And now, for the thread's final species, I think everyone can probably guess the iconic zoo animal that will be highlighted in today's post: the African Pygmy Goat! Naked Mole Rat! Blue Whale! Western Lowland Gorilla!
The largest of all primates, gorillas are a personal favorite of mine (and one that I have the privilege of observing for research on a regular basis), and one that I'm excited to write about! The criteria for gorillas are:
Climbing Opportunities: Gorillas may not live the entirely arboreal lifestyles of orangutans, but they still warrant exhibits with a wide variety of climbing opportunities, and will take advantage of them when given the chance, whether that be from live trees, artificial climbing structures, or a combination thereof.
Space: Apes live over large swaths of land in the wild, and this should be replicated in zoos by giving adequate space to these large animals. There's no such thing as too much space (from the gorilla's perspective), but there is such thing as too little.
Exhibit Complexity: Apes are intelligent beings. As such, it's important to design an exhibit that contains a high variety of climbing opportunities and enrichment opportunities to keep the apes engaged and active.
Social Structure: Gorillas live in complex social groups in the wild. While there are multiple acceptable means of social structure for gorillas, including bachelor groups, fission-fusion groups, or a silverback with multiple females, each of these zoos maintains a large, natural social grouping of gorillas.
Shade: Gorillas tend to prefer shaded or indoor areas over sunny, grassy fields, so the exhibits in this post reflect this.
The exhibits I chose to feature for gorillas are:
Clearly one of the best gorilla exhibits in the country, the famous Congo Gorilla Forest at the Bronx Zoo is a truly incredible exhibit that is essentially the definition of a must-see zoo exhibit. From having a large forested section containing both live and artificial trees for gorillas to climb, multiple large social groupings, and paired with a plethora of viewing opportunities and educational signage that create an unparalleled visitor experience, this exhibit is undeniably one of the best gorilla exhibits in the country, and is paired with multiple other exhibits that have already been featured on this thread. While I do think this exhibit could be improved upon by including an indoor component as well, it remains one of, if not the best, gorilla exhibits in the country:
While from the visitor experience perspective Bronx's is the best gorilla exhibit I've seen, if I was a gorilla I suspect I'd rather live in the exhibit at Disney's Animal Kingdom. This exhibit similarly contains multiple natural social groupings, in a series of very large exhibits featuring a number of live trees and other heavily forested sections that create an all-around excellent exhibit. While fewer than the Bronx, the viewing opportunities provided here are similarly excellent:
Out of all the great gorilla exhibits in the United States, none would exist if it wasn't for the exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo, masterfully designed under the direction of David Hancocks. This exhibit, once finished, was let sit for two years until gorillas entered, so that the plants could grow into a forest that could withstand the gorillas' destruction. The results, the first truly naturalistic gorilla exhibit in the country, and one that still holds up well almost fifty years later:
While already mentioned for chimpanzees, the Regenstein Center for African Apes at the Lincoln Park Zoo is also home to two troops of gorillas, and remains an impressive home for the largest of the apes. A hotspot for captive great ape research, this exhibit contains both large indoor and outdoor exhibits, making them great year-round homes for apes, and the rotational elements create a great enriching home:
While not as frequently talked about as others on this list, Denver Zoo's Primate Panorama is another very large, naturalistic habitat for a troop of gorillas. This exhibit contains large, live trees for climbing, plenty of enrichment opportunities, and a very shady, all-around excellent home for this gorilla troop:
Neil, I want to congratulate you for this massive undertaking and truly a labor of love. Seeing what categories you considered for each species as they each have individual needs rather than just what looks best from a visitors perspective was a great way to know what made exhibits the best of their kind. I appreciate that so much and would always find out more about some species I had some knowledge of. Although I didn’t always agree or had some second thoughts on some entries, it was always a good day when I’d look through your thread and see our fellow Zoochatters chime in to add their input for the day’s entry. Thank you for this fun journey and keep up the good work Neil!
I don’t think I’ve heard it referred to as the best gorilla habitat. Congo Gorilla Forest and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails seem to have been interchangeably regard as the best of their kind in the states.
Pretty solid thread, I actually truly enjoyed following this! I'm curious what you figure are the best *other* bat exhibits out there (e.g. vampire bats, Seba's short-tailed bats, Jamaican fruit bats, etc., not entirely sure if those all count as microbats or not, hence why I referred to them as *other*)
Such an interesting thread. The immense value of these threads (in my view) is how much it makes you think about the exhibits that you visit / view and also of course inspiration in terms of planning future trips! It's great to read about enclosure design and exhibitry in other countries.
Threads like this one are so useful in broadening the knowledge of zoo visitors like myself, who are enthusiasts for zoos / animals but not remotely connected to or indeed expert in any way to the industry. Nice work and thanks for all the effort to assemble it!
Pretty solid thread, I actually truly enjoyed following this! I'm curious what you figure are the best *other* bat exhibits out there (e.g. vampire bats, Seba's short-tailed bats, Jamaican fruit bats, etc., not entirely sure if those all count as microbats or not, hence why I referred to them as *other*)
I actually considered doing a vampire bat post, they fell into the same category as naked mole rats and rock hyrax though, as small mammals that there isn't enough variation in exhibitry for a post to be worthwhile. Omaha is the obvious choice for any of the microbats in their collection, but other than that it's a crapshoot as far as I'm concerned.
