Popular Zoo Mammals and Their Best Exhibits

[NSU42]

It still is great, and out of zoos I've been I'd rank it number two today (only after Bronx). Yes, it is undeniable a lot of species have left the collection, however the zoo has also built the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, arguably the best indoor penguin complex in the entire country, and they still have a few other absolutely incredible complexes as well (Arctic Ring of Life, National Amphibian Conservation Center), and even a lot of their smaller exhibits impress (red pandas, wolverines, warthogs, much of the reptile house, etc.). I wish they still had some of the South American Pampas stuff, it's a shame there aren't any Asian deer with the camels any more, and they used to have more primate species that would've been neat to see. However, I think way too often discussions on Detroit focus on the zoo's downfall and not on how incredible the zoo still is!

100% agree with this. Having been to 250+ zoos, Detroit still ranks as one of my top ten. There are still a few (not many) zoos I have not been too that could (probably will) move it a bit down my list, but if it falls outside the top 10 it wouldn't be by much. It feels like most people on here who bash Detroit are more mourning "what used to be", instead of seeing it for what it is today and basing their comparisons to other zoos off of that. Others are members who clearly value species counts over quality. I used to be guilty of this in a way with my childhood zoo, the Minnesota Zoo. When I started visiting other zoos at first, I always saw the MN Zoo for what it was not, but as my experiences became much more diversified, I started to appreciate Minnesota for what it was. Detroit Zoo has three outstanding complexes (Arctic Ring of Life, NACC, and Polk), which is more than most other zoos can say, and most of their other exhibits are spacious and well done. The red panda is probably the best of its kind in the United States. In many ways, Detroit is just ahead of the curve when it comes to downsizing and other zoos (with a few exceptions) are starting to follow suit.

 

[15399]

First off, I apologize for not getting this post out sooner. I've been adjusting to getting back into the new semester and dealing with some other stuff as well. Furthermore, I wasn't sure on the best way to present my picks for the all-around best in each category, so I needed to take some time to figure out how to present this properly.

I will be starting with my picks for the ten zoos I'd consider the best of the best for primates! These ten zoos both include ones with all-around excellent primate exhibits, some with single hidden gems, and some with exhibits that are especially notable for their innovation, historical significance, or other factors.

• In terms of a well-rounded primate collection in state of the art exhibits, it's difficult to compete with the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo has three excellent, primate-themed attractions that are each amongst the best of their kind in the country. Gorillas, mandrills, guenons, and colobuses live in the excellent Congo Gorilla Forest, easily the best zoo exhibit I've personally seen, while a large troop of geladas live in the spacious, naturalistic gelada reserve. Lastly, Madagascar! is a genius re-working of a historic building, creating a modern interior that provides excellent, naturalistic habitats for at least five species of lemur. No amount of words could describe just how phenomenal the Bronx Zoo is for primate exhibitry, and I strongly encourage any primate fans check it out for themselves:

@Dhole dude (red ruffed lemur)

@Dhole dude (ring-tailed and collared brown lemurs)

@Dhole dude (Gelada Reserve)

@Dhole dude (Congo Gorilla Forest)

• While the collection isn't as large or well-rounded as the collection at the Bronx Zoo, two massive and naturalistic primate habitats can be found in the Africa! section of Kansas City Zoo. By far the greatest chimpanzee exhibit in the country is found here, housing a large troop in a naturalistic forest, while one of the last remaining troops of Guinea baboons in the United States live in a similarly large and naturalistic recreation of their wild range. Kansas City Zoo also houses gorillas, orangutans, and an impressive collection of cercopithecines (including at least five rarely seen species), however most of these exhibits are not represented in the ZooChat gallery. If anyone has been to this zoo recently, I'd appreciate hearing how the rest of their primate exhibits stack up:

Photo By: @DesertTortoise (chimpanzee exhibit)

Photo By: @GraysonDP (Guinea baboon exhibit)

Photo By: @GraysonDP (black mangabey exhibit)

Photo By: @KCZooFan (chimpanzee exhibit)

