My Most Awesome World Zoo Tour

[zooboy28]

@Chlidonias, we are going back via Malaysia, but have only 4 hours there, so no chance of pangolins, or zoos, on the way back. Unless our plane is delayed (fingers crossed ).

@Brum, we are definitely planning on seeing Edinburgh & Chester, and most likely Bristol as well. I really want to do Whipsnade as well, but I'm not sure how feasible that will be, given it is tricky to get to and right at the end of our trip when we will have but a few pence left. I'm not sure about Highland Wildlife Park either, have looked at their website and they have only two species I haven't seen (Pine Marten & Carpathian Lynx), so I don't think its worth it, better to save our money.

Howletts, Twycross, Marwell and the safari parks will have to wait for another time, much as I want to visit them NOW!

We have also already visited London Zoo (at the very start of our trip), which I found to be extremely interesting, although looking back the collection wasn't great. I think it is a must visit for zoo enthusiasts because of its history, despite its decline from former glory.

 

[Brum]

Well said about London, the history is great but the collection is not! Out of the funal three, Chester is the best but the other 2 definitely have their great species and aspects. If you can get to Newquay or Paignton whilst around Bristol then I'm sure you won't be disappointed! Enjoy the rest of your trip and have fun in the UK!

 

[Shorts]

Well said about London, the history is great but the collection is not!

You're discounting the best aquarium in a UK zoo, the best reptile house in the UK and a very good nocturnal house, bird house and insect house -I can only conclude you're very mammal-centric.

 

[Brum]

Got me oh

You're discounting the best aquarium in a UK zoo, the best reptile house in the UK and a very good nocturnal house, bird house and insect house -I can only conclude you're very mammal-centric.

Got me in one!
Mammals are the main reason I visit a collection, reptiles/amphibianss come second and birds, fish and inverts are an added extra.

 

[zooboy28]

OK, so now its time for the final update, as MAWZT is over, and we are now back in NZ.

So we ended up visiting four UK zoos, as follows:

-We went to Edinburgh Zoo on one of the hottest days on the trip, which certainly improved our experience. The zoo itself was very scenic, but I felt the exhibits did not really complement the site - with the exception of Budongo and the African Plains. The historic buildings on the site should have been incorporated more into the exhibit design. The zoo was rather scruffy looking and felt cluttered in some places and empty in others. Collection was great for mammals, average for birds and appalling for herps: I saw one tortoise and one snake tank. Budongo was most impressive inside, certainly the best I have seen, outside was great too. I would like to see the zoo renovate most enclosures and rearrange much of the zoo, although I do not think a complete biogeographic rework is possible (or desirable) on the site. Overall a little disappointing, with the mammal rarities were the highlight.

-Having been to Edinburgh, and hearing that it was the second-best zoo in the UK, I had little hope for the other zoos we were to visit - except for Chester Zoo, which we visited on an overcast Saturday. We got a pass which included trains and bus to the zoo, which we felt was good value, and arrived a little after 10am. This really was a most impressive zoo, with an excellent mammal and bird collection, although only a few of the mammals were new species. I did have high expectations for this place, and I was glad it lived up to them. I did find the reptile collection a bit basic. Highlights were the Giant Otters, and the various houses (elephant, tropical, jaguar, orang, monkey), and I really liked the tamarin/marmoset enclosures. Dinosaurs were a bonus!

-Not strictly speaking a zoo, but we saw several birds of prey tethered at Cardiff Castle, which was certainly unexpected. Will have to post photos for definitive ID, but I suspect several were new species. Not a big fan of that method of displaying such birds, but it was interesting.

-Next zoo-stop was Bristol Zoo, which was tiny but quite nice. I found most outdoor enclosures underwhelming, but the avaries and indoor exhibits were great. I felt the site could have been laid out much better - some areas very cluttered, but overall the gardens and grounds were beautiful. Highlights were the Twilight Zone, reptile, invert and bird houses, as well as the Canadian Otters and scattered avaries. Overall I was disappointed however, as there were only a few species that were new to me.

-Although we had agreed that Bristol was the last zoo, it so happened that the estate we were staying at was only a few miles from another zoo, so we ended up also visiting the Cotswold Wildlife Park, which was a real gem. Except we paid to get in when really we could have just got dropped off at the gate and walked in free. The grounds were beautiful, almost all enclosures of a good standard, and a very well-rounded collection. I saw several new species, mostly primates and birds, notably turacos. The grounds were the best feature of the park, it was a really nice site, which mixed formal gardens, pine forest, woodland and plains, all with scattered enclosures. Certainly the UK zoo which impressed me the most.

So here doth end my MAWZT, which included 40 animal collections in 15 countries. Plus a fair few places that also had live animals on display, such as museums and pet shops. You can take photos of animals in pet shops ae?

Overall, we had an amazing trip, and saw a huge amount of zoos, animals, places and history. We will definitely go back to Europe, and top of the zoos-to-visit list will be Jersey, Dvur Kralov, Walsrode and Loro Parque, as well as many of the English, German and Dutch zoos.

Thanks for following my progress .