as noted I feel the collection definitely doesn't merit more than one point in this regard, given how strong Prague is here... but equally it definitely does merit that one point.
A good argument for 5-0 , I think someone needs to make an argument for Zagreb to be justified a point!!
@lintworm - the highland New Guinea aviary in Rakos', which houses both Raggiana and King Birds-of-paradise in an eye-catching mix with Pesquet's Parrots.
@lintworm - the centrepiece of Rakos' is the highland New Guinea wlkthrough, which offers multi-level viewing for visitors, some very eye-catching foliage and several densely vegetated or raised portions placed at angles that offer the animals many retreats. Rarities include the only Helmeted Friarbird in Europe and Salvadori's Fig-parrot, while visually the biggest spectacle is seeing a huge Palm Cockatoo enabled flight of the entire hall.
There is also a decent Jamaican aviary, not really pictured in the gallery. The Rakos' Pavilion is a major asset for Prague in this category with countless rarities in really well-done aviaries that, other than Wattled Jacanas in the Jamaican, rarely ever waver from their narrow geographical themes.
@vogelcommando - a standard-sized, but impressively steep walkthrough for Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Bennett's Wallaby in Darwin Crater.
@lintworm - a really attractive aviary for 'bush birds' in Darwin Crater. No major rarities, but the Common Bronzewing are very interesting.
@vogelcommando - also in Darwin Crater, this time for 'wetlands birds' and at least partially open-fronted. A huge flock of Little Pied Cormorants, held at just three European collections, steal the show and bring much life to the aviary, but equally delightful are the Rufous Night-herons.
@Kalaw - just half of what is surely one of the finest Tasmanian Devil enclosures out there.
@lintworm - indoors for the Tasmanian Devils, also very nice.
@lintworm - another outstanding enclosure, this time for Tasmania Wombat, one of two outdoor spaces.
@HOMIN96 - Common Death Adder vivarium within Darwin Crater. Rough-scaled Python have a similar one nearby.
@lintworm - Short-beaked Echidna and Long-nosed Potoroo enclosure, reasonably large and with deep soil substrate which I believe the echidna tends to bury itself among, and is thus quite hard to see.
@vogelcommando - an example of aviaries in the very extensive Pheasantry zone of the zoo, which is predominantly Southeast Asian species. While I do find the aviaries a little undersized for the hornbills, for the smaller birds, such as laughingthrushes and pheasants, they are very nice, and maintain the charm and authenticity of old rows of aviaries. Some really rare species are held here, such as Coleto, Javan Green Magpie, Philippine Metallic Pigeon, Salvadori's Pheasant and the only Sunda Laughingthrush in Europe to name just a few.
@Robaque - for me, Chambal, or the Gharial Pavilion, is one of Prague's very best offerings. While the Indian Gharials themselves do not count, the Northern Batagurs with whom they share surely do. Huge, Critically Endangered terrapins, only recognised as a species in the past couple of decades, can be witnessed in large numbers swimming amongst the crocodilians in this huge pool.
This is by no means a comprehensive overview! I failed to mention some of the Madagascan species in Africa Up Close, some of the inhabitants of the Indonesian Jungle, and the bulk of the rather extensive relevant reptile collection, along with a myriad of other smaller displays. However, I have shown the majority of the zoo's offerings here, and it is quite impressive how much Prague in this category.
When I reminisce on my visit, my two most treasured memories are my first pangolin and my first bird-of-paradise. Other memories that spring to mind include observing a night-heron 'fishing' in Darwin Crater, watching the batagurs chase the Gharials in Chambal, and the delightful Parrot Trail and nearby Australian paddocks with their cliffside views. I also loved the lively lemur island, the bay-owls, the countless avian rarities in Rakos' and the Pheasantry, and the excellent Tasmanian Devil and wombat enclosures. Prague does have some weaknesses here, but for me only the all-indoor leopard cat enclosure and the hornbill aviaries are truly poor - I never found the orangutan and tiger enclosures to be by any means 'bad' as others seem to find, although of course they are not great either. Then there is the geographically accurate mixes, the breeding success with pangolins, the endless list of rarities and the use of authentic plants rather than native lookalikes to evoke the ecosystem in question far better than some other zoos tend to.
I could revert to 4-1 if a persuasive argument is put forth for Zagreb, but for me, so many of Prague's absolute best offerings lie in this category. So for now, 5-0 Prague.
@lintworm - the highland New Guinea aviary in Rakos', which houses both Raggiana and King Birds-of-paradise in an eye-catching mix with Pesquet's Parrots.
