All right, let's do this one last time.
I struggled with figuring out a style for writing reviews for the longest time, as I wanted to pair them with species lists. However, given my phone's ability to make otherwise clear pictures have the blurriest portions (usually the signs), coupled with a multitude of other factors, I'd instead give my opinions on the zoo as a whole and provide links to more comprehensive species lists, or eventually compile said species lists myself as I comb through my photos. This European trip was a bit different than the last ones I've taken - the first few times I've been there were relatively sporadic, and I never explored any European zoos until 2022. The zoos I visited then included Zoo Antwerpen, followed by Paris Zoological Park, and then ARTIS. Last year, I visited four European institutions - Sofia Zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Zoo Praha, and Budapest Zoo. For this thread, I'll review those four zoos and also provide a bonus retrospective on the Bulgarian rewilding project I participated in towards the end. When I find enough time to fill out these species lists, I'll link them in subsequent posts. Some species I'll highlight are lifers for me as an American, but may otherwise be common in European zoos unless specified otherwise.
To kick things off, I'll start with a general review of Sofia Zoo. Sofia Zoo is the oldest zoo in Southeastern Europe. It was established on May 1st, 1888, but it moved to its current site, which is 4.5 km south of Sofia, in 1982. The zoo only recently became an EAZA member in April 2023 and received several new species (regaining elephants in September 2023, getting black-and-white colobus monkeys) since. The zoo is in a transitional state, modernizing different exhibits wherever possible and even getting notable zoo designer Erik Van Vliet on board to design new carnivore and primate exhibits. Because of this, I saw a lot of quality exhibits, several average ones, and some... interestingly designed exhibits.
птици (Birds)
Sofia Zoo actually started out with a pleasant lagoon for pelicans and other native waterfowl that essentially makes up a good chunk of the zoo - honestly indicative of quite a few "old-school" zoos I've visited (Alipore has a massive lagoon as well as Philadelphia with their Bird Lake). Nothing special other than a nicely landscaped lagoon.
Зала "Големи котки, аквариум и терариум" (Big Cats, Aquarium and Terrarium Hall)
This was the best exhibit zone Sofia Zoo had to offer when I visited. It starts with old-school moated enclosures for white tigers and African lions and a series of Erik Van Vliet-designed enclosures for Persian leopards (my first lifer of the trip and this particular zoo visit...), snow leopards, jaguars, and Amur tigers. There were neighboring enclosures for doves, peafowl, nutria, and Eurasian lynx (another lifer!). The dove and peafowl exhibits were nothing special; the nutria was exhibited in these odd half-dome enclosures that were severely overcrowded, and the nutria started hissing as soon as I approached - not a good sign, to say the least.
The Carnivores section melds into the Big Cats, Aquarium, and Terrarium hall with exterior enclosures for striped skunks and meerkats, which have a sizable indoor space. The indoor "Terrarium" aspect starts with a large central enclosure for American alligators. It has older-style indoor spaces for the big cats and a diverse collection of herptiles - snakes, lizards, and a photogenic pair of veiled chameleons. In separate spaces, though weirdly behind glass, aren't chameleons better off in meshed enclosures? There was also a mini-nocturnal section for kinkajou (didn't see) and a common opossum, and then the aquarium, a series of fish tanks surrounding a central pond for koi, which unfortunately had coins tossed in. Overall, a wide diversity of species in some actually really sizable enclosures; the indoor accommodations are what they say on the tin - an old-school Big Cat House (so you'll get bars, platforms, skylights, and shift doors), but coupled with the outdoor enclosures, honestly really solid!
Хищници (Carnivores)
A series of meshed enclosures for white-tailed mongoose (the only one in an EAZA zoo!), banded mongoose, South American coati, raccoon, Jungle cat (didn't see but saw at Alipore Zoo, so no biggie), serval, Eurasian badger, and Eurasian wolf. Adjoining the Big Cat, Aquarium, and Terrarium hall are side enclosures for Indian crested porcupines, Hermann's tortoise, the aforementioned skunk/meerkat enclosures, and meshed exhibits for Asian small-clawed otters. Seeing the white-tailed mongoose was an absolute privilege, and it was interesting seeing mongooses in meshed exhibits (and even more interesting seeing banded mongoose climbing on said mesh!). Still, the rest of these enclosures were average at best. Good for what they are, save for the otters, which had a tiny amount of water relative.