Honorable Mentions Part One: Best Exhibits for Species that Didn't Make the Cut
The next four posts will each cover an additional five of the "best" exhibits, for species that for a variety of reasons didn't qualify for the thread. Since each of these posts will be covering broad taxonomic groups, there will obviously be even more subjectivity in determining which the "best" out of many possible choices are, but there are a few really impressive exhibits that I felt couldn't be left out. I tended to prioritize including exhibits that haven't been featured at all. For example, while I could've easily featured SDZSP and The Wilds field exhibits for species that didn't make the thread, I opted against this since they also house a lot of species these exhibits already were featured for (same thing for some mixed-species primate exhibits, e.g., Moody Gardens' free-ranging saki monkeys)
The first of these posts will be dedicated to the best exhibits for primates! Starting off with my favorite taxonomic group of mammals, this post will look at five exhibits for species that did not qualify (sort of), and instead of including new criteria each of these honorable mentions will use the same handful of common criteria:
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for tarsiers will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for proboscis monkeys.
There is neither an exhibit for tarsiers, nor an exhibit for proboscis monkeys, featured in this post
As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a bushbaby look different than natural behaviors for a capuchin monkey, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, all primates (and most animals, for that matter) do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While I would expect larger and more complex exhibits for the large and intelligent bonobo than for the much smaller gray mouse lemur, exhibits that are large relative to species size, and contain complex features that work for the residents, is paramount.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for titi monkeys, known for their pair bonds and living in small family groups, will not be the same as the ideal social groupings for the gregarious, large-group living vervet monkey, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house saki monkeys singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable for pygmy slow lorises, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The five exhibits I chose to feature in this post are:
The reason I decided to feature these honorable mentions posts was after stumbling across photos of the Francois' langur exhibit at Los Angeles Zoo. Immediately, due to the many climbing opportunities, natural foliage, and overall large size, I knew this was an exhibit I needed to highlight in this thread. Then I began researching into a langur post, to find there aren't really five exhibits impressive enough to warrant entry. While in some cases (e.g., orangutans, hippos) I did a post anyways seeing as they are species the thread wouldn't be complete without, langurs didn't fall into that category, as I don't think anybody is sitting here finding this thread seems incomplete due to the fact langurs were not featured. However, since Los Angeles' zoos exhibit was so impressive, I began wondering what other really impressive exhibits might be missed from this thread due to housing taxa that did not qualify. While yes, this description is different than others I have given, I felt it prudent to describe this exhibit's role in the creation of this post, as it truly is an incredible exhibit for a species I wish more zoos would feature:
Capuchins, despite being an iconic species frequently seen in TV and the movies, are a fairly rare sight in AZA zoos. Easily the best exhibit for them can be found at Denver Zoo, which has an impressive and historic Monkey Island exhibit featuring live trees and other dense vegetation to create an all-around excellent home for the large troop of capuchins that call this exhibit home. For being such iconic, intelligent, and engaging animals, I've always been surprised more zoos don't feature them, but Denver Zoo truly does justice to these incredible animals:
Compared to in Europe, primate walk-throughs are a rare sight in US zoos. While a few zoos (Roger Williams, Smithsonian, Moody Gardens) incorporate new world monkeys into larger walk-through rainforest attractions, one of, if not the only, standalone walk-through primate habitats is the squirrel monkey habitat at Phoenix Zoo. Multiple large trees and other naturalistic climbing structures give the squirrel monkeys plenty of naturalistic places to retreat from visitors, while the large size of this exhibit essential for the walk-through components is perfect for housing such a large troop of nineteen squirrel monkeys. While I will say I am somewhat skeptical of some of the primate walk-throughs that exist overseas (both in terms of safety and disease transmission), squirrel monkeys, along with callitrichids and pitheciids, are some of the easiest primate species for me to accept as perfect for walk-through attractions:
San Diego Zoo has plenty of excellent primate exhibits, both that were and were not featured in this thread, but one I especially wanted to highlight was their Allen's swamp monkey exhibit, mixed with spotted-necked otters. This mix provides plenty of areas for the swamp monkeys to both climb and retreat from the otters, but also takes advantage of the species' presence in swampy, semi-aquatic habitats in the wild. By allowing swamp monkeys access to the same area as otters, a habitat was created that both considers the individual needs of a uniquely behaving primate, while mixing with another fan-favorite species. While the future of this exhibit will be interesting to see once spotted-necked otters are inevitably phased out, it remains an impressive habitat that shows the great results mixed-species habitats can yield:
Okay, technically this last one has been featured already, but since they are quite possibly the best exhibits for any primate species anywhere in the country, I felt it was impossible to leave off the Lemur Forest at Duke Lemur Center. While already featured for ring-tailed lemurs, I opted against featured Duke Lemur Center for ruffed lemurs, due to difficulty determining which lemur species are housed in the forest. Regardless, these multi-acre lemur habitats are undeniably some of the greatest exhibits in the country, and were justifiably included in @pachyderm pro's list of 100 must-see exhibits. The Duke Lemur Center contains the most lemurs anywhere outside of Madagascar, and these incredible exhibits simply can't be beat, with the photos speaking for themselves as to the exhibit's quality:
Following our post on other primates, today we will be looking at some of the best exhibits for ungulates that did not make the thread! The criteria will be the same as our post on primates, and these criteria will be used for all remaining posts. Like with primates, exhibits that haven't been mentioned before are prioritized over ones that were featured for other species (sorry, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and The Wilds):
