The saviors of the homogenization of zoos and aquariums's collection

Mickey

Mickey

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Today I had a thought: some of you may know of the thread "Making room on the ark" (Making room on the ark – can rare zoo animals replace common ones in Europe?), which covers the topic of how the replacement animals for broadly kept animals in zoo and aquaria collections could work and on which foundation I, and probably not only me, wholeheartedly agree.
Many of us also know of the impending homogenization of collections and phasing out of more and more species as time passes, and most of us are not happy to see this and on top of that would also like a concrete reason as to why this is happening: many answers were been given, even more questions arised.

But today I'm not here to mourn on the loss of great zoological diversity, I'm here to share with you a spark of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, a Polar Star for zoo enthusiasts: what institutions could be the saviors, the pioneers of a new era for zoological facilities? I'd like to share my picks:

(Disclaimer: you may not find your favourite zoo/aquarium here, as not all of the big instituions (in my personal view) fight for the diversity of collections)

  • Europe
    1. Good megalomania, Zooparc de Beauval: this zoo in France has been a rising star for quite a long time, so much so that they acquired Pandas (which as we all know an "élite" species), imported a group of Douc Langurs, colorful and rare SouthEast asian primate, and a pair of Harpy Eagles directly from a breeding center in Brazil; this institution is growing by the second, and could truly be a Noah's Ark in the heart of France.
    2. The Three Czech Gems, Praha, Brno and Plzen Zoos: these 3 czech zoos have all spectacular collections, Prague in particular is know to almost "collect" both rare and big ticket animals like the Infinity Stones for Thanos, and their CEO is a man whom I would personally give the Chair at EAZA; Brno and Plzen have rich collections as well, both excelling in keeping small critters and finding themselves in keeping rare or even unique seized specimens. The heritage of animal-keeping from Czechia is an heritage which all zoo owners should have in their hearts.
    3. Historic charm, Berlin Tierpark and Zoo (& Aquarium): Berlin institutions have and always had their charm, both because a lot of zoo enthusiasts seem to be from Germany and because they conquered foreigners hearts's with their landscapes, historical architecture and collection, without forgetting about the rich history of the zoo and the quick rise of the tierpark; they have good relationships with many parties, so much so that they have Panda, Gerenuk, Tuatara and the list goes on, Berlin could play a vital role in the revival of zoos's collections.
    4. The garden of worlds, Pairi Daiza: not everyone here on Zoochat is a huge fan of heavily themed exhibits, but everyone most likely agrees on the fact that Pairi Daiza kills at it and is on the bucket list of many, a once in a lifetime experience that must be made; it is not a secret that the owners are millioners, and their collection counts many rare specimens, and they're the only holders here in Europe of the Sphix Macaw, famous exctinct-in-the-wild parrot featured in the movie 'Rio'; there's even rumors of the possibility of acquiring platypuses in the future! Although not founded, these rumors arise the question "is it that really impossible?". Money may not buy happiness, but they open lots of doors, and while Pairi Daiza may do it out of a business choice, they could still help quite a lot.
    5. Biosphere madness, Burgers Zoo: Burgers holds loads of small critters inside their biospheres, and for a while they even prouded themselves of their rare wild caught specimens, and while they don't do it anymore (luckly), they still hold tons of rarities and plan only on expanding, despite being very little to touch.
    6. Napoleon's doom, Leipzig Zoo: this is truly a "zoo of the future" as they describe themselves, with the still impressive Gondwanaland, an impressive architectonical challenge, and their long-term masterplan in which Japanese Serow finds a mention, this zoo has nothing to envy to other already mentioned mega-zoos.
    7. Engineering of german precision, Cologne Zoo, Tierpark Hellabrum and Tierpark Hagenbeck: these three zoos are some of the most famous in Germany and while all come second to Berlin they are all great institutions and got nothing to envy to Berlin or to each other, and do not seem to follow the common trend of more big ticket species and less intereting or rare or more important conservation-wise animals, so their influence could make a difference.
    8. The tale of the thousand threads, Chester Zoo: this zoo holds very well against its other famous cousin, ZSU London and Whipsnade, as it has greater variety and rarer species as well as having quite the influence in UK; they got great innovative ideas and while they've been on hold for a while, once they come back they are capable of doing great things.
  • USA (note on the USA commentary: although I do not have as much knowledge on american zoos as their european counterpart I still have opionions nonetherless)
    1. Biosphere madness 2.0, Omaha's Henrly Doorly Zoo: Henry Doorly is the american counterpart of Burgers and holds as much if not more diversity, all of their exhibits are ground-breaking and heartstoppers, with immersions equal to no other; they, with their diversity, have a leading role in this mission.
    2. The Great Apple, Bronx Zoo (featuring its offsprings, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium): the Bronx is one of the greates zoos worldwide and their collection stellar, pioneers of the New World's zoos and one of the few which doesn't agree on the phase out of many species, they themselves have great influence in the AZA although it doesn't seem they convinced people in not phasing out species.
    3. THE Zoo, San Diego Zoo & Safari Park: THE Zoo, the single most famous zoo know worldwide, why or how? Because they deserve it, one of the other pioneer zoos in the continent, every inch, corner and aerial space that is left untouched won't last long at San Diego, as they have habiats in every corner of their facilities, although the safari park focuses more on megafauna thus making more room for bigger animals rather than cutting every space to house any kind of small critter, they are THE Noah's Ark, with their frozen zoo one can only imagine what they can do with that kind of data, if every zoo was like San Diego this thread wouldn't exist.
    4. THE Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium: if San Diego Zoo is THE Zoo, then the Georgia Aquarium is THE Aquarium, it's allegedely the best aquarium in the world and the 2nd biggest, it holds an incredible display of aquatic fauna and could play a vital role in the keeping of rare species in aquaria.

