What are the "must see" zoos in the UK?

[DavidBrown]

Greetings UK ZooChatters.

I was looking at the Jersey Zoo gallery and realized that I have no idea what the great zoos of the UK are. I have been on quick trips to the London Zoo in 1997 and 2001 while enroute to giraffe research trips, but that is the only zoo in the UK that I have visited (and in Europe as a whole).

What are the must see animal attractions (zoos, aquariums, national parks with native wildlife) of the UK? Would a week be long enough to experience the highlight attractions?

Any feedback people have on what is especially worth seeing and what makes them special would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Pertinax]

What are the must see animal attractions (zoos, aquariums, national parks with native wildlife) of the UK? Would a week be long enough to experience the highlight attractions?

There are quite a lot of lists on Zoochat of the best UK zoos. I'll let others give you their opinions on that though there is a pretty established 'top ten' -though the ranking order varies a lot according to inividual opinion.

To allow a day to see each properly, even only half of them, you'd need a lot longer than a week as although the UK is small compared to the US, they are dotted all around the country. I'd say more like two to three weeks, especially if you are widening it to see National Parks as well.

 

[Pootle]

Hi David,

What a question! - It has so many answers and so many will be peoples personal views too.

What I will say about the UK and zoos is that probably no where in the world will you find such a concentration of zoos in one place. For a small country we have a good number of good zoos (and for that we are grateful).

As for amount of time to see a number of different UK zoos, taking into account maybe visiting one place per day, you could easily occupy a month never mind a week!

My personal choice places are those where animals have lots of space and, so safari type parks ahead of zoos on the whole (although I nothing against zoos in the UK). I prefer these places because I get my enjoyment out of watching animals and seeing different behavioural traits where as other zoo goers may prefer to see as many species as possible and not so interested in the behaviour etc,. (also it has come to my attention that other zoo goers tend to like to go so they can post zoo news both true and false on websites, but I digress here ). I like to see exhibits where mixed species are like that you would expect to see if you went on a safari to S Africa or Kenya for example so you can not only see species interaction but the complete animal interaction going on. If I can give one example of a species that behaves differently given extra space it is a rhino (a personal fav but I do know some stuff here!). Many rhino's in zoos do not get the opportunity to run properly and to see a bull rhino on a run is something absolutely spectacular, watching him mark a large territory and the general all round behaviour is so different to how he would behave in a more conventional zoo given the lack of space the interaction with cows and calves in crashes is also very different.

The next poster may prefer a zoo with a more species exhibited closer together in smaller exhibits, it's each to their own when we define the best UK zoos, but on the whole all UK zoo's and Safari parks are very good places to visit.

 

[DavidBrown]

Thanks for the response guys. I appreciate your thoughtful answers and I understand that "must see" is a potentially loaded approach, but can someone toss out a few specific zoos that any zoo fan would be crazy to miss in the UK? Five zoos maybe?

I look through the gallery and am somewhat overwhelmed by the number of zoos and honestly have no idea what you guys consider to be your best. What is your Bronx or San Diego equivalent. As i said I have only experienced London, and was impressed with the collection if not the exhibits (this was before the new gorilla exhibit and more recent improvements). I am familiar with Jersey because I know of Gerald Durrell, but really no clue beyond that.

 

[Maguari]

The next poster may prefer a zoo with a more species exhibited closer together in smaller exhibits,

Funny you shoiuld say that!

I'm interested by Pertinax's top ten - in my experience the UK top ten starts off very definite but then becomes fuzzy at the bottom!

I would say the must-see big zoos are (not in any particular order):

Chester
Edinburgh
London
Whipsnade
Bristol
Paignton
Marwell
Howletts

I would include Port Lympne but without having seen the controversial changes for myself I'm loathe to recommend it! Twycross is also wiorth a look - snowleopard has suggested before that primate diversity seems higher in Europe so they'd probably have some things you hadn't seen before. Does that match your ten, Mr P?

Excellent smaller collections:

Blackbrook
Cotswold WP (and the nearby Falconry Centre and Birdland are also very good - and it's a very attractive area as well)
Newquay Zoo
Living Coasts
Highland WP

I'd also recommend visiting either Slimbridge or Martin Mere WWTs - particularly if you were here in winter, when the wild waterfowl is spectacular (both have a year-round captive collection as well).