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for okapi will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for bighorn sheep. As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a klipspringer look different than natural behaviors for a bison, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, most ungulates (and most animals, for that matter) do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While complexity looks different for ungulates than for primates, as simpler designs with relatively few habitat furnishings can often be ideal, it remains true that larger and more complex habitats are normally the ideal. Sometimes with ungulates, smaller exhibits have yielded more success than larger exhibits, but these are the exceptions and not the norm.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for different species will vary, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house wildebeest singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable for Kirk's dik-dik, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The exhibits I chose for this post are:
One zoo with a plethora of excellent exhibits for other species of ungulates is the Bronx Zoo, which is now tied with Minnesota for the most mentions in this thread, at thirteen. From gaur, markhor, and a variety of rare Asian deer species on the Wild Asia Monorail, to an excellent Pere David's deer exhibit across from Tiger Mountain, to massive and historic field exhibits in the African Plains, there is no shortage of impressive exhibits for large herds of ungulates at the Bronx Zoo, including some species that are quite rare in zoos:
Ungulates can be found in a diverse set of biomes, and while many zoos have impressive African savanna exhibits, Phoenix Zoo is one of the best places in the country to see panoramic habitats for desert ungulates. A very spacious habitat for Arabian oryx is particularly notable, especially given Phoenix Zoo's history conserving this species, while a similar habitat for Peninsular pronghorn is also impressive. The advantage of housing animals from similar climates and biomes to your zoo is that it can be very easy to create impressive, naturalistic habitats, and these Phoenix Zoo exhibits are a perfect example:
There is no shortage of ungulate specialist collections in the United States, but one impressive exhibit at one is the roan antelope habitat at B. Bryan Preserve. This is another very naturalistic, spacious habitat that is perfect for breeding this large, impressive, and rare in zoos antelope:
Duikers are fascinating, small-to-medium sized antelopes from African forests, and one zoo with excellent habitats for multiple species is the Brookfield Zoo. Both yellow-backed and red-flanked duikers have spacious, forested yards at this zoo, while red-flanked duikers also have an additional indoor exhibit to boot. Small antelopes overall aren't that common in zoos, so it's great to see a facility emphasizing great habitats for smaller species, as Brookfield is home to Kirk's dik-dik, gerenuk, and klipspringer too:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Yellow-backed duiker indoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Red-flanked duiker outdoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Gerenuk and klipspringer exhibit)
Wild goats and sheep are oftentimes great exhibit animals that (with a few exceptions) aren't very common in zoos anymore. One excellent exhibit, however, is the mountain goat habitat at the Oregon Zoo. Plenty of rock structures create a lot of climbing opportunities for these habitats, while there are also plenty of grassy areas available to give these impressive animals choice and control:
Following our post on other primates, today we will be looking at some of the best exhibits for ungulates that did not make the thread! The criteria will be the same as our post on primates, and these criteria will be used for all remaining posts. Like with primates, exhibits that haven't been mentioned before are prioritized over ones that were featured for other species (sorry, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and The Wilds):
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for okapi will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for bighorn sheep. As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a klipspringer look different than natural behaviors for a bison, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, most ungulates (and most animals, for that matter) do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While complexity looks different for ungulates than for primates, as simpler designs with relatively few habitat furnishings can often be ideal, it remains true that larger and more complex habitats are normally the ideal. Sometimes with ungulates, smaller exhibits have yielded more success than larger exhibits, but these are the exceptions and not the norm.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for different species will vary, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house wildebeest singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable for Kirk's dik-dik, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The exhibits I chose for this post are:
One zoo with a plethora of excellent exhibits for other species of ungulates is the Bronx Zoo, which is now tied with Minnesota for the most mentions in this thread, at thirteen. From gaur, markhor, and a variety of rare Asian deer species on the Wild Asia Monorail, to an excellent Pere David's deer exhibit across from Tiger Mountain, to massive and historic field exhibits in the African Plains, there is no shortage of impressive exhibits for large herds of ungulates at the Bronx Zoo, including some species that are quite rare in zoos:
Ungulates can be found in a diverse set of biomes, and while many zoos have impressive African savanna exhibits, Phoenix Zoo is one of the best places in the country to see panoramic habitats for desert ungulates. A very spacious habitat for Arabian oryx is particularly notable, especially given Phoenix Zoo's history conserving this species, while a similar habitat for Peninsular pronghorn is also impressive. The advantage of housing animals from similar climates and biomes to your zoo is that it can be very easy to create impressive, naturalistic habitats, and these Phoenix Zoo exhibits are a perfect example:
There is no shortage of ungulate specialist collections in the United States, but one impressive exhibit at one is the roan antelope habitat at B. Bryan Preserve. This is another very naturalistic, spacious habitat that is perfect for breeding this large, impressive, and rare in zoos antelope:
Duikers are fascinating, small-to-medium sized antelopes from African forests, and one zoo with excellent habitats for multiple species is the Brookfield Zoo. Both yellow-backed and red-flanked duikers have spacious, forested yards at this zoo, while red-flanked duikers also have an additional indoor exhibit to boot. Small antelopes overall aren't that common in zoos, so it's great to see a facility emphasizing great habitats for smaller species, as Brookfield is home to Kirk's dik-dik, gerenuk, and klipspringer too:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Yellow-backed duiker indoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Red-flanked duiker outdoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Gerenuk and klipspringer exhibit)
