Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo Review

[SlothBear]

My girlfriend and I visited Twycross Zoo today on a bit on whim. While I don't know how many zoos I have visited it's probably more than 100, across six continents, so I've seen the full spectrum of terrible to world class. Twycross Zoo is terrible and I will never return.

Having made one previous visit (in 1999) to see my first Kloss's Gibbon and several other rarities at the time. In my opinion the Twycross is in a worse state today than it was 20 plus years ago.

Many of the he enclosures are completely unchanged in that time. The great ape enclosures are nothing more than prison yards, this includes the new Chimpanzee Habitat. The indoor exhibit is a mild improvement but I have seen better in much older exhibits. The visitor areas in this complex are tiny and entirely inappropriate for the volume of visitors the zoo receives. It boggles my mind that anyone agreed to finance this monstrosity.

Twycross has an abundance of empty exhibits and boarded-up windows and many occupied exhibits were in dilapidated and deplorable state. The majority of exhibits are substandard at best and at worst inappropriate for the inhabitants. The Amur leopard "exhibit" is a disgrace as are many of the primate exhibits.

Species that were either signed or featured on the map but clearly been absent for a long time include Yellow-throated Martin, Red Crested Turaco, Grey Hornbill, Nyala, Short clawed otters and Hammercop.

The Snow leopard enclosure is the best exhibit on the premises and is (with exception of one window) only visible from the restaurant (which was full of filthy tables). The aviary which was constructed near the entrance appears to have been dismantled. The walkthrough Lemur exhibit, which we skipped, appeared to contain a single species. The De brazza's guenons appeared to be locked in their tetnus-hazard cells instead of having access to the adjacent open top enclosure.

Too many primate enclosures still feature lawns with an uninspiring climbing structure plonked in the middle. No attempt to improve these exhibits in 20 years has left me stunned.

The new gibbon enclosures were better but why are the islands so small? given the footprint of the exhibit they could be at least twice the size. The tiger exhibit is okay but again for something so modern I've seen much better.

The best thing I can say is that the guenons were housed in moderately sized groups instead of being in pairs.

The dust was also horrendous and our clothing was covered in it after a couple of hours. The prices of the food and drink were shocking. You expect to pay a premium on a day out and that is fine but Twycross are gouging for the sake of it. Honestly, this is the single worst zoo I've visited in Europe.

 

[Alwaysevergreen]

Yellow Throated Marten are still at the collection. They are down by the Dik Dik & Bush Dogs, on the way towards the walkthrough aviary.

 

[Canary]

I've been considering visiting this zoo, but after some negative Google and Trip Advisor reviews was not overly keen. I think this review has confirmed I shan't bother.

 

[Rajang21]

I've been considering visiting this zoo, but after some negative Google and Trip Advisor reviews was not overly keen. I think this review has confirmed I shan't bother.

Why not visit and form your own opinion?

 

[Trudie]

Yellow Throated Marten are still at the collection. They are down by the Dik Dik & Bush Dogs, on the way towards the walkthrough aviary.

Apparently this is all boarded up and signs removed

 

[SlothBear]

Yellow Throated Marten are still at the collection. They are down by the Dik Dik & Bush Dogs, on the way towards the walkthrough aviary.

The exhibit was boarded up despite still appearing on the map.

I've been considering visiting this zoo, but after some negative Google and Trip Advisor reviews was not overly keen. I think this review has confirmed I shan't bother.

Honestly, don't waste your time there are many collections in the UK far more deserving of your money.

 

[Trudie]

I've been considering visiting this zoo, but after some negative Google and Trip Advisor reviews was not overly keen. I think this review has confirmed I shan't bother.

As I member I can understand your concerns twycross certainly has gone down hill over the last couple of yrs, I still buy the pass as it means me and my family can go and for a couple of hrs we tend to go first thing or later afternoon, more so later in the yr as it gets to busy in the summer at the moment it certainly isn’t at its best and for the daily price I wouldn’t pay, I think they have a august offer on if that’s the case then it would be worth it and go at opening time but be prepared to go round a couple of times as certain animals are better in the afternoon some of the chimpanzees are fab x

 

[pipaluk]

The exhibit was boarded up despite still appearing on the map.



Honestly, don't waste your time there are many collections in the UK far more deserving of your money.

And plenty that are probably less deserving! Twycross is far from perfect but if it is the worst zoo you have been to in Europe, you must have been very selective about where you have been.

 

[SlothBear]

And plenty that are probably less deserving! Twycross is far from perfect but if it is the worst zoo you have been to in Europe, you must have been very selective about where you have been.

Well of course, time is too precious to waste at a Twycross or a Southlakes when there's a Prague, Burgers, Beauval, Doué la Fontaine, Walsrode or a Zurich a short weekend city break away. I personally get no pleasure seeing animals being treated with so little respect as some are at Twycross. It wan't acceptable 20 years ago but it's inexcusable today.