@lintworm - the centrepiece of Rakos' is the highland New Guinea wlkthrough, which offers multi-level viewing for visitors, some very eye-catching foliage and several densely vegetated or raised portions placed at angles that offer the animals many retreats. Rarities include the only Helmeted Friarbird in Europe and Salvadori's Fig-parrot, while visually the biggest spectacle is seeing a huge Palm Cockatoo enabled flight of the entire hall.
There is also a decent Jamaican aviary, not really pictured in the gallery. The Rakos' Pavilion is a major asset for Prague in this category with countless rarities in really well-done aviaries that, other than Wattled Jacanas in the Jamaican, rarely ever waver from their narrow geographical themes.
@vogelcommando - a standard-sized, but impressively steep walkthrough for Eastern Grey Kangaroos and Bennett's Wallaby in Darwin Crater.
@lintworm - a really attractive aviary for 'bush birds' in Darwin Crater. No major rarities, but the Common Bronzewing are very interesting.
@vogelcommando - also in Darwin Crater, this time for 'wetlands birds' and at least partially open-fronted. A huge flock of Little Pied Cormorants, held at just three European collections, steal the show and bring much life to the aviary, but equally delightful are the Rufous Night-herons.
@Kalaw - just half of what is surely one of the finest Tasmanian Devil enclosures out there.
@lintworm - indoors for the Tasmanian Devils, also very nice.
@lintworm - another outstanding enclosure, this time for Tasmania Wombat, one of two outdoor spaces.
@HOMIN96 - Common Death Adder vivarium within Darwin Crater. Rough-scaled Python have a similar one nearby.
@lintworm - Short-beaked Echidna and Long-nosed Potoroo enclosure, reasonably large and with deep soil substrate which I believe the echidna tends to bury itself among, and is thus quite hard to see.
@vogelcommando - an example of aviaries in the very extensive Pheasantry zone of the zoo, which is predominantly Southeast Asian species. While I do find the aviaries a little undersized for the hornbills, for the smaller birds, such as laughingthrushes and pheasants, they are very nice, and maintain the charm and authenticity of old rows of aviaries. Some really rare species are held here, such as Coleto, Javan Green Magpie, Philippine Metallic Pigeon, Salvadori's Pheasant and the only Sunda Laughingthrush in Europe to name just a few.
@Robaque - for me, Chambal, or the Gharial Pavilion, is one of Prague's very best offerings. While the Indian Gharials themselves do not count, the Northern Batagurs with whom they share surely do. Huge, Critically Endangered terrapins, only recognised as a species in the past couple of decades, can be witnessed in large numbers swimming amongst the crocodilians in this huge pool.
This is by no means a comprehensive overview! I failed to mention some of the Madagascan species in Africa Up Close, some of the inhabitants of the Indonesian Jungle, and the bulk of the rather extensive relevant reptile collection, along with a myriad of other smaller displays. However, I have shown the majority of the zoo's offerings here, and it is quite impressive how much Prague in this category.
When I reminisce on my visit, my two most treasured memories are my first pangolin and my first bird-of-paradise. Other memories that spring to mind include observing a night-heron 'fishing' in Darwin Crater, watching the batagurs chase the Gharials in Chambal, and the delightful Parrot Trail and nearby Australian paddocks with their cliffside views. I also loved the lively lemur island, the bay-owls, the countless avian rarities in Rakos' and the Pheasantry, and the excellent Tasmanian Devil and wombat enclosures. Prague does have some weaknesses here, but for me only the all-indoor leopard cat enclosure and the hornbill aviaries are truly poor - I never found the orangutan and tiger enclosures to be by any means 'bad' as others seem to find, although of course they are not great either. Then there is the geographically accurate mixes, the breeding success with pangolins, the endless list of rarities and the use of authentic plants rather than native lookalikes to evoke the ecosystem in question far better than some other zoos tend to.
I could revert to 4-1 if a persuasive argument is put forth for Zagreb, but for me, so many of Prague's absolute best offerings lie in this category. So for now, 5-0 Prague.
Biggest they have anywhere? It isn’t even the biggest at Prague zoo as the Amurs have a larger one than the Palawan (same sized indoor space but no outdoor access, if memory serves). Not sure what you meant by this. Don’t really get your other comment either, perhaps you misinterpreted what I was saying? I get that the Fishing Cats and Palawan Leopard Cat indoor spaces are roughly the same size, but the difference is that for the latter that encompasses all the space they have, whereas the former have a large outdoor cage as well. There is a big difference. If the Palawan had outdoor space then, as you say, the enclosures would be on par as they are near identical indoors but they don’t, and therefore as it stands I find the whole space for the cats to be a little restricted. Am I missing something (an offshow outdoor area, for instance), because I don’t think criticising the Palawan enclosure and praising the Fishing Cats enclosure is inconsistent with itself whatsoever?
