ZSL London Zoo London Zoo in 2021 - the best it’s been for years?

ZSH

ZSH

ZSHplays
Premium Member
I went to London Zoo for the first time in 3 or 4 years last week & I feel like they’ve really turned a corner in terms of making the best of what they’ve got. Compared to 5, 10 or 20 years ago, with the Tiger Territory & the new (to me anyway) Babirusa & Muntjac enclosures, the Casson finally feels like the backdrop to something rather than just an eyesore and massive waste of space. The new Pygmy hippo enclosure is an improvement on their previous habitat & the wild dogs are very impressive. The giraffes looks pretty ugly now apart from the building itself but I’m not sure if they’ve finished the new bit yet or not? Closing off the entire North Bank is actually a positive from an aesthetic perspective as the old aviaries were in a horrific state. Not sure if they’re still there or not? I know the Snowdon is on the way to becoming a new lemur walkthrough which again should be an improvement.

Also, I know it gets a lot of stick but, for me, a zoo containing an absolutely beautiful but empty Modernist Penguin enclosure with its fresh paint job and also an enormous, modern & very much not-empty Penguin enclosure is a very good thing

Obviously the closure of the aquarium is a massive shame but in my decidedly patchy knowledge of the current landscape for zoos I believe that many of them are going down that route anyway?

Overall, having been going regularly since about 1985 in my opinion this is the best it’s been for visitors since the early 90s & the best it’s been for the animals presumably ever? I imagine 90% of this forum know more than I do but I just wanted to give a layman’s perspective on the zoo as it stands now. I’d be interested to know what others think of the zoo right now?
 
ZSH said:
I went to London Zoo for the first time in 3 or 4 years last week & I feel like they’ve really turned a corner in terms of making the best of what they’ve got. Compared to 5, 10 or 20 years ago, with the Tiger Territory & the new (to me anyway) Babirusa & Muntjac enclosures, the Casson finally feels like the backdrop to something rather than just an eyesore and massive waste of space. The new Pygmy hippo enclosure is an improvement on their previous habitat & the wild dogs are very impressive. The giraffes looks pretty ugly now apart from the building itself but I’m not sure if they’ve finished the new bit yet or not? Closing off the entire North Bank is actually a positive from an aesthetic perspective as the old aviaries were in a horrific state. Not sure if they’re still there or not? I know the Snowdon is on the way to becoming a new lemur walkthrough which again should be an improvement.

Also, I know it gets a lot of stick but, for me, a zoo containing an absolutely beautiful but empty Modernist Penguin enclosure with its fresh paint job and also an enormous, modern & very much not-empty Penguin enclosure is a very good thing

Obviously the closure of the aquarium is a massive shame but in my decidedly patchy knowledge of the current landscape for zoos I believe that many of them are going down that route anyway?

Overall, having been going regularly since about 1985 in my opinion this is the best it’s been for visitors since the early 90s & the best it’s been for the animals presumably ever? I imagine 90% of this forum know more than I do but I just wanted to give a layman’s perspective on the zoo as it stands now. I’d be interested to know what others think of the zoo right now?
Click to expand...

Essentially, I disagree. BUT I think we are in a different place than we were a few years ago. There are a few projects in the works (Snowden, new reptile house) that will transform the zoo and they might well be positive developments, or at least I hope so. The babirusa are great (the male, when I saw him on Saturday morning, is developing into quite an impressive specimen) and there were interesting new bird species. I felt positive about the future of the zoo when I left, which I haven't for a bit!

(I adore your PZ build, by the way)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ZSH
ZSH said:
Overall, having been going regularly since about 1985 in my opinion this is the best it’s been for visitors since the early 90s & the best it’s been for the animals presumably ever? I imagine 90% of this forum know more than I do but I just wanted to give a layman’s perspective on the zoo as it stands now. I’d be interested to know what others think of the zoo right now?
Click to expand...
It depends on the type of animal. I agree that it's never been better for the the tigers or the penguins. But what about the poor little fishes?
 
