Europe's 100 must see exhibits

lintworm said:
93. Yukon Bay
Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover, Germany
Opened: 2010
Size: 2 hectares
Inhabitants: Polar bear, northern fur seal, African penguin, wood bison, raccoon, woodland caribou and a variety of North-American species

It is fitting that the most Americanized exhibit complex on the continent focuses on North American species. They realised that if you go for cultural theming and the Disney landscape immersion approach, you have to go all-in. This means attention to detail is key and not a trace of the Asian or African exhibits nearby should be visible. This means that one of the warehouses on the waterfront is actually just a facade of what used to be an elephant bull stable. The journey starts through a gold mine and some fairly standard enclosures for bison, caribou, wolves and the like. Things start to get interesting once we get to the harbour. A large mixed-species pinniped tank that is full of structure and waves is an obvious highlight. As are the polar bear exhibits, which are landscaped as the edge of the wilderness near the harbour. Things start to get really weird with a ship in the middle of it all, that has supposedly gone off-course and brought penguins into a region where they do not belong. But it is a convenient way to still have penguins in a polar zoo area. The waterfront is dominated by human structures like cranes, ships and warehouses, but the enclosures fit in really well. Additionally the theming did mostly not come at the expense of the enclosures themselves and the (underwater) viewing options are fantastic here. With woodland caribou and northern fur seal even the rarity hunters get some value for money, though the collection as a whole is badly skewed towards visitor’s favourites and birds are mostly forgotten. It might not be to everyones favourite style, but one can admire the work that has gone into creating this exhibit complex.

full

@Animal

full

@Daniel Sörensen

full

@Animal

full

@Daniel Sörensen

full

@snowleopard


Similar exhibits: The Last Frontier in Pairi Daiza, Cambron-Casteau, Belgium focuses on a similar region, but here the enclosures mostly seem a vehicle for the many hotel rooms and nowhere is an illusion created that one has actually left Belgium. Though the larger enclosures are pretty good, they tend to be overstocked so that hotel visitors actually still see animals. The Nortica zone in Wildlands, Emmen, the Netherlands is an obvious copy of Yukon Bay, but not as successful. The African structures are very much visible and the human elements in the area are a bit more tacky than in Hannover, though most enclosures are pretty good for their inhabitants.

Pairi Daiza
full

@Jogy
full

@Jogy

Wildlands
full

@snowleopard

full

@vogelcommando
Click to expand...
American be like: I see this every day.
 
Rayane said:
What were you telling me about Hannover? Looks very worth visiting, although it might be the only exhibit worth the time.
Funny how it reminds me of Pairi Daiza with an actual care for details. The fact that you can see people everywhere really kills the vibe of the area in Pairi Daiza, the ungulates enclosures are nice but you always have people in the background.
Click to expand...

DCeeVN4U0AALi1n.jpg


Yukon Bay is easily the best part of that zoo and while it is not to my taste, the work put into it is remarkable. Hannover's African, Asian and Australian areas are more tacky. Even though there are some zoochatters whose opinions I normally value highly who think Hannover is a great zoo... But I guess not everyone can be right the whole time :p
 
lintworm said:
Yukon Bay is easily the best part of that zoo and while it is not to my taste, the work put into it is remarkable. Hannover's African, Asian and Australian areas are more tacky.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my sentiment too, except I'd have written "extremely tacky" in the last sentence ;) exhibit quality is a lot worse than some would credit, too.
 
I love visiting Hannover and although the theming on the other areas does go over the top, I don’t mind visiting them :)

Yukon Bay really is striking and for many an exhibit after has been an example of how to create immersion-style exhibits. Very few have come close since, Wildlands tried but failed, Blijdorp’s polar bear exhibit was opened shortly after Yukon Bay and also seemed inspired by it but (imo) failed. Only ZOOM has managed to come close on some parts of their Alaska-section.

The inclusion of Yukon Bay was therefor imo obvious :)
 
=
lintworm said:
DCeeVN4U0AALi1n.jpg


Yukon Bay is easily the best part of that zoo and while it is not to my taste, the work put into it is remarkable. Hannover's African, Asian and Australian areas are more tacky. Even though there are some zoochatters whose opinions I normally value highly who think Hannover is a great zoo... But I guess not everyone can be right the whole time :p
Click to expand...

The African area is a fair bit better than the Asian. The farm zone is also unusually picturesque, for an exhibit that is normally a utilitarian afterthought.

Is the Australian area new since 2017? I’m drawing a complete blank.
 
Oh wait, it’s basically a single paddock with emus and wallabies or something, isn’t it? No wonder I didn’t remember it.
 