Wild goats and sheep are oftentimes great exhibit animals that (with a few exceptions) aren't very common in zoos anymore. One excellent exhibit, however, is the mountain goat habitat at the Oregon Zoo. Plenty of rock structures create a lot of climbing opportunities for these habitats, while there are also plenty of grassy areas available to give these impressive animals choice and control:
Following our post on other primates, today we will be looking at some of the best exhibits for ungulates that did not make the thread! The criteria will be the same as our post on primates, and these criteria will be used for all remaining posts. Like with primates, exhibits that haven't been mentioned before are prioritized over ones that were featured for other species (sorry, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and The Wilds):
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for okapi will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for bighorn sheep. As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a klipspringer look different than natural behaviors for a bison, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, most ungulates (and most animals, for that matter) do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While complexity looks different for ungulates than for primates, as simpler designs with relatively few habitat furnishings can often be ideal, it remains true that larger and more complex habitats are normally the ideal. Sometimes with ungulates, smaller exhibits have yielded more success than larger exhibits, but these are the exceptions and not the norm.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for different species will vary, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house wildebeest singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable for Kirk's dik-dik, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The exhibits I chose for this post are:
One zoo with a plethora of excellent exhibits for other species of ungulates is the Bronx Zoo, which is now tied with Minnesota for the most mentions in this thread, at thirteen. From gaur, markhor, and a variety of rare Asian deer species on the Wild Asia Monorail, to an excellent Pere David's deer exhibit across from Tiger Mountain, to massive and historic field exhibits in the African Plains, there is no shortage of impressive exhibits for large herds of ungulates at the Bronx Zoo, including some species that are quite rare in zoos:
Ungulates can be found in a diverse set of biomes, and while many zoos have impressive African savanna exhibits, Phoenix Zoo is one of the best places in the country to see panoramic habitats for desert ungulates. A very spacious habitat for Arabian oryx is particularly notable, especially given Phoenix Zoo's history conserving this species, while a similar habitat for Peninsular pronghorn is also impressive. The advantage of housing animals from similar climates and biomes to your zoo is that it can be very easy to create impressive, naturalistic habitats, and these Phoenix Zoo exhibits are a perfect example:
There is no shortage of ungulate specialist collections in the United States, but one impressive exhibit at one is the roan antelope habitat at B. Bryan Preserve. This is another very naturalistic, spacious habitat that is perfect for breeding this large, impressive, and rare in zoos antelope:
Duikers are fascinating, small-to-medium sized antelopes from African forests, and one zoo with excellent habitats for multiple species is the Brookfield Zoo. Both yellow-backed and red-flanked duikers have spacious, forested yards at this zoo, while red-flanked duikers also have an additional indoor exhibit to boot. Small antelopes overall aren't that common in zoos, so it's great to see a facility emphasizing great habitats for smaller species, as Brookfield is home to Kirk's dik-dik, gerenuk, and klipspringer too:
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Yellow-backed duiker indoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Red-flanked duiker outdoor exhibit)
Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Gerenuk and klipspringer exhibit)
Wild goats and sheep are oftentimes great exhibit animals that (with a few exceptions) aren't very common in zoos anymore. One excellent exhibit, however, is the mountain goat habitat at the Oregon Zoo. Plenty of rock structures create a lot of climbing opportunities for these habitats, while there are also plenty of grassy areas available to give these impressive animals choice and control:
The Wild Asia monorail was already closed for the winter when I visited the Bronx Zoo (pity, because it was a gorgeous 70 degree day in early November!), but even then, I could feel the zoo's love for the ungulate species. I'd never seen so much space dedicated to hoofstock before! It was inspiring to see the huge yard full of Pere David deer.
Not to keep hyping up the Maryland Zoo, but one of my favorite exhibits there is the main sitatunga yard, which has a nice big waterfall and pool that I always see animals interacting with. It's the first exhibit you see when you step onto the African Journey boardwalk and I like that they treat an ungulate species as big attraction and not just a little 'side dish' to the more popular species.
My other favorite place to see ungulates is Disney's Animal Kingdom safari ride. I know safari rides aren't popular with everyone, but it's so cool to see so many different types of hoofed stock, and the identification charts on the ride vehicles that they had last time I went were cool. A 2-year-old of my acquaintance visited Disney World last year and wouldn't stop talking about how much she loved the springbok (calling them by name) on the safari ride months later. That was awesome to hear.
Not to keep hyping up the Maryland Zoo, but one of my favorite exhibits there is the main sitatunga yard, which has a nice big waterfall and pool that I always see animals interacting with. It's the first exhibit you see when you step onto the African Journey boardwalk and I like that they treat an ungulate species as big attraction and not just a little 'side dish' to the more popular species.
That one could've easily been included, there are lots of great ungulate exhibits out there and in the cases of these bonus posts they are simply exhibits I find particularly impressive or with something unique I'd like to highlight. There are a lot more than five great zoos for ungulates other than those mentioned in this thread, Maryland being one of them!
My other favorite place to see ungulates is Disney's Animal Kingdom safari ride. I know safari rides aren't popular with everyone, but it's so cool to see so many different types of hoofed stock, and the identification charts on the ride vehicles that they had last time I went were cool. A 2-year-old of my acquaintance visited Disney World last year and wouldn't stop talking about how much she loved the springbok (calling them by name) on the safari ride months later. That was awesome to hear.
There's also a nice Asian ungulate exhibit at DAK (albeit it'd be better if it featured different species). Kilimamjaro Safaris falls into the same boat as The Wilds and SDZSP though, since it already made the list for white rhinos and zebras (also elephants, okapi, and hippos, for that matter).
