And what happened to Denmark?
Sweden's armies, under the command of Lennart Torstensson, invaded without a prior declaration of war.
Oh... you mean what happened to Denmark recently?
Like a Rhinestone Cowboy: FunkyGibbon in Europe
- Thread starter FunkyGibbon
- Start date
Sweden's armies, under the command of Lennart Torstensson, invaded without a prior declaration of war.
Oh... you mean what happened to Denmark recently?
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Hlubokemon Go - July 23rd 2018
I am currently supping a half-litre of Pilsner Urquell Unfiltered, purely for Brum. It is bitter but flavoursome. Only available in the town of Pilsen itself, it is clearly a must-drink.
I had planned a later start to get the train to Hluboka, but luckily me jetlag had me awake at 4.30 so I was all set to go for the 7.30 train. Czech trains are lovely by the way, but really, really slow.
Hluboka, or Ohrada if you prefer, is a small zoo charmingly situated alongside a small lake. A series of large waterbird aviaries make full use of this, and are a highlight of the zoo. In all honesty I'm a bit at a loss for what to say. It's a very accomplished zoo, it just didn't really chime with me. So perhaps the following thoughts will lack a certain something.
Highlights
A Nile crocodile with an outdoor pool enjoying the sun.
Lots of babies, but the undoubted pick of the crop was the Himalayan brown bear cub.
A fantastic (temporary?) Ant room with a wide variety of species.
The whole Palearctic section is cohesive and impressive. The wolverines were very active and almost golden as opposed to the usual black.
A European terrarium building, where the backs of the enclosures face south and open in summer.
Lowlights
There is a second bear enclosure which holds regular Brown Bear. It has a certain charm but is really showing its age.
Hluboka is a lovely little zoo. It's much better than many I've visited. I can't help feeling though that it's the kind of place that won't quite make the cut when someone asks for recommendations for a Czech trip. In a couple of years I hope to do the south-east of the country and then I'll let you know.
I dropped into Akva Tera, Plzen's separate terrarium place this evening. I have to say I think it had somehow grown in my mind in the past two years. The invertebrate collection is the highlight I think. At just over a quid it's excellent value anyway.
Big day tomorrow!
I am currently supping a half-litre of Pilsner Urquell Unfiltered, purely for Brum. It is bitter but flavoursome. Only available in the town of Pilsen itself, it is clearly a must-drink.
I had planned a later start to get the train to Hluboka, but luckily me jetlag had me awake at 4.30 so I was all set to go for the 7.30 train. Czech trains are lovely by the way, but really, really slow.
Hluboka, or Ohrada if you prefer, is a small zoo charmingly situated alongside a small lake. A series of large waterbird aviaries make full use of this, and are a highlight of the zoo. In all honesty I'm a bit at a loss for what to say. It's a very accomplished zoo, it just didn't really chime with me. So perhaps the following thoughts will lack a certain something.
Highlights
A Nile crocodile with an outdoor pool enjoying the sun.
Lots of babies, but the undoubted pick of the crop was the Himalayan brown bear cub.
A fantastic (temporary?) Ant room with a wide variety of species.
The whole Palearctic section is cohesive and impressive. The wolverines were very active and almost golden as opposed to the usual black.
A European terrarium building, where the backs of the enclosures face south and open in summer.
Lowlights
There is a second bear enclosure which holds regular Brown Bear. It has a certain charm but is really showing its age.
Hluboka is a lovely little zoo. It's much better than many I've visited. I can't help feeling though that it's the kind of place that won't quite make the cut when someone asks for recommendations for a Czech trip. In a couple of years I hope to do the south-east of the country and then I'll let you know.
I dropped into Akva Tera, Plzen's separate terrarium place this evening. I have to say I think it had somehow grown in my mind in the past two years. The invertebrate collection is the highlight I think. At just over a quid it's excellent value anyway.
Big day tomorrow!
Couldn't think of a pun involving Ohrada?
