Weirdest UK Zoo Exhibit

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ZooNut23

Well-Known Member
What would everyone say is the weirdest exhibit in the UK?

Mine is the castle at Five Sisters Zoo. In the courtyard are double decker aviaries (one stacked on top of the other but both containing bird species). Inside the castle are various nocturnal animals such as bats and a kinkajou. There is a reptile house in the castle where weaver birds share with a crocodile. All very surreal...imagine Noel Fielding remaining Dudley Castle for a Mighty Boosh scene!
 
TinoPup said:
What makes it weird?
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I think mainly the double decker aviaries dumped in the middle but the castle building feels like some sort of children's play area fort with animals in it. Five Sisters had some great newer exhibits too when I went but seeing cages heavily decked in Christmas decorations in May (last year) and there being bird enclosures lower than head height just felt really strange in this day and age.
 
Weird doesn't have to be negative...it can be about thinking outside the box. Check out Human Nature at Beale Wildlife Park:D
 
ZooNut23 said:
What would everyone say is the weirdest exhibit in the UK?

Mine is the castle at Five Sisters Zoo. In the courtyard are double decker aviaries (one stacked on top of the other but both containing bird species). Inside the castle are various nocturnal animals such as bats and a kinkajou. There is a reptile house in the castle where weaver birds share with a crocodile. All very surreal...imagine Noel Fielding remaining Dudley Castle for a Mighty Boosh scene!
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The Castle was formerly a play area, until about 2013.
 
ZooNut23 said:
What would everyone say is the weirdest exhibit in the UK?

Mine is the castle at Five Sisters Zoo. In the courtyard are double decker aviaries (one stacked on top of the other but both containing bird species). Inside the castle are various nocturnal animals such as bats and a kinkajou. There is a reptile house in the castle where weaver birds share with a crocodile. All very surreal...imagine Noel Fielding remaining Dudley Castle for a Mighty Boosh scene!
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felis silvestris said:
I would say the rabbit enclosure with loads of weird statues from Alice in Wonderland among other things at Five sisters is very strange.
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Five Sisters has been on my radar for a few years, and I'm hoping to arrange my first visit soon, ideally before the bears go into topor because I really want to see them.
These posts have got me really curious about the place, the Alice in Wonderland themed rabbit enclosure in particular sounds exactly like my brand of weird.
 
Jambi said:
Five Sisters has been on my radar for a few years, and I'm hoping to arrange my first visit soon, ideally before the bears go into topor because I really want to see them.
These posts have got me really curious about the place, the Alice in Wonderland themed rabbit enclosure in particular sounds exactly like my brand of weird.
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When i last visited, the exhibit in question was boarded up so perhaps it is no longer there??
 
pangolin12 said:
When i last visited, the exhibit in question was boarded up so perhaps it is no longer there??
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When I last went, this exhibit, at least the house part was having work done and was like sand and caves being done inside. Looked for sure it was a new exhibit for some kind of Mongoose or something. If it's boarded up, maybe something has moved in, and it's being given privacy, but 2/3 months ago a lot of work was going on in the house area of the exhibit.
 
Well I have visit only a handfull zoological institutions so my statement won't be fair.
However: After visiting London Zoo a few times, I have my straits with some celebrated exhibits bearing the terms "Lubetkin", "Casson" and even "Snowdon"...
 
I forgot to add "handfull zoological institutions IN THE UK" (in fact, I've seen more then 200 worldwide)
 
zoomaniac said:
Well I have visit only a handfull zoological institutions so my statement won't be fair.
However: After visiting London Zoo a few times, I have my straits with some celebrated exhibits bearing the terms "Lubetkin", "Casson" and even "Snowdon"...
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What issue do you have with historical references in zoos and what makes that weird?
 
It's not about historical references. It's about exhibits, that do not fit for the animals and are only or - in the case of the Snowdon aviary - mostly built for the fame of its architects...
Beside that, they are also ugly imo. But that's personal taste.
 
zoomaniac said:
It's not about historical references. It's about exhibits, that do not fit for the animals and are only or - in the case of the Snowdon aviary - mostly built for the fame of its architects...
Beside that, they are also ugly imo. But that's personal taste.
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How is the Snowdon Aviary unfit for Colobus?

Nothing in your personal taste suggests any of these exhibits are 'weird'.
 
I was thinking about the Snowdon Aviary for its origin purpose. I have read a few times, that this exhibit did not fit for (all) the needs of the birds.
(e. g. here: London Zoo’s Snowdon Aviary reinvented as Monkey Valley - Architecture Today
As for the Colobus, I agree, that the (renovated!!) exhibit fit better.

I did not understand your last phrase (sorry, my native language isn't English). Could something that looks "weird" to me not ALSO be "ugly" to me?
 
zoomaniac said:
I was thinking about the Snowdon Aviary for its origin purpose. I have read a few times, that this exhibit did not fit for (all) the needs of the birds.
(e. g. here: London Zoo’s Snowdon Aviary reinvented as Monkey Valley - Architecture Today
As for the Colobus, I agree, that the (renovated!!) exhibit fit better.

I did not understand your last phrase (sorry, my native language isn't English). Could something that looks "weird" to me not ALSO be "ugly" to me?
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It does work well for Colobus. The name references the great history and is not just about famous people.

You can consider something weird and ugly language wise. I didn’t mean to appear to correct your grammar.

I was just disagreeing that it was weird on that basis but it’s a personal opinion as you say!
 
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