I mentioned the hornbill aviaries as a weakness in my overview (and attached the same photo as you did, incidentally). Fully agree with you that they are weak - in the past I have said that they are probably the worst enclosures at the zoo asides from the Polar Bears, and I stand by that statement, although I did find the Pheasantry aviaries were big enough for some of the smaller birds.I think you are a bit too generous on Prague's behalf. While many enclosures are nicely designed, even the newest ones tend to be on the smaller side. This is especially true for the Rakos pavillion, which in terms of looks and education is fantastic, but all aviaries could (or should) have been bigger. But a similar argument could be made for many of the Australian enclosures.
I am also not a fan of the Indonesian Jungle house, apart from the pangolins it is probably the area in Prague I dislike most together with the polar bear enclosure. The orangutan enclosure really is pretty bad in my opinion and the macaque one is too, full of concrete and devoid of any natural substrate. If it weren't modelled like trees, but just grey bare concrete, people would think it is awful...
The hornbill aviaries in the pheasantry are also weak, there are surprisingly few photographs, the best one I could find is this one and I am quite sure the rufous hornbill are currently in a smaller aviary than this.:
@LaughingDove
Prague has quite an amazing collection for this category with their strong specialization on SE Asian animals in particular. But unless Zagreb is really poor, I don't think the average enclosure standards in Prague warrant a 5-0.
Assuming from the fact that people include the pangolins that all of the islands Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and others count for this category, as opposed to Asia? Running with that assumption, here is a photographic overview of Prague's offerings in this category, having visited myself and being very fond of the place.
@MagpieGoose - the first room in the Indonesian Jungle which contains several, very large and nicely designed paludariums. On my visit, 13 species of fish and 7 species of turtle were signed, and although not all are actually island taxa, the bulk are.
@Kalaw - half of the Komodo Dragon enclosure, very large but a little sparse. Prague's extensive breeding record with the species has already been discussed upthread. Several more are kept behind-the-scenes and two brothers live in a somewhat undersized display in the Giant Tortoise Pavilion.
@Kalaw - all-indoor Sunda Pig-tailed Macaque enclosure. Quite spacious and enriching, with some large fish and turtles inhabiting the moat.
Frustratingly, no photos on the gallery depict what is one of the largest Binturong enclosures I have ever seen, with a wonderful array of climbing structures, shared with Asian Short-clawed Otters.
@Kalaw - the Spotted Green Pufferfish pool, Prague's best hidden gem, in my opinion; a large and well-landscaped mangrove pool hidden against the boardwalk with a very interesting small species.
@Kalaw - the Sunda Slow Loris enclosure; most likely the only representatives of their species in European zoos. The light is off for most of the day, but this image was taken in the first hour.
Both Northern and Southern Luzon Giant Cloud Rats, the latter a major rarity, share a similar-sized enclosure nearby, but there are no photos of it in diurnal lighting. There are also New Guinea Ground Cuscus and Sugar Glider in similar enclosures. But the highlight of the nocturnal corridor in terms of both species and exhibitry is certainly the Formosan Pangolins! Three, interconnected onshow enclosures, all large and with natural substrate, a series of offshow ones, and seven, glass-fronted dens for sheltering. Of course, with Šiška and Connie, Prague is the only European zoo to have bred pangolins, and has done so twice! Strangely, there are no photos of their enclosure.
@vogelcommando - outdoor Sumatran Orangutan enclosure.
@Robaque - indoor Sumatran Orangutan enclosure. Overall, a somewhat mediocre enclosure, in all fairness, but I wouldn't call it poor by any stretch of the imagination (although I know some who would).
@Eagle - the Parrot Trail, a series of sizable and nicely done aviaries for a really interesting selection of category-relevant small parrots, such as Purple-naped Lory, Large Fig-parrot or Mindanao Lorikeet to name just a few. The finale is a walkthrough with Australian birds, of which Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, held in large numbers, and Bush Thick-knee are probably the most interesting. The whole area is enhanced by the outstanding views of the lower half of the zoo, the River Vltava, and the distant city centre to the left.
Eastern Wallaroo, a major rarity, have an excellent, grassy enclosure nearby which is not depicted in the gallery.
@Robaque - one of two Southern Cassowary enclosures, both perhaps just a little undersized, but quite nice and with an onshow indoor area in between.
@Robaque - a portion of the nice, but quite average, Swamp Wallaby enclosure. Common Emus and Red Kangaroos have near-identical ones next door. Yet again, as you can just about tell, the cliff has been taken full advantage of and the result is some great views.
Sadly there are no photographs, but one of the strangest-looking birds at the zoo, and a rarity, the Oriental Bay-owl, is kept in a decent aviary within 'Northern Forest.'