Today's post will continue with our look at different taxonomic groups, featuring the best exhibits for carnivorans that didn't make the thread! While carnivorans include some of the most common zoo mammals, such as red pandas, North American river otters, California sea lions, lions, and tigers, there are also plenty of more unusual carnivores housed in US zoos as well. Like with ungulates and primates, our criteria are as follows:
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for walruses will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for binturong. As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a river otter look different than natural behaviors for an ocelot, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, most carnivores (and most animals, for that matter) do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While complexity looks different for different species, given their different cognitive abilities and different behavioral capabilities, generally speaking exhibits with more enriching elements and naturalistic components are ideal.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for different species will vary, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house dwarf mongooses singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable (if not ideal) for many felid species, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The exhibits I selected for carnivorans that didn't make the thread are:
While three otter posts were included in this thread, the impressive giant river otter did not make an appearance. Moody Gardens contains an impressive, outdoor exhibit for them. This exhibit contains the perfect combination of choice and control for its residents- including a large water feature and plenty of land area with multiple different substrate types too. Furthermore, as far as otter exhibits go, this is certainly amongst the largest in the country:
While the most common mongoose species in US zoos is by far the meerkat, The Living Desert has impressive, naturalistic exhibits for both dwarf and banded mongooses. These exhibits contain a natural substrate that enables both mongoose species plenty of opportunities to dig and display natural behaviors, while the unique built-in burrows provide a unique visitor experience as well:
Photo By: @Coelacanth18
While there aren't any photos of the tunnel sections in the ZooChat gallery, @Moebelle has an excellent video showcasing these exhibits to be found here:
While the Detroit Zoo is known for some of its iconic, massive exhibits (Arctic Ring of Life, Penguin Conservation Center, Amphibian Conservation Center), part of what I loved about this zoo is how their large exhibits transcend these popular attractions into a lot more underrated gems. One of these gems is the zoo's wolverine exhibit, which displays two of these animals in a massive exhibit containing multiple live trees. The live trees enabled the wolverines to climb, and be extremely active during my visit, and it was great to see the Detroit Zoo prioritize live trees as climbing structures, even in exhibits for smaller mammal species:
While five bear species made this thread, and broadly as a group they are very popular in zoos, the Asiatic black bear is much rarer, though with an excellent exhibit to be found at Roger Williams Park Zoo. Had sloth or Andean bears inhabited this exhibit, it likely would've made that post, as this is a very large habitat that allows the bears plenty of climbing opportunities, a large pool (including underwater viewing!), and displays an excellent use of rock work to truly replicate this species' Himalayan habitat:
While many zoos boast impressive exhibits for big cats, great small cat exhibits are a lot rarer. Some of the best can be found at Greensboro Science Center, which has excellent, indoor-outdoor exhibits for three small cat species: fishing, sand, and black-footed cats. These exhibits contain naturalistic elements, including both sand and rock work for the two desert species and a spacious pool for the fishing cats. Zoo360-style overhead pathways connect the indoor and outdoor exhibits, making this all-around an excellent exhibit for both cats and visitors:
And lastly, today's post will be the paraphyletic hodgepodge of looking at the best exhibits for other mammals, that being anything that didn't make a thread, and is not a ungulate, primate, or carnivoran. While this covers a lot of orders of mammals, with the exception of a handful of species (e.g., certain macropods, a few species of bat, capybaras, cape porcupines, prairie dogs, etc.), most animals in this group are either absent from or rare in US zoos.
As with the last three posts, the criteria are:
Species-Specific Needs: Obviously, the best exhibits for prairie dogs will need to account for different species-specific needs than the best exhibits for vampire bats. As such, it is difficult to write a post detailing criteria for such broad taxonomic groups without including a way to account for the needs of individual species that are unique from the rest.
Ability to Display Natural Behaviors: Arboreal animals need climbing opportunities, semi-aquatic animals need swimming opportunities, so on, so forth. While natural behaviors for a platypus look different than natural behaviors for a tamandua, it remains true that they need opportunities to exhibit whatever their natural behaviors are.
Space and Complexity: Regardless of the species, most mammals do best in exhibits that are large and complex. While complexity looks different for different species, given their different cognitive abilities and different behavioral capabilities, generally speaking exhibits with more enriching elements and naturalistic components are ideal, and while having enough space is important, what constitutes "enough" for a kangaroo is going to be a lot more than for a kangaroo rat.
Choice and Control: A common theme throughout this thread is the need for animals to exhibit choice and control over their surroundings. Exhibits that provide multiple different substrates, or opportunities to climb onto various different heights, or that provide both indoor and outdoor options, have always been prioritized regardless of species due to this welfare consideration I personally put a lot of weight into.
Social Structure: While the ideal social groupings for different species will vary, it is important nonetheless for zoos to consider the natural social structures of each species in their collection and do their best to replicate it. While it wouldn't be ideal to house rats singularly, singular housing remains perfectly acceptable for echidnas, meaning this is another category in which species-specific needs and behaviors are paramount to consider.
The exhibits I selected for this post are:
Earlier this year, the Boston Museum of Science opened a new exhibit dedicated to mazes and mind games, and while the old New England Climate Stories was likely of a greater interest for most zoochatters, the new exhibit does include a unique and impressive rat maze! This exhibit contains a small group of domestic rats, which have access to four, interconnected exhibit boxes, each containing different enriching and complex "maze" elements. While most zoos wouldn't think to prominently feature domestic rats, they were an excellent choice for a science museum, and this exhibit does perhaps the best job anywhere of highlighting the intellectual ability that these animals possess. All photos of this exhibit are mine:
Cetaceans in captivity are certainly a hot-button issue, and while I don't oppose them, I'm aware of only a very small number of zoos I'd argue exhibit cetaceans in a way that does justice to these intelligent creatures. One of the few is Arctic Coast at Mystic Aquarium, which is the largest outdoor beluga exhibit in the country. This exhibit contains multiple separate pools that can be connected or separated depending on social needs of individuals, and the pools are of varying depths to allow the belugas choice and control over their environment. For visitors, this exhibit is also excellent since there are a plethora of different viewing opportunities and there's almost always staff interpreters present at the exhibit to give educational talks about the animals. A strong training program also enhances the welfare of the belugas, and is engaging for guests as well. While bad luck plagued their recent import/rescue mission from Marineland, the fact remains that Mystic's exhibit is exceptional, and this import did enhance the social structure of their existing pod:
Wombats can be engaging, unique animals that are rare in zoos. Zoo Miami perhaps does the best job of any US zoo in displaying these impressive animals, displaying them in a spacious outdoor yard. Natural substrate in this exhibit allows the wombat plenty of opportunities to dig and display natural behavior, and the various hiding spots available gives the wombat choice and control over its environment:
Oftentimes, when extremely rare animals are discussed on Zoo Chat, it is not because of their impressive exhibits, but simply due to the fact they are exhibited. San Diego Zoo Safari Park has an excellent exhibit for platypus, that truly allows these rare animals, the only ones exhibited outside of Australia, to be highlighted in an immersive, naturalistic display. Choice and control are central to this exhibit, as there are multiple different pools of differing depths, allowing the platypuses plenty of great opportunities to display naturalistic behaviors. This is also a reverse-light cycle exhibit, which while I don't know the effect this has on platypus husbandry or welfare, certainly makes this habitat a more immersive experience for guests:
My personal favorite species of rodent, and one that is behaviorally fascinating, is the naked mole rat. While I did not feature them in this thread due to the fact so many exhibits are extremely similar, one that stands above the rest is the Philadelphia Zoo, one of the few major zoos yet to be featured in this thread. Unlike most naked mole rat exhibits which are exclusively a tunneling system, this habitat is the only one I am aware of to give mole rats the choice and control of leaving the tunnels into an area of natural substrate. This unique choice may not be taken commonly by the mole rats, but the fact it is offered is certainly great. Even that aside, this remains one of the larger mole rat tunnel systems in the country as well, and one with plenty of educational signage and viewing opportunities for visitors. Now what I want to see is for Philadelphia to expand the Zoo360 concept to naked mole rats, but the exhibit is impressive regardless:
And with that, we are done with this series of honorable mentions. Going forward, however, there are still either six or seven more posts with other impressive exhibits:
A post or two looking at Canadian and Mexican zoo exhibits, as I found some impressive ones when debating making this a country or continent based thread.