Good man, not sure about the half-litre though, that's 68 ml less than a pint!
Now out of the whole review this is the most intriguing bit, I assume leaf-cutter were in there but what other species? I'm guessing you made a list...
Couldn't think of a pun involving Ohrada?
Ohrada he didn’t try, anyway.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Pilsonnnnnnn! - July 24th 2018
I'm going to cheat a bit and point you to this review I wrote of Plzen two years ago:
FunkyGibbon's Chinese Takeaway
Not a huge amount has actually changed since my last visit, although various species may have come and gone. One nice surprise this time was finally seeing one of my nemesis species, Bohemian Waxwing. It's been a long time coming!
Less is more. Painful I know, but I think Plzen really needs to take heed, just a tiny bit. So much of the zoo is fantastic: virtually everything in fact. And even in the 'problem areas' there is a lot of good to be found. But the fact remains that there are too many small indoor-only enclosures for small mammals, most notably in the Africa at Night house and the Madagascar house. I know Plzen's collection is its calling card, but would it really make it less of a zoonerd zoo to cut the mongoose collection from five to four species? Similarly with lemurs; I can't think where else I've seen a primate doing the pacing stereotypy with accompanying headroll.
I wonder what the future holds for Plzen; it seems like since I've been active on ZooChat there hasn't been a major development completed or announced. I would really like to see them acquire land to the south and rehouse those parts of the collection that need it, whilst simultaneously adding even more animals of course.
I was also wondering when I was walking around; where is the next Plzen? Is there a zoo in an eastern (or western for that matter) European country somewhere which is planning some ambitious developments and looking to dramatically expand its collection?
Plzen will always be an essential visit for a zoonerd in the area, and for those who haven't visited at all it is a major draw to the Czech Republic. But for those of us who aren't species hunters, I think it does lose a little gloss on a return visit. The now-previously-seen lifers fall back slightly and the zoo itself rises to the foreground. And that's no bad thing; there's much that is elegant, thoughtful and intelligently done. But it does lack the hard-hitting, star power of somewhere like a Prague or a Zürich (although maybe it still matches up well to the likes of Berlin Tierpark).
After time constrained visits at Jihlava and Hluboka it was fantastic to have a whole day to really enjoy a zoo. And the South-American House which I had missed last time was open, giving me fantastic views of the prehensile-tailed porcupines, one of my all time favourite species. So, all in all, not a bad day at all.
I'm going to cheat a bit and point you to this review I wrote of Plzen two years ago:
FunkyGibbon's Chinese Takeaway
Not a huge amount has actually changed since my last visit, although various species may have come and gone. One nice surprise this time was finally seeing one of my nemesis species, Bohemian Waxwing. It's been a long time coming!
Less is more. Painful I know, but I think Plzen really needs to take heed, just a tiny bit. So much of the zoo is fantastic: virtually everything in fact. And even in the 'problem areas' there is a lot of good to be found. But the fact remains that there are too many small indoor-only enclosures for small mammals, most notably in the Africa at Night house and the Madagascar house. I know Plzen's collection is its calling card, but would it really make it less of a zoonerd zoo to cut the mongoose collection from five to four species? Similarly with lemurs; I can't think where else I've seen a primate doing the pacing stereotypy with accompanying headroll.
I wonder what the future holds for Plzen; it seems like since I've been active on ZooChat there hasn't been a major development completed or announced. I would really like to see them acquire land to the south and rehouse those parts of the collection that need it, whilst simultaneously adding even more animals of course.
I was also wondering when I was walking around; where is the next Plzen? Is there a zoo in an eastern (or western for that matter) European country somewhere which is planning some ambitious developments and looking to dramatically expand its collection?
