Recently Opened Exhibits that are Outdated.

[Nile Hippo Expert]

The Cincinnati Zoo's Hippo Cove, which opened in July 2016, is absolutely horrendous and outdated for today's standards. Their outdoor pool has only 70,000 gallons of water, when Toledo Zoo's hippo pool has five times that. And that is not the only thing, their outdoor exhibit is 3,300 sq. feet, about one-third of the average size in square feet in making it the second smallest hippo exhibit in any AZA zoo in the US (Only the Woodland Park Zoo has a smaller Nile Hippo exhibit at 3,150 square feet and they are soon getting rid of their last hippo, so that will make Cincinnati's the smallest in America). And let's not forget that most other zoos have only 1 or 2 hippos in a much bigger space than Cincy, which has 4 hippos, and only Disney's Animal Kingdom has more hippos than Cincinnati with 11. Heck even the Sedgwick County Zoo has an exhibit larger than Cincinnati and their exhibit opened in 1972. ANd the indoor space and pool is also ridiculously small compared to other zoos (I don't know the exact size but it is very small). What makes it the worst part is that the zoo clearly goes all in on their hippos, selling products relating to Fiona and her family left and right, and people don't seem to care how small and crowded Hippo Cove really is. And lastly, related to the zoo going all in with making Fiona and Fritz merchandise, I wonder why they wouldn't bother with using the money to build an actually decent exhibit, or at the very least, expanding their habitat for the hippos, especially considering that Cincinnati is also one of the richest zoos in the country. I honestly kind of feel bad for their hippos despite the fact that I love hippos so much.

 

[snowleopard]

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) opened its Adventureland complex in 2016 and there are plenty of outdated exhibits in that section of the zoo. Here are 5 examples:

American Black Bear exhibit:

Red Fox exhibit:

Asian Water Monitor exhibit:

Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit:

Groundhog exhibit:

 

[Kalaw]

Tierpark Hagenbeck in Germany is known for its two panormas (African and Nordic) which pioneered many key concepts of the modern zoo - use of moats to separate predators and prey, and use of artificial cliffs or mountains as centrepieces of exhibits, for example. In 2012, the Nordic panorama was renovated to create the Eismeer, a modern complex for species from both poles. It features a breeding group of Walruses, South American Fur Seals, Polar Bears, three species of penguin and five species of seabird in a walkthrough aviary.

Some elements of this exhibit are excellent and at no risk of becoming out-of-date - both pinniped pools are world-class with their huge pool and great underwater viewing, and both penguin enclosures (the brilliantly landscaped outdoors for Humboldts with a deep pool, and a hall for Gentoos and Kings kept regularly at cool temperatures), for example.

The Polar Bear enclosure, however, is unforgivable. Only 12 years old, and yet it is a contender for being the worst bear enclosure on the continent. The goal was to offer memorable views with walruses visible in the foreground and bears in the background, which you can see in the third picture below. However, to allow for this, the enclosure had to be squeezed into the narrow space between the walruses and the artificial cliffs - the pool does have underwater viewing, which is nice for visitors, but it is way too shallow for the bears. It also has serious issues in terms of separation options - around my visit, a cub was born, so the entirety of the indoor/offshow area had to be given to the mother and her cub, while the male was locked outdoors. A result of this was that said underwater viewing window couldn't be cleaned, as there is no way to get the bear out of the enclosure in order for staff to do so.

@Daniel Sörensen

@vogelcommando

@RonBurrgundy

The Seabird Aviary hasn't aged all too well either, although in this case it is at least an adequate exhibit. Not sure if things have been improved now, but on my visit, it appeared as though within just 12 years, poor husbandry errors (I have heard some criticisms about insufficient predator-proofing and not offering appropriate temperatures for these cold-climate birds) had left the enclosure severely understocked. I was delighted to see rarities such as King Eider and Long-tailed Duck, but only a pair of each remained, while there were only two or three Razorbills and just a single Atlantic Puffin. The fish that inhabited the pool section of it (and would have been a welcome addition seeing as it features underwater viewing) also seemed to no longer be kept. Other than that, however, the Aviary is a good exhibit, and only the bears truly make you question how this enclosure is only 12 years old!