    These are my picks and consideration of every canditate, I hope you enjoyed and let me know what do you think about the topic and if you would include others or perhaps even remove something from my list.
 
Mickey said:
Today I had a thought: some of you may know of the thread "Making room on the ark" (Making room on the ark – can rare zoo animals replace common ones in Europe?), which covers the topic of how the replacement animals for broadly kept animals in zoo and aquaria collections could work and on which foundation I, and probably not only me, wholeheartedly agree.
Many of us also know of the impending homogenization of collections and phasing out of more and more species as time passes, and most of us are not happy to see this and on top of that would also like a concrete reason as to why this is happening: many answers were been given, even more questions arised.

But today I'm not here to mourn on the loss of great zoological diversity, I'm here to share with you a spark of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, a Polar Star for zoo enthusiasts: what institutions could be the saviors, the pioneers of a new era for zoological facilities? I'd like to share my picks:

(Disclaimer: you may not find your favourite zoo/aquarium here, as not all of the big instituions (in my personal view) fight for the diversity of collections)

  • Europe
    1. Good megalomania, Zooparc de Beauval: this zoo in France has been a rising star for quite a long time, so much so that they acquired Pandas (which as we all know an "élite" species), imported a group of Douc Langurs, colorful and rare SouthEast asian primate, and a pair of Harpy Eagles directly from a breeding center in Brazil; this institution is growing by the second, and could truly be a Noah's Ark in the heart of France.
    2. The Three Czech Gems, Praha, Brno and Plzen Zoos: these 3 czech zoos have all spectacular collections, Prague in particular is know to almost "collect" both rare and big ticket animals like the Infinity Stones for Thanos, and their CEO is a man whom I would personally give the Chair at EAZA; Brno and Plzen have rich collections as well, both excelling in keeping small critters and finding themselves in keeping rare or even unique seized specimens. The heritage of animal-keeping from Czechia is an heritage which all zoo owners should have in their hearts.
    3. Historic charm, Berlin Tierpark and Zoo (& Aquarium): Berlin institutions have and always had their charm, both because a lot of zoo enthusiasts seem to be from Germany and because they conquered foreigners hearts's with their landscapes, historical architecture and collection, without forgetting about the rich history of the zoo and the quick rise of the tierpark; they have good relationships with many parties, so much so that they have Panda, Gerenuk, Tuatara and the list goes on, Berlin could play a vital role in the revival of zoos's collections.
    4. The garden of worlds, Pairi Daiza: not everyone here on Zoochat is a huge fan of heavily themed exhibits, but everyone most likely agrees on the fact that Pairi Daiza kills at it and is on the bucket list of many, a once in a lifetime experience that must be made; it is not a secret that the owners are millioners, and their collection counts many rare specimens, and they're the only holders here in Europe of the Sphix Macaw, famous exctinct-in-the-wild parrot featured in the movie 'Rio'; there's even rumors of the possibility of acquiring platypuses in the future! Although not founded, these rumors arise the question "is it that really impossible?". Money may not buy happiness, but they open lots of doors, and while Pairi Daiza may do it out of a business choice, they could still help quite a lot.
    5. Biosphere madness, Burgers Zoo: Burgers holds loads of small critters inside their biospheres, and for a while they even prouded themselves of their rare wild caught specimens, and while they don't do it anymore (luckly), they still hold tons of rarities and plan only on expanding, despite being very little to touch.
    6. Napoleon's doom, Leipzig Zoo: this is truly a "zoo of the future" as they describe themselves, with the still impressive Gondwanaland, an impressive architectonical challenge, and their long-term masterplan in which Japanese Serow finds a mention, this zoo has nothing to envy to other already mentioned mega-zoos.
