For the first time this tournament, it seems as though Prague may have some really serious competition as opposed to the walkover wins that they have been accustomed to. This is an interesting category for them as it encompasses possibly the absolute best (mountain goats) and the absolute worst (polar bears) of the zoo.
Here is a little photographic overview of Prague, which I hope demonstrates their overall excellence here asides from the obvious low point that is the bears. I will be voting 3-2 Prague for now and feel fairly confident in that verdict, but again could more than happily be convinced otherwise by an overview of what Stuttgart has to offer.
Getting the worst of the way...
Polar Bears:
@Robaque - a pair of sparse grottos with little in the way of enrichment or decoration other than a pool which only barely allows for full submersion. As future plans can't be taken into account for cup threads, it is quite difficult to overlook the enormous black mark which is this enclosure.
Africa Up Close:
Although no photos of their enclosure exist in the gallery, I am fairly certain that the Garnett's Greater Bushbaby, one of Prague's most interesting rarities, would count for this category. They inhabit a sizeable diurnal enclosure shared with Dwarf Mongooses, viewable from a café.
Across the Continents:
@vogelcommando - a rather good Guanaco paddock.
Not quite sure if the Eastern Wallaroos would count, but if they do then that is another bragging point in terms of rarities.
Northern Forest:
@Baldur - the Eurasian Grey Wolf enclosure, one of Prague's most underrated.
@Kalaw - a portion of the European Forest Reindeer enclosure, a wonderful species especially given the prevalence of the domestic reindeers in Europe.
@lintworm - Bharal enclosure.
Also in this area are Chinese Goral whose enclosure is not depicted in the gallery, but is rather good and sloping. Combining this with Plains, you have a really extensive series of mostly attractive enclosures, enhanced by their setting in mature woodland, for several interesting hoofstock. A very charming area of the zoo that few other urban zoos can quite recreate as far as ungulates are concerned.
Plains:
@Kalaw - Mishmi Takin enclosure, nothing oustanding but definitely rather good.
Gobi:
Operating under the belief that the Mongolian Steppe is high enough above sea level to be considered mountainous, the newest exhibit at Prague would also count for this category. And it's really good. With a lot of impressive educational material depicting Prague's extensive in situ conservation work with the Przewalski's Horse without ever coming across as distasteful or excessive, with a wonderful modern, clean feel to it all. There is a Przewalski's Horse enclosure that is one of the very few to provide sand substrate rather than concrete or grass, and a series of noteworthy reptiles and small mammals indoors ranging from Steppe Lemming to Tartar Sand Boa (the species that inspired the myth of the 'Mongolian death worm') and the only Mongolian Sunwatcher Agamas in Europe.
@Kalaw - Przewalski's Horse enclosure.
@linteworm - the terraria, with reptiles above, and some scorpions and cockroaches in the smaller ones below.
Rock Outcrop:
Perhaps Prague's most widely-beloved enclosures on this forum, and some of the very best exhibits anywhere in Europe, can be found on the stunning, near-vertical cliff that splits the zoo in half. One holds Himalayan Tahr, another holds West Caucasian Tur, and the largest features a mix of Barbary Sheep and Barbary Macaques.
@Kalaw - the Himalayan Tahr enclosure. The smallest of the three by area, but the tallest.
@Swedish Zoo Fan - showing how surprisingly forested these steep enclosures are. This one holds the sheep and macaques.
@Kalaw - the view from above, and baring in mind that this is the least tall of the three!
@Kalaw - a repurposed bear grotto that now serves as an excellent Red Panda enclosure.
@cuckooduck - the famous Great Aviary embedded into said cliff face, holding such mountainous birds as Cinereous Vulture.
Giant Salamander Pavilion (Velemlokarium):
When I visited Prague Zoo, I said that I thought this, not the mountain goats, was the best part of the entire collection. Giant salamanders are a fascinating species but so often overlooked and inactive in zoos as they are crammed into the corner of the reptile house. That couldn't be further from the truth at Prague where they have a network of dimly lit tanks, connected by a water cascade, that makes them the true centre of attention. There are five onshow tanks, with close to ten more allegedly offshow. One encourages you to climb underneath the salamanders and look up to a glass-bottom tank to see them. Another two appear to be open-topped and terrify many visitors who fear they may nearly fall in, but actually have a thin pane of glass just below the surface, a clever optical illusion. The salamanders share with some unsigned fish, and elsewhere in the building are Mangshan Pitviper and Impressed Tortoise, both also from the Chinese mountains.
@Nasua - the house with daylight illumination, which it has for half of the day before entering a night cycle.
@Nasua - a close-up of one of the tanks.
Sichuan Pavilion:
Another one of Prague's most-beloved exhibits, although one that left me just a tad underwhelmed due to the occasional inaccuracies in vegetation that were ever so slightly immersion-killing. However, for the most part, there is no arguing that this is one of the best representations in Europe of a very underrepresented region: the mountains of central China, and the birds that inhabit it. There are several rarities in here, particularly where laughingthrushes are concerned, and I believe most of the inhabitants are geographically accurate and would count here.
@lintworm - overview of the hall.
@Kalaw - a new, and very good, outdoor aviary adjacent to it.
Pheasantry:
Several more rare laughingthrushes are kept here, as well as:
@vogelcommando - the zoo's Pel's Fishing-owl aviary. Last year Prague became the first public collection to ever breed the genus, an enormous achievement.
Rakos' Pavilion:
@lintworm - the highland New Guinea aviary, holding four rarities: Pesquet's Parrot, Raggiana Bird-of-paradise, King Bird-of-paradise and Cinnamon Ground Dove.
That is everything I could think of, although I may well have forgotten some things.
Overall it is clear that this is a serious strength for Prague. Arguably the zoo's three best exhibits (cliffside paddocks, Velemlokarium and Sichuan) all count here, as do several of its most interesting rarities (Pel's Fishing-owl, Garnett's Greater Bushbaby, Mongolian Sunwatcher etc). I suppose the question then is what does Stuttgart have to offer, as well as how badly does the Polar Bear grotto weigh it down. Personally, I feel confident in a 3-2 Prague vote, perhaps even 4-1, but look forward to hearing more about the German side's offerings.