@Daniel Sörensen

 

[biggest_dreamer]

Greenville Zoo's primate row recently got rebuilt from scratch and reopened in, I believe, 2021, and it's just really disappointing overall. Not a ton of space for any of the four species (black and white ruffed lemur, Schmidt's guenon, Angolan colobus, black-headed spider monkey), no natural substrate, it just really doesn't feel like this should be what we expect from AZA exhibits opened this decade. I've seen better primate enclosures at plenty of non-AZA facilities.

 

[Astrotom3000]

Virginia Zoo's World of Reptiles and Friends opened in 2018, but it felt like it was built 20-30 years earlier. I found the overall presentation to be very bland and boring, and many of the exhibits felt under-furnished, and a few also felt small. Additionally, it was still unfinished even after 5 years as the "Giants" gallery still had enclosures undergoing construction and (at the time) the conservatory was not open). Especially jarring as Atlanta's Slimy Scaly Spectacular opened 3 years prior and is light years ahead of Virginia. Even Riverbanks' ARC is vastly superior, and that was a renovation of an older building. It even stands out compared to other exhibits in the same zoo!

Georgia Aquarium's Truist Pier 225 opened in 2016 and felt like a downgrade from the original Seal Lion exhibit. Granted, my memory of the outdoor exhibit is fuzzy at best, but I can't imagine the small indoor space they have now is that much of an improvement. No doubt it's the worst Sea Lion exhibit I have visited either way.

Greenville Zoo's primate row recently got rebuilt from scratch and reopened in, I believe, 2021, and it's just really disappointing overall. Not a ton of space for any of the four species (black and white ruffed lemur, Schmidt's guenon, Angolan colobus, black-headed spider monkey), no natural substrate, it just really doesn't feel like this should be what we expect from AZA exhibits opened this decade. I've seen better primate enclosures at plenty of non-AZA facilities.

Jeez, 2021? I figured they would be older than that. I visited just a year later and I consider Greenville's Primate Row to be maybe the worst primate exhibit I have seen in an AZA zoo.

 

[JVM]

especially considering that Cincinnati is also one of the richest zoos in the country.

That's very surprising - where was this reported? I would definitely not have anticipated Cincinnati being one of the rich ones.

 

[RonBurrgundy]

Zoo Berlin modernized it's Cat house which is now called "Haus der Jäger". Given that the zoo has not much space available a lot of exhibits turned out very nice. I still think they could have gone for less species and more exhibit space (tigers/leopards).
The enclosure I dislike the most is the one for the tigers. When I visited the last time (01.01.2023) the enclosure was empty.

@ZooTripper365

I couldn't imagine that tigers would be brought back without further construction. However, I saw that the island, which is much too small, is inhabited by tigers again.
Fortunately, renovation work is currently taking place (I don't know to which extent). Although in my opinion they should focus on keeping jaguars, combine the exhibits and offer the animals the largest enclosure possible. I can't see how even an enlarged tiger enclosure could meet the modern standarts in the near future.

 

[Philipine eagle]

Zoo Berlin modernized it's Cat house which is now called "Haus der Jäger". Given that the zoo has not much space available a lot of exhibits turned out very nice. I still think they could have gone for less species and more exhibit space (tigers/leopards).
The enclosure I dislike the most is the one for the tigers. When I visited the last time (01.01.2023) the enclosure was empty.

@ZooTripper365

I couldn't imagine that tigers would be brought back without further construction. However, I saw that the island, which is much too small, is inhabited by tigers again.
Fortunately, renovation work is currently taking place (I don't know to which extent). Although in my opinion they should focus on keeping jaguars, combine the exhibits and offer the animals the largest enclosure possible. I can't see how even an enlarged tiger enclosure could meet the modern standarts in the near future.