мечкарник (Bear's House)
Love me some classic 1980s brutalist architecture. These bear exhibits are a product of their time, and then some, though they do have natural substrate, are multi-tiered and are surrounded by water moats. The zoo has modernized these exhibits with stylistic murals and the aforementioned substrate/addition of trees and other plants, though a new facility should be in order. The zoo had European brown bears and Indian sloth bears, with the sloth bears having really nicely retrofitted grottoes. Some smaller grottoes also housed striped hyenas and European golden jackals, with limited opportunities for shade on a particularly hot June day. All in all, it is an average but interestingly designed complex.
тревопасни животни (Herbivores)
Standard is as standard does. I saw European wild boar, Mishmi takin, American bison, addax, Bactrian camel, alpaca, red lechwe, Vietnamese sika deer, plains zebra, miniature ponies, Ankole-watusi, common eland, red kangaroos, barbary sheep, and goats. Simple hoofstock paddocks with sheds, some chain-link fencing, that's all she wrote. Interestingly for the signage on the bison yard, the two bison they had were named "America" and "Europe". I do feel like wisent would be much more appropriate in this instance (and Sofia Zoo could even partner with organizations like Rewilding Europe!), but ultimately it's the zoo's call.
Зала "Гиганти" (Giants Hall or Giants House)
This reminded me of National Zoo's old Elephant House, and not in a good way. Even down to the layout, where the exhibits near the building's entrance housed pygmy hippos, and the surrounding yards had larger pachyderms. First up is a small but nicely landscaped yard for southern white rhinoceros, then an average-sized yard for a single Nile hippopotamus, and finally, Sofia Zoo's two new elephants, Frosya and Luisa from Augsburg, in a less-than-optimum outdoor space. The indoor accommodations for all those pachyderms isn't the best. The pygmy hippos' indoor quarters were uncomfortably dark, the rhino's indoor space is quite small, weirdly the hippo seems to have the best deal of the bunch, having an elephant-sized stall and a sizable indoor pool! And of course the elephants' indoor accommodations weren't the best, though some attempt at privacy was made with plywood boarding up one of the stalls. At least Frosya and Luisa weren't showing any stereotypical behaviors, which is a testament to the care they receive. Even if the facilities are showing their age (some instances, more so than others), I think the keeper-staff are genuinely doing their best by these animals, and it shows. Given how significant elephants are to Sofia Zoo's history, I'd trim down the building's collection to just two animals and maybe have the rhino in one of the hoofstock exhibits - the elephants for sure and the pygmy hippo. I could see Erik Van Vliet working the same magic on the Giants Hall that he did for the zoo's big cats and primates!
примати (Primates)
A real mixed bag. Several old-school primate buildings, with several modern outdoor exhibits (and lifers too! Southern pig-tailed macaque and red-handed tamarin), and unfortunately... incredibly outdated indoor exhibits. My jaw dropped when I saw the indoor Hanuman langur, lion-tailed macaque and ESPECIALLY the Hamadryas baboon enclosure. Only two individuals with actual iron bars and tiled floors - at least the langur and macaque enclosures had soft substrates within them. The Eastern black-and-white colobus' outdoor enclosure was much better, as was the white-handed gibbons' enclosure - the indoor accommodations were... accommodations. Hopefully the zoo's able to get the funds necessary to redo these indoor spaces.
волиера за грабливи птици (Birds of Prey Aviary)
Another highlight of Sofia Zoo! Saw a lifer with a domestic cat
alongside some griffon vultures and a golden eagle. The aviary itself had a wicked 80's style that wouldn't look out of place in Batman Returns, which actually allows the raptors ample opportunities to take flight!
разни (Miscellaneous - not an official zone, but random exhibits)
For some reason, there was another coati enclosure that was much better-designed than the one in the Carnivore row (another Van Vliet project for sure since I remember reading about this exhibit on his site). There was also an Environmental Education and Research Centre on zoo grounds that was closed to the public, but had publicly viewable windows where I saw an Amazon (forget the species, don't believe I saw a sign) as well as an unspecified cockatoo.
And that's Sofia Zoo! I'd honestly give it a 7/10 for doing the best it can on a limited budget, and figuring out how to make economical but still well-designed enclosures. The zoo as a whole does facilitate its animals' Five Freedoms, though I do believe more can be done - modernizing the Giants' Hall, maybe getting giraffes now that they're EAZA, modernizing the primates' indoor accommodations, and giving the bears/hyenas/jackals/wolves some more TLC.
Photos'll come whenever I'm able to spend a good amount of time to do so.
