall allow others to take the lead awhile before I chip in!

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

Correction; two large flamingo aviaries which include an assortment of other wetland birds, one South American themed and the other African themed.

It had one at the time I went, to be fair. Also, the website was down so I couldn't double-check.

 

[Kalaw]

The mesmerising experience of watching six huge Gharials swim around a massive pool between glistening schools of Giant Danios and countless eager turtles (including batagurs!) surpasses anything at Chester for me. So does the opportunity to see Chinese Giant Salamanders active and visible in a network of well-landscaped tanks, for that matter. Add to that one of Europe’s best waterfowl collections in a series of excellent aviaries, of which many are walkthroughs, and you have a lot of serious strength from Prague here.

The only argument I can see in favour of Chester is Prague’s atrocious fish collection with no saltwater species and very few freshwater. But then you consider the fact that the paludariums and pufferfish tank in the Indonesian Jungle exceed anything in Chester’s old, bland and cramped aquarium, though of course the focus on small and endangered species in the latter is praiseworthy. Other than that, Chester has a couple nice aviaries of its own but nothing like Prague’s extent, and a great Giant Otter pool (though do note the amazing NARO enclosure at Prague).

Penguin enclosures are decent at both zoos, but I’d say better in Czechia with the use of flightless Fuegian Streamer Ducks a lovely way to create a mixed-species exhibit in an open setting. Pinnipeds are entirely absent at Chester and displayed well at Prague. Prague actually keeps Sitatunga in a wetland setting where so few other zoos do and has a network of wonderful streams used excellently for captive and wild animals (such as some huge breeding Crucian Carps). Prague does however have a few too many pinioned waterfowl for my liking and I’ve always thought the relative lack of these at Chester is a strength.

Overall, I’ve leant towards 4-1 Prague but I may go down to a 3-2. I definitely don’t see the English side winning this one though.

 

[EliasNys]

Penguin enclosures are decent at both zoos, but I’d say better in Czechia with the use of flightless Fuegian Streamer Ducks a lovely way to create a mixed-species exhibit in an open setting.

Keep in mind though that this mix is by no means unique. Planckendael, Pairi Daiza and Emmen for example all combine steamer ducks with penguins.

What's funny about the flamingos is that both zoos have 2 exhibits, but Chester has two aviaries and Prague 2 open topped.

And I think the crazy turtle collection Prague has must also not be forgotten, not only in the Gharial house, but also in for example the Indonesian Jungle.

And then breeding: Prague is the sole reason some animals are still found in zoos, and has many breeding successes with species related to water, not only the mergansers but also the smooth coated otters, lots of endangered turtles, etc.

What is holding me off from voting 4-1 though is the awful polar bear enclosure and the pinioned birds.

 

[Kalaw]

Keep in mind though that this mix is by no means unique. Planckendael, Pairi Daiza and Emmen for example all combine steamer ducks with penguins.

What's funny about the flamingos is that both zoos have 2 exhibits, but Chester has two aviaries and Prague 2 open topped.

And I think the crazy turtle collection Prague has must also note be forgotten, not only in the Gharial house, but also in for example the Indonesian Jungle.

And then breeding: Prague is the sole reason some animals are still found in zoos, and has many breeding successes with species related to water, not only the mergansers but also the smooth coated otters, lots of endangered turtles, etc.

What is holding me off from voting 4-1 though is the afwul polar bear enclosure and the pinioned birds.

I completely forgot about the Polar Bears! I think I find myself in a similar position to you now and for that reason I will move down to 3-2 for now, but I still think it is closer to 4-1 Prague than 3-2 Chester, a similar stance to what I held in the previous match between the two.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

What is holding me off from voting 4-1 though is the awful polar bear enclosure and the pinioned birds.