A post on some impressive former exhibits, that did not qualify since they are no longer in use (but otherwise would have)
Four posts looking at what I would consider to be the absolute best of the best in each of the four broad taxonomic groups outlined in these last four posts. Obviously, despite all making the thread some exhibits are better than others, and this is going to be when I reveal which ones lie above the rest!
With that, however, I think it is time to reveal the tally of which zoos received the most entries into this thread. Between 75 species, an additional post each for elephants and lions, and the four honorable mention posts so far, there have certainly been a lot of impressive exhibits covered! All in all, 131 different zoos were featured!
51 of these 131 zoos received only a single entry in this thread. Many of these were lesser-known institutions, including many smaller or unaccredited ones, while this did include some larger and more prominent zoos, including Fort Worth, Toledo, Maryland, Tampa, and Philadelphia. While the species for the zoos mentioned once are a very varied list, ranging from polar bears and elephants to wallabies and rats, it is worth mentioning that three species had three zoos that it was their only entry, those being: North American river otters, manatees, and two-toed sloths. One species, the capybara, had four zoos it was their only mention for! The full list of zoos to receive one entry, in order of appearance, are:
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (giraffes)
Red River Zoo (takin)
Wildwood Wildlife Park (capybara)
Safari North (capybara)
Rolling Hills Zoo (capybara)
Wildlife World Zoo (capybara)
Virginia Zoo (red panda)
Lake Superior Zoo (North American porcupine)
Lehigh Valley Zoo (American bison)
Miller Park Zoo (wallabies)
Maine Wildlife Park (red fox)
Virginia Living Museum (red fox)
Lee Richardson Zoo (camels)
Santa Ana Zoo (giant anteater)
Bruemmer Park Zoo (white-tailed deer)
Tallahassee Museum (cougar)
Ross Park Zoo (red wolf)
Montgomery Zoo (pygmy hippo)
Queens Zoo (Andean bear)
Fort Worth Zoo (lions)
Utica Zoo (lions)
Birmingham Zoo (African elephants)
Potawatomi Zoo (red river hogs)
North American Bear Center (North American black bears)- their only mammal!
Toledo Zoo (hippopotamus)
Museum of Life and Science (ring-tailed lemurs)
ABQ BioPark (zebras)
Staten Island Zoo (Amur leopards)
Maryland Zoo (North American river otters)
Sequoia Park Zoo (North American river otters)
High Desert Museum (North American river otters)
Audubon Zoo (tapirs)
Palm Beach Zoo (tapirs)
Virginia Safari Park (North American elk)
Bearizona Wildlife Park (bighorn sheep)
Oregon Coast Aquarium (sea otters)
Monterey Bay Aquarium (sea otters)
Caldwell Zoo (cape porcupine)
Franklin Park Zoo (cape porcupine)
Zoo Tampa (manatees)
Dallas World Aquarium (manatees)
Homosassa Springs (manatees)
Ararat Ridge Zoo (two-toed sloths)
Milwaukee County Zoo (two-toed sloths)
National Aquarium in Baltimore (two-toed sloths)
Prospect Park Zoo (baboons)
Henry Vilas Zoo (polar bears)
B. Bryan Preserve (roan antelope)
Boston Museum of Science (domestic rats)
Mystic Aquarium (beluga whales)
Philadelphia Zoo (naked mole rats)
This leaves 80 zoos which received multiple entries on the list. This includes many major US zoos, but also some which might be more surprising.