Plzen will always be an essential visit for a zoonerd in the area, and for those who haven't visited at all it is a major draw to the Czech Republic. But for those of us who aren't species hunters, I think it does lose a little gloss on a return visit. The now-previously-seen lifers fall back slightly and the zoo itself rises to the foreground. And that's no bad thing; there's much that is elegant, thoughtful and intelligently done. But it does lack the hard-hitting, star power of somewhere like a Prague or a Zürich (although maybe it still matches up well to the likes of Berlin Tierpark).
After time constrained visits at Jihlava and Hluboka it was fantastic to have a whole day to really enjoy a zoo. And the South-American House which I had missed last time was open, giving me fantastic views of the prehensile-tailed porcupines, one of my all time favourite species. So, all in all, not a bad day at all.
Reading your reviews on both Jihlava and Plzen, I'm even more sad that our meetup didn't happen at the end.
About Plzen's future: The meadows in the south already belong to the zoo. Original plan was to have south-east asian tropical hall there - elephants, orangutans, malayan tapir, comodo dragon, python,...) but as the time wen't the "smaller" species were scratched and now it will be only elephant house and maybe the comodo dragons will remain. Around the hall, there were supposed to be smaller exhibits for southeast asian species (babirusa/visayan pig; javan rusa/spotted deer; some birds...) and papua-new guinea exhibit complex next to it (cassowary, tree kangaroo,...). But that all was postponed and zoo is now pushing for the elephant house, but there is still long way to go.
I'm utterly sorry for OT hijicking this thread, but I do have to share this with some of you. A few frequent readers might have noticed that I'm somehow critical of the German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB). Much to the surprise of other ZooChatters like TLD or lintworm, who appear to be smitten with this awfully incompetent company. Anyway, it's now official: the Deutsche Bahn just admitted that the current punctuality rate of their trains is the lowest in its history and that they have to try to imitate the far superior Swiss train system. Only 69,2% of the German trains arrive & leave on time.
There you have it, you DB apologists, in black and white (and in German):
Schienenverkehr: Dieser Fahrplan soll die Bahn endlich pünktlich machen - WELT
Please envision me typing this with a smug "Told you so" face.
There you have it, you DB apologists, in black and white (and in German):
Schienenverkehr: Dieser Fahrplan soll die Bahn endlich pünktlich machen - WELT
Please envision me typing this with a smug "Told you so" face.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
For Praguement's sake, let's get Leipziggy with it - July 26th 2018 & July 28th 2018
I visited Prague two years ago, on my previous Czechia trip. Sadly, although there are many exciting developments in the pipeline, none of them had been finished at the time of my visit. Don't worry though, because it remains the 'best' zoo in Europe (sorry Zurich). See last trip's review for further details:
FunkyGibbon's Chinese Takeaway
Annoyingly, despite spending another nine hours there I forgot about the native species area again.
Leipzig only made it onto the trip because I found cheaper flights to London from there instead of Prague. Sadly, that turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. First of all, despite leaving the hostel very early to make sure we didn't miss our coach from Prague to Leipzig, we somehow managed to miss our coach from Prague to Leipzig. This meant that we didn't arrive at the zoo until 2ish, which meant that we only had about three hours to see the zoo before we had to leave for the airport.
I came to Leipzig with very unclear expectations. It really seems to divide people. Some love it, and go so far as to say it's No.1 in Europe, others think it's merely a trumped up Hannover. I really wasn't sure which way I'd go. Luckily, I absolutely loved it.
We went straight to the elephant house, hoping to catch the end of the Elephant Swimming, but they were already out and towelling off in the changing rooms. Luckily though we got some really great views of the pangolins, despite missing the feeding time. Anyone know why one of them seems to only have three legs? I've seen quite a few pangolins in my time now, but this was only my second (and third?) Chinese pangolin. I remember a discussion a while back about who was in the Three Pangolin Club; I've been stuck on two for quite a while now.
The new Koala House is a really great use of what I presume is a historic building. Quite inspired.
The Himalaya development is quite stunning. Maybe a little on the small side though?
