Rising Stars in the Zoo World

pachyderm pro

pachyderm pro

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
To clarify, when I say this I mean zoos themselves not people in the industry. What are some of the rising stars in the zoo world that you could see becoming major players in the future? This is basically saying what is a zoo that you think is set up to become one of the best that isn't currently. I wouldn't say Omaha is a rising star for example despite its huge development spree, because that zoo has always been known for being one of the best. For the states at least there are two I have in mind; Nashville and Cheyenne Mountain.

Nashville has always been well regarded by zoo nerds. Exhibits have always been high quality, scenery has always been nice, and in general it was known as a very good zoo. However, a big complaint is that the zoo is just too small for it to be a major player in the competition for a top zoo. It is often overshadowed by Memphis as a result. The past few years have seen many new exhibits for tigers, spider monkeys, white rhinos and a new animal hospital. The biggest addition was Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear which is a multi million dollar complex featuring the namesake Andean bear, plus pudu, guinea pigs and cotton-top tamarins. Even as Nashville got better and better size was still an issue. However, a few weeks ago the zoo unveiled plans for a 200 million dollar multi-phase African expansion which will add another 40 acres to the park. Minus elephants (as far as we know at least), every major African animal will be represented as well as some of the non-major ones and it looks like it will be brilliant. The zoo claims after this expansion is complete the zoo will be the ninth largest in North America. This means that Nashville will have even more excellent exhibits on top of the already excellent series of existing exhibits and size will no longer be an issue. When all is said and done, Nashville could be a top 10 zoo before we know it.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is another insertion that I see a bright future for. Being built on a hillside, it faces a unique challenge that most zoos don't have to deal with. They take what would be a hindrance to many zoos and take full advantage of its location. It used to be a pretty outdated zoo even with its unusual location, but things have changed dramatically. Last year they opened Waters Edge: Africa which includes a superb walkthrough penguin exhibit and they broke the trend of too small hippo habitats in zoos by making one of the best hippo exhibits anywhere. The terrible Aquatic and Primate pavilions have been torn down and the zoo is planning new great ape exhibits. They are also making a ton of small improvements to make the zoo more efficient for guests and staff and planning even more animals exhibits on top of that. There really isn't anything egregiously bad left in the whole zoo and between it and Denver, I personally think Cheyenne Mountain looks much more interesting. If things continue down this road I see a zoo with endless potential that could enter the upper rankings of US zoos.
 
I definitely think this is a bit of a hard question because everyone has a different definition of what's already one of the best, for instance just because I follow Nashville quite closely I've long regarded it as one of the better institutions in the country. As well as just simply the fact that everyone has a different criteria as to what they're looking for as a zoo grows into the next decade.
With that out of the way, if I had to choose one without thinking that hard about it, I'd say Zoo Tampa. It's public image has been quite steadily improving for the past several years, and recently they've started building facilities and conservation programs to hold onto that new found fame. I personally think they're doing alot of good work in the community as well. Tampa is putting alot of effort behind remodeling their old exhibits as well instead of just hopping into a new phase of construction. I also enjoy their collection because they have some really rare species you don't find in other American institutions, Shoebill storks for example of which they have the entire breeding colony that's currently in North America and they also got a habitat upgrade this year. One thing that I would like to see Tampa do is focus a bit more on the botanical aspect of their institution, but most people aren't botany nerds like myself. I think most of the B class zoos in America could definitely be considered rising stars with very few of them actually going the wrong direction these days, so there are lots of good answers, but Tampa came to mind for me.
 
Definetly agree on Omaha. Already on the top and still rising.
Can't judge about Nashville, because never been there unfortunately.
Objection about Cheyenne Mountain: Even with the new hippo habitat it is far away from being a Top 10 zoo in the US (not to mention worldwide).

Other zoos (still) rising: Beauval, Pairi Daiza, Chester, Leipzig, Zurich, Mulhouse, Zoo Asheboro, Zoo Pilsen, Zoo Prague, The Living Desert Palm Desert

Going the opposite way: San Diego Zoo, Zoo Berlin, Bronx Zoo, National Zoo Washington D.C., Philadelphia Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens Tampa, Pretoria, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Singapore Zoo, all SeaWorld Parks (because phasing out orcas as their main animal attraction) and - as probably the worst examples - London Zoo and Zoo Barcelona.

For Tierpark Berlin, San Diego Safari Park and Brookfield Zoo Chicago it depends on what will be realised from the future plans they have.
 
