Zoo Aquarium de Madrid Madrid Zoo Review

T

tpw123

Well-Known Member
I visited madrid zoo on Wednesday and have decided to write a detailed review about it. I will give a review of each seperate geographical area. It is my first review so bear with me.


ASIA ZONE

This was probably my favourite part of the zoo as it held the most interesting and active species on the day I visited. The first enclosure I came to was the Père David's deer, like many antelope enclosures at the zoo I felt it lacked grass and was a little small. I saw 5 deer. The next animal was the panda bear. This was one of the better enclosures at the zoo as their were 3 enclosures for the pandas. The male panda was extremely active. The mother and baby were not currently viewable to the public due to the age of the cub. The next enclosure housed was meant to house nilgai and blackbuck however their were no animals their as keepers were strengthining the fencing round the outside. In the next enclosure were red pandas which I didn't see, reeves muntjac and there were also blackbuck which I assumed they moved ther whilst work was being done on their enclosure. I saw 4 reeves muntjac and 2 blackbuck. The enclosure was a bit small for all the species however if the blackbuck weren't there it would be a nice enclosure. They had a river acting as a natural barrier. This was the same in many enclosures. One thing I must say about all the enclosures generally you got very close to the animals and most of them were made of concrete. The next enclosure housed one of my favourite animals at he zoo the Indian rhino. There were two enclosures one for the female and one for the male. These were two of the best enclosures in the zoo as their we're lots of things for the rhinos to do and many different areas within the enclosure. However the indoor housing looked poor from the outside. I did worry about the indoor housing as you could only see the indoor accommodation of the apes. The rhinos were very active and the female swam right up to the barrier and was so close I could have touched her. The next animal was the Malayan tapir it had a simalir enclosure to the rhino and was very active unfortunately I only saw one. The next enclosure was for asiastic black bear this was the first time I saw the species so I was very excited. The enclosure was one of the worst in the zoo it was a large block of concrete with a moat around it. The bears could go into the moat if they wanted however it was difficult for the visitors to see them as they were along way down. There were three bears. Two were asleep one however walked over to me and stood on its back legs a nod waved at me. The next enclosure was home to sun bears. It was a very simalir enclosure to the asiatic bears apart from the fact the moat was flooded. Therefore the bears could only acces the top part therefore it was probably the worst enclosure at he zoo. There were two bears on e of them was stuck in a tree and eventually fell out. Luckily I don't think it injured itself. The next enclosure was for red pandas. It was a nice natural looking enclosure with a large tree in the middle. Two red pandas were asleep in the tree. One however was dragging a large apple up the tree. When is say large I mean it couldn't get it's jaws around it. The next enclosure houded yak it was a good sized enclosure for the four yak when I was there they were all lying down in the shade. The next animal was the Asian elephant. All the elephants were locked into different holding areas some which the public could not view. Fortunately the baby and its mother were viewable to the public. The mother was not at all interested in the baby which looked quite ill as there was no shade. The reason the elephants were locked out because the keepers were loadin one elephant into a crate which I think was a practise for it goin somewhere. The next enclosure in the Asia was zone was the bintaurang enclosure. It was a tad small for the two bintaurang which were sunbathing on a tree. The next animal was a white tiger. The enclosure wasn't really suited to a big cat it would have been better for a polar bear was it perhaps an old polar bear enclosure. It was a large concrete block on different levels withs ome greenery surrounded by water. The water took up about half the enclosure. I saw one lone white tiger it was very large so I assumed it was perhaps a male. The final enclosure in the Asia zone was the orangutan a and gibbons. I thought this was a good enclosure as there were lots of different viewing points of the indoor and outdoor enclosure. There were three white handed gibbons that I saw and one male orangutan outside and a female with a baby inside and another older female inside with a toddler running between the outdoor and indoor enclosures.

I will right an African zone review soon as we'll as the other zones overall I thought there were some good enclosures but some bad. I,liked the area because of the species however it was not the best zone for the enclosures.
 
Thanks for this review, looking forward to reading the rest. Am I right in thinking that Madrid Zoo was built from scratch in the 60s or 70s and that is why there are so many concrete enclosures?
 
You're totally right about your impression Shirokuma.