ZSH said:
Overall, having been going regularly since about 1985 in my opinion this is the best it’s been for visitors since the early 90s..... I’d be interested to know what others think of the zoo right now?
Click to expand...
I've been a regular visitor to London Zoo since I was a young child in the late 1950s, back in the days when the zoo had one of the greatest animal collections in the world.

As I've mentioned previously on ZooChat, I'm sure that those of us who remember when London Zoo had a huge comprehensive animal collection will, inevitably, always be disappointed by today's considerably reduced collection.

I sympathise with "Pipaluk" as I remember when it was impossible to see the whole zoo in one visit.

Unusually for me, I've not been for more than eighteen months (which is the longest period in my life without a visit to Regent's Park). Consequently, I cannot comment on today's zoo from personal experience. However, I find your comments very encouraging; it's good to hear some positive views instead of the normal complaints.
 
Tim May said:
As I've mentioned previously on ZooChat, I'm sure that those of us who remember when London Zoo had a huge comprehensive animal collection will, inevitably, always be disappointed by today's considerably reduced collection.
Click to expand...

Mind you, even some of those who remember what it was like as recently as 2012 (the time of my first visit) have reservations about the direction it is going :P
 
Thanks Oflory! I forgot to mention the new (I think) method of allowing the animals above the paths in the rainforest walkthrough is brilliant as well. I will admit that seeing the doors to the aquarium plastered over was very sad and it is frankly embarrassing to mention the new Corals exhibit as a partial replacement as it is essentially one sad looking tank with about 4 tiny fish in it. I still enjoyed my visit more than I have done in many years though.
 
pipaluk said:
I think this is a bit over positive. I went last month, but there is no way the zoo is better than 10,20,30 years ago!
40 years ago you could not see the whole zoo in a day, now you can see everything in 2-3 hours!!
Click to expand...
Would you not agree that the zoo is better than it was 10 years ago? I’m not saying you’re wrong, just interested to know why? The zoo was certainly more impressive 40 years ago I will agree with that!
 
ZSH said:
Would you not agree that the zoo is better than it was 10 years ago? I’m not saying you’re wrong, just interested to know why? The zoo was certainly more impressive 40 years ago I will agree with that!
Click to expand...

As I mentioned upthread, I most certainly think that the zoo has declined noticeably in the last decade - there are more and more areas lying empty or in disrepair, whole swathes of the zoo have been replaced by large, overly-expensive and excessively-themed areas which are almost labyrinthian to negotiate, and the species collection has plummeted even from the reduced and whittled-down numbers present in 2012.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As I mentioned upthread, I most certainly think that the zoo has declined noticeably in the last decade - there are more and more areas lying empty or in disrepair, whole swathes of the zoo have been replaced by large, overly-expensive and excessively-themed areas which are almost labyrinthian to negotiate, and the species collection has plummeted even from the reduced and whittled-down numbers present in 2012.
Click to expand...
Quite right Dave. The zoo needs almost a complete revamp, starting with its managers. While i do agree the larger animal species are better off out at whipsnade there are many smaller endangered species that London zoo could focus upon. I more than agree with Daves comment about the overly-themed exhibits such as the Asian lions fake super market o_O. I believe it misses the mark and what may seem like a good idea at the time is really not. London zoo needs to get back to the basics of having a comprehensive collection of rarer species which is focused on breeding of endangered species. perhaps they could use the Jersey zoo as a guide to get it right :cool:
 
ZSH said:
I went to London Zoo for the first time in 3 or 4 years last week & I feel like they’ve really turned a corner in terms of making the best of what they’ve got. Compared to 5, 10 or 20 years ago, with the Tiger Territory & the new (to me anyway) Babirusa & Muntjac enclosures, the Casson finally feels like the backdrop to something rather than just an eyesore and massive waste of space. The new Pygmy hippo enclosure is an improvement on their previous habitat & the wild dogs are very impressive. The giraffes looks pretty ugly now apart from the building itself but I’m not sure if they’ve finished the new bit yet or not? Closing off the entire North Bank is actually a positive from an aesthetic perspective as the old aviaries were in a horrific state. Not sure if they’re still there or not? I know the Snowdon is on the way to becoming a new lemur walkthrough which again should be an improvement.