I struggled with figuring out a style for writing reviews for the longest time, as I wanted to pair them with species lists. However, given my phone's ability to make otherwise clear pictures have the blurriest portions (usually the signs), coupled with a multitude of other factors, I'd instead give my opinions on the zoo as a whole and provide links to more comprehensive species lists, or eventually compile said species lists myself as I comb through my photos. This European trip was a bit different than the last ones I've taken - the first few times I've been there were relatively sporadic, and I never explored any European zoos until 2022. The zoos I visited then included Zoo Antwerpen, followed by Paris Zoological Park, and then ARTIS. Last year, I visited four European institutions - Sofia Zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Zoo Praha, and Budapest Zoo. For this thread, I'll review those four zoos and also provide a bonus retrospective on the Bulgarian rewilding project I participated in towards the end. When I find enough time to fill out these species lists, I'll link them in subsequent posts. Some species I'll highlight are lifers for me as an American, but may otherwise be common in European zoos unless specified otherwise.
To kick things off, I'll start with a general review of Sofia Zoo. Sofia Zoo is the oldest zoo in Southeastern Europe. It was established on May 1st, 1888, but it moved to its current site, which is 4.5 km south of Sofia, in 1982. The zoo only recently became an EAZA member in April 2023 and received several new species (regaining elephants in September 2023, getting black-and-white colobus monkeys) since. The zoo is in a transitional state, modernizing different exhibits wherever possible and even getting notable zoo designer Erik Van Vliet on board to design new carnivore and primate exhibits. Because of this, I saw a lot of quality exhibits, several average ones, and some... interestingly designed exhibits.
птици (Birds)
Sofia Zoo actually started out with a pleasant lagoon for pelicans and other native waterfowl that essentially makes up a good chunk of the zoo - honestly indicative of quite a few "old-school" zoos I've visited (Alipore has a massive lagoon as well as Philadelphia with their Bird Lake). Nothing special other than a nicely landscaped lagoon.
Зала "Големи котки, аквариум и терариум" (Big Cats, Aquarium and Terrarium Hall)
This was the best exhibit zone Sofia Zoo had to offer when I visited. It starts with old-school moated enclosures for white tigers and African lions and a series of Erik Van Vliet-designed enclosures for Persian leopards (my first lifer of the trip and this particular zoo visit...), snow leopards, jaguars, and Amur tigers. There were neighboring enclosures for doves, peafowl, nutria, and Eurasian lynx (another lifer!). The dove and peafowl exhibits were nothing special; the nutria was exhibited in these odd half-dome enclosures that were severely overcrowded, and the nutria started hissing as soon as I approached - not a good sign, to say the least.
The Carnivores section melds into the Big Cats, Aquarium, and Terrarium hall with exterior enclosures for striped skunks and meerkats, which have a sizable indoor space. The indoor "Terrarium" aspect starts with a large central enclosure for American alligators. It has older-style indoor spaces for the big cats and a diverse collection of herptiles - snakes, lizards, and a photogenic pair of veiled chameleons. In separate spaces, though weirdly behind glass, aren't chameleons better off in meshed enclosures? There was also a mini-nocturnal section for kinkajou (didn't see) and a common opossum, and then the aquarium, a series of fish tanks surrounding a central pond for koi, which unfortunately had coins tossed in. Overall, a wide diversity of species in some actually really sizable enclosures; the indoor accommodations are what they say on the tin - an old-school Big Cat House (so you'll get bars, platforms, skylights, and shift doors), but coupled with the outdoor enclosures, honestly really solid!Хищници (Carnivores)
A series of meshed enclosures for white-tailed mongoose (the only one in an EAZA zoo!), banded mongoose, South American coati, raccoon, Jungle cat (didn't see but saw at Alipore Zoo, so no biggie), serval, Eurasian badger, and Eurasian wolf. Adjoining the Big Cat, Aquarium, and Terrarium hall are side enclosures for Indian crested porcupines, Hermann's tortoise, the aforementioned skunk/meerkat enclosures, and meshed exhibits for Asian small-clawed otters. Seeing the white-tailed mongoose was an absolute privilege, and it was interesting seeing mongooses in meshed exhibits (and even more interesting seeing banded mongoose climbing on said mesh!). Still, the rest of these enclosures were average at best. Good for what they are, save for the otters, which had a tiny amount of water relative.
мечкарник (Bear's House)
Love me some classic 1980s brutalist architecture. These bear exhibits are a product of their time, and then some, though they do have natural substrate, are multi-tiered and are surrounded by water moats. The zoo has modernized these exhibits with stylistic murals and the aforementioned substrate/addition of trees and other plants, though a new facility should be in order. The zoo had European brown bears and Indian sloth bears, with the sloth bears having really nicely retrofitted grottoes. Some smaller grottoes also housed striped hyenas and European golden jackals, with limited opportunities for shade on a particularly hot June day. All in all, it is an average but interestingly designed complex.