• One of the biggest surprises for me when researching for this thread was learning how impressive the Primate Panorama at Denver Zoo is. This exhibit is a sort of hidden gem on Zoo Chat, as despite having one of the largest and most naturalistic gorilla exhibits, and also large, naturalistic exhibits for many other primate species, I've seldom seen in mentioned on here. While the exhibits are not as immersive as Bronx's, they remain very naturalistic and an all-around excellent zoo for primates:

Photo By: @Milwaukee Man (mandrill exhibit)

Photo By: @Milwaukee Man (part of gorilla exhibit)

Photo By: @snowleopard (Debrazza's monkey exhibit)

Photo By: @snowleopard (capuchin island)

• While some of these zoos were included for all-around excellence, others are notable due to a single impressive habitat. Disney's Animal Kingdom falls into this boat due to having what is easily amongst the best gorilla exhibits in US zoos. This large, naturalistic exhibit contains live trees and an immense attention to detail that only Disney is able to so consistently deliver. Elsewhere in the zoo, two gibbon islands are less naturalistic but provide lots of climbing opportunities, while a lion-tailed macaque exhibit provides a naturalistic, impressive exhibit for these rarely seen monkeys:

Photo By: @AndyJ08 (gorilla exhibit)

Photo By: @Neil chace (gorilla exhibit)

Photo By: @AndyJ08 (lion-tailed macaque exhibit)

Photo By: @Mr.Weasel (gibbon island)

• One zoo with multiple hidden gem primate exhibits is the San Francisco Zoo. This zoo's Lemur Forest is a unique mixed-species exhibit that's amongst the best lemur exhibits in traditional zoos. This habitat contains a variety of natural and artificial climbing structures that allow the lemurs to display naturalistic behaviors in a very large area. Elsewhere in the zoo, a naturalistic mandrill habitat displays a large troop of these impressive monkeys in another spacious exhibit:

Photo By: @Pier-Luc Chouinard (Lemur Forest)

Photo By: @TheoV (Lemur Forest)

Photo By: @Pier-Luc Chouinard (mandrill exhibit)

Photo By: @TheoV (mandrill exhibit)

I decided to split each best of the best post in two in order to allow for more photos to be included. The next post will include five more of the best zoos for primates in the United States, some of which might be easy to guess. This is also the one time in the thread I will actively RANK the choices. For primates my rankings are as follows, although all ten are simply excellent:
10. San Francisco Zoo
9. ?????
8. Disney's Animal Kingdom
7. ?????
6. Denver Zoo
5. Kansas City Zoo
4. ?????
3. ?????
2. ?????
1. Bronx Zoo

 

[Persephone]

If I recall correctly, the Kansas City macaque exhibit was pretty good. The gorilla exhibit was perfectly fine for a modern gorilla exhibit. The orangutan exhibit seemed a bit small. Chimp and baboon exhibits are the standouts on the primate front. Good argument for Kansas City’s chimp exhibit being the best primate exhibit in the country.

 

[Pleistocene891]

Bronx also has very good exhibits for Gibbons, Javan Langurs, and Silver Leaf Langur in Jungle World.

@snowleopard

@snowleopard

@ThylacineAlive

 

[AnActualFan]

Bronx also has very good exhibits for Gibbons, Javan Langurs, and Silver Leaf Langur in Jungle World.

@snowleopard

@snowleopard

@ThylacineAlive

Gibbons might be too good; it feels like I can't see them in their habitat besides if they are at the window.

 

[15399]

Bronx also has very good exhibits for Gibbons, Javan Langurs, and Silver Leaf Langur in Jungle World.

@snowleopard

@snowleopard

@ThylacineAlive

The langur habitats are good, don't get me wrong, but they don't achieve greatness on the same level that Congo Gorilla Forest, Gelada Reserve, and Madagascar! do. As for the gibbon habitat, to be completely honest I didn't realize how large it was on my trip as the one gibbon I saw was right next to the glass. To be completely honest, other than the gharials I found Jungle World as a whole to be overrated and underwhelming on my one trip to the Bronx, but that's a topic for another thread.

 

[15399]

While I'd imagine many of you could easily guess some (or even all) of these, this post will discuss the remaining five of the top ten zoos for primate exhibits in the country!

