How many zoos did you visit in 2023?

How many zoos did you visit in 2023?

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Unless I have forgotten any;
1. Taronga Zoo Sydney - 19 visits (I think)
2. Sydney Zoo - 3 visits
3. Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park - 1 visit
4. Hunter Valley Wildlife Park - 1 visit
5. Central Gardens Nature Reserve - 1 visit
6. Taronga Western Plains Zoo - 1 visit (over 2 days)
 
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I visited 13 zoos in 2023, 6 in Belgium and 7 in the Netherlands.

Belgium
  • Zoo Planckendael (multiple visits)
  • Zoo Antwerpen (multiple visits)
  • Pairi Daiza (1 two-day visit with resort stay and a one-day visit)
  • Parc Animalier de Bouillon
  • Monde Sauvage
  • Domain of the Caves of Han Wildlife Park
Netherlands
  • Safaripark Beekse Bergen
  • GaiaZoo
  • Dierenrijk
  • Dierenpark Amersfoort
  • Ouwehands Dierenpark
  • Dierenpark Zie-Zoo
  • Burgers' Zoo
 
Whoops, this should be all...
  • Zoo Antwerp
  • BestZoo
  • Zie-Zoo Volkel
  • London Zoo
  • Chester Zoo
  • Cedars Nature Centre
  • Hemsley Conservation Centre
  • Paignton Zoo
  • Hamerton Zoo Park
  • Shaldon Wildlife Trust
  • Longleat Safari Park
  • Monkey World Wareham
  • Magdeburg Zoo
  • Walsrode Weltvogelpark
  • Adlerwarte Berlebeck
  • Tierpark Bierer Berg
  • Zooparc Overloon
  • Barcelona Zoo
  • Barcelona Aquarium
On the other hand, I have seen hundreds of species in private hands, animal fairs, shops, companies and more.
 
USA - 6 states (New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Texas, California) plus DC
1. Bronx Zoo
2. New York Aquarium
3. Central Park Zoo
4. Fort Worth Zoo
5. Dallas Children's Aquarium at Fair Park
6. Texas Discovery Gardens
7. Dallas Zoo
8. Dallas World Aquarium
9. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
10. Smithsonian National Zoo
11. National Aquarium in Baltimore
12. Maryland Zoo
13. American Museum of Natural History
14. Maritime Aquarium
15. Aquarium of the Bay
16. Lindsay Wildlife Experience
17. NorCal Bats
18. Monterey Bay Aquarium
19. Oakland Zoo
20. California Academy of Sciences
21. Randall Museum
22. San Francisco Zoo
23. Roger Willams Park Zoo
24. Biomes Marine Biology Center
25. Mystic Aquarium
26. San Diego Zoo
27. SeaWorld San Diego
28. San Diego Zoo Safari Park
29. Birch Aquarium at Scripps
30. Living Coast Discovery Center
31. San Diego Natural History Museum
32. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
33. Marine Mammal Care Center

Costa Rica
34. Centro de Vida Salvaje Jardín de Serpientes
35. Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center (Zoo Ave)
36. Refugio Animal de Costa Rica
37. Zoológico Simón Bolívar
38. Toucan Rescue Ranch
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Managed 25 zoo visits, but to just 4 different zoos:

Colchester Zoo (21 visits)
Call of the Wild Zoo (2 visits)
The Bug Parc (1 visit)
ZSL London (1 visit)

With any luck, I should be visiting a brand new zoo sometime early next year and will definitely be making returns to Colchester and London. Hopefully Call of the Wild will also be on the list of revisits (also hoping to return to The Bug Parc as well, but that one I am less certain of).
Click to expand...

It might be a bit of an indictment of the place, but I genuinely forgot that in the same week that I visited ZSL London, I also visited the Sealife London Aquarium.

Also just remembered I also made a visit to Jimmy's Farm as well. That is probably one of my stronger years for zoo visits in recent times.
 
This year, I visited 10 zoological facilities. Not quite as adventurous as my 2022 was in terms of new facilities visited, but I still got to add some to my resume.

In chronological order of first visit. New facilities are in bold.
  1. Durham Museum of Life and Sciences
  2. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (5 visits)
  3. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
  4. Sylvan Heights Bird Park (2 visits)
  5. North Carolina Zoo
  6. Greensboro Science Center
  7. Howell Woods Environmental Center
  8. Virginia Living Museum
  9. Virginia Zoo
  10. Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center
Some breakdowns
  • By Visit
    • 6 new facilities
    • 4 revisited facilities
  • By Accreditation
    • 7 AZA
    • 3 non-AZA
  • By Type
    • 3 Zoos
    • 1 Aquarium
    • 4 Museums
    • 1 Nature Center
    • 1 Specialist Facility
  • By State
    • North Carolina - 7
    • Virginia - 3
 