Thanks for this review tpw123. I want more ;)
 
AFRICA ZONE

This is the largest zone in the zoo. It has some good enclosures bust some poor enclosures. One of the main problems is the lack of grass at the zoo. The first enclosure is for leopards. I am not sure what subspecies they are. There was one leopard lying at the back of the enclosure. This enclosure was one of the worst in the zone it was far too small the leopards hardly had anywhere to go. The next enclosure was for barbary lions. It was a very similar enclosure to the white tiger with half of it water and a large slab of concrete with different levels in the middle. There were four lions. The male and one of the females were mating. The next enclosure was a mixed exhibit for ostriches sitatungas and dorcas gazelles. There were a couple of sitatunga, around six dorcas gazelles one which was very young and about four ostriches. It was a good sized enclosure with plenty of shade the only problem was there was hardly any grass. One ostrich was in a seperate holding area. It had a bandage on its foot and plenty of feathers missing. I think it could possibly have been attacked by another ostrich. It looked quite ill. The next enclosure was for meerkats. It was probably the grassiest enclosure in the zone. There were two many meerkats to count. They had acces to two seperate enclosures through a tunnel both were very large. The meerkat enclosure was a similar size to many of the antelope enclosures. The next enclosure was for Barbary sheep. This was a good enclosure with plenty of different levels for the sheep and shade at the top. The only downside was the enclosure was concrete. There were about 20 sheep amongst them were a couple of young. The next enclosure was for camels this was a decent size enclosure with a sandy floor. There were two camels sitting in the sand in the shade. The area smelt strongly of camel wee so I did not stay long. The next enclosure was for hippopotamus. It was an average sized enclosure with a pool and a large area of mud. There were two hippos lying asleep in the mud. The next enclosure was for hamadryads baboons. There were about a hundred baboons. The enclosure was similar to the lion exhibit apart from the moat round the outside was not full of water. They were fascinating to watch. The males mating with females. Females looking after their babies. They had a fascinating social structure with the lower ranked monkeys in the moat below and the males fighting for territories and mates. However the enclosure was far too small for a hundred monkeys of which about twenty were babies.
The next enclosure was for white rhino and dorcas gazelles. The enclosure was of good size and had a pool and plenty of enrichment. Unfortunately there were no animals in the exhibit instead some there were some keepers. However behind the hippos there was a female white rhino in a small enclosure which had no shade. I hope she isn't normally kept in there. One of the funny moments was when she had a wee which lasted a minute and gushed ove the edge of her enclosure and landed on the hippo below. All I could hear was a very angry hippo. The next enclosure was for sitatungas. It was a smallish enclosure and had no grass. There were four sitatungas all sitting in the shade. The next enclosure was for tortoises. It was a good enclosure with an indoor and outdoor area. The species of tortoise were leopard and secyelles. The next enclosure was a massive house for gorillas however most of the house was for the visitors. There were some ground hornbills in the outdoor enclosure. In the indoor enclosure there were six gorillas. A baby a male and four females were in the indoor enclosure. It was a poor enclosure as there were no climbing oppurtunities. The area was atad small as well. The indoor area was a decent size. The next enclosure was for dama gazelle. It was a small enclosure with hardly any area to run and there was also no grass in the enclosure. It had a moat running in front of it. A lot of the enclosures in the zoo have water separating the visitor from the animal as their is a river running through the zoo. The next enclosure is for chimpanzees unfortunately the house was not open due to refurbishments. The next enclosure was for mandrills this was one of the worst enclosures in the zone. As far as I could tell they had no outdoor access. The indoor area had a low roof with nothing for the mandrills to do. The windows were very dirty probably so people couldn't see what was inside. There were 8 mandrills a male a toddler some juveniles and some females. The next enclosure housed colobus monkeys. This was slightly better than the mandrill one as their was outdoor acces and climbing oppurtunities however it was still tiny. I only saw two monkeys. The next enclosure was for bongos it was similar to the sitatunga enclosure with no grass and a bit small. However in this enclosure I only saw one male bongo so the area was quite large for one bongo. However I suspect there was more than one bongo. The next was for dwarf buffalo and red river hogs. There were three pretty dwarf buffalo who were sitting in some straw and a male red river hog who was constantly scurrying round the enclosure annoying the buffalo. This enclosure was of a decent size however there was no grass. One thing I would like to say is the majority of the housin looks ugly and is concrete and most of the animals are locked outside all day. The next enclosure was for giraffes, dromedy, wildebeest, zebra and ostriches. There were five giraffes with two juveniles. There were about three wildebeest and three ostriches. There was also a white dromedy that enjoyed rolling about on the floor. The zebra were kept in a seperate area outside the enclosure which was tiny with basically no room hardly for the zebras to move. When I came back later they were still there. The Maine nclosure was of a good size with shade and plenty of enrichment for the animals however there was no grass. The best part of the enclosure was a large viewing platform which was new. You could look over the whole enclosure. The best part was the giraffes came over to the area and I could have touched them they were so close. The next enclosure in the zone was for ring tailed lemurs. It was a walk through exhibit it was of average size with lots of trees for the lemurs to climb. They were very brave and ran right up to me. I think they were expecting food. There were around eight lemurs. The last enclosure in the zone was for black and white ruffed lemurs. They had an average size enclosure with mesh round the outside. I saw four lemurs who were being very aggressive towards each other. They were definitely picking on one of the smaller lemurs. That was my review of Africa overall it need more grass and a few animals need new enclosures. However there were some good exhibits. Overall I thought Asia was better.
 
