I recently got back from my first foreign zoo visit to Prague and was absolutely blown away.
Now already considering my next destination(s), I was wondering which zoos have a similar feel to Prague? Looking for ideally good herp collection, rarities, species diversity and good exhibitry
I'm not the best-travelled enthusiast but there really is nowhere like it, a special zoo indeed.
But of course while no one zoo is really similar to Prague as a whole, some zoos do have some things in common with it in an excellent manner. There are some zoos that meet each of the individual things that you cite as interesting you about Prague.
Herp collection:
From what I can tell, the best zoos in Europe in terms of the sheer volume of their herp collections are Wrocław in Poland and Plzen in Czechia. I don't know exact numbers for either, but they are around the 300 species mark, which actually almost double the total number of herps at Prague. I haven't been to either collection, though, so am not really able to comment on if they are displayed in an interesting or engaging manner. Certainly the most that I have been impressed by a reptile display at a continental zoo (other than Prague) in terms of sheer diversity was Antwerp in Belgium with their reptile house, which seemed to never end, but then they supposedly 'only' have around 80 species (I say 'only,' despite that being more than anywhere in the UK). The difference is that at Antwerp they are all concentrated in one building which is obviously not the case in Prague, where nearly every exhibit has a vivarium or two. Then there are your specialist collections, like Nockalm in Austria, but of course these are nothing like Prague!
Rarities:
It's difficult to beat Prague here, but again, your best bet is probably also in Czechia with Plzen, which again I haven't visited, with Wrocław yet again being a contender. Tierpark Berlin is also very popular for its rarity collection, with its western counterpart, Zoo Berlin, being less so for mammals, although in terms of birds and especially fish it may well have one of the most interesting collections in Europe.
Species diversity:
There are probably some zoos that this do it quite a bit better than Prague, as the complete lack of saltwater fish, and almost complete lack of freshwater fish, somewhat holds the place back in this regard. Zoo Berlin and Köln both have enormous aquariums, which coupled with relatively comprehensive collections of mammals, birds and herps make them some of the best-rounded and most diverse out there. Some other places with excellent aquaria (such as Burgers') have a different problem, that being their lack of reptiles or amphibians. Supposedly, Beauval also has over 100 species of fish and therefore can also be considered for one of the most diverse collections in Europe, but to be honest I have no idea where that number is coming from as there didn't seem to be that many fish on my visit.
Good exhibitry:
Often, the best of the best in terms of exhibitry can be found at zoos that fall short in some of the other categories, no doubt due to the fact that having a smaller scope allows the zoos to devote more to the animals they do have. Burgers' in the Netherlands and Zürich in Switzerland are two zoos that regularly get heralded for their outstandingly good and highly innovative enclosures. Both are best-known for their major respective rainforest houses, Bush and Masoala, each amazingly landscaped and well over a hectare in size, but also have other notable displays throughout, such as coral reef tanks at both, a mangrove mudflat for fiddler crabs and manatees at Burgers', or a near-vertical cliff face for Snow Leopards at Zürich. To be honest, Prague may be the best zoo out there in terms of striking a balance between an extensive collection (showing all but one class of the animal kingdom was astonishing comprehensiveness) and outstanding exhibitry.
All the above should be read baring in mind that I haven't visited many continental zoos. The only 'mainstream' ones that I have seen for myself would be Prague, Beauval, Burgers', Zürich, Hagenbeck, Dresden, Antwerp, Magdeburg, both Paris collections and La Fléche, of which I would only say that Beauval, Burgers' and Zürich are even remotely comparable to Prague, and even then I would say they all fall short.
In terms of sheer quality and excellence perhaps, but surely Vienna is a very different zoo to Prague in terms of overall character? Again, I haven't visited so could be wrong, but I am not sure that it is a 'similar' zoo, merely equal in quality.
Chester, Both Berlins, Beauval, Wroclaw, Cologne, Bronx, San Diego, Omaha etc.