    7. Engineering of german precision, Cologne Zoo, Tierpark Hellabrum and Tierpark Hagenbeck: these three zoos are some of the most famous in Germany and while all come second to Berlin they are all great institutions and got nothing to envy to Berlin or to each other, and do not seem to follow the common trend of more big ticket species and less intereting or rare or more important conservation-wise animals, so their influence could make a difference.
    8. The tale of the thousand threads, Chester Zoo: this zoo holds very well against its other famous cousin, ZSU London and Whipsnade, as it has greater variety and rarer species as well as having quite the influence in UK; they got great innovative ideas and while they've been on hold for a while, once they come back they are capable of doing great things.
  • USA (note on the USA commentary: although I do not have as much knowledge on american zoos as their european counterpart I still have opionions nonetherless)
    1. Biosphere madness 2.0, Omaha's Henrly Doorly Zoo: Henry Doorly is the american counterpart of Burgers and holds as much if not more diversity, all of their exhibits are ground-breaking and heartstoppers, with immersions equal to no other; they, with their diversity, have a leading role in this mission.
    2. The Great Apple, Bronx Zoo (featuring its offsprings, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium): the Bronx is one of the greates zoos worldwide and their collection stellar, pioneers of the New World's zoos and one of the few which doesn't agree on the phase out of many species, they themselves have great influence in the AZA although it doesn't seem they convinced people in not phasing out species.
    3. THE Zoo, San Diego Zoo & Safari Park: THE Zoo, the single most famous zoo know worldwide, why or how? Because they deserve it, one of the other pioneer zoos in the continent, every inch, corner and aerial space that is left untouched won't last long at San Diego, as they have habiats in every corner of their facilities, although the safari park focuses more on megafauna thus making more room for bigger animals rather than cutting every space to house any kind of small critter, they are THE Noah's Ark, with their frozen zoo one can only imagine what they can do with that kind of data, if every zoo was like San Diego this thread wouldn't exist.
    4. THE Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium: if San Diego Zoo is THE Zoo, then the Georgia Aquarium is THE Aquarium, it's allegedely the best aquarium in the world and the 2nd biggest, it holds an incredible display of aquatic fauna and could play a vital role in the keeping of rare species in aquaria.
    These are my picks and consideration of every canditate, I hope you enjoyed and let me know what do you think about the topic and if you would include others or perhaps even remove something from my list.
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Glad to see Beauval at the first place.
 
This is an interesting discussion to have, but I do feel as though it is very important to clarify that it is not only big institutions that are 'fighting for the diversity of collections.' Tons of smaller zoos are doing just as well when it comes to importing and housing new and exciting species that can be found at few other zoos. In my opinion, if avoiding homogenization is a priority, then these collections deserve just as much credit as the bigger ones that you name above.

The example which I have chosen is Exmoor Zoo, not because it is the best example, but rather because it is the one that I am most familiar with (there are plenty of small zoos of similar importance that I simply do not know enough about to comment on). Exmoor has such gems as Ringtail, Spotted Fanaloka, New Guinea Singing Dog, Indochinese Binturong, Honey Badger, Boat-billed Heron, Thick-billed Parrot and Bluestripe Garter Snake just to name a few. The zoo's collection is continuing to expand, with the new additions being equally exciting, the arrival of a Shoebill earlier this year being the most prominent example.

I certainly agree with all of your picks and are by no means criticising them, I merely feel as though the importance of smaller zoos is worth pointing out in a thread such as this. :)
 
Hi, thanks for the kind words!

First Wrocław. It was the first zoo to import bear cuscuses, Balabac chevrotains, Palawan hornbills and red-and-white giant flying squirrels to Europe.

Then Walsrode. For many years it always had at least 10 birds not found anywhere else in Europe, and every half a year shows several new ones.

Then Hamerton in the UK for small carnivores.