Wildlife-wise, the most spectular wildife is often coastal - I highly recommend the gannet colony on Grassholm island (boat trips from near St David's, South Wales) - but bear in mind that we don't have a great deal in the way of megafauna, so in a lot of cases you'll need to be prepared to do some searching!

Hickling Broad in the Norfolk Broads is a very good site for birds, as is Minsmere not too far away.

But I'd agree that you're probably looking at 3 weeks!

 

[Maguari]

I look through the gallery and am somewhat overwhelmed by the number of zoos and honestly have no idea what you guys consider to be your best. What is your Bronx or San Diego equivalent. As i said I have only experienced London, and was impressed with the collection if not the exhibits (this was before the new gorilla exhibit and more recent improvements). I am familiar with Jersey because I know of Gerald Durrell, but really no clue beyond that.

For me, the UK has a clearly defined 'big 3' zoo 'powers' (again in no order):

Chester
The ZSL zoos (London and Whipsnade)
The RZSS zoos (Edinburgh and Highland)

 

[Pertinax]

Chester
Edinburgh
London
Whipsnade
Bristol
Paignton
Marwell
Howletts

I would include Port Lympne but without having seen the controversial changes for myself I'm loathe to recommend it! Twycross is also wiorth a look . Does that match your ten, Mr P?

I reckon that's the usual 'top ten' and of course PL does still have the same animal stock despite the infamous 'changes'
One missing on there is Jersey- though its more time-consuming and expensive to reach than the mainland contenders.

 

[Maguari]

I reckon that's the usual 'top ten' and of course PL does still have the same animal stock despite the infamous 'changes'

It's those pesky last couple of places that get me! The zoos start dropping to 'medium-size' quite quickly and it's harder to place those.

One missing on there is Jersey- though its more time-consuming and expensive to reach than the mainland contenders.

I also realised I missed off another offshore zoo - Belfast, which I tend to forget as I haven't visited yet (for shame).

 

[Pertinax]

I also realised I missed off another offshore zoo - Belfast, which I tend to forget as I haven't visited yet (for shame).

While I would also include Dublin- although not UK- it is a major collection and one which we hear far too little about I think.

 

[Javan Rhino]

Probably not in anybody's top ten, but I have a soft spot for Blair Drummond - Don't ask me what it is, but I really enjoyed my day there - friendly staff, a nice amount of species which while there isn't much [anything] rare, there is still plenty to see and the species are exhibited nicely.

 

[Maguari]

Probably not in anybody's top ten, but I have a soft spot for Blair Drummond - Don't ask me what it is, but I really enjoyed my day there - friendly staff, a nice amount of species which while there isn't much [anything] rare, there is still plenty to see and the species are exhibited nicely.

I found Blair Drummond fascinating - it's mostly a safari park time capsule - a basic 'pre-conservation' safari park collection (which is not to say BD aren't involved in conservation, just that their collection is a bit old school!) laid out much as I imagine the others would have been in the past. Just feels like a trip back in time to the 1970s - in a good way.

 

[Brum]

I found Blair Drummond fascinating - it's mostly a safari park time capsule - a basic 'pre-conservation' safari park collection (which is not to say BD aren't involved in conservation, just that their collection is a bit old school!) laid out much as I imagine the others would have been in the past. Just feels like a trip back in time to the 1970s - in a good way.

I've never been to Blair Drummond (or Knowslely for that matter), but I can heartily reccomend West Midlands and Woburn safari parks, even if the former does have some short comings in the carnivore collection. The white tiger drive through is pitifully barren and quite small and they do have a lot of emphasis on "endangered" white lions and tigers but it's still ok but not world class. Woburn is much better for conservation, rarities (only American black bears, a great selection of rare African ungulates...) and it started the trend for saving species from extinction.
As for my personal favourites, Chester is number one with Whipsnade, Paignton, Newquay and because it's my childhood zoo, Dudley which I know is a controversial inclusion. Other than Chester the