I completely forgot about the Polar Bears! I think I find myself in a similar position to you now and for that reason I will move down to 3-2 for now

This raises an interesting point - in the previous Prague vs Stuttgart match, @Haasje explicitly said that the polar bear exhibit alone was bad enough to warrant voting against Prague despite the excellent standard of the other "Mountain and Pole" exhibits at the collection, but at present they are sticking with a 4-1 vote for Prague in this round, which rather implies they believe that Chester has nothing to offer in this category if that is the score they are going with *after* deducting points for the polar bear exhibit

I rather think that people are heavily underplaying the merits of Chester, and that the match is a lot closer to a 50-50 split than anything else, with victory on either side being more-or-less a cointoss. As such I shall attempt to illustrate and highlight what the collection has to offer anon.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

And then breeding: Prague is the sole reason some animals are still found in zoos, and has many breeding successes with species related to water, not only the mergansers but also the smooth coated otters, lots of endangered turtles, etc.

I'd be interested to hear which category-relevant species you would cite as having been solely prevented from being lost from European collections by Prague!

As for conservation breeding relevant to the category, I see you cite the recent involvement of Prague with the breeding programme for Brazilian Merganser and raise you the following examples pertaining to both conservation breeding *and* reintroduction, including one example of a species which would have been lost entirely (and not merely in captivity) were it not for Chester:

• Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) - this wetland species, which is critically-endangered within the UK and was believed to be on the brink of local extinction at the start of the 2010s, was the focus of a captive-breeding and reintroduction programme throughout the first half of said decade, with Chester breeding several hundred individuals for this purpose (further information)
• Large Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha tullia) - this species used to be commonplace throughout the lowland bogs and peatlands of Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, but significant population decline and local extirpations took place throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; Chester Zoo has been involved throughout the 2010s and early 2020s in the collection of individuals from surviving populations, their captive breeding and reintroduction to former breeding sites (further information)
• Tequila Splitfin (Zoogoneticus tequila) - this goodeid is endemic to a single pool in the Ameca River basin of northwest Mexico, and was ultimately extirpated in the wild in the late 1990s; however it is now fairly commonplace in captivity as a result of stock imported by Chester Zoo in 1995 shortly before its extinction in the wild, and the subsequent successful captive breeding of the species. Reintroductions of the species have taken place in recent years, with the individuals in question being descended from the original Chester import (further information)
• Montseny Brook Newt (Calotriton arnoldi) - this Critically Endangered species is endemic to a small handful of mountain streams on the slopes of the Montseny Massif in northern Catalonia, with a wild population estimated at around 1000 individuals; Chester Zoo became involved in the captive-breeding programme for the species managed by Barcelona Zoo in 2017, and now regularly breeds the species and returns adults and larvae to Spain for reintroduction - with reintroductions of Chester-bred stock having taken place as recently as May 2024 (further information)

Moreover, Chester is currently the EEP/ESB coordinator for all endangered goodeid fishes, Mountain Chicken, Lake Patzcuaro Salamander and Palawan Forest Turtle.

And now for photographic evidence of exhibits - for some of these I have quoted and paraphrased prior posts:

Giant Otter

As previously stated upthread, in my opinion this is the best exhibit for giant otter - or indeed *any* species of otter - in any European zoological collection; the exhibit for North American River Otter at Prague which @Kalaw suggests is of a similar standard pales in comparison as regards size, overall quality and design.

Moreover, although comments have been made within this thread suggesting that the lack of pinnipeds at Chester is a negative factor, I would actually argue that converting the old California Sealion exhibit into such a good exhibit for Giant Otter is a net positive factor.