I visited a total of 30 zoological facilities across seven states in 2023, breaking my record for the third consecutive year in a row. Only 11 of these facilities were repeat visits!
  1. Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX
  2. Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, TX
  3. Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, TX
  4. Aggieland Safari, Bryan, TX
  5. Dallas Zoo, Dallas, TX
  6. Children’s Aquarium Dallas at Fair Park, Dallas, TX
  7. Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, Dallas, TX
  8. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, TX
  9. Reptilandia Reptile Lagoon, Johnson City, TX
  10. Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, TX
  11. Little Rock Zoo, Little Rock, AR
  12. Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita, KS
  13. Abilene Zoo, Abilene, TX
  14. El Paso Zoo, El Paso, TX
  15. Museum of Nature & Science, Las Cruces, NM
  16. Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo, NM
  17. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ
  18. Reid Park Zoo, Tucson, AZ
  19. Birch Aquarium at Scripps, La Jolla, CA
  20. San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA
  21. San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA
  22. SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego, CA
  23. Living Coast Discovery Center, Chula Vista, CA
  24. San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, CA
  25. Los Angeles Zoo, Los Angeles, CA
  26. Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR
  27. Wildlife Safari, Winston, OR
  28. Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA
  29. Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA
  30. The Living Desert, Palm Desert, CA
 
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I visited 73 places across 11 states as well as 4 countries (besides USA) this year. A number of these are smaller places. But usually they have birds of prey and around a good few herp species so I count them as zoological facilities.
Prague Zoo was the zoo highlight for me this year, part of a couple of overall really wonderful trips to Europe that saw me visit my first zoos in the continent.

2024 should be another good year for my zoo totals. I will be spending weeks at a time in Atlanta for work and personal reasons. So I expect to visit many of the zoos in the region when I have time, and I already have a number of planned zoo visits before January is over.

* = Repeat visit


Florida
1. Zoo Miami*
2. Jacksonville Zoo
3. Brevard Zoo*
4. Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
5. Lion Country Safari*
6. Flamingo Gardens**
7. Jungle Island
8. Sarasota Jungle Gardens
9. Iguanaland
10. Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary
11. Everglades Outpost
12. Frost Museum Of Science*
13. Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
14. Marine Science Center
15. Tree Hill Nature Center
16. Save Our Seabirds

New York
17. Bronx Zoo*
18. Central Park Zoo*
19. Prospect Park Zoo*
20. New York Aquarium*
21. Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium
22. Tackapausha Museum & Preserve

New Jersey
23. Liberty Science Center
24. Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
25. Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge
26. Adventure Aquarium
27. JA McFaul Environmental Center
28. Flat Rock Brook Nature Center

Georgia
29. Zoo Atlanta*
30. Pine Mountain Safari
31. UGA Marine Education Center & Aquarium
32. Tybee Island Marine Science Center
33. Oatland Island Wildlife Center
34. Center For Wildlife Education
35. Tidelands Nature Center

South Carolina
36. Riverbanks Zoo
37. Greenville Zoo
38. Bee City Zoo
39. Eudora Wildlife Safari Park
40. Charles Towne Landing Historical Site
41. Sewee Visitor & Environmental Education Center

North Carolina
42. North Carolina Zoo
43. Greensboro Science Center
44. Museum Of Life & Science
45. Tiger World
46. Lazy 5 Ranch
47. Discovery Place Nature
48. Carolina Raptor Center
49. Catawba Science Center
50. North Carolina Museum Of Natural Sciences
51. Rowan Wildlife Adventures
52. Piedmont Wildlife Center

Pennsylvania
53. Philadelphia Zoo*
54. Upper Schuylkill Valley Park

Delaware
55. Brandywine Zoo

Maryland
56. Maryland Zoo
57. Plumpton Park Zoo
58. National Aquarium
59. Glen Echo Park Aquarium
60. Marshy Point Nature Center
61. Croydon Creek Nature Center
62. Carrie Murray Nature Center

Virginia
63. Virginia Zoo

Connecticut
64. Beardsley Zoo
65. Earthplace
66. Stamford Museum & Nature Center
67. New Canaan Nature Center
68. Darien Nature Center

UK
69. London Zoo
70. Battersea Children’s Zoo

Netherlands
71. Artis Royal Zoo

Czechia
72. Prague Zoo

Italy
73. Bioparco Roma
 
This was definitely the most zoos I've visited in a single year. First time visits are in bold, with parentheses used to indicate the number of visits

Bronx Zoo (1)
Brookfield Zoo (2)
Lincoln Park Zoo (19)
Maryland Zoo (1)
National Aquarium (1)
National Zoo (1)
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (1)
Philadelphia Zoo (1)
Shedd Aquarium (11)
 
Return visits;
West Midlands Safari
Dudley Zoo (2)
North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre
Exmoor Zoo
Chester Zoo
Woodside Wildlife and Falconry Centre
Wolds Wildlife Park
Wild Place Project
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm
Tropiquaria (2)
Axe Valley Wildlife Park
Crocodiles of the World (2)
Cotswolds Wildlife Park
Paignton Zoo (2)
Puxton Park (dozens)

First Time Visits:
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park
Wildwood Escot
Drayton Manor
Birdland
Ark Wildlife Park

A relatively lean year for new collections!