• While as @Persephone said, a good case could be made for Kansas City's chimpanzee exhibit as the single best primate exhibit in the country, I would argue it is either the second or third best, with number one going to the Lemur Forest at Duke Lemur Center. This massive, naturalistic set of enclosures are unrivaled by any other lemur complex in the country, if not the world. While not a traditional zoo, these exhibits truly show what incredible things can be created for animals when facilities are willing to use large amounts of space and existing naturalistic elements:

Photo By: @Arizona Docent

Photo By: @Arizona Docent

Photo By: @Arizona Docent

Photo By: @jayjds2

• As far as monkey exhibits as concerned, San Diego Zoo is home to a wide variety of excellent exhibits. From multi-story habitats for mandrills, colobus, capuchins, and more, to large naturalistic habitats for geladas and Hamadryas baboons, to expertly mixing arboreal primates with a number of ground-dwelling mammals, there is no shortage of excellent monkey exhibits at San Diego. While the great ape exhibits here don't match the impressive nature of Bronx or Kansas City, they are certainly more than adequate and are more than made up for by the impressive habitats for a staggering number of monkeys:

Photo By: @Pleistocene891 (Allen's swamp monkey/spotted-necked otter)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Hamadryas baboon)

Photo By: @Pleistocene891 (Angolan colobus)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (mandrill/Schmidt's red-tailed monkey)

• One of the rising stars in the zoo world, Nashville Zoo has multiple primate habitats that are amongst the best of their kind in the country or world. The gibbon islands are some of the most naturalistic ape exhibits out there, allowing for plenty of climbing opportunities on live trees in a densely planted habitat. Elsewhere in the zoo, spider monkeys also have a very tall habitat with lots of climbing opportunities, similarly excellent for large, highly arboreal primates. While not quite as impressive, Nashville Zoo might also rank as the only zoo to exhibit tamarins inside a restroom:

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (white-cheeked gibbon)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (cottontop tamarins in the restroom)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Mexican spider monkey)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (siamang)

• Though perhaps best known for their historically significant, yet still excellent naturalistic gorilla exhibit (which turns 50 next year), Woodland Park Zoo's excellent primate exhibitry doesn't end with gorillas. Orangutans, siamangs, and multiple lemur species also have incredibly naturalistic, spacious habitats featuring plenty of live plants for each of these species. After Bronx, this is easily the next best place to go for a wide variety of primate species in incredible, world-class exhibits:

Photo By: @snowleopard (orangutan)

Photo By: @snowleopard (gorilla)

Photo By: @snowleopard (red-ruffed lemur)

Photo By: @snowleopard (siamang)

• While not as naturalistic as some mentioned, the Lincoln Park Zoo is notable for primates due to their innovation and being the most prominent zoo primate research facility in the country. The great ape exhibits are designed to allow plenty of naturalistic behaviors, and include one of the better indoor components out of any zoo great ape complex. More impressive is the relatively new Macaque Forest, which is quite possibly the country's best habitat for these fascinating, large monkeys. Elsewhere in the zoo is a spacious habitat for diana monkeys, and the respectable, albeit old-fashioned, Helen Brach Primate House:

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (Japanese macaque)

Photo By: @Milwaukee Man (diana monkey)

Photo By: @Andrew_NZP (Regenstein Center for African Apes)

Photo By: @Milwaukee Man (Regenstein Center for African Apes)

With that, my official ranking of the top ten zoos for primate exhibits in the United States, considering both quantity and quality of their impressive exhibitry, is:
10. San Francisco Zoo
9. Lincoln Park Zoo
8. Disney's Animal Kingdom
7. San Diego Zoo
6. Denver Zoo
5. Kansas City Zoo
4. Nashville Zoo
3. Duke Lemur Center
2. Woodland Park Zoo
1. Bronx Zoo

 

[15399]

Primates aren't the only type of animal that has some exhibits go slightly above the rest. However, unlike with primates, the best exhibits for carnivorans tend to be spread out more, with individual zoos having one or two fantastic exhibits that are amongst the best in the country. This one post will look at the ten zoos with some of the absolute best exhibits for carnivorans.