Aquarium

Although relatively small, the aquarium at Chester Zoo is a very well-presented and high-quality exhibit complex - a wide range of species are displayed within, and the off-show tanks located within the aquarium represent a significant portion of the EEP population of critically-endangered goodeids:

Monsoon Forest

A surprisingly large amount of exhibits within this house are relevant to the category at hand, including the following:

• The "Tripa Research Station", located just beyond the entrance to Monsoon Forest, comprises a collection of tanks and terraria containing a wide range of invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles intended to give the impression of a field research station in Indonesia, with a few being more permanent in design; around 20-25 taxa are displayed at any given time, of which perhaps three-quarters are category-relevant, including the following which give a decent picture of the whole:

• Several of the larger mixed terraria exhibits beyond here contain amphibians and other aquatic species, including Mao-Son Frog and Fea's Treefrog:

• The next major enclosure which should be highlighted is the large Sunda Gharial exhibit; something which these photographs struggle to convey is the depth of the pool, which extends for around two or three metres under the floor level of the visitor area. As can be seen, the Gharial are mixed with Bornean Batagur and several species of small fish, and have multiple hauling-out points. I would estimate that this exhibit is either equal in size to the Ganges Gharial exhibit at Prague or slightly larger, but it is *significantly* deeper at around 4 metres:

Latin American Wetland Walkthrough

A very large (at almost 3,400 m²) and attractive walkthrough aviary for a wide range of species, including:

• Puna ibis
• Caribbean Flamingo
• Orinoco Goose
• Black-winged Whistling Duck
• Puna Teal
• Muscovy Duck
• Black-necked Stilt
• Argentine Lake Duck
• Scarlet Ibis

Notably, unlike the vast majority of the waterbird collection at Prague, none of these species are pinioned (barring a handful of the oldest flamingo individuals, which may have been pinioned in the past) and they breed prolifically within the aviary.

African Wetland Aviary

This recently-reopened aviary (which predates the Grasslands aka Heart of Africa development which it is now located within) contains Baer's Pochard, Cape Teal, East African Grey-Crowned Crane, Purple Swamphen, Red-billed Teal, Ruddy Shelduck, White-backed Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, White-headed Duck and Greater Flamingo. The aviary is massive, at around 4,600 m², and other than the fact that the vegetation has yet to fully grow back in (having been partially cleared and the pool drained during the construction of the new exhibit complex) it is as excellent as ever. Again, unlike many of the similar aviaries at Prague the inhabitants are unpinioned - and in this case, this includes the entire flamingo flock, which are relatively young birds.

(continued below)

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Humboldt Penguins

Another little gem, and one which has very recently undergone modifications to future-proof it with the addition of netting to protect the (sizeable, and regularly breeding) penguin flock from the risk of avian influenza and malaria. It should be noted that these photographs pre-date said development:

Dragons In Danger
This house contains a large exhibit for Mountain Chicken:

Tropical Realm

One of the larger exhibits within Tropical Realm is this large enclosure and pool for a pair of Spectacled Caiman:

...with a similarly-large exhibit for White-winged Wood Duck next door:

Jaguar House

The Jaguar House contains several category-relevant displays, including a large tank for Titicaca Water Frog, and an extremely good aquarium tank for around 30 species of Amazonian fish which is integrated into the base of the sloth exhibit within the house - rather more impressive than the mere piranha tank it was dismissed-as by @CrashMegaraptor I would argue!

It is worth noting that the establishment of the European breeding programme for Titicaca Water Frog (which has spread to 20 European collections in a very short span of time) was the responsibility of Chester, which imported stock from Denver Zoo in 2019.

Butterfly House

There aren't many photographs of the Butterfly House within the gallery, but it is a sizeable building which contains a stream flowing throughout inhabited by Trinidad Stream Frog:

Edge of Europe

This large aviary was converted to hold a wide range of European native bird species (with a particular focus on wetland species) several years ago after the old Europe on the Edge aviary was demolished to make way for the Madagascar exhibit complex, and is another excellent example of the high standard of the exhibitry at Chester. At the present time, I believe it currently holds the following species, with category taxa in bold:

• Eurasian black vulture
• Ferruginous duck
• Azure-winged Magpie
• Garganey
• Marbled teal
• Waldrapp
• Red-breasted goose
• Red-crested pochard
• Tufted duck
• White-headed duck

---

There are a handful of other exhibits which contain relevant species but which should perhaps be given less weight than those I have already highlighted given the fact they do not focus solely on the category, including the Tsavo Aviary:

---

Along with the above photographic evidence, I would present the following arguments:

• Although Prague undeniably has the best category exhibit between the two collections - the Giant Salamander complex - Chester has several exhibits (the Giant Otters, the Sunda Gharial, the two large-scale wetland aviaries for South American and African taxa, and the Humboldt Penguins among them) which equal or surpass the best that Prague can otherwise put forward.
• Moreover, Chester is far more consistent in quality than Prague where exhibits relevant to this category are concerned - it may not have anything as good as the Giant Salamander complex, but it has nothing anywhere as bad as the Polar Bear exhibit either, and unlike Prague it can boast a nigh-perfect slate when it comes to the pinioning (or not) of wetland birds, let down only by the fact flamingos have very long lifespans and some of the oldest Caribbean Flamingo individuals date from a time prior to Chester ceasing to pinion its waterfowl.
• Although Prague has a pretty good record where the breeding of endangered category species is concerned, it is most certainly overshadowed by the record established by Chester - and moreover the latter collection is actively involved in the breeding and reintroduction of several category species, both as a participant in relevant programmes and as a coordinator *of* said programmes.

In short, I feel I have demonstrated that Chester is *far* stronger where this category is concerned than people have been suggesting thus far, and although it is a very close-run thing (I think 55-45 or closer would be the most accurate result) in my opinion deserves the win.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

rather more impressive than the mere piranha tank it was dismissed-as by @CrashMegaraptor I would argue!

Can you PLEASE stop putting words in my mouth? How is not remembering what was in there (and it was a year ago, FYI) considered "being dismissive"? Also, piranhas are far from dismissive anyway.

This is the second time now you've done this and I genuinely don't appreciate that.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

This is the second time now you've done this and I genuinely don't appreciate that.

Fair enough, although I would argue that there *is* a difference between saying you were "being dismissive" and saying that you were dismissing a large and speciose exhibit as "a fishtank....housing piranhas, I seem to recall" to quote your exact words. One carries connotations of scorn, the other not so much. I should have probably said you were making a heavy understatement so I'm sorry.

Also, I thought we had already established that the prior example you refer to was a case of me misinterpreting your intent and thinking you were being tongue-in-cheek (primarily due to your initial remark being accompanied by a winky-emoticon) rather than putting words in your mouth - but I shall apologise for that, too.

 

[CrashMegaraptor]

...saying that you were dismissing a large and speciose exhibit as "a fishtank....housing piranhas, I seem to recall" to quote your exact words. One carries connotations of scorn, the other not so much.

That really wasn't my intentin. It's still technically a fishtank, and I can't be blamed that I don't remember the occupants after a year - fish genuinely aren't my strong suit. Besides, the fact I mentioned it at all in my above list shows how impressed I was with it (compared to the dismissive aquarium comments), regardless of whether I remembered the occupants or not.

But, it's fine. We're all cool.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

fish genuinely aren't my strong suit.

Nor mine without checking my notes I certainly couldn't tell you offhand what species of fish Chester keeps, and the only group of fish I keep a lifelist for are cartilaginous.

 

[EliasNys]

Humboldt Penguins

Another little gem, and one which has very recently undergone modifications to future-proof it with the addition of netting to protect the (sizeable, and regularly breeding) penguin flock from the risk of avian influenza and malaria. It should be noted that these photographs pre-date said development:

View attachment 814277


Dragons In Danger
This house contains a large exhibit for Mountain Chicken:

Tropical Realm

One of the larger exhibits within Tropical Realm is this large enclosure and pool for a pair of Spectacled Caiman:

...with a similarly-large exhibit for White-winged Wood Duck next door:

Jaguar House

The Jaguar House contains several category-relevant displays, including a large tank for Titicaca Water Frog, and an extremely good aquarium tank for around 30 species of Amazonian fish which is integrated into the base of the sloth exhibit within the house - rather more impressive than the mere piranha tank it was dismissed-as by @CrashMegaraptor I would argue!