So, Gondwanaland. My second of the Big Three, after Masoala. Taken in isolation, it's obviously fantastic. But. I can't really comprehend how somebody could visit Masoala (as they must have done), decide to build your own giant rainforest dome, and then say: "But you know what would be better? If this felt less natural". Filling Gondwanaland with enclosures, while on the surface an understandable thing for a zoo to do, totally ruins its effectiveness as an immersive experience. It's a very good exhibit, but by gosh I was hoping for so much more.
We dropped into the old Bird House quickly, but got delayed by the giant squirrels. What a nice species!
As we approached Pongoland the heavens opened and a truly thunderous rainstorm ensued. Luckily, the half hour it lasted was one of the best I've had in a zoo. The large Chimpanzee troop had just been let inside themselves and the displaying that followed was truly spectacular. I've really never seen anything like it. Leipzig won my heart right there and then. Pongoland itself is of course also very impressive, although the orang exhibit doesn't really reach the standard of the rest of the house.
Coming straight after Pongoland is a delightful old-fashioned area for Siberian musk deer. I think the nicest thing about Leipzig is that it combines so many of the things that make German zoos great: historic buildings, stunning new developments and modest quiet areas. Sadly I understand these wooded paddocks are due to be redeveloped.
The African section is all very accomplished. The cheetah and rhino mixed exhibit was definitely the most interesting part. Nice to see hyaena as well.
Due to time constraints we skipped the South-American area and the Aquarium. I certainly regret the latter now, with it apparently having been one of the best before its recent closure for renovation.
I really loved Leipzig and I wish I could have spent more time there. I am a little worried that on my next visit in a few years I will love it a little less, but equally I may well love it more for having seen all of it.
I don't really want to go into depth about what happened at the airport, but suffice to say that for the second time in my life I was left standing in a German terminal, late at night, wondering why Ryanair wouldn't even send out staff to tell me that they'd cancelled my flight to my face. I have never encountered a company with worse customer service, or worse service in general. More fool me for flying with them a second time.
I visited Prague two years ago, on my previous Czechia trip. Sadly, although there are many exciting developments in the pipeline, none of them had been finished at the time of my visit. Don't worry though, because it remains the 'best' zoo in Europe (sorry Zurich). See last trip's review for further details:
FunkyGibbon's Chinese Takeaway
Annoyingly, despite spending another nine hours there I forgot about the native species area again.
Leipzig only made it onto the trip because I found cheaper flights to London from there instead of Prague. Sadly, that turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. First of all, despite leaving the hostel very early to make sure we didn't miss our coach from Prague to Leipzig, we somehow managed to miss our coach from Prague to Leipzig. This meant that we didn't arrive at the zoo until 2ish, which meant that we only had about three hours to see the zoo before we had to leave for the airport.
I came to Leipzig with very unclear expectations. It really seems to divide people. Some love it, and go so far as to say it's No.1 in Europe, others think it's merely a trumped up Hannover. I really wasn't sure which way I'd go. Luckily, I absolutely loved it.
We went straight to the elephant house, hoping to catch the end of the Elephant Swimming, but they were already out and towelling off in the changing rooms. Luckily though we got some really great views of the pangolins, despite missing the feeding time. Anyone know why one of them seems to only have three legs? I've seen quite a few pangolins in my time now, but this was only my second (and third?) Chinese pangolin. I remember a discussion a while back about who was in the Three Pangolin Club; I've been stuck on two for quite a while now.
The new Koala House is a really great use of what I presume is a historic building. Quite inspired.
The Himalaya development is quite stunning. Maybe a little on the small side though?
So, Gondwanaland. My second of the Big Three, after Masoala. Taken in isolation, it's obviously fantastic. But. I can't really comprehend how somebody could visit Masoala (as they must have done), decide to build your own giant rainforest dome, and then say: "But you know what would be better? If this felt less natural". Filling Gondwanaland with enclosures, while on the surface an understandable thing for a zoo to do, totally ruins its effectiveness as an immersive experience. It's a very good exhibit, but by gosh I was hoping for so much more.
