I visited Pairi Daiza yesterday with a friend for whom it was a first time visit. Needless to say he was impressed by all the theming and the zoo in general. In general it was a very nice day at the zoo and I might have been too harsh on it in the past. It might very well be the best zoo for the general public that I know. Theming and gardening is impressive and the collection is large and comprehensive, with all ABC species relatively easy to view. Most important Pairi Daiza creates a kind of mystique before visiting, with tantalizingly little details available before a visit. And if Pairi Daiza exceeds in one thing it is eye to detail, with countless hidden viewpoints, art pieces, gems, enclosures etc. I sometimes feel the theming is over the top, but at least it is all authentic, and I do not know whether it would work when the theming would be less dramatic. It was my fourth visit and I still found new surprises in the zoo and it is a great feeling to continue to be surprised, which is helped by the astonishing pace of development.
I am still critical about their Elephant management, as well as on some enclosures, which are mainly the big mammals. I am wondering whether they have sacrificed enclosure quality for animal visibility, because most suboptimal to bad enclosures: snow leopard, tiger, leopard, giant otter, elephant, gorilla, pygmy hippo, are the ones for star species. These animals are easily viewed in their small or badly structured enclosures. I have seen worse enclosures for each of those species, but those enclosures were generally not less than 5 years old....
Maybe my main worry is how well this zoo is prepared for the longer term future. Their pace of development means that in 5-10 years the zoo is "finished", but maybe they oversped as in many areas one can already see damage to artwork and pathways that should not have happened so quickly. Also many enclosures seem to be designed with current guidelines in mind and might not age that well, the new bear enclosures are certainly an exception. Pairi Daiza certainly has a record with righting their self-inflicted mistakes, but it will face a challenge, particularly with its big cats in the future.
I am aware my posts still sounds somewhat critical, but generally speaking Pairi Daiza is currently a great zoo, it is just a shame as it could be the best, but it is currently not.
On a sidenote the Greater Birds of paradise are in full breeding plumage now and especially in the early evening displaying frequently, which is a great sight.
I am still critical about their Elephant management, as well as on some enclosures, which are mainly the big mammals. I am wondering whether they have sacrificed enclosure quality for animal visibility, because most suboptimal to bad enclosures: snow leopard, tiger, leopard, giant otter, elephant, gorilla, pygmy hippo, are the ones for star species. These animals are easily viewed in their small or badly structured enclosures. I have seen worse enclosures for each of those species, but those enclosures were generally not less than 5 years old....
Maybe my main worry is how well this zoo is prepared for the longer term future. Their pace of development means that in 5-10 years the zoo is "finished", but maybe they oversped as in many areas one can already see damage to artwork and pathways that should not have happened so quickly. Also many enclosures seem to be designed with current guidelines in mind and might not age that well, the new bear enclosures are certainly an exception. Pairi Daiza certainly has a record with righting their self-inflicted mistakes, but it will face a challenge, particularly with its big cats in the future.
I am aware my posts still sounds somewhat critical, but generally speaking Pairi Daiza is currently a great zoo, it is just a shame as it could be the best, but it is currently not.
On a sidenote the Greater Birds of paradise are in full breeding plumage now and especially in the early evening displaying frequently, which is a great sight.