It is worth noting that the establishment of the European breeding programme for Titicaca Water Frog (which has spread to 20 European collections in a very short span of time) was the responsibility of Chester, which imported stock from Denver Zoo in 2019.

Butterfly House

There aren't many photographs of the Butterfly House within the gallery, but it is a sizeable building which contains a stream flowing throughout inhabited by Trinidad Stream Frog:

Edge of Europe

This large aviary was converted to hold a wide range of European native bird species (with a particular focus on wetland species) several years ago after the old Europe on the Edge aviary was demolished to make way for the Madagascar exhibit complex, and is another excellent example of the high standard of the exhibitry at Chester. At the present time, I believe it currently holds the following species, with category taxa in bold:

• Eurasian black vulture
• Ferruginous duck
• Azure-winged Magpie
• Garganey
• Marbled teal
• Waldrapp
• Red-breasted goose
• Red-crested pochard
• Tufted duck
• White-headed duck

---

There are a handful of other exhibits which contain relevant species but which should perhaps be given less weight than those I have already highlighted given the fact they do not focus solely on the category, including the Tsavo Aviary:

---

Along with the above photographic evidence, I would present the following arguments:

• Although Prague undeniably has the best category exhibit between the two collections - the Giant Salamander complex - Chester has several exhibits (the Giant Otters, the Sunda Gharial, the two large-scale wetland aviaries for South American and African taxa, and the Humboldt Penguins among them) which equal or surpass the best that Prague can otherwise put forward.
• Moreover, Chester is far more consistent in quality than Prague where exhibits relevant to this category are concerned - it may not have anything as good as the Giant Salamander complex, but it has nothing anywhere as bad as the Polar Bear exhibit either, and unlike Prague it can boast a nigh-perfect slate when it comes to the pinioning (or not) of wetland birds, let down only by the fact flamingos have very long lifespans and some of the oldest Caribbean Flamingo individuals date from a time prior to Chester ceasing to pinion its waterfowl.
• Although Prague has a pretty good record where the breeding of endangered category species is concerned, it is most certainly overshadowed by the record established by Chester - and moreover the latter collection is actively involved in the breeding and reintroduction of several category species, both as a participant in relevant programmes and as a coordinator *of* said programmes.

In short, I feel I have demonstrated that Chester is *far* stronger where this category is concerned than people have been suggesting thus far, and although it is a very close-run thing (I think 55-45 or closer would be the most accurate result) in my opinion deserves the win.

It seems Chester indeed also has a lot of conservation and breeding successes, as you asked I will highlight the species that severely depend on Prague breeding:
Their succes with turtles is enormous:

• Cuban Slider
• Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle
• Brown Roofed Turtle

• Crowned River Turtle
• Enigmatic Leaf Turtle ( was literally discovered at Prague as a new species!!)
• Malaysian Giant Pond Turtle ( ESB keeper)
• Southern River Terrapin ( European first breeding)

But they have also done excellent work with some mammals:

• Cuban hutia
• Tayra
• Polar Bear ( first hand-reared birth in the world)

And of course birds:

• Giant Canada Goose
• Hartlaub's Duck
• Brazilian Merganser
• Red-Breasted Merganser
• African Openbill
• Milky Stork
• Little Pied Comorant
• White-Faced Ibis
• Southern Boat-Billed Heron
• Squacco Heron
• And likely many more I overlooked

They also released Crucian Carp in local Riverways,

And let's not forget their excellent work with Bornean Earless monitor lizards,

And then snakes:

• Puff-Faced Water Snake
• I know they have more snakes that have even underwater viewing, but I don't know exactly

 

[Kalaw]

I'd be interested to hear which category-relevant species you would cite as having been solely prevented from being lost from European collections by Prague!