We very rarely visit UK zoos and generally take a "quality over quantity" approach but have had perfectly enjoyable trips to Cotswold wildlife park, Chester and Paignton Zoos in recent years. All of which I can criticise to varying to degrees however Twycross is so shockingly inadequate and obviously mis-managed that it was, quite frankly, a shock.

 

[Nathano]

Well of course, time is too precious to waste at a Twycross or a Southlakes when there's a Prague, Burgers, Beauval, Doué la Fontaine, Walsrode or a Zurich a short weekend city break away. I personally get no pleasure seeing animals being treated with so little respect as some are at Twycross. It wan't acceptable 20 years ago but it's inexcusable today.

We very rarely visit UK zoos and generally take a "quality over quantity" approach but have had perfectly enjoyable trips to Cotswold wildlife park, Chester and Paignton Zoos in recent years. All of which I can criticise to varying to degrees however Twycross is so shockingly inadequate and obviously mis-managed that it was, quite frankly, a shock.

I feel this comes off as an attempt to imply that UK collections are inferior to collections on Mainland Europe - complete with describing Chester (my local, BTW), Cotswold and Paignton as "the good ones".... a criticism which I don't think is entirely fair.

I've only ever been to Twycross once (about 11 years ago... I think) and I greatly enjoyed it. I have no idea what everyone's views are on it now, but I thought at the time it was pretty well done.

Whilst I have been to fewer collections on Mainland Europe, I've been to the zoos in Zurich and Basel and greatly enjoyed them and I used to enjoy going to Hanover Zoo when I had relatives in that area of Germany. There was also a small wildlife park near Stuttgart that exhibited European wildlife (wolves, bears et al) I was deeply impressed by... can't remember for the life of me what it was called.

However, I found the elephant enclosure in Wilhelma Zoo (despite seeing my first megapode there) profoundly disappointing - especially when a UK zoo a little under half the size (Blackpool) has a far better elephant enclosure (I've seen it, it's good) - and I remember being greatly unenthused by the zoo in Berlin (I was about 11 at the time).

My father remembers going to the zoo in Lyon when I was a child (we have relatives in that area of France) and being shocked at the conditions there (the one that stands out to him is a crocodile in a pool that he didn't think was ever cleaned). Of course, this was in 2002, so conditions might have (hopefully) improved since then...

I also haven't heard good things about some of the zoos in Spain - of course, that might just be my mistrust of institutions that keep cetaceans (something which I get from my mum - long story) making me negatively inclined towards them. I've heard good things about Valencia though - I knew someone who went there and told me it was like stepping onto the set of The Lion King.

I'm just saying, implying that UK collections are inadequate compared to mainland Europe (which I'm sure wasn't your intention) is misleading and slightly pretentious.

 

[pipaluk]

Well of course, time is too precious to waste at a Twycross or a Southlakes when there's a Prague, Burgers, Beauval, Doué la Fontaine, Walsrode or a Zurich a short weekend city break away. I personally get no pleasure seeing animals being treated with so little respect as some are at Twycross. It wan't acceptable 20 years ago but it's inexcusable today.

We very rarely visit UK zoos and generally take a "quality over quantity" approach but have had perfectly enjoyable trips to Cotswold wildlife park, Chester and Paignton Zoos in recent years. All of which I can criticise to varying to degrees however Twycross is so shockingly inadequate and obviously mis-managed that it was, quite frankly, a shock.

Interesting that Zurich is held up as a shining example. I'm sure their great ape accommodation has come in for considerable criticism on here previously?

 

[oflory]

Well of course, time is too precious to waste at a Twycross or a Southlakes when there's a Prague, Burgers, Beauval, Doué la Fontaine, Walsrode or a Zurich a short weekend city break away. I personally get no pleasure seeing animals being treated with so little respect as some are at Twycross. It wan't acceptable 20 years ago but it's inexcusable today.

We very rarely visit UK zoos and generally take a "quality over quantity" approach but have had perfectly enjoyable trips to Cotswold wildlife park, Chester and Paignton Zoos in recent years. All of which I can criticise to varying to degrees however Twycross is so shockingly inadequate and obviously mis-managed that it was, quite frankly, a shock.

I think that Cotswold and Chester can absolutely stand with the best of the continental zoos.

 

[Ned]

I went to Zurich for the first time this year and the ape accommodation was shocking, I don't believe anybody would seriously consider it better than the chimp facility at Twycross.

 

[Lafone]

Twycross is one of the few zoos that having visited I have not gone back to - I didn’t like the general feel and the enclosure / viewing areas for the gorillas in particular seemed cramped. Caveating that of course I am not a zoo employee or expert but I think you can make some valid comparisons as a zoo visitor about collections and how they are managed.

The visitors were also on the occasion I went incredibly poorly behaved with the most glass banging I’ve ever seen, loads of yelling at the top of voices about bonobo penises etc. That may have been just a one off and it’s not unusual to wonder which side of the fence the animals are on sometimes. Still it was dialled right up that day, for whatever reason. Primates in particular seem to bring out some odd visitor behaviours but it was part of making the day not good if that makes sense.