We dropped into the old Bird House quickly, but got delayed by the giant squirrels. What a nice species!
As we approached Pongoland the heavens opened and a truly thunderous rainstorm ensued. Luckily, the half hour it lasted was one of the best I've had in a zoo. The large Chimpanzee troop had just been let inside themselves and the displaying that followed was truly spectacular. I've really never seen anything like it. Leipzig won my heart right there and then. Pongoland itself is of course also very impressive, although the orang exhibit doesn't really reach the standard of the rest of the house.
Coming straight after Pongoland is a delightful old-fashioned area for Siberian musk deer. I think the nicest thing about Leipzig is that it combines so many of the things that make German zoos great: historic buildings, stunning new developments and modest quiet areas. Sadly I understand these wooded paddocks are due to be redeveloped.
The African section is all very accomplished. The cheetah and rhino mixed exhibit was definitely the most interesting part. Nice to see hyaena as well.
Due to time constraints we skipped the South-American area and the Aquarium. I certainly regret the latter now, with it apparently having been one of the best before its recent closure for renovation.
I really loved Leipzig and I wish I could have spent more time there. I am a little worried that on my next visit in a few years I will love it a little less, but equally I may well love it more for having seen all of it.
I don't really want to go into depth about what happened at the airport, but suffice to say that for the second time in my life I was left standing in a German terminal, late at night, wondering why Ryanair wouldn't even send out staff to tell me that they'd cancelled my flight to my face. I have never encountered a company with worse customer service, or worse service in general. More fool me for flying with them a second time.
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This is one of the new stock they received a year or two ago, and was originally a rescue animal - I believe it lost the leg in a trap.
Possibly their displays were related to the thunderstorm- in the wild they 'rain-dance' in such conditions apparently. Would have liked to see that.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Well, I got the linsang but Picathartes remains out of reach for the moment.
Glad to hear it! Spotted or Banded?
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Spotted, in Chengdu last August.
We know you spotted it in Chengdu, but was it a Spotted or Banded Linsang?
*Pause for applause*
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Almost exactly twelve calendar months after I visited Leipzig, selected photos from that trip have been uploaded to the gallery and so my European thread is again ready for an influx of new reports. Soon I will set out on another jaunt which will hopefully match 2017's in scope and scale. I'm going to be a little more free with my reports, by which I mean that I won't be afraid to write less
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
I'm in Europe. You can probably work out my itinerary for the next few days....
Antwerp Zoo - 7/8/19
'Antwerp and The Wasp'
This, the 'first' zoo of my trip (not including the five on my delightful weekend with @Brum and @devilfish ), may well turn out to have been the best. It's all downhill from here boys!
Antwerp is a glorious fusion of history and modernity. The many beautiful heritage buildings are blended with state-of-the-art architecture. Exhibits, while compact, are well-formed and seem to be interesting for both visitor and animal alike.
It's not all perfect; there are still quite a few outdated bits. However, the consistently astonishing standard of the newer developments indicates that these poorer parts can simply be seen as opportunities: no need to fear the impending loss of a treasured memory; instead it will be transformed into a new jewel for you to enjoy all over again!
It's hard to pick out highlights, because much of Antwerp would genuinely be the best thing in your average zoo. However:
Signage was fantastic, a real strength.
The Ape House. Having indoor rooms, the old covered verandas and 'proper' outdoor exhibits makes for a great environment. Of course, an Eastern Gorilla is a distinct bonus.
The Black and rufous sengis. Just glorious beasts, and my first time to see them.
Despite its current unused status, I was very taken with the old Buffalo House (which will soon hold rhinos). The 'bad zoonerd' in me wishes I had seen it with half a dozen different hoofstock paddocks stretched out in front of it.
The Aquarium. Not usually where I would hang my hat, but again both the overall ambience and consistent tank quality really had us lingering here.