As for conservation breeding relevant to the category, I see you cite the recent involvement of Prague with the breeding programme for Brazilian Merganser and raise you the following examples pertaining to both conservation breeding *and* reintroduction, including one example of a species which would have been lost entirely (and not merely in captivity) were it not for Chester:

• Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) - this wetland species, which is critically-endangered within the UK and was believed to be on the brink of local extinction at the start of the 2010s, was the focus of a captive-breeding and reintroduction programme throughout the first half of said decade, with Chester breeding several hundred individuals for this purpose (further information)
• Large Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha tullia) - this species used to be commonplace throughout the lowland bogs and peatlands of Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, but significant population decline and local extirpations took place throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; Chester Zoo has been involved throughout the 2010s and early 2020s in the collection of individuals from surviving populations, their captive breeding and reintroduction to former breeding sites (further information)
• Tequila Splitfin (Zoogoneticus tequila) - this goodeid is endemic to a single pool in the Ameca River basin of northwest Mexico, and was ultimately extirpated in the wild in the late 1990s; however it is now fairly commonplace in captivity as a result of stock imported by Chester Zoo in 1995 shortly before its extinction in the wild, and the subsequent successful captive breeding of the species. Reintroductions of the species have taken place in recent years, with the individuals in question being descended from the original Chester import (further information)
• Montseny Brook Newt (Calotriton arnoldi) - this Critically Endangered species is endemic to a small handful of mountain streams on the slopes of the Montseny Massif in northern Catalonia, with a wild population estimated at around 1000 individuals; Chester Zoo became involved in the captive-breeding programme for the species managed by Barcelona Zoo in 2017, and now regularly breeds the species and returns adults and larvae to Spain for reintroduction - with reintroductions of Chester-bred stock having taken place as recently as May 2024 (further information)

Moreover, Chester is currently the EEP/ESB coordinator for all endangered goodeid fishes, Mountain Chicken, Lake Patzcuaro Salamander and Palawan Forest Turtle.

And now for photographic evidence of exhibits - for some of these I have quoted and paraphrased prior posts:

Giant Otter

As previously stated upthread, in my opinion this is the best exhibit for giant otter - or indeed *any* species of otter - in any European zoological collection; the exhibit for North American River Otter at Prague which @Kalaw suggests is of a similar standard pales in comparison as regards size, overall quality and design.

Moreover, although comments have been made within this thread suggesting that the lack of pinnipeds at Chester is a negative factor, I would actually argue that converting the old California Sealion exhibit into such a good exhibit for Giant Otter is a net positive factor.

View attachment 814273

Aquarium

Although relatively small, the aquarium at Chester Zoo is a very well-presented and high-quality exhibit complex - a wide range of species are displayed within, and the off-show tanks located within the aquarium represent a significant portion of the EEP population of critically-endangered goodeids:

Monsoon Forest

A surprisingly large amount of exhibits within this house are relevant to the category at hand, including the following:

• The "Tripa Research Station", located just beyond the entrance to Monsoon Forest, comprises a collection of tanks and terraria containing a wide range of invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles intended to give the impression of a field research station in Indonesia, with a few being more permanent in design; around 20-25 taxa are displayed at any given time, of which perhaps three-quarters are category-relevant, including the following which give a decent picture of the whole:

• Several of the larger mixed terraria exhibits beyond here contain amphibians and other aquatic species, including Mao-Son Frog and Fea's Treefrog:

• The next major enclosure which should be highlighted is the large Sunda Gharial exhibit; something which these photographs struggle to convey is the depth of the pool, which extends for around two or three metres under the floor level of the visitor area. As can be seen, the Gharial are mixed with Bornean Batagur and several species of small fish, and have multiple hauling-out points. I would estimate that this exhibit is either equal in size to the Ganges Gharial exhibit at Prague or slightly larger, but it is *significantly* deeper at around 4 metres:

Latin American Wetland Walkthrough

A very large (at almost 3,400 m²) and attractive walkthrough aviary for a wide range of species, including:

• Puna ibis
• Caribbean Flamingo
• Orinoco Goose
• Black-winged Whistling Duck
• Puna Teal
• Muscovy Duck
• Black-necked Stilt
• Argentine Lake Duck
• Scarlet Ibis

Notably, unlike the vast majority of the waterbird collection at Prague, none of these species are pinioned (barring a handful of the oldest flamingo individuals, which may have been pinioned in the past) and they breed prolifically within the aviary.

