"Flash" over substance zoos?

[Pleistocene891]

What are some zoos that have mostly "flashy" zoo exhibits in terms of visitor experience but take away from the animal's well fare? I would have said Omaha 15 years ago, but ever since then, they've vastly improved by adding African Grasslands, Asian Highlands, and renovating their mega buildings. Are there still any zoos that fit this "flash over substance" label?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Pairi Daiza.

Boom, question answered and thread complete

 

[Pleistocene891]

Pairi Daiza.

Boom, question answered and thread complete

I'm not very familiar with European zoos. So let me guess: this zoo uses over the top theming that takes away from the natural substrate in the animal exhibits.

 

[ZooElephantMan]

This has been discussed a lot elsewhere, but many USA hippo exhibits may be a good example of this. They put a big focus on flashy underwater viewing, instead of giving the animals larger exhibits with more land / opportunities to graze or having larger groups of hippos.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I'm not very familiar with European zoos. So let me guess: this zoo uses over the top theming that takes away from the natural substrate in the animal exhibits.

@lintworm summed the situation up pretty much perfectly some years ago:

Money is not a problem here and they will fly in constructors from all over the world and ship in original building materials and art to give an authentic experience. This is probably the only zoo where Orangutans sh*t on real marble........the rate at which this zoo is being developed is staggering, but cannot keep up with the speed at which new, and often rare, mammals are brought in. So new species are often first kept in inadequate enclosures until space is found.

I would argue that - despite the footprint of the zoo having expanded significantly since he originally wrote the above words, and therefore a larger amount of space being (theoretically) available - the situation has not improved; the bad bits remain as bad as ever, both in terms of sub-standard enclosures and tacky, sometimes viscerally-repulsive theming.

 

[DDcorvus]

@lintworm summed the situation up pretty much perfectly some years ago:

Money is not a problem here and they will fly in constructors from all over the world and ship in original building materials and art to give an authentic experience. This is probably the only zoo where Orangutans sh*t on real marble........the rate at which this zoo is being developed is staggering, but cannot keep up with the speed at which new, and often rare, mammals are brought in. So new species are often first kept in inadequate enclosures until space is found.

I would argue that - despite the footprint of the zoo having expanded significantly since he originally wrote the above words, and therefore a larger amount of space being (theoretically) available - the situation has not improved; the bad bits remain as bad as ever, both in terms of sub-standard enclosures and tacky, sometimes viscerally-repulsive theming.

Pairi Daiza is built for giving the visitors an amazing experience and in many cases at the cost of the needs of the animals.

 

[Emanuel Theodorus]

The whole Africa of Cincy section comes to mind, specifically the Hippo Cove.