Out of these 80 zoos, 31 received two appearances on the list. Many of these zoos are smaller, AZA-accredited zoos that simply don't have the space zoos with more entries have. Also included are a handful of unaccredited zoos that have a handful of impressive exhibits. Furthermore, a handful of these zoos are major ones that might've underperformed expectations, including Louisville Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, and Sedgwick County Zoo. These zoos are listed here in alphabetical order:
[*]Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
[*]Binder Park Zoo
[*]Buffalo Zoo
[*]Busch Gardens Tampa
[*]Cape May County Zoo
[*]Central Park Zoo
[*]Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
[*]Duke Lemur Center
[*]Elmwood Park Zoo
[*]Greensboro Science Center
[*]Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
[*]Hogle Zoo
[*]Honolulu Zoo
[*]Jackson Zoo
[*]Louisville Zoo
[*]Los Angeles Zoo
[*]Moody Gardens
[*]Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo
[*]Pittsburgh Zoo
[*]Point Defiance Zoo
[*]Santa Barbara Zoo
[*]Sea World Orlando- the only aquarium with multiple entries
[*]Sedgwick County Zoo
[*]Southwick's Zoo
[*]Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
[*]Sunset Zoo
[*]Stone Zoo
[*]Turtle Back Zoo
[*]Western North Carolina Nature Center
[*]Zoo Montana
There are now 49 zoos left, each of which received three or more entries on the list. Fifteen of these zoos received exactly three entries, a group made up of mostly small and medium sized zoos that do really great things given their size, although a few very impressive unaccredited zoos , both of which focus on native wildlife, also received three mentions. Amongst the zoos receiving three mentions, the two many might've expected to receive more are Memphis Zoo and Oklahoma City Zoo. The fifteen zoos are:
Akron Zoo
Blank Park Zoo
Brevard Zoo
Buttonwood Park Zoo
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Buttonwood Park Zoo
Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Great Plains Zoo
Indianapolis Zoo
Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park
Memphis Zoo
Oklahoma City Zoo
Rosamond Gifford Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
Wildlife Prairie Park
This now leaves 34 zoos that received four or more entries. Most of these were likely predictable, as the same zoos often receive frequent praise on ZooChat, and rightfully so! Many of the biggest and best zoos in the United States are amongst these, although a few lesser-known gems are as well.
Six zoos received four mentions each:
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center- the most of any unaccredited zoo!
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Brookfield Zoo
Kansas City Zoo
Zoo Atlanta
Zoo Miami
Five zoos received five mentions each:
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Oakland Zoo
Oregon Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo (did my bias for my local zoo shine through, or were these five picks well-deserved?)
The Wilds
Seven zoos received six mentions each:
Cincinnati Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Dallas Zoo
Denver Zoo
Jacksonville Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo
Phoenix Zoo
Fourteen zoos remain with seven or more mentions, and frankly I don't think anyone would be surprised by the fact these fourteen zoos received plenty of mentions, although the exact "rankings" of them may be surprising.
Two zoos received seven mentions, those being the Smithsonian's National Zoo and the Columbus Zoo. I'd imagine Columbus, which many on here rank amongst the five best in the country, might be one people expected more entries for, however given it is more well-known for its impressive theming than exhibit quality, perhaps this was a zoo destined to underperform other top zoos. Smithsonian's National Zoo, while home to some impressive exhibits (primarily on the Asia and American Trails), is similarly best-known for its historic buildings and the collection they hold, less so than for the quality of exhibits (although half the zoo has incredible exhibit quality).
Three zoos received eight mentions. One of them, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, may be considered an overperformer by many, but it remains one of the best places to see native wildlife in the entire country, and @pachyderm pro justifiably included it in America's 50 Must-See Zoos for that reason. Houston Zoo also received eight mentions, as did Saint Louis Zoo. Many of Houston's mentions came from the fact the zoo has built many impressive new exhibits in recent years- including the Pantanal, Galapagos Islands, and the McNair Asian Elephant habitat. Half of Houston's eight entries were in the Pantanal region, including three part of the same impressive mixed-species exhibit! With capybara, giant anteater, and tapir, Houston's Pantanal mixed-species exhibit might rank as the individual exhibit to receive the most mentions in this thread.
Saint Louis, considered by many one of the nation's top zoos, is best-known for its impressive, well-rounded collection and its historic buildings, though it still has plenty of respectable exhibits (it did receive eight mentions after all). Three of Saint Louis' entries came from the impressive River's Edge complex, namely hyenas, black rhinos, and Asian elephants. Interestingly enough, the vast majority of Saint Louis' entries were for large mammals- as it also was mentioned for sea lions, orangutans, and chimpanzees.
Three zoos received nine mentions on this list. One of them is the Detroit Zoo, best known for its very large, naturalistic exhibits. In fact, some on here would argue Detroit's exhibits are too large! Unlike some of the other zoos to receive many mentions, Detroit did not receive these mentions due to a staggering amount of new construction projects, as many of the exhibits it received mentions for are decades old. Even the impressive Arctic Ring of Life, mentioned for both polar bears and sea otters, is two decades old now!
Also receiving nine mentions each were both the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Both considered amongst the best zoos in the country, it is no surprise that they are amongst the eleven zoos to receive the most mentions. While I'm sure some may have expected San Diego to include more, the zoo is more well-known for its impressive aviaries and large amount of rarities than it is for exhibit quality. Many of San Diego's best exhibits are for primates, as it received five of its nine mentions for different primate species. San Diego Zoo Safari Park, to no one's surprise, was mainly featured for ungulates, although three mentions were for its impressive Australia and two were for big cats. The remaining four were for ungulates, namely giraffes, two rhino species, and bighorn sheep.
Now, only eight zoos remain, each of which received at least ten mentions! This elite group includes zoos known for their impressive exhibits, and includes some that are amongst the best in the nation. Receiving ten mentions was the Woodland Park Zoo. Famous for its ground-breaking ape habitats, primates was one area Woodland Park received multiple mentions- namely for gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, and two species of lemur. The remaining five mentions include the impressive Jaguar Cove, a great habitat for Asian small-clawed otters, and multiple exhibits for native species.
Also receiving ten mentions was Disney's Animal Kingdom, well-known for its attention to detail. Large mammals are a particular focus here, and amongst the park's ten entries were hippos, white rhinos, elephants, zebras, and gorillas. That said, it isn't all large mammals here, as also mentioned was one of the country's best flying fox exhibits! What further helps Disney's Animal Kingdom is it being one of the newest zoos in the country. The park opened only 26 years ago, in 1998, meaning that almost everything is modern and state-of-the-art, although some parts did age better than others.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, while oftentimes cited as amongst the country's best zoos, only received the sixth most entries in the list, with eleven. While still impressive, perhaps this is less than some would've expected due to Omaha being known best for its large, extravagant buildings and immersive guest experience, but less so for the quality of exhibits inside. Five of Omaha's eleven mentions came from the African Grasslands exhibit, so this is certainly a must-see stop for anyone looking for high-quality exhibits at Omaha, as is their newest exhibit, Sea Lion Shores.