Lastly, a surprising entry: a small pop-up display featured various items of jewellery modelled on the shapes of animal faeces. I made sure to document the wombat cube necklace for @Shorts !
A big thank you to @Vision for once again joining me and proving a more than able guide; his historical knowledge really enhanced the visit.
I will have to reflect a little to see exactly where Antwerp sits in my heart, but it's sure to make it into my Personal Top Five, and it's only my love for Frankfurt keeping the number one spot safe. A truly glorious afternoon.
Antwerp Zoo - 7/8/19
'Antwerp and The Wasp'
This, the 'first' zoo of my trip (not including the five on my delightful weekend with @Brum and @devilfish ), may well turn out to have been the best. It's all downhill from here boys!
Antwerp is a glorious fusion of history and modernity. The many beautiful heritage buildings are blended with state-of-the-art architecture. Exhibits, while compact, are well-formed and seem to be interesting for both visitor and animal alike.
It's not all perfect; there are still quite a few outdated bits. However, the consistently astonishing standard of the newer developments indicates that these poorer parts can simply be seen as opportunities: no need to fear the impending loss of a treasured memory; instead it will be transformed into a new jewel for you to enjoy all over again!
It's hard to pick out highlights, because much of Antwerp would genuinely be the best thing in your average zoo. However:
Signage was fantastic, a real strength.
The Ape House. Having indoor rooms, the old covered verandas and 'proper' outdoor exhibits makes for a great environment. Of course, an Eastern Gorilla is a distinct bonus.
The Black and rufous sengis. Just glorious beasts, and my first time to see them.
Despite its current unused status, I was very taken with the old Buffalo House (which will soon hold rhinos). The 'bad zoonerd' in me wishes I had seen it with half a dozen different hoofstock paddocks stretched out in front of it.
The Aquarium. Not usually where I would hang my hat, but again both the overall ambience and consistent tank quality really had us lingering here.
Lastly, a surprising entry: a small pop-up display featured various items of jewellery modelled on the shapes of animal faeces. I made sure to document the wombat cube necklace for @Shorts !
A big thank you to @Vision for once again joining me and proving a more than able guide; his historical knowledge really enhanced the visit.
I will have to reflect a little to see exactly where Antwerp sits in my heart, but it's sure to make it into my Personal Top Five, and it's only my love for Frankfurt keeping the number one spot safe. A truly glorious afternoon.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Just before we get started I'm going to make a public commitment to review my favourite beers from the Belgian leg, once it's over in a couple of days.
Planckendael Zoo - 8/8/19
(Not) Planckentein's Monster
The logical comparison to Planckendael, at least in my mind, is Gelsenkirchen. Both are big zoos with strong geographical zones and an emphasis, maybe even an overemphasis, on large mammals. Unlike Hanover, the other Erlebniszoo I have visited, I liked Zoom, and I was expecting to like Plankendael as well.
By the end of my visit I had finally put my finger on why I liked Plankendael, and liked it quite a lot. The zoo takes the best parts of these new concept zoos but discards much that is unattractive, at least to me. What this means in practice is that Plankendael is relatively heavily themed, but not at the cost of educational material, which is still present. The enclosures are mostly large, but they are not swamped with ghastly mockrock walls. Instead, the good old fence does most of the work. There is no attempt to disguise the fact that this is a zoo, which as a man who likes zoos I appreciate. The stable containing the Slender-horned gazelles, amongst others, was particularly pleasing in this regard.
Bird have also not been neglected at Planckendael, with lots of huge aviaries dotted around. The South American aviary containing penguins, terms, ducks and flamingos might well be the highlight of the entire zoo. The Asian tropical house also has a nice lineup of free-flying species, although perhaps in an attempt to commit to the Silent Forest theme I found it woefully undestocked. One taxonomic area that is underserved is herptiles; the zoo is in a bit of a bind here, because there aren't that many indoor areas for shoving in a few random terrariums and it would be totally out of keeping to build a dedicated Reptile House. Nonetheless, additions in this area would really elevate the zoo in my eyes and turn it into a true heavy hitter.