The North Carolina Zoo is seen as a top tier zoo by some yet at least on this site has only attracted regional attention. Its almost flawless as is (with really no outdated exhibits) and a massive 2000 acre site. The thing that has held it back though is its collection which is smaller than other top tier zoo and focused largely around Africa and North America. Now its slated to break ground on Asia (tiger, komodo dragon, red panda, chiense croc, gibbons, asian small-clawed otter, among others) and will be adding Australia shortly after (kangaroo, cassowary, tree kangaroo, among others). These additions will be on undeveloped land so the zoo won’t lose a single species.
 
zoomaniac said:
Other zoos (still) rising: Beauval, Pairi Daiza, Chester, Leipzig, Zurich, Mulhouse, Zoo Asheboro, Zoo Pilsen, Zoo Prague, The Living Desert Palm Desert

Going the opposite way: San Diego Zoo, Zoo Berlin, Bronx Zoo, National Zoo Washington D.C., Philadelphia Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens Tampa, Pretoria, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Singapore Zoo, all SeaWorld Parks (because phasing out orcas as their main animal attraction) and - as probably the worst examples - London Zoo and Zoo Barcelona.
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Not entirely sure I agree with how you've sorted the zoos here - but I think we can very soundly agree on London and Barcelona, along with Edinburgh of course. SDZ is debatable but I agree it has slightly plateaued. Thought I would pick up on the fact that older, more established collections that are typically located in the centre of large cities are those that are suffering the most while in general countryside zoos are flourishing.
 
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In Europe Beauval and Pairi Daiza are the real comets.

Others like Chester, Zurich and Leipzig were already well known zoos but implemented impressive masterplans.

Some zoos in eastern Europe have developed impressive collections (Prague, Plzen) and now start with impressive multi million exhibits (Lodz, Wroclaw).

Depending on what time era you compare with, but I'll think a zoo like Antwerp was able to stop its free fall : a visitor from the late nineties won't recognize this grand old lady anymore.

Old zoos will without a doubt lose any comparison on the number of species with the old days.
 
pachyderm pro said:
To clarify, when I say this I mean zoos themselves not people in the industry. What are some of the rising stars in the zoo world that you could see becoming major players in the future? This is basically saying what is a zoo that you think is set up to become one of the best that isn't currently. I wouldn't say Omaha is a rising star for example despite its huge development spree, because that zoo has always been known for being one of the best. For the states at least there are two I have in mind; Nashville and Cheyenne Mountain.

Nashville has always been well regarded by zoo nerds. Exhibits have always been high quality, scenery has always been nice, and in general it was known as a very good zoo. However, a big complaint is that the zoo is just too small for it to be a major player in the competition for a top zoo. It is often overshadowed by Memphis as a result. The past few years have seen many new exhibits for tigers, spider monkeys, white rhinos and a new animal hospital. The biggest addition was Expedition Peru: Trek of the Andean Bear which is a multi million dollar complex featuring the namesake Andean bear, plus pudu, guinea pigs and cotton-top tamarins. Even as Nashville got better and better size was still an issue. However, a few weeks ago the zoo unveiled plans for a 200 million dollar multi-phase African expansion which will add another 40 acres to the park. Minus elephants (as far as we know at least), every major African animal will be represented as well as some of the non-major ones and it looks like it will be brilliant. The zoo claims after this expansion is complete the zoo will be the ninth largest in North America. This means that Nashville will have even more excellent exhibits on top of the already excellent series of existing exhibits and size will no longer be an issue. When all is said and done, Nashville could be a top 10 zoo before we know it.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is another insertion that I see a bright future for. Being built on a hillside, it faces a unique challenge that most zoos don't have to deal with. They take what would be a hindrance to many zoos and take full advantage of its location. It used to be a pretty outdated zoo even with its unusual location, but things have changed dramatically. Last year they opened Waters Edge: Africa which includes a superb walkthrough penguin exhibit and they broke the trend of too small hippo habitats in zoos by making one of the best hippo exhibits anywhere. The terrible Aquatic and Primate pavilions have been torn down and the zoo is planning new great ape exhibits. They are also making a ton of small improvements to make the zoo more efficient for guests and staff and planning even more animals exhibits on top of that. There really isn't anything egregiously bad left in the whole zoo and between it and Denver, I personally think Cheyenne Mountain looks much more interesting. If things continue down this road I see a zoo with endless potential that could enter the upper rankings of US zoos.
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Omaha has not "always been known as the best". It opened in 1894 and didn't really become a zoo of note until the Lied Jungle opened almost 100 years later in 1992. It has only become more impressive since then and continues to become more impressive every year.
 
I’ve made mention before on other threads about my love for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, it’s recent major capital campaigns have been major hits(Tiger Trail and Walkabout Australia). It’s often overshadowed by it’s more known sibling and I feel over the exhibits at the Safari Park are pound for pound superior to the Zoo.