View attachment 814275

African Wetland Aviary

This recently-reopened aviary (which predates the Grasslands aka Heart of Africa development which it is now located within) contains Baer's Pochard, Cape Teal, East African Grey-Crowned Crane, Purple Swamphen, Red-billed Teal, Ruddy Shelduck, White-backed Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, White-headed Duck and Greater Flamingo. The aviary is massive, at around 4,600 m², and other than the fact that the vegetation has yet to fully grow back in (having been partially cleared and the pool drained during the construction of the new exhibit complex) it is as excellent as ever. Again, unlike many of the similar aviaries at Prague the inhabitants are unpinioned - and in this case, this includes the entire flamingo flock, which are relatively young birds.

View attachment 814276

(continued below)

Good overview, but there are a few points that I disagree on or would like to add.

For one thing, with the caveat that I haven’t seen Tsavo in person, I think the overall standard of waterfowl aviaries is far stronger in Prague. A lot of Chester’s aviaries struck me as very generic and uninspiringly planted, with no real attempt to convey the ecosystem or continent in question with vegetation; both the large wetlands aviaries, especially the Latin American, are good examples of this. They also seemed a little sparse, which I feel gives the birds less privacy and areas to perch, and the species selections struck me as far more monotonous with similar birds and less variety.

The Lake Titicaca Frog enclosure in Prague’s Vivarium certainly exceeds Chester for me, being the largest and most stocked one I’ve ever seen with 90 or so individuals in a very deep display.

I am currently writing this from a phone as I am travelling, so it is hard for me to measure the exact numbers, but I imagine the penguin enclosure at Prague is of a similar size to Chester’s. It certainly looked a lot bigger to me, but then again the Chester enclosure’s size disappointed me especially on my visit as I always thought it was more impressive in photos.

I forgot about the amazing space provided for Trinidad Stream Frogs in the butterfly house, though this space cannot nearly compare to the free-roaming Common Tree Frogs in the Indonesian Jungle. That said, the latter are much harder to spot whereas the former are very entertaining and add a lot to the exhibit - perhaps a more comparable experience at Prague (though maybe not quite as special) would be the turtles in the macaque moat, also in the Jungle, which with patience can offer fleeting and valuable glimpses.

While it can’t compare in terms of the number of category species, with regards to sheer quality, Prague’s Great Aviary with Black Storks is similar, if not superior, to Chester’s vulture aviary, and that isn’t to mention a pair of similarly sized walkthroughs nearby at Prague with an astonishing selection of pelecaniformes. These, along with the very lively and well-designed wetlands aviary in Darwin Crater with the likes of Rufous Night-heron and Little Pied Cormorant, are some of Prague’s hidden gems here.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

as you asked I will highlight the species that severely depend on Prague breeding

All are very nice species to have bred, naturally, but I would assert that it is a *massive* exaggeration to say, as you did initially, that "Prague is the sole reason [these species] are still found in zoos" - so the list doesn't really answer my question at all

To highlight particularly glaring examples:

• Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle - this species is present in rather a lot of collections, many of which held the species before Prague ever did; moreover, since receiving a large import of the species after a customs seizure, Prague has failed to breed their group at above replacement level.
• Enigmatic Leaf Turtle - it doesn't exactly count as "sole reason a species is still found in zoos" if it's the only European collection the species has ever been held in and they aren't working with other collections to establish the population, I think.
• Malayan Giant Pond Turtle - I'll grant that Prague is the ESB holder, which I missed when checking lists last night, but given how many collections hold the species and how many *breed* the species it is still a massive exaggeration to say the species would no longer be present in zoos without Prague.
• Cuban Hutia - this species is bred and kept at a large number of collections, and is also very common in private hands (the primary source for new stock in public collections), so again you can't attribute the continued presence of this species to Prague.
• Tayra - ditto, to a large extent, with the additional point that the European population was starting to struggle until Hamerton imported new blood.
• Polar Bear - one of the most ridiculous claims, even if the first-handrearing record *is* worthy of note.
• Brazilian Merganser - similarly to the Enigmatic Leaf Turtle, the (praiseworthy) import and first European breeding of the species can't exactly be claimed to be equivalent to saving the species in European collections!