There is very, very little that is wrong with Planckendael. Apart from what is mentioned above, I think moving several primate species over from Antwerp's dismal Monkey House would benefit both zoos, and if I was greedy I might stretch to saying that both the European and Asian areas could be fleshed out a bit.
To conclude, Plankendael doesn't really do anything dramatic to appeal to the zoonerd. But, it is a very nice zoo, and it offers a thoroughly pleasant afternoon or full-day visit. Sometimes 'l liked it but I didn't love it' is more than enough.
Planckendael Zoo - 8/8/19
(Not) Planckentein's Monster
The logical comparison to Planckendael, at least in my mind, is Gelsenkirchen. Both are big zoos with strong geographical zones and an emphasis, maybe even an overemphasis, on large mammals. Unlike Hanover, the other Erlebniszoo I have visited, I liked Zoom, and I was expecting to like Plankendael as well.
By the end of my visit I had finally put my finger on why I liked Plankendael, and liked it quite a lot. The zoo takes the best parts of these new concept zoos but discards much that is unattractive, at least to me. What this means in practice is that Plankendael is relatively heavily themed, but not at the cost of educational material, which is still present. The enclosures are mostly large, but they are not swamped with ghastly mockrock walls. Instead, the good old fence does most of the work. There is no attempt to disguise the fact that this is a zoo, which as a man who likes zoos I appreciate. The stable containing the Slender-horned gazelles, amongst others, was particularly pleasing in this regard.
Bird have also not been neglected at Planckendael, with lots of huge aviaries dotted around. The South American aviary containing penguins, terms, ducks and flamingos might well be the highlight of the entire zoo. The Asian tropical house also has a nice lineup of free-flying species, although perhaps in an attempt to commit to the Silent Forest theme I found it woefully undestocked. One taxonomic area that is underserved is herptiles; the zoo is in a bit of a bind here, because there aren't that many indoor areas for shoving in a few random terrariums and it would be totally out of keeping to build a dedicated Reptile House. Nonetheless, additions in this area would really elevate the zoo in my eyes and turn it into a true heavy hitter.
There is very, very little that is wrong with Planckendael. Apart from what is mentioned above, I think moving several primate species over from Antwerp's dismal Monkey House would benefit both zoos, and if I was greedy I might stretch to saying that both the European and Asian areas could be fleshed out a bit.
To conclude, Plankendael doesn't really do anything dramatic to appeal to the zoonerd. But, it is a very nice zoo, and it offers a thoroughly pleasant afternoon or full-day visit. Sometimes 'l liked it but I didn't love it' is more than enough.
I'll hold you to that... And as you now know I'm a big fan of one Belgian lager in particular!
The lion area is the one big "minus" that pops into my mind - but as you note, these are pleasantly few.
A great review of Planckendael and since I was just recently there I feel compelled to comment. I truly enjoyed my day at that zoo, and with the additions of Tasmanian Devils, Barbary Macaques and Bonobos (revamped exhibits for the primates) since 2017, I feel as if the zoo was looking quite brilliant in areas. As you point out, birds are very nicely done in several spacious aviaries and in quite the dramatic contrast to the tiny, somewhat old-fashioned approach at the 'sister zoo' in Antwerp (although I'm quite aware of how many folks love that style of exhibitry). Planckendael has grown in leaps and bounds, and watching it from afar over the past decade it has been interesting to see the attendance growth and the spreading out of the park. Planckendael has a theme in some areas but it's not obtrusive, educational material that is not overwhelming, countless exhibits that are excellent but not always brilliant (penguin aviary aside)...it is simply an all-around, hugely impressive zoo and one that due to its space will eventually surge ahead of more urban zoos in Europe because it has the environment to evolve.