The modernisation of the Cat enclosure was only the first phase of a much wider project. Currently, the zoo is building a second enclosure for its jaguars and leopards. I believe that eventually the tigers will also get a second enclosure.
I have not yet seen the current situation in person, but it could be that the current enclosures are a bit too small.
But I am happy that the zoo will continue to keep a wide selection of cat species AND that each species will eventually get two enclosures.

 

[turkeyfox]

the entirety of the indoor/offshow area had to be given to the mother and her cub, while the male was locked outdoors. A result of this was that said underwater viewing window couldn't be cleaned, as there is no way to get the bear out of the enclosure in order for staff to do so.

Forget the window, how was anything cleaned? Just feces piling up hoping they fall into the water where the filtration system can get it?

 

[FrederickA]

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) opened its Adventureland complex in 2016 and there are plenty of outdated exhibits in that section of the zoo. Here are 5 examples:

American Black Bear exhibit:

Red Fox exhibit:

Asian Water Monitor exhibit:

Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit:

Groundhog exhibit:

Oof those are hard to look at especially the water monitor one, looks more suitable for a large amphibian. Also that is second lemur island exhibit I've seen is this just a thing with ring tails?

 

[cornu aspersum]

Also that is second lemur island exhibit I've seen is this just a thing with ring tails?

Island exhibits are quite common with most primates including bigger lemurs such as the ring tails, monkeys and apes.

 

[GiratinaIsGod]

Osnabrück often has miss or hit exhibits, but the greatest blunder of the zoo. It is way too smal, eypicially in the indoor area, crampt and with the infamous "jungle temple themeing", the orangutan house from 2017. Even the infanous monkey house in the Berlin zoo is larger.

 

[ZSH]

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) opened its Adventureland complex in 2016 and there are plenty of outdated exhibits in that section of the zoo. Here are 5 examples:

American Black Bear exhibit:

Red Fox exhibit:

Asian Water Monitor exhibit:

Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit:

Groundhog exhibit:

That is horrific

 

[MonkeyBat]

A lot of smaller, non-AZA zoos open new exhibits that aren't modern or fresh by any means just due to a lack of funds. Here are a few pictures of the Penguin Cove exhibits at the Brights Zoo in Tennessee, which opened in 2021.

Asian small-clawed otter exhibit

Fennec fox exhibit

African penguin exhibit

Asian water monitor exhibit

(All photos taken by me)

 

[Jennings]

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) opened its Adventureland complex in 2016 and there are plenty of outdated exhibits in that section of the zoo. Here are 5 examples:

American Black Bear exhibit:

Red Fox exhibit:

Asian Water Monitor exhibit:

Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit:

Groundhog exhibit:

Good lord. The bear and lemur enclosures are disgraceful; like something from the 1960s.

 

[tigris115]

Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium seems like it doesn't rly care ngl

 

[MonkeyBat]

Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium seems like it doesn't rly care ngl

Seems like it's going for the modern-day postage stamp collection: quantity over quality.

 

[tigris115]

Seems like it's going for the modern-day postage stamp collection: quantity over quality.

Also, I know being an AZA snob is dumb but it does show why you gotta be careful of places like that. Apparently they're also rly shady

 

[JVM]

I don't mean to sound in any way defensive of WWZ, as I've heard from many people I trust very much that they're awful and the photos posted speak for themselves -- but I do wonder, do they even have a good collection? I feel most times I see photographs there, it's ABC animals in subpar exhibits, not rarities.

 

[evilmonkey239]

I don't mean to sound in any way defensive of WWZ, as I've heard from many people I trust very much that they're awful and the photos posted speak for themselves -- but I do wonder, do they even have a good collection? I feel most times I see photographs there, it's ABC animals in subpar exhibits, not rarities.

Striped hyena for one. I know they’ve also got “African” leopards (which likely have a mix of Aftican and Asian genes in actuality, but there still aren’t many leopards of that description in the AZA).