Also, I know it gets a lot of stick but, for me, a zoo containing an absolutely beautiful but empty Modernist Penguin enclosure with its fresh paint job and also an enormous, modern & very much not-empty Penguin enclosure is a very good thing

Obviously the closure of the aquarium is a massive shame but in my decidedly patchy knowledge of the current landscape for zoos I believe that many of them are going down that route anyway?

Overall, having been going regularly since about 1985 in my opinion this is the best it’s been for visitors since the early 90s & the best it’s been for the animals presumably ever? I imagine 90% of this forum know more than I do but I just wanted to give a layman’s perspective on the zoo as it stands now. I’d be interested to know what others think of the zoo right now?
Click to expand...

A tiny correction, the revamped Snowdon Aviary will be housing black and white colobus monkeys not a lemur walk through
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: ZSH
ZSH said:
Thanks Oflory! I forgot to mention the new (I think) method of allowing the animals above the paths in the rainforest walkthrough is brilliant as well.
Click to expand...

As far as I was aware the animals have always had access above the public walkways, there's nearly always been something (usually a tamarin or sloth) up there in all my visits since becoming a regular in 2014.

Like @Tim May , I haven't been to London since March 2020 (about 2 weeks before lockdown 1), so can't comment on the current state of the zoo, but now I am starting to get out and about again I'm really looking forward to visiting again and getting reacquainted with the place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ZSH
I would like to believe that a larger number of Colobus monkeys would be living in the revamped Snowden aviary upon opening unless they plan on having some other species on view the place could end up looking quite empty.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As I mentioned upthread, I most certainly think that the zoo has declined noticeably in the last decade - there are more and more areas lying empty or in disrepair, whole swathes of the zoo have been replaced by large, overly-expensive and excessively-themed areas which are almost labyrinthian to negotiate, and the species collection has plummeted even from the reduced and whittled-down numbers present in 2012.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, I didn’t realise they’d reduced species since then (other than fish of course). Personally I love the land of the lions theming, I think it’s immersive and far more accurate to the place it’s trying to represent than the usual cheese-fest you get with zoo theming
 
One issue with London Zoo, it doesn't have much land and the land is shaped like a giant wind sail. The land around the canal isn't the most practical either.

It would be nice if the Royal Parks gave the zoo more land and instead of being shaped like a wind sail, but squared off, this in turn could have bigger and more imaginative enclosures and new enclosures for more animals than cramming everything.

Not saying animals that need a lot of space should come back though, like elephants those days are thankfully gone.
 
Reptile House said:
One issue with London Zoo, it doesn't have much land and the land is shaped like a giant wind sail. The land around the canal isn't the most practical either.

It would be nice if the Royal Parks gave the zoo more land and instead of being shaped like a wind sail, but squared off, this in turn could have bigger and more imaginative enclosures and new enclosures for more animals than cramming everything.

Not saying animals that need a lot of space should come back though, like elephants those days are thankfully gone.
Click to expand...

This idea has been debated on various ZSL threads over the years. As much as I’d like it to happen, I doubt it ever will (and certainly not in the current climate) unless there is a significant shift from all parties concerned.

Anyway, based on recent form, I dread to think what the current hierarchy would use the space for. Quick-rich money making schemes and Crazy Golf no doubt!
 
I totally agree, I think they could use the space they already have much better! Look at the north and south bank of the canal, the Mappins, former anteater enclosure…
It appears to be a lack of imagination and funds, not a few more acres!
Nice to see that they’ve finally brought in a few new bird species though and they’ve had a few nice mammal births recently, particularly their 2nd Aye-aye…
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top