• Native wildlife tend to have excellent exhibits at some specialist facilities, and native small cats are no exception. Both Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Wildlife Prairie Park have excellent series of naturalistic cat exhibits for lynx, bobcat, and cougars. Each of these exhibits is large, features plenty of natural climbing structures in the form of live trees. While both have plenty of other carnivoran exhibits that are similarly excellent for other native species, the small cat exhibits at both these institutions are simply amongst the best for any mammals in the country:

Photo By: @snowleopard (Northwest Trek)

Photo By: @snowleopard (Northwest Trek)

Photo By: @snowleopard (Wildlife Prairie Park)

Photo By: @snowleopard (Wildlife Prairie Park)

• For much larger cats, two of the best exhibits in the United States are the Tiger Mountain and Himalayan Highlands exhibits at Bronx Zoo. While the rest of the carnivoran exhibits here are more hit-and-miss, these two exhibits are so large and naturalistic that it'd be impossible to make this list complete without them. Snow leopards and Amur tigers are both found here, which are perfect for the climate of the Northeast:

Photo By: @Dhole dude

Photo By: @Dhole dude

• Perhaps the closest any zoo has come to reaching Bill Conway's vision of "How to Exhibit a Bullfrog" is the North American black bear exhibit at North American Bear Center. This is the only large exhibit at this institution, and is a multi-acre home for these incredible native animals:

Photo By: @snowleopard

Photo By: @snowleopard

• Another expertly designed exhibit for a native species is the iconic coyote exhibit at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This exhibit makes expert use of invisible fencing makes the illusion that these coyotes are wild, when in fact they are just in another of the best designed zoo exhibits in the entire country:

Photo By: @Milwaukee Man

Photo By: @Coelacanth18

• Amongst the small zoos to overperform in this thread, Stone Zoo was fairly unique in that it was mentioned for multiple large animals. Both Mexican grey wolves and snow leopards have phenomenal, naturalistic enclosures here that allow for the residents to display natural behaviors, but also with plenty of space to hide if wanted. While the other carnivoran exhibits here are good (but not world-class), these two exhibits are amongst the best of their kinds in the country, certainly impressive for a small zoo that has almost closed completely on multiple ocassions:

Photo By: @Pleistohorse

Photo By: @TinoPup

• One of the zoos tied for the most entries on this list, Minnesota Zoo primarily got that title due to their massive, naturalistic outdoor exhibits for cold-tolerant megafauna. Amongst those species, many of them are carnivorans, including grizzlies, Amur tigers, and Amur leopards- each of which have exhibits amongst the best of their kind in the country. I'm not aware of a single bad outdoor exhibit at this zoo, as all pictures I've seen here look simply phenomenal:

Photo By: @Dhole dude

Photo By: @Dhole dude

• Asia Trail at the Smithsonian's National Zoo is perhaps the best carnivore complex in the United States. In fact, every eligible exhibit in this complex was included in this thread: sloth bears, clouded leopards, red pandas, and Asian small-clawed otters, while the respectable fishing cat exhibit only missed the thread since the species wasn't included. Each of these exhibits is large and naturalistic, allowing these Asian carnivores to really shine in some of the best exhibits in the country:

Photo By: @red river hog

Photo By: @red river hog

• Being one of the newest and fastest growing zoos in the United States, it should come as no surprise that Nashville Zoo contains some phenomenal exhibits for carnivorans. Specifically, Expedition Peru and Tiger Crossroads both provide excellent exhibits for a large carnivore species, Andean bears and tigers respectively. Both of these exhibits are large and naturalistic, perfect for the large animals that call them home. Elsewhere in the zoo, Nashville Zoo is a leader in the zoo world in breeding clouded leopards, which is another incredible feat at this zoo:

Photo By: @pachyderm pro

Photo By: @Coelacanth18

• When many think of carnivorans at the Detroit Zoo, they probably think of polar bears. While Arctic Ring of Life is excellent, it is far from the only excellent carnivoran exhibit at the zoo. Detroit's red panda exhibit is perhaps the best for this species in the country, providing plenty of naturalistic climbing opportunities in a massive habitat, while the wolverine exhibit also includes live trees and is an overall large size. Even within Arctic Ring of Life, it isn't just polar bears, as sea otters also have a large and spacious home here:

Photo By: @pachyderm pro

Photo By: @pachyderm pro

The top ten zoos for carnivoran exhibits ranked are:
10. Bronx Zoo
9. Smithsonian's National Zoo
8. Stone Zoo
7. Nashville Zoo
6. Detroit Zoo
5. Minnesota Zoo
4. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
3. Wildlife Prairie Park
2. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
1. North American Bear Center

 

[JVM]

Delayed response here but absolutely love the countdown of best zoos for primates and very appreciative of the recognition for Lincoln Park Zoo, which I feel is often very overlooked on this front (they also keep a few primates in the Small Mammal House, still -- loris, bush baby, and white-faced saki) but also very happy to see Denver mentioned, as Primate Panorama was a highlight exhibit complex, absolutely stunning for its age and able to rival some many later buildings, and as recently as ten years ago still housed several significant rarities (Sulawesi crested macaque, coppery titi, Hanuman langur, pygmy marmoset) - plus as a personal matter, really reinvigorated my love of primates. Also nice to see San Francisco get some recognition considering this is one of their fewer strong areas.

The carnivorans are harder to comment on for sure but no less fascinating, though I do think it's interesting that none of the top ten zoos spotted were highlighted for a lion habitat though, but I think this is a worthwhile concession for the fact you went beyond big cats, canids and bears in mentioning otters, red pandas and small cats that are much less likely to be considered when some would be thinking about the best carnivore exhibits in the country... and after all, in this thread I can simply scroll back some pages to find your opinion on the best lion exhibits in the country!

 

[15399]

though I do think it's interesting that none of the top ten zoos spotted were highlighted for a lion habitat though, but I think this is a worthwhile concession for the fact you went beyond big cats, canids and bears in mentioning otters, red pandas and small cats that are much less likely to be considered when some would be thinking about the best carnivore exhibits in the country... and after all, in this thread I can simply scroll back some pages to find your opinion on the best lion exhibits in the country!

I did consider putting SDZSP on the carnivorans one, as it was the only zoo mentioned for both lions and tigers. It could just be my biases showing, as personally I'm not a big fan of lions, but I found a lot of the small carnivoran exhibits mentioned are more impressive than any of the lion exhibits in the country.

 

[TheGytrash]

Do you think that might partly be that many small carnivorans live in lusher, denser environments and most lions live in relatively flat, open grassland?

 

[birdsandbats]

Do you think that might partly be that many small carnivorans live in lusher, denser environments and most lions live in relatively flat, open grassland?

Lions can be found in a wide variety of habitats, certainly including grassland, but not limited to it. Also, many small carnivores are found in grassland habitats.

 

[TheGytrash]

I know, but for clarification's sake, I meant the exhibits being reviewed here: most of the smaller carnivoran habits shouted out on this thread are those who live in lusher and denser habitats. (And I know lions can live in forests, but it's much less common and I've never seen a zoo exhibit replicate that environment for lions.)

 

[15399]

Today's post, the penultimate post of this thread, will be looking at my choices for the top ten zoos for ungulate exhibits. While not technically ungulates, I will be lumping elephants into this post too since a lot of the considerations for exhibiting elephants are similar to that of some ungulates.

The ten zoos I selected for ungulates are:

• One of the two zoos tied for the most mentions in this thread, Minnesota Zoo received multiple mentions for spacious, large habitats that house cold tolerant ungulates. Perfect for the cold climate of this zoo, multiple ungulate species such as takin, Bactrian camels, Przewalski's horses, and American bison live in massive exhibits that take advantage of the zoo's natural terrain. Not all great ungulate exhibits need to be for African savanna species, and Minnesota is a clear example of this:

Photo By: @Dhole dude (Przewalski's horse exhibit)

Photo By: @Dhole dude (Sichuan takin exhibit)

• More so than any other group, facilities with plenty of space available have an advantage when it comes to ungulate exhibits. Two of these facilities, The Wilds and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, stand out amongst the rest. The Wilds contains some of the largest exhibits of any zoo in the country, and house, amongst other species, the largest herd of takin outside China, large crashes of two rhino species, multiple Asian deer species, giraffes, zebras, and more. San Diego Zoo Safari Park is also home to giraffes, zebras, and rhinos, but has a much more holistic African ungulate collection than The Wilds, in similarly large and naturalistic exhibits:

Photo By: @TinoPup (The Wilds)

Photo By: @Moebelle (The Wilds)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (San Diego Zoo Safari Park)

Photo By: @pachyderm pro (San Diego Zoo Safari Park)

• For traditional zoos, perhaps the zoo with the best, most comprehensive ungulate collection is the Bronx Zoo, which has excellent issues for large herds of ungulates in both their African and Asian sections. The Wild Asia Monorail contains multiple large paddocks for large herds of markhor, gaur, greater one-horned rhinos, and a variety of Asian deer species, while the African Plains contains similarly large habitats for nyala, giraffe, and multiple species of gazelle. All of these habitats are very large, naturalistic, and emphasize large social groupings:

Photo By: @Ding Lingwei (gaur herd)

Photo By: @TinoPup (nyala exhibit)

• When it comes to the largest charismatic megafauna (elephants, giraffes, hippos, and rhinos), it'd be hard pressed to find a better zoo than Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Kilimanjaro Safaris exhibit contains large, naturalistic exhibits for each of these large species, and for both hippos and elephants they are one of, if not the largest, exhibit in the entire country. Both hippos and elephants are kept in very large social groupings, and DAK is perhaps the only zoo in the country to house hippos in a world-class exhibit, due to the massive size and large bloat:

Photo By: @J I N X (African elephants)

Photo By: @geomorph (Hippopotamus)

• Omaha's Henry-Doorly Zoo contains excellent exhibits for a variety of ungulates in multiple different sections of the zoo. Many of their excellent ungulate exhibits are part of Africa Grasslands, including one of the country's most successful elephant breeding programs, and large exhibits for giraffe and bongo, while elsewhere in the zoo Asian Highlands contains an excellent rocky habitat for takin and gorals, as well as a spacious greater one-horned rhino and Pere David's deer mixed species exhibit. All of these exhibits are large and naturalistic, with multiple housing very large social groupings to boot:

Photo By: @Brayden Delashmutt (perhaps the country's best indoor elephant barn)

Photo By: @Pleistohorse (takin and goral exhibit)

• While so far this post has focused on facilities with over 200 acres, 200 acres are not necessary to build fantastic ungulate exhibits. When it comes to desert species, the Phoenix Zoo provides excellent habitats for multiple species, including desert bighorn sheep and Arabian oryx. While the collection here isn't as large and diverse as some of the other zoos, these habitats are still incredibly large and naturalistic for species that thrive in the zoo's arid biome:

Photo By: @snowleopard (desert bighorn sheep exhibit)

Photo By: @snowleopard (Arabian oryx exhibit)

• Not all ungulates are extremely large species! For red river hogs and pygmy hippos, the Jackson Zoo has exhibits that are simply genius. These exhibits make great use of the zoo's natural habitat, containing many live trees to create shade, and a very large, swampy pond in the pygmy hippo exhibit. These habitats are very spacious for these smaller species, and show how smaller zoos can have success working with ungulates by choosing right-size animals:

Photo By: @SwampDonkey (part of pygmy hippo exhibit)

Photo By: @SwampDonkey (part of pygmy hippo exhibit)

• One of the largest traditional zoos in the United States is the North Carolina Zoo, and they use this space extraordinarily well with a variety of multi-acre exhibits. Africa's Watani Grasslands contains multiple massive habitats for elephants, rhinos, fringe-eared oryx, elands, and more, while elsewhere in the zoo is a massive exhibit for bison and elk, perhaps the best exhibit in any zoo for native ungulates. While size isn't everything, it does matter, and North Carolina Zoo shows what can be done when zoos have plenty of space available. To think that there are AZA zoos smaller than North Carolina Zoo's bison exhibit:

Photo By: @Breckenridge (Watani Grasslands)

Photo By: @Moebelle (bison/elk exhibit)

• Dallas Zoo's Giants of the Savanna is one of the most innovative, unique elephant exhibits in the United States. This exhibit is a mixed-species habitat, housing elephants alongside giraffes and various smaller ungulates. Even though the mix doesn't happen on every days, and what species are mixed has changed over the years, it remains an excellent, enriching, and innovative elephant exhibit that provides plenty of complexity for these massive, intelligent animals:

Photo By: @Moebelle

Photo By: @snowleopard

My (subjective) ranking of the ten best zoos for ungulate exhibits are:
10. Phoenix Zoo
9. Omaha's Henry-Doorly Zoo
8. Dallas Zoo
7. Jackson Zoo
6. Minnesota Zoo
5. Disney's Animal Kingdom
4. The Wilds
3. North Carolina Zoo
2. San Diego Zoo Safari Park
1. Bronx Zoo

 

[Astrotom3000]

I love seeing my home zoo get featured so much! But one small nitpick; the NC Zoo does not have Eland (and I am not sure if they ever had them). They do have Kudu if that was what you meant.

 

[15399]

I love seeing my home zoo get featured so much! But one small nitpick; the NC Zoo does not have Eland (and I am not sure if they ever had them). They do have Kudu if that was what you meant.

Sorry for the mess up, for some reason I thought one of the Watani Grasslands exhibits had eland. Not sure where I got that from.

 

[JVM]

Jackson Zoo is the big surprise on the list (though the selected exhibits look amazing so fully justified) but I'm also happy to see Phoenix featured as well. A lot of the others are among the most respected and beloved zoos in the country as it is. I considered strongly a trip to Omaha in the winter and one of the main reasons I've put it off is so I can see more of the ungulates.

For a moment I was surprised to not see Saint Louis on there, but I could completely understand why once I thought about it - though it's an effective series of habitats with surprisingly large social groupings for a traditional zoo setting, none of them have wide open spaces like the exhibits selected. I would say the same for Denver.

 

[15399]

For a moment I was surprised to not see Saint Louis on there, but I could completely understand why once I thought about it - though it's an effective series of habitats with surprisingly large social groupings for a traditional zoo setting, none of them have wide open spaces like the exhibits selected. I would say the same for Denver.

Saint Louis would be the difference between a thread focused on exhibitry versus a thread focused on collection. If this was looking at the ten best ungulate collections, I absolutely agree Saint Louis would be a shoe-in. However, there are other institutions that, while lacking the diverse collection that Saint Louis has, instead contain much more impressive exhibits for the species they do have.

 

[Coelacanth18]

However, there are other institutions that, while lacking the diverse collection that Saint Louis has, instead contain much more impressive exhibits for the species they do have.

While I know that the purpose of this exercise is to rank zoos based on quality and not quantity, I do wonder if might be some "apples-to-oranges" comparisons happening here, in the sense that some of these zoos have very different collection sizes. I'm curious to know whether any weight or consideration was given to how differences in the number of exhibits affects comparing the "average" or "range" in a ranking like this?

For example, you have Jackson at #7 for ungulates, yet their most recent USDA inspection only has 6 species of ungulate (at least one of which I believe is gone now) and your post only mentions 2 exhibits. Meanwhile, Saint Louis has about 3 times that many species and most of them are in exhibits that are (IMO) aesthetically pleasing and well-suited to their species - yet you considered them outside the top 10 for having "less impressive" exhibits. I feel like being judged on only your 2 best enclosures is a low bar to clear compared to an overall average of potentially 20+ enclosures.

I had this same thought when you ranked Nashville #4 for primates, despite it only having 6 species of primate on display (and the exhibits for 2 of those - the lemurs - weren't mentioned in the post). Nashville may have a fairly high average, but how meaningful is that average compared to San Diego (ranked #7) when the latter has 4 or 5 times as many primate enclosures?

 

[JVM]

Saint Louis would be the difference between a thread focused on exhibitry versus a thread focused on collection. If this was looking at the ten best ungulate collections, I absolutely agree Saint Louis would be a shoe-in. However, there are other institutions that, while lacking the diverse collection that Saint Louis has, instead contain much more impressive exhibits for the species they do have.

There's the "completely understood once I thought about it" I intended, yeah.

More than any other group of animals, I think ungulates get confusing in quality vs collection conversation since their individual needs are less obviously complex than many other species, so most hoofstock exhibits are essentially a question of 'how big can we make this grassy or sandy field' and how many animals can fit in that space.