EUROPEAN ZONE


This zone for me had the most boring species of animals. This may be because I'm European. The first enclosure you come to is for fallow deer. There were a few albino ones and about 5 normal ones.The enclosure had no grass and was a bit small. However they were quite active and a few were swimming in the river at the front of their enclosure. The next enclosure was for moose. Unfortunatley I didn't see any as their was building work going on in their enclosure. The next enclosure was for the rare Spanish deer. There was a male and female in a tiny enclosure with no space for them to run around and no grass. The next enclosure was probably for my favourite species on the day for how active they were, the European brown bear. There were 6 in a very good sized enclosure with lots of rocks and an area below and above like the other bear species except for the fact this enclosure was much larger and made of mock rock not concrete. Most of the enclosures were made of concrete except a few of the newer ones which had mock rock, brown bears, gorillas, elephants and few other newer enclosures. The bears were sitting down and waving at a lady who was throwing carrots into the enclosure. The bears were diving to catch the carrots in their mouthed. It was quite entertaining however I don't think she should have been doing it. The next enclosure was for Alaskan wolves. I saw two wolves running around in a decent sized enclosure that was quite bare. They were very shy and didn't seem to enjoy the hot weather. The next enclosure was for reindeers. I saw about five trotting right up to the barriers and sticking their head through the enclosure fencing. The enclosure was a bit small however for this zoo it was an average size. The next enclosure was for eagle owls. This was good size owl exhibit. I saw to owls sitting in the corner of an enclosure with a lot of height and plenty of resting places. The next enclosure was a pretty natural looking enclosure with a very cute inhabitant the peccary. I only saw one peccary. It looked very nervous and as soon as I came over scuttled into its house. The enclosure had a small pond with a few trees and a few logs. The next enclosure was a mixed one for European bison and wild boar. There were around five of each. The bison were all crowded round under a shelter however the boar were more adventurous and ran right up to me squealing. I think they thought I had some food. The enclosure was a good size with a nice shelter and a mud patch. Along with a river at the front of the enclosure. The next enclosure was one of the worst in the zoo their were three islands that looked a bit like a wedding cake. Each island was quite small with hardly any flat area at all. The first island had spanish ibex. Their were about five. The other islands had mouflon of which there were about twelve. The main problem was if one animal wanted to go one way and another wanted to come another way they couldn't get past each other so they had to go to the top as that was the only area where the width was wider than one animal even then the area was not large. The next enclosure was for the rare imperial eagle. It was very simalir to the owl enclosure. I saw 2 eagles however there could have been more as there was a large off show area. The next enclosure was for the European lynx. It was a bit small for the two fully grown lynx inside it. However there was lots of raised platform as and shade for the animals. The enclosure was one of the few which had mock rock. The last enclosure in this zone was for European mink. This was a large enclosure for them however it was overgrown. I saw one mink however there could have been many more hiding in the long grass. There were two enclosures which the mink could run between.
 
tpw123 said:
The final enclosure in the Asia zone was the orangutan and gibbons. I thought this was a good enclosure as there were lots of different viewing points of the indoor and outdoor enclosure. There were three white handed gibbons that I saw and one male orangutan outside and a female with a baby inside and another older female inside with a toddler running between the outdoor and indoor enclosures.
Click to expand...

How old would you estimate the baby to be? When I was there in June, I only saw the male, a female and what was probably your 'toddler' (Pal, born 2010). I found it very hard to see inside the indoor enclosure and there were no signs saying who should be there. I was quite disappointed to get home and realise that there could have been another female in the gloom. A pregnancy or birth could explain her low profile.
 
AMERICAS ZONE

One of the smaller zones at the zoo however still with some interesting species. The first enclosure you come to is a mixed exhibit for spectacled bears and coatis. It is similar to the asiastic bear enclosure apart from the fact their on the overhang their is a box for the coatis. I saw one bear that looked like it was loosing its hair. There were two coatis when I went. The next enclosure was for American black bear. There 3 bears in a similar enclosure to the spectacled bear. They were very active and liked to use their pool. Overall of the six bear enclosures at the zoo only the panda and brown have good enclosures. The next enclosure was a very large enclosure for guanaco which I saw 3, mara which I saw 5, Brazilian tapir which I didn't see, rhea which I saw 4 and 5 anteaters of which 4 were in a seperate enclosure next to the mixed exhibit. This was one of the best enclosures in the zoo with a large pool, a sandy area, a grassy area, a hilly section and lots of trees. The indoor accommodation however was not as good like most of the indoor housing at the zoo. The next enclosure was for American bison it was smaller than the European one however there were more bison around 10 it was a bit small but was better than some hoof stock enclosures. The enclosure was quite bare though. The next enclosure was for bush dog there were a pair who were fast asleep in a small enclosure. There was a hill with plenty of grass and a low wall for the visitors to view them. There seemed to be a large indoor area. The giant river otters were the next animal in a more recent enclosure. There was a large outdoor enclosure split into three zones one with grass, rocks and a small pond. The next had a shallow area of water covering a large area the rest was a sandy section. The final zone was a large water area with very clear water. Their was an indoor area with a large pool and finally a further off show area. This was all for two otters. The next enclosure was for two raccoons. It was a smallish enclosure with a large log which they slept in. It was a quite densely planted enclosure unlike most enclosures at the zoo. This was all for this zone
 
