While the ratio has water obviously larger than the land, the land area is still spacious enough for the hippos to walk in. In comparison to other zoos, they did them way better.
What animals tend to have the worst exhibits?
- Thread starter Pleistocene891
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While the ratio has water obviously larger than the land, the land area is still spacious enough for the hippos to walk in. In comparison to other zoos, they did them way better.
Corangurilla
Well-Known Member
Land area still looks like a narrow shelf/island that’s swarming with vultures/ibises 90% of the time.
There's no denying that it's amazing for the aardvarks themselves, but as an exhibit for visitors it is abysmal. Visitors aren't going to appreciate this species if they're never able to actually see it. The enclosure could be half the size and still be more than large enough. Thank goodness the zoo recently reopened the old hippo house so that guests might actually have a chance of seeing the aardvarks at certain times of the year.Re-using a habitat without modifying it isn't inherently lazyThere are many species that could be easily interchanged in the same habitat without any modification, that doesn't make it lazy. There's an argument that a burrow with viewing inside would have been nice, but it is still probably the best Aardvark habitat from a husbandry standpoint in the US.
~Thylo
I remember when I visited this past October during "boo-at-the-zoo" there was a street performer doing some juggling next to the enclosure for a group of children. He purposefully messed up and jokingly said, "Hey kids look at the aardvark" to divert their attention and followed that up with "let me know if anyone finds the aardvark, I've never seen it." After reading some comments on the zoos recent Facebook post about the hippo house reopening, I can say for sure he's definitely not the only one.
BenFoxster
Well-Known Member
The Memphis Zoo's hippo habitat is fantastic though!? The original plan was to give them an upper exhibit which could be accessed to them for grazing, so if the zoo could somehow bring that back I bet it could easily become the best hippo enclosure. Fresno Chaffee's (unfortunately scrapped African River exhibit) looks like it would have had a nice hippo enclosure with grazing a walk room too. It looks like it would have been a mixed species exhibit with either nyala or sitatunga too.
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I have seen snakes curled up in small plastic containers, so they can't stretch out.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
For me the most inappropriate exhibits are the "African Plains" where Marabou and other Storks, Ibises, Vultures and other "flying" birds are pinioned and mixed with ungulates.
These enclosures aren't bad for the large mammals but not suitable for these birds, with safety risks and no chances of successful breeding (with a few exceptions, I've seen a pair of Griffon Vultures housed with Sitatungas, even if they were unable to fly they bred frequently ; I mention that there were Sitatungas and not Wildebeest, Rhinos nor Zebras !).
I mention them because they remain frequent even in "good standard" zoos and they aren't generally seen as "bad exhibits", I don't take in account the old-fashioned cages or concrete pits that are definitively on the decrease in Europe.
These enclosures aren't bad for the large mammals but not suitable for these birds, with safety risks and no chances of successful breeding (with a few exceptions, I've seen a pair of Griffon Vultures housed with Sitatungas, even if they were unable to fly they bred frequently ; I mention that there were Sitatungas and not Wildebeest, Rhinos nor Zebras !).
I mention them because they remain frequent even in "good standard" zoos and they aren't generally seen as "bad exhibits", I don't take in account the old-fashioned cages or concrete pits that are definitively on the decrease in Europe.
Snakes get the short end of the stick way too often, I feel like at a minimum a snake should be able to fully stretch out in its enclosure.
Komodo Dragon
Well-Known Member
I am generally against the pinioning of birds, but understand that it's only practical in most cases were it occurs.
I often think Orangutans are the most difficult species to house well in Zoos. If 'worst' can be translated as 'unsuitable' that is. Enclosures with metal climbing frames or a network of heavy poles for climbing go nowhere near replicating their wild environment and mode of travel through the trees. A very difficult lifestyle to replicate in a zoo enclosure.
Gibbonsagainstgravity
Well-Known Member
For me it is definitely absolutely 100% Malayan tapir. (because seriously I have NEVER seen a good exhibit for them)
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur
Well-Known Member
I would like to nominate leopards!
It is, but it still doesn't really accomodate a herd the size of Disney. It's really rare to see a hippo exhibit suitable for more than three hippos, I think Memphis can house 5-6, but still nowhere near as many as 10 like Disney does.
To me the worst type of exhibit are the ones where animals can not be seen
Animals who burrow and never visible to us guests (esp nocturnal ones)
Birds who live in nets which obscure view so poorly
I like seeing large areas for them to roam (esp if we can view enclosure from multiple angles) but some animals just are not cut out for display
Even one of my personal favs, the Red Panda. Beautiful enclosures, huge and lots of trees etc, but man when they climb so high and roll into ball they are tough to find
Animals who burrow and never visible to us guests (esp nocturnal ones)
Birds who live in nets which obscure view so poorly
I like seeing large areas for them to roam (esp if we can view enclosure from multiple angles) but some animals just are not cut out for display
Even one of my personal favs, the Red Panda. Beautiful enclosures, huge and lots of trees etc, but man when they climb so high and roll into ball they are tough to find
Ryan Blackwood
Active Member
My answer would have to be Orcas and Bottlenose Dolphins, especially Sea Worlds Orca pool aswell as Dudley and Flamingo Lands old orca pool
To exaggerate deliberately: an enclosure in which the animal cannot retreat and lives in a "fishbowl" is therefore better?
Have you ever visited said institutions (and other husbandries of both species) in person?
Ryan Blackwood
Active Member
No I haven't I have only seen pictures
As exemplified many a times, pictures can be misleading - both negatively and positively. For the benefit of doubt, I try to only judge husbandry conditions and institutions when I have been there in person or access to more reliable data than just a few pictures.