I wonder if you extend to new exhibits, to show zoos which experiment with new approaches and show other zoos trends to follow? Wrocław again, with its Afrykarium and other concepts, like Indian rhino-gibbon mix, a glass water-filled tunnel for otters and wire treetop tunnels for yellow-throated martens. Magdeburg, which cannot compete with nearby Berlin heavyweights in budget or species, but beats them by novel exhibits, and not mega-costly ones: rhino and colobus mix, tapir house with other species, elephant exhibit with mixes wading birds indoors and antelope, monkeys and bat-eared foxes outdoors. Doue, with its okapi aviary, South American aviary, vulture amphitheater... Dutch zoos usually tend to have novel exhibits, due to the hyper-competitive density of zoos. Recently, Łódź joined the league, with its Orientarium mega-complex, and not parroting the American plastic rainforest style. Kerzers with its unique nocturnal walk-though hall, outdoor butterfly aviary, and unique geographically correct rainforest hall, which really shows only animals and habitats native to Belize's Shipstern Reserve.
 
Mickey said:
THE Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium: if San Diego Zoo is THE Zoo, then the Georgia Aquarium is THE Aquarium, it's allegedely the best aquarium in the world and the 2nd biggest, it holds an incredible display of aquatic fauna and could play a vital role in the keeping of rare species in aquaria.
Click to expand...
While Georgia is undeniably a great aquarium, I would argue both Shedd and Monterey Bay are more notable aquariums. If any aquarium deserves the the title of THE aquarium, it would be Shedd, exhibiting well over 1000 species.
 
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium definitely counts. They're always introducing new fish species, including local reef and deep sea species. They have a wall of plaques for species they've bred in captivity for the first time. Japanese aquariums in general are innovative in acquiring new species for their collections, although it is often a process of trial-and-error.
 
I don't feel like I understand the point of this thread -- are we trying to discuss which institutions are already trying to preserve rarer species, those which have done so in the past regardless of present state, or those who are ideal candidates to do so in the future? Your use of 'candidates' throws me confuses me about your intent.

It is unfortunately very well-discussed here that San Diego has been phasing out many species, especially hoofstock. (I don't have a problem with this but I imagine some zoochatters see this practice as contributing to homogenization.) Some have suggested the current management of the Safari Park are not interested in animal diversity very much at all. I am sure other zoochatters know more about the subject than I do.

While zoo enthusiasts love the Bronx Zoo, I have heard that there is some tension between them and the AZA in regards to holding rare species. The director made some public comments recently about the AZA's lack of support for the gaur program for example. They were also critically underfunded and had to shut down a lot of exhibits and I imagine World of Darkness had a lot of rariities.

I deeply respect the zoos trying to buck the trend and continue to hold rare species without institutional support, but I think in the United States that homogenization is the future we're already living in outside a few facilities.
 
JVM said:
I don't feel like I understand the point of this thread -- are we trying to discuss which institutions are already trying to preserve rarer species, those which have done so in the past regardless of present state, or those who are ideal candidates to do so in the future? Your use of 'candidates' throws me confuses me about your intent.

It is unfortunately very well-discussed here that San Diego has been phasing out many species, especially hoofstock. (I don't have a problem with this but I imagine some zoochatters see this practice as contributing to homogenization.) Some have suggested the current management of the Safari Park are not interested in animal diversity very much at all. I am sure other zoochatters know more about the subject than I do.

While zoo enthusiasts love the Bronx Zoo, I have heard that there is some tension between them and the AZA in regards to holding rare species. The director made some public comments recently about the AZA's lack of support for the gaur program for example. They were also critically underfunded and had to shut down a lot of exhibits and I imagine World of Darkness had a lot of rariities.

I deeply respect the zoos trying to buck the trend and continue to hold rare species without institutional support, but I think in the United States that homogenization is the future we're already living in outside a few facilities.
Click to expand...
The topic is: which institutions already try to preserve rare species and so which could hypothethically help repopulate collections if EAZA and AZA stop this trend
 
Mickey said:
The topic is: which institutions already try to preserve rare species and so which could hypothethically help repopulate collections if EAZA and AZA stop this trend
Click to expand...
Okay, thank you for clarifying - in that case Bronx and the Wildlife Conservation Society is a great choice for sure given their willingness to buck some AZA trends on this. Omaha is probably a solid choice as well though I am a bit less informed on them than most. I think San Diego is unfortunately trending against this and most rarities I am aware of they are phasing out or less interested in.

When you selected Georgia Aquarium, did you have any species in mind they would save, or just that since they have a history of exhibiting rarities they would be more interested in helping others?
 