Amongst our top five zoos, there are three which received twelve mentions each, although each is a very different type of zoo. The Living Desert is certainly an impressive specialist collection, focusing on desert wildlife from three continents. Ranging from black rhinos to cheetahs to wallabies to bobcats, there is no shortage of great exhibits for a wide variety of mammal species here! Spatially the smallest of our top five zoos is the Nashville Zoo, which like Disney benefits from being amongst the newest zoos in the country. Nashville makes great use of its space, receiving mentions for a number of smaller species it focuses on (e.g., gibbons, meerkats, spider monkeys, clouded leopards), but also on some larger species it dedicated large amounts of space to, including tigers, white rhinos, and Andean bears. Lastly, North Carolina Zoo received twelve mentions as well, primarily due to its focus on massive habitats. With bison and elk, red wolves, polar bears, white rhinos, elephants, and chimpanzees, large mammals make up a lot of North Carolina's best exhibits! However, smaller species don't go unnoticed here, as ocelots, bobcats, and North American porcupines were also highlighted.
Two zoos remain, and this is also a tie, with each receiving thirteen mentions on the list. It should come as no surprise that Bronx Zoo was a frequent mention on this list, as not only is it a very well-known facility but it is well-known for some of its truly remarkable exhibits. Congo Gorilla Forest is amongst the best exhibits in the country (and my favorite I've seen), and four of Bronx's mentions were from within this one complex (gorillas, mandrills, red river hogs, okapi). Excellent exhibits for snow leopards, tigers, and geladas all take advantage of Bronx Zoo's natural terrain, creating impressive, massive, naturalistic habitats for species that oftentimes aren't featured so impressively. Bronx is also perhaps the most all-around great mammal zoo on this list, as the entries it received were so varied. Not only did it get mentioned for greater one-horned rhinos on the impressive Wild Asia Monorail, but it also got a mention for a hidden gem, the aardvark exhibit inside the Carter Giraffe Building. Both flying foxes and Matschie's tree kangaroos reside in the famous Jungle World exhibit, while ring-tailed lemurs have their most naturalistic exhibit in the country inside Madagascar! Lastly, given how incredible the whole zoo is, Bronx received an overall honorable mention for ungulates, as impressive habitats for massive herds of a plethora of uncommon species are one of the staples of the Bronx Zoo, and part of what makes it such an incredible place to visit.
Also receiving thirteen mentions, and to be honest I was surprised at how often I was talking about this zoo, is Minnesota Zoo. Unlike Bronx, though, Minnesota could be argued as receiving so many mentions for doing one thing right: building massive, naturalistic exhibits for large mammals that are cold tolerant. From camels, bison, and takin, to tigers, Amur leopards, coyotes, and grizzly bears, seven of Minnesota's mentions were for very large habitats displaying ungulates or carnivores. Smaller species, but similarly cold tolerant and housed outdoors, include the prairie dogs, Canada lynx, beavers, and sea otters. While impressive on their own merit, all eleven of these mentions are for a similar style of exhibitry, and one Minnesota excels at. The two exceptions: Matschie's tree kangaroo and cape porcupine, are both smaller mammals living inside the zoo's large Tropics building, and are certainly very respectable habitats for small mammals.
With that, I appreciate everyone who followed along this journey through America's best exhibits for popular zoo mammals! This thread was a blast to make (and a lot of work, lol), and in the end I hope everyone learned about some truly remarkable zoo exhibits (I know I did). Were you surprised at which zoos received the most mentions, or did you think Minnesota never got enough attention for how high-quality its exhibits are?
As a Philadelphian I can't be surprised at our lack of representation here--despite its historical importance and collection with many AZA rarities, its exhibit standards are fairly average (with one outlier being possibly the worst giraffe paddock in the AZA). Funny that we made it for the naked mole rat of all things; anecdotally I've never seen them go above ground, though that they have the theoretical option to do so is nice.
There's a lot to comment on and I love the final breakdown. I overlooked some of the high-performing zoos that were "expected" to do well for certain. I definitely think it's worth noting most of the high-performing facilities are among those that tend to be considered among the best facilities on zoochat -- San Diego, Omaha, Bronx, Saint Louis, Columbus, Minnesota, Detroit, Houston, Woodland Park, North Carolina and the Living Desert are all well-received here. I think Smithsonian's National Zoo is a slight surprise as it the lion's share of its appreciation on this site feels quite focused on a small fraction of the overall facility, particularly the iconic species -- perhaps this is a reminder it is still a good facility in spite of that.
I'd also say Phoenix, Oregon and Atlanta, and maybe Denver, definitely performed 'better' than I had expected. The former feel to be seen as more mid-tier facilities here, I feel, and the last example just seems to go both ways in that it feels very few zoochatters discuss it but the few that do tend to lean positive. Cleveland also did better than I expected as I'm used to discussion of that facility being dominated by the less liked habitats. Jacksonville also seems a bit less discussed -- meanwhile, Cheyenne, Dallas, Miami and Oakland seem well-liked. Kansas City and Nashville have both been moving up a lot, I feel.
I'm very proud at how much Lincoln Park was recognized though! I feel like it's very overlooked since it is neither the richest in species nor the largest, but I think it has a great, well-balanced collection and some really high exhibit standards for a zoo of its size and restriction and a lot of the facilities with more entries on the list are known for having larger campuses and massive exhibits, whereas Lincoln Park is a city facility with very little space to spare. It's even on zoochat often overshadowed by Brookfield for understandable reasons as someone who deeply loves both. I'm proud to see it perform so well!