тревопасни животни (Herbivores)
Standard is as standard does. I saw European wild boar, Mishmi takin, American bison, addax, Bactrian camel, alpaca, red lechwe, Vietnamese sika deer, plains zebra, miniature ponies, Ankole-watusi, common eland, red kangaroos, barbary sheep, and goats. Simple hoofstock paddocks with sheds, some chain-link fencing, that's all she wrote. Interestingly for the signage on the bison yard, the two bison they had were named "America" and "Europe". I do feel like wisent would be much more appropriate in this instance (and Sofia Zoo could even partner with organizations like Rewilding Europe!), but ultimately it's the zoo's call.
Зала "Гиганти" (Giants Hall or Giants House)
This reminded me of National Zoo's old Elephant House, and not in a good way. Even down to the layout, where the exhibits near the building's entrance housed pygmy hippos, and the surrounding yards had larger pachyderms. First up is a small but nicely landscaped yard for southern white rhinoceros, then an average-sized yard for a single Nile hippopotamus, and finally, Sofia Zoo's two new elephants, Frosya and Luisa from Augsburg, in a less-than-optimum outdoor space. The indoor accommodations for all those pachyderms isn't the best. The pygmy hippos' indoor quarters were uncomfortably dark, the rhino's indoor space is quite small, weirdly the hippo seems to have the best deal of the bunch, having an elephant-sized stall and a sizable indoor pool! And of course the elephants' indoor accommodations weren't the best, though some attempt at privacy was made with plywood boarding up one of the stalls. At least Frosya and Luisa weren't showing any stereotypical behaviors, which is a testament to the care they receive. Even if the facilities are showing their age (some instances, more so than others), I think the keeper-staff are genuinely doing their best by these animals, and it shows. Given how significant elephants are to Sofia Zoo's history, I'd trim down the building's collection to just two animals and maybe have the rhino in one of the hoofstock exhibits - the elephants for sure and the pygmy hippo. I could see Erik Van Vliet working the same magic on the Giants Hall that he did for the zoo's big cats and primates!
примати (Primates)
A real mixed bag. Several old-school primate buildings, with several modern outdoor exhibits (and lifers too! Southern pig-tailed macaque and red-handed tamarin), and unfortunately... incredibly outdated indoor exhibits. My jaw dropped when I saw the indoor Hanuman langur, lion-tailed macaque and ESPECIALLY the Hamadryas baboon enclosure. Only two individuals with actual iron bars and tiled floors - at least the langur and macaque enclosures had soft substrates within them. The Eastern black-and-white colobus' outdoor enclosure was much better, as was the white-handed gibbons' enclosure - the indoor accommodations were... accommodations. Hopefully the zoo's able to get the funds necessary to redo these indoor spaces.
волиера за грабливи птици (Birds of Prey Aviary)
Another highlight of Sofia Zoo! Saw a lifer with a domestic cat
alongside some griffon vultures and a golden eagle. The aviary itself had a wicked 80's style that wouldn't look out of place in Batman Returns, which actually allows the raptors ample opportunities to take flight!разни (Miscellaneous - not an official zone, but random exhibits)
For some reason, there was another coati enclosure that was much better-designed than the one in the Carnivore row (another Van Vliet project for sure since I remember reading about this exhibit on his site). There was also an Environmental Education and Research Centre on zoo grounds that was closed to the public, but had publicly viewable windows where I saw an Amazon (forget the species, don't believe I saw a sign) as well as an unspecified cockatoo.
And that's Sofia Zoo! I'd honestly give it a 7/10 for doing the best it can on a limited budget, and figuring out how to make economical but still well-designed enclosures. The zoo as a whole does facilitate its animals' Five Freedoms, though I do believe more can be done - modernizing the Giants' Hall, maybe getting giraffes now that they're EAZA, modernizing the primates' indoor accommodations, and giving the bears/hyenas/jackals/wolves some more TLC.
Photos'll come whenever I'm able to spend a good amount of time to do so.
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The Common Opossum and the Pygmy Hippos are no longer alive, sadly. But the Eurasian lynx had an offspring.
), collared peccaries and prairie dogs. The zoo's old Insect House was still under construction at that point, and there were a couple other native species terrariums alongside a little trail for pelicans. I doubled back since I saw the polar bear underwater again (for that to happen twice in one day was something I couldn't fathom at the time!), and then I saw the other side of the Rhino Park. There was an aviary for swift parrots and maned ducks that was nicely designed/landscaped, and the pool where I saw the zoo's male Indian rhino seemingly got the same Hering-Hagenbeck treatment of phenomenal landscaping and phenomenal rockwork - I then doubled back to the Rainforest House to see the next section...