@Kalaw - the Stork Walkthrough Aviary, another hidden gem in my opinion, that contains several relevant species such as Rufous Night-heron and Spot-billed Pelican. The birds are in large abundance which offers great joy searching for them amongst the trees, but it is big enough so as to never feel overstocked. The mature weeping willows in the centre are a particular highlight.
@Maguari - outdoor Sumatran Tiger enclosure, very good in my opinion (often hear it criticised but can't understand why). This is quite an old photo - of course it looks very different when the moat isn't drained. The indoors is very unattractive, but I believe it is just about good enough for the animals.
@FunkyGibbon - the Palawan Leopard Cat enclosure in the Feline and Reptile Pavilion. The only enclosure in this category which I would consider genuinely poor, being somewhat on the small side and all-indoors.
@Kalaw - the Fishing Cat enclosure, which I think is another hidden gem. Large, well-planted, a fair amount of climbing and a deep pool. The indoors is a little unattractive, but it sufficient.
@JigerofLemuria - the centrepiece of the Pavilion. To quote how I described it in the previous thread: "a very interesting hall within the Feline and Reptile Pavilion, which houses breeding groups of Cuban Ground Iguanas and Green Iguanas in different subsections, one of which mixed with North Antillean Sliders, whilst House Finches, Ruddy Doves and Cuban Grassquits free-fly between the lot of them."
Nearby is a very good Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur enclosure that proved particularly lively on my visit, but is sadly not represented by any photographs in the gallery.
@vogelcommando - outdoor enclosure for Aldabra Giant Tortoise and two (pure, I believe) subspecies of Galápagos.
@vogelcommando - the indoor enclosure for the giant tortoises.
@lintworm - showing roughly half of the Kea aviary in the Rakos' Pavilion, probably the largest I have seen for the species.
@lintworm - the Philippine aviary in the Rakos' Pavilion, a wire-fronted delight housing Blue-naped Parrot, Spotted Imperial Pigeon and White-naped Fruit-dove.
(to be continued in next post due to 20 image limit)
if an indoor exhibit is "unattractive but sufficent" for the species which reaches weights of up to 17kg it is hardly fair to say that a similar exhibit is "genuinely poor" for the species which doesn't even hit 4kg.... especially when you consider the fact that (from memory) the Palawan exhibit contains rather more height and climbing opportunities than does the Fishing.
Madagascar House with indoor and outdoor exhibits of Lemurs and indoor exhibits of Birds, like Vasa Parrot
Lemur Island
Don't have many photographs from Zagreb available, as I don't have my external hard drive containing photos from my 2022 and 2024 visits to hand, but here goes with my summary of a few aspects which help to earn the collection a single point due to exhibit quality and species displayed:
Madagascar House
Per my notes, the category species displayed in and around this area are as follows:
@twilighter provided decent images of this area in the quoted post below:
- Madagascar turtle-dove (Nesoenas picturatus picturatus)
- Madagascar lovebird (Agapornis canus)
- Radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)
- Greater Vasa (Coracopsis vasa)
- Madagascar Partridge (Margaroperdix madagarensis)
- Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
- Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
- Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
Tropical House
A fairly substantial number of the species held within this large and (as previously discussed in an earlier match) rather good exhibit complex are category-relevant; using ZTL and my own notes, the following are currently on-display:
Not as extensive or flashy as the Prague collection, but certainly pretty choice I reckon. The following are example photographs of exhibits and a general view of the house:
- Bavay's Giant Gecko (Mniarogekko chahoua)
- Blue Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei)
- Borneo Earless Monitor (Lanthanotus borneensis)
- Gold-dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda)
- Sri Lankan Pitviper (Craspedocephalus trigonocephalus)
- Cuban Crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer)
- Cuban Iguana (Cyclura nubila nubila)
- Fiji Short-crested Iguana (Brachylophus bulabula)
- Gray's Monitor (Varanus olivaceus)
- Green Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus)
- Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis)
- Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
- Macklot's Python (Liasis mackloti)
- Mindanao Water Monitor (Varanus cumingi)
- Negros Water Monitor (Varanus nuchalis)
- New Caledonia Bumpy Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus)
- Philippine Crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)
- Philippine Sailfin Lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)
- Prehensile-tailed Skink (Corucia zebrata)
- Sunda King Cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus)
- Sumatran Python (Python curtus)
- Wetar Island Tree Viper (Trimeresurus insularis)
King Cobra
View attachment 769943
Gray's Monitor
View attachment 769944
General view
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Australia Exhibit
I can't find any recent photographs of this exhibit in the gallery, or on the laptop I'm currently posting from - but from memory it is a decent-sized mixed exhibit for wallabies, emu and black swan. Any assistance here would be appreciated!