The walk way closures and routing (coming out of covid at the time) were also confusing. It felt very ‘old’ / tired to me. The impact of covid on income is very obvious in some zoos but the enclosure sizes feel old fashioned imho.

I would go and make up your own mind though and they have some lovely animals.

I don’t believe it’s aiming to be a Prague type collection.

I don’t think you can write off all zoos in a country compared to any other country or region - having lived in Germany and visited zoos there regularly as well as in Switzerland I believe many U.K. zoos hold up very well indeed in comparison and collections are individual and deserve to be looked at individually.

 

[Lafone]

I went to Zurich for the first time this year and the ape accommodation was shocking, I don't believe anybody would seriously consider it better than the chimp facility at Twycross.

I haven’t been to Zurich in a few years but I’d definitely agree the ape Greenhouse affair doesn’t feel like a great space.

Compared to some of the rest of the zoo which is awesome that also really stands out as a poorer space.

 

[Pertinax]

Apart from reports the exhibit is now boarded up, they no longer appear on their Animal List either, indicating they are gone from the collection.

 

[SlothBear]

Interesting that Zurich is held up as a shining example. I'm sure their great ape accommodation has come in for considerable criticism on here previously?

I must confess we spent so long in Masoala we had to miss parts of Zurich including the great apes and Koalas.
Twycross actively market the fact they're the only place in the UK with four Great ape species, if the highlight of the collection is treated with contempt is it really a surprise the rest of the establishment is in such a dilapidated state? As I've previously stated the ape exhibits were inadequate 20 years ago and by modern standards are an embarrassment. Congo Gorilla Forest in the Bronx zoo is more than 20 years old, I'm not expecting something of that incredibly high standard but it is not even close.

 

[SlothBear]

I went to Zurich for the first time this year and the ape accommodation was shocking, I don't believe anybody would seriously consider it better than the chimp facility at Twycross.

No one is saying that.

I've inadvertently derailed the topic. I'm saying Twycross is an establishment of such low quality that, in my opinion, it is a complete waste of time. Particularly given the fact there are much better establishment in the UK and many of the worlds best zoos are a short flight away in mainland Europe!

The quality of the ape facilities are a major concern but the ENTIRE establishment is in a state of neglect

 

[pipaluk]

I must confess we spent so long in Masoala we had to miss parts of Zurich including the great apes and Koalas.
Twycross actively market the fact they're the only place in the UK with four Great ape species, if the highlight of the collection is treated with contempt is it really a surprise the rest of the establishment is in such a dilapidated state? As I've previously stated the ape exhibits were inadequate 20 years ago and by modern standards are an embarrassment. Congo Gorilla Forest in the Bronx zoo is more than 20 years old, I'm not expecting something of that incredibly high standard but it is not even close.

Very convenient you skipped the worst part of Zurich but choose to slate better enclosures at Twycross as rubbish! Maybe before holding Zurich up against Twycross you should look at their crap?
Not saying Zurich isn't good, but for great apes? Seriously!!
It was not me who brought Zurich into this debate either!

 

[Nathano]

I've inadvertently derailed the topic. I'm saying Twycross is an establishment of such low quality that, in my opinion, it is a complete waste of time. Particularly given the fact there are much better establishment in the UK and many of the worlds best zoos are a short flight away in mainland Europe!

We're pointing out that A: Twycross isn't a low-quality zoo (by British, European or even global standards) and B: you seem to have a low opinion of UK zoos overall compared to those on mainland Europe.

You state that you had low expectations of Twycross and stated that "there are better establishments in the UK and many of the worlds best zoos are a short flight away in mainland Europe"... implying that zoos in mainland Europe are "better" than the even the best UK establishments.

I don’t think you can write off all zoos in a country compared to any other country or region - having lived in Germany and visited zoos there regularly as well as in Switzerland I believe many U.K. zoos hold up very well indeed in comparison and collections are individual and deserve to be looked at individually.

Yeah - to argue that UK zoos are "superior" to European zoos is just as ridiculous as the other way round.

For example, I haven't heard much good about zoos in Spain - of course, part of that could be my deep-seated mistrust of institutions that keep cetaceans (I got that from my mother - it's a long story), which most zoos in Spain seem to keep. However, I've known someone who went to the biopark in Valencia and said it was fantastic.

We very rarely visit UK zoos and generally take a "quality over quantity" approach but have had perfectly enjoyable trips to Cotswold wildlife park, Chester and Paignton Zoos in recent years. All of which I can criticise to varying to degrees however Twycross is so shockingly inadequate and obviously mis-managed that it was, quite frankly, a shock.

I've never been to Cotswold or Paignton, but I would say that zoos like Chester and Yorkshire Wildlife Park can not just stand with, but surpass, the best of the continental zoos - I've been to zoos in mainland Europe and, with the possible exception of Zurich, Chester and YWP beat them all every single time.

(What did you find in Chester that disappointed you, @SlothBear? Just curious).