Next year looking more promising with plans to visit Peak Wildlife Park on Monday then hoping to tick off some South Wales collections (Picton, Folly Farm and Manor Wildlife) later in the year and a trip to Tenerife (Loro, Monkey Park and Las Aguilas) also.

Lots to look forward to! Hope everyone has a happy 2024!
 
This was a good zoo year for me!

In total I went 113 times to a zoo, visiting 17 different zoos of which 5 were first time visits for me (in bold).

The Netherlands:
Artis Zoo: 93 (membership + work)
Diergaarde Blijdorp: 2
Burgers Zoo: 2
Dierenpark Amersfoort: 1
Ouwehands Dierenpark: 1
Ecomare: 1
Botanische tuinen Utrecht: 2
Apenheul: 1
Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen: 1

Belgium:
Zoo Antwerpen: 2
Pairi Daiza: 1

Germany:
NaturZoo Rheine: 1
Tierpark Berlin: 1
Zoo Berlin: 1
Aquarium Berlin: 1
Zoo Wuppertal: 1

United Kingdom:
London Zoo: 1 (first visit since 2010!)
 
2023 was my most zoo visits in a year so far! I visited 24 zoos, 9 for the first time (in bold)

UK:
- British Wildlife Centre
- New Forest Wildlife Park
- Wingham Wildlife Park
- Beale Wildlife Park
- Marwell Zoo
- Crocodiles of the World
- Cotswold Wildlife Park
- Chester Zoo
- Twycross Zoo
- Hamerton Zoo
- Hemsley Conservation Centre
- Chessington
- Wildheart Animal Sanctuary
- Amazon World Zoo Park
- Monkey Haven
- Port Lympne
- Monkey World
- Peak Wildlife Park
- Longleat
- Welsh Mountain Zoo
- ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
- Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm

Belgium:
- Pairi Daiza

Czech Republic:
- Prague Zoo
 
Gotta say that I'm a little surprised at just how few zoos I visited this last year: revisits to the my three local facilities and just one new collection. I anticipate 2024 will be much busier.

1.) Brookfield Zoo
2.) Lincoln Park Zoo
3.) Shedd Aquarium
4.) Nashville Zoo
 
2023 was a big year for me, hitting nineteen facilities. Thirteen of these were either new to me or ones I hadn't visited in a very long time.
The repeat visits were:
- Roger Williams Park Zoo
- Buffalo Zoo
- Rosamond Gifford Zoo
- Aquarium of Niagara
- Utica Zoo
- Boston Museum of Science
The new visits were:
- New England Aquarium
- Bergen County Zoo
- Turtle Back Zoo
- New York Aquarium
- Prospect Park Zoo
- Central Park Zoo
- Bronx Zoo
- Queens Zoo
- Staten Island Zoo
- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
- Toronto Zoo
- Detroit Zoo
- Toledo Zoo
 
FBBird said:
Tropiquaria
Birdland
Axe Valley Wildlife Park
Dorset Falconry Park
Exmoor Zoo
Birdworld
Singapore Zoo and Night Safari
Mandai River Wonders
Mandai Bird Paradise
Taman Safari and Babyzoo
So, ten:)
Click to expand...
And Banham... ;) So 11 then? :p
 
Hello.

1. BioParque do Rio (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)
2. Belo Horizonte zoo (Belo Horizonte, MG)
3. Hotel Fazenda Cascatinha (Piraí, RJ)
4. Zoo VR (Volta Redonda, RJ)
5. ZooParque Itatiba (Itatiba, SP)
 
Ah almost forgot to do this- thanks for the reminder @RatioTile! Always fun to see how I ended for the year.

South Africa:
1. Eagle Encounter (March)

United States:
2. Bronx Zoo (May)

Singapore:
3. River Wonders (May)
4. Singapore Zoo (May)
5. Bird Paradise (May)
6. Night Safari (May)

Indonesia:
7. Batu Secret Zoo (June)
8. Taman Safari Prigen (June)
9. Taman Safari Bogor (June)

Malaysia:
10. Johor Zoo (May)
11. Zoo Negara (June)

Iceland:
12. Reykjavik Family Park and Zoo (Sept)

Denmark:
13. Copenhagen Zoo (Sept)
14. Tivoli Gardens (Sept)

Sweden:
15. Malmös Reptile Center (Sept)

Madagascar:
16. Madagascar Exotic Réserve Peyrieras (Oct)
17. Parc Ivolonia (Oct)
18. Lemuria Land (Oct)
 
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