CGSwans said:
Oh wait, it’s basically a single paddock with emus and wallabies or something, isn’t it? No wonder I didn’t remember it.
Click to expand...

There was certainly a wombat enclosure when I went, too!
 
When I visited Hanover in 2012, there was also a red-necked wallaby walkthrough and a small aviary (designed after a countryside porch or something like that) with typical Australian parrots. The former should still be there, but I seem to have heard that the latter was demolished.

Either way, the Australian area isn't as over-the-top and remarkable as the African and Asian ones, but unlike Africa and Asia, all of its exhibits are good.
 
94. Aquarium & reptile house
Zoo Antwerp, Belgium
Opened: 1911
Size: 1300 square metres
Inhabitants: >400 species of reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates

Some historic zoo buildings have a certain grandeur and style that simply cannot be matched by modern constructions. The aquarium and reptile house in Antwerp is one of those, with its characteristic facade with a temple, the reptile house, built on a rock, the aquarium. The entrance hall of the aquarium is a stylish entry, but the main hall is even more impressive. Over 40 metres in length, with tanks on either side, it reminds more of an art museum display than a zoo. Saltwater tanks are on the left and freshwater tanks on the right, on both sides smaller tanks have been combined so that larger fish species can be kept here. The highlight however is the 290.000 litre living coral reef that was added in the 2015 renovation. Which despite the age difference fits remarkable well into the hall. The reptile house on top looks completely different on the inside. Apart from a later added winter garden with some larger reptiles and free-flying birds, the rest of the building is dominated by modern-looking terraria. There is no hint on the history of this place, except for the crocodile enclosure, with its hourly tropical storm that is a nostalgic display for many local visitors. The collection is increasingly being focused on somewhat rarer species and most larger terraria are used for interesting species mixes so that around 80 species live in roughly 45 exhibits. In hindsight it is interesting that the area with the natural entrance is more classic inside, whereas the area with the classical entrance is more modern inside.

full

@KevinB

full

@KevinB

full

@Valvas

full

@KevinB

full

@lintworm

full

@KevinB

Similar exhibits: Artis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands is also home to a stunning historic aquarium building, whose main hall easily rivals Antwerp when it comes to architecture. There are two additional corridors with more modern exhibits, including the famous Amsterdam canal tank, but it lacks the showstopper Antwerp has. Currently the building is closed for renovation. Zoo Frankfurt, Germany, has the Exotarium as rival to Antwerp. Though still interesting, this building is architecturally the lesser of the two. The aquarium hall feels dark and outdated by now. But this building shines in the reptile/amphibian area on the upper floor. Designed as a greenhouse, with plenty of beautifully designed terraria inside, this part feels much more modern than you would expect given its age.

Artis
full

@snowleopard

full

@JamesB

full

@snowleopard

Zoo Frankfurt
full

@FunkyGibbon

full

@lintworm

full

@Maguari
 
After spending a depressing amount of time researching two brand-new American zoos that are absolutely ghastly, it is always a joy to return to this excellent thread. Roer's Safari (Nebraska) and Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve (Texas) are both new, diabolical U.S. zoos that have horrendous exhibits. Contrasting those with the latest selections on this future "thread of the year" is interesting.

I was not really a fan of Hannover Zoo, with its over-the-top theming that is not for all tastes. However, Yukon Bay is fabulous and a real treat to see in person. The polar bear exhibits built into the hillside are naturalistic, even with the human-made elements incorporated into the foreground. The pinniped pool, with its wave machine and crashing water, is superb. Yukon Bay is the shining light of Hannover, an otherwise disappointing zoo in my opinion. Give me ZOOM Gelsenkirchen any day of the week.

Then there's the latest choice, which focuses on not only Antwerp but also Amsterdam and Frankfurt as well. Those illustrious zoos have their magnificent sections and are packed with rich history. Famous old buildings are at all three locations, with plenty of statues, plaques and terrific animal collections in modern exhibits that in many cases maintain a touch of historical class. Best of all, it's only a 4 hour driving radius between any of those zoos, which isn't a long way to go in terms of a Canadian zoo nerd's grasp of distance. To hop in a car and travel 4 hours to a world-class zoo is a joy, not an arduous trek!

This thread is turning into Europe's top 200 or 300 exhibits, as there are sometimes multiple other exhibits mentioned in each post. That's a good thing, because the quality and animal husbandry evident at hundreds of European zoos is something to be lauded and appreciated. That continent would never have a Roer's Safari open up its gates in the modern era...it would be unthinkable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top