I’m very biased in my saying since my first visit ever was a couple years ago and it was with the person I love most so that may be the deciding factor for me.

Their renovations for Elephant Valley as their next capital campaign that will make it a further immersive experience with their wonderful herd, at least based on their concepts for the exhibit.
 
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The first one that springs to my mind is Yorkshire Wildlife Park, for a zoo that was established in 2010 they’ve come a very long way in a relatively short time and I’d suggest it’s right up there alongside some of the best UK zoos.
 
amur leopard said:
Not entirely sure I agree with how you've sorted the zoos here - but I think we can very soundly agree on London and Barcelona, along with Edinburgh of course. SDZ is debatable but I agree it has slightly plateaued. Thought I would pick up on the fact that older, more established collections that are typically located in the centre of large cities are those that are suffering the most while in general countryside zoos are flourishing.
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Downsizing to make more room for animals. When many of these zoos were established animal care was much less advanced and zoos gave much less space to animals, so with changing times zoos have to boot some animals to keep others. This is clearly London’s major issue at the moment.
One zoo I think will rise soon is Los Angeles. It’s already known for having an amazing collection, and with the renovations of all their exhibits it will become a top player in the future.
 
Jude T said:
The first one that springs to my mind is Yorkshire Wildlife Park, for a zoo that was established in 2010 they’ve come a very long way in a relatively short time and I’d suggest it’s right up there alongside some of the best UK zoos.
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Just came here to say this myself, don't think I've ever seen a zoo go from nothing to full on zoological park with ABC species quite so quickly. Even Wild Place hasn't managed to do as much in the same time frame and it's part of a bigger organisation. Admittedly I've not visited YWP yet (that's changing tomorrow) but it does seem to be setting the standard for larger mammal exhibits in the UK with it's Leopard, Bear, and Sea Lion enclosures at least. :)

Wild Place is another one to watch though, and with the forecoming closure of Bristol then I see that zoo also going from strength to strength in the not so distant future.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Downsizing to make more room for animals. When many of these zoos were established animal care was much less advanced and zoos gave much less space to animals, so with changing times zoos have to boot some animals to keep others. This is clearly London’s major issue at the moment.
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Interestingly enough, it isn't really London's issue at all, at least not for now. London has a fair bit of unused space, the real problem is the mismanagement of that space and the money wasted on exhibits that are hardly worth half what they paid for them.
 
zoomaniac said:
Going the opposite way: San Diego Zoo, Zoo Berlin, Bronx Zoo, National Zoo Washington D.C., Philadelphia Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Zoo Tampa, Busch Gardens Tampa, Pretoria, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Singapore Zoo, all SeaWorld Parks (because phasing out orcas as their main animal attraction) and - as probably the worst examples - London Zoo and Zoo Barcelona.
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At least stagnating: Loro Parque.
And Zoo Schmiding.
 
Brum said:
Just came here to say this myself, don't think I've ever seen a zoo go from nothing to full on zoological park with ABC species quite so quickly. Even Wild Place hasn't managed to do as much in the same time frame and it's part of a bigger organisation. Admittedly I've not visited YWP yet (that's changing tomorrow) but it does seem to be setting the standard for larger mammal exhibits in the UK with it's Leopard, Bear, and Sea Lion enclosures at least. :)

Wild Place is another one to watch though, and with the forecoming closure of Bristol then I see that zoo also going from strength to strength in the not so distant future.
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It certainly is impressive, I hope you enjoy your day tomorrow! :)
 
Westcoastperson said:
When many of these zoos were established animal care was much less advanced and zoos gave much less space to animals, so with changing times zoos have to boot some animals to keep others. This is clearly London’s major issue at the moment.
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I'd argue it pretty clearly is *not* the major issue at London actually :p rather, substantial areas of empty or stagnating structures, over-expenditure on distinctly average and over-themed exhibits, and a reduction in collection far beyond that required on the grounds of husbandry standards :(
 
amur leopard said:
Interestingly enough, it isn't really London's issue at all, at least not for now. London has a fair bit of unused space, the real problem is the mismanagement of that space and the money wasted on exhibits that are hardly worth half what they paid for them.
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TeaLovingDave said:
I'd argue it pretty clearly is *not* the major issue at London actually :p rather, substantial areas of empty or stagnating structures, over-expenditure on distinctly average and over-themed exhibits, and a reduction in collection far beyond that required on the grounds of husbandry standards :(
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@TeaLovingDave Hehe see my post above, almost identical :P

Agreed for sure, I didn't mention the reduction in collection in my post to be fair - that is true, although there are still some lovely species there in the small mammal department. But for sure the bird collection has rather gone down the drain.
 
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