I would argue that none of the other bird species cited in your above post qualify, as a matter of fact, with one single exception - the Hartlaub's Duck. All others are either commonplace, breeding regularly at other collections, or mostly kept going by private breeders.

Which isn't to say that the breeding record at Prague isn't excellent - merely that responding to my query about your extraordinary claims (and my subsequent list of conservation programmes and reintroduction breeding undertaken by Chester) by counting "species that Prague has bred" as synonymous with "species which depend on Prague for continued captive viability" is not fair play!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

A lot of Chester’s aviaries struck me as very generic and uninspiringly planted, with no real attempt to convey the ecosystem or continent in question with vegetation; both the large wetlands aviaries, especially the Latin American, are good examples of this. They also seemed a little sparse, which I feel gives the birds less privacy and areas to perch, and the species selections struck me as far more monotonous with similar birds and less variety.

I'll grant that the African Wetland Aviary is still a little sparsely-vegetated (although rapidly becoming less so as time progresses) for the reasons previously noted, but I would definitely disagree that this:

...counts as sparsely-vegetated and would argue that contrary to your claims it contains plenty of places for those inhabitants which are liable to perch in elevated positions to do so - certainly no fewer places than the Prague walkthrough aviaries contain, as the following photos show:

The main difference, I reckon, is that the Prague aviaries are much smaller and hence "feel" like they contain more perching places.

As for your arguments about these aviaries seeming "very generic and uninspiringly planted" and not accurately depicting the ecosystem in question, I would point out that tt's hardly fair to expect an outdoor aviary in Northern Europe to accurately represent the trees and vegetation found in tropical regions of Africa and South America - the various walkthrough aviaries at Prague are no different whatsoever, again per the photographs above.

The Lake Titicaca Frog enclosure in Prague’s Vivarium certainly exceeds Chester for me, being the largest and most stocked one I’ve ever seen with 90 or so individuals in a very deep display.

I'll definitely agree to this point, although I will pinch an argument from @EliasNys and point out that the species wouldn't be present at Prague (or indeed Europe) at all, were it not for the fact Chester imported and bred the species

I am currently writing this from a phone as I am travelling, so it is hard for me to measure the exact numbers, but I imagine the penguin enclosure at Prague is of a similar size to Chester’s. It certainly looked a lot bigger to me, but then again the Chester enclosure’s size disappointed me especially on my visit as I always thought it was more impressive in photos.

The Prague exhibit is 730 m² including indoor housing, as opposed to 1,275 m² :




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Overall, although I would rather like to convince some of those who have voted 3-2 for Prague to switch their allegiances to Chester, in order to pull the overall result closer to the coin-toss I believe it truly should be, at this point I am primarily trying to make the case that the 4-1 vote by @Haasje is entirely unjustifiable, and hopefully convince them to moderate their vote somewhat that, or encourage them to explain their (apparent) hypocrisy when it comes to the Polar Bear exhibit which I previously highlighted by clarifying which of the following is the case:

• That they believe that Chester merits no points whatsoever despite the many strengths I have highlighted, and hence only gains a single point due to their previously-stated belief that the Prague bear exhibit is so poor that it automatically warrants the deduction of one or two points from the collection, or....
• That they no longer believe that the Prague bear exhibit is poor enough to warrant the deduction of *any* points, and that they believe Chester only merits a single point overall.

Both would be singularly unfair, but at least the stance would be clarified!