The raccoons were in a small exhibit in the bear pit complex when I visited, good to hear that they have moved into what sounds like a better enclosure. Do you think it was a new enclosure (like the Giant Otter one sounds like), or was it an old one? Was it next to the Australian animals?
 
Yes I think it was a new enclosure as it was made with mock rock and it was quite densely planted unlike most of the other enclosures
 
AUSTRALIAN ZONE

This was the smallest zone of the zoo with. Some of the worst enclosures in the zoo. The first enclosure was for koala bears. There indoor building looked rundown however on the inside it had been refurbished and was good with three enclosures, glass on the front with trees and platforms in the smallish enclosure. The outdoor section was very small. I saw two koalas. The next enclosure was a walk trough for wallabies it was very similar to all other wallaby enclosures. A winding path and large grassy area on the side. There were around five wallabies. The next enclosure was for cassowaries it was a small dusty paddock which was very thin. There were two cassowary. The next enclosure was the last in the zone and very similar to the last one it was for two emu.
 
OTHER ANIMALS

I have finally decided to right a review for the animals which weren't in the geographical zones. The first enclosure was an average sized flamingo enclosure with a smallish pool and a large grassy area. There were around 20 flamingos. The next enclosure was for two seals. They were in a small circular pool with concrete round the edge. The two seals were having a great game of chasing each other round the pool. The next enclosure was for californian sea lions. It had benches to view them as there was a daily show. The backdrop of the enclosure was a ship. The pool was a good size with two seperate pools which the sea lions could swim between. I saw 4 sea lions however there could have been more. The next exhibit was for penguins. It was a terrible enclosure. It was far to small and the poor penguins barely had enough land for them to all to stand on. The pool wasn't much better and was quite murky. The next area was a children's farm. It had a walk through goat enclosure, a pony, lots of peregrine falcons, some chicks, three pigs, a turkey and some piegons all in enclosures which were too small. The next exhibit was an aquarium. It was shaped like a pyramid and was one of the newer areas of the zoo. It had lots of good enclosures and one very large mixed exhibit with turtles, stingrays, nurse sharks and another species of shark which wasn't named. Overall this was one of the best areas of the zoo however mammals are what I find the most interesting so I don't know as much about fish birds and reptiles. The next exhibit was a large reptile house that was impressive. There was a small caiman enclosure when you first come in however when you get into the main room all the enclosures are good. There were some interesting species including alligator snapping turtles and gilla monsters. There were three crocodile monitors in a very large enclosure. When I was there it was feeding time for them. They moved all visitors to the side of the enclosure and slid the glass fronting of half of the enclosure I was shocked as any of them could have jumped out. Then the two keepers used a long metal pole with clippers on the end two give the two larger monitors a mouse each. Then the keeper gave a mouse to the smaller monitor. Suddenly the largest monitor dived towards the smaller on and ripped the mouse out of its mouth. The kepeer then tried to prise the mouse from the larger monitor quite roughly. Meanwhile the third monitor dove towards the poen glass panel half it's body was outside the enclosure producing gasps from the audience luckily the other keeper grabbed hold of it with its pole just before it hit the ground and ran away. Can I just say these lizards are about 8 ft. The keepers quickly ushered everyone out the building after the incident. The next exhibit was for birds of prey. It was atrocious as apart from when they were in the shows they were chained to a rock. The species were a type of vulture which I couldn't identify as was a long way away, a bald eagle and a few species of hawk. The final area of the zoo to review is the dolphin stadium. There were nine dolphins including three younger ones. The show was very good and the stadium had a very large capacity. However the pool was on was a tad small. A very small patio gain sealion enclosure was joint on to the arena. There were three sea lions in a circular pool with no land which I could see.

That is my review of madrid zoo overall there are too many outdated concrete enclosures and not enough grass. However there is a great range of species and some of the newer areas are impressive. I hope you enjoyed my review
 
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