JVM said:
When you selected Georgia Aquarium, did you have any species in mind they would save, or just that since they have a history of exhibiting rarities they would be more interested in helping others?
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Well, the whale shark came to mind, they could help, in collaboration with the other institutions that hold it, spread it, although it's more of a budget and specialization issue rather than willing to spread the species I guess; the second point was also on the table when I picked this institution.
 
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RatioTile said:
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium definitely counts. They're always introducing new fish species, including local reef and deep sea species. They have a wall of plaques for species they've bred in captivity for the first time. Japanese aquariums in general are innovative in acquiring new species for their collections, although it is often a process of trial-and-error.
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That's my only issue with Japanese and most asian institutions as well: while I love their rarities, I don not exactly like the ethics behind them.
It's a method that belongs to the last century, and yet still widely popular; I do not despise them for trying, but I hope they'll share their knowledge with the world regarding the husbandries and that aquariums in general bring the trend of wild-caught species down to the bare minimum and necessary
 
Mickey said:
That's my only issue with Japanese and most asian institutions as well: while I love their rarities, I don not exactly like the ethics behind them.
It's a method that belongs to the last century, and yet still widely popular; I do not despise them for trying, but I hope they'll share their knowledge with the world regarding the husbandries and that aquariums in general bring the trend of wild-caught species down to the bare minimum and necessary
Click to expand...

At least for deep-sea fish, they have exported their husbandry knowledge to Monterey Bay Aquarium. And for captive fish in general pet stores still sell a lot of wild-caught species, although more and more are being captive bred (cichlids, plecos).
 
I feel like a lot of the facilities deserving mention in this thread are not these large Zoos it has focused on. Sure, all of them have done important work, but it's oftentimes the "unsung heroes" that do the heavy lifting and deserve praise.
Bird-wise, facilities like International Crane Foundation, Pinola Conservancy, Sylvan Heights, and Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy are all doing significant work to ensure birds are available in zoos for generations to come. In the world of Primates, there are some species (such as mouse lemurs) that can pretty much exclusively be credited to Duke Lemur Center for the fact they're in captivity. For ungulates, The Wilds, Fossil Rim, White Oak, Rum Creek, and numerous other hoofstock facilities are doing important work to guarantee we still have ungulate diversity in zoos, even if many traditional zoos aren't pulling their weight with these species. These are the kinds of facilities that I think truly can be credited with trying to combat homogenization.
 
Neil chace said:
I feel like a lot of the facilities deserving mention in this thread are not these large Zoos it has focused on. Sure, all of them have done important work, but it's oftentimes the "unsung heroes" that do the heavy lifting and deserve praise.
Bird-wise, facilities like International Crane Foundation, Pinola Conservancy, Sylvan Heights, and Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy are all doing significant work to ensure birds are available in zoos for generations to come. In the world of Primates, there are some species (such as mouse lemurs) that can pretty much exclusively be credited to Duke Lemur Center for the fact they're in captivity. For ungulates, The Wilds, Fossil Rim, White Oak, Rum Creek, and numerous other hoofstock facilities are doing important work to guarantee we still have ungulate diversity in zoos, even if many traditional zoos aren't pulling their weight with these species. These are the kinds of facilities that I think truly can be credited with trying to combat homogenization.
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Thank you for the deep in-sight on the american part, I did not know any of these facilities but the lemur center and The Wilds!
Most of Europe truly has to learn from NA
 
You might be interested in these graphs I made in 2020 on which major European zoos had most rarities. I calculate a rarity score per zoo based on zootierliste holdings, for the precise methods see here: The most comprehensive European zoo collections

For mammals total rarity score.
rarityscore_mammals-png.440799



for birds

Total rarity score:
birdrarity-png.440914


Number of bird species only kept in this zoo:
uniquebirds-png.440915


In Europe most of the zoos with still a good collection collaborate heavily with private keepers, which manage a much higher species diversity than zoos, are not afraid to import species from other continents or take in rescued birds. There is however a huge difference between zoos how they maintain rarities. From really focusing on breeding and having extensive breeding stations behind the scenes (Burgers' Zoo, Walsrode, Stuttgart) to just keeping as many rarities as possible (Dvur with birds...).

A zoo like Munich is very much an ABC collection though and in terms of rarities isn't even in the top-10 of Germany for either birds or mammals....
 
Monterey Bay Aquarium's new Into the deep exhibition holds about 20 species only kept there and frequently phases out and in new rarities in the midwater section.
They are also breeding some species such as the siphonophores.
They also brought in rarities for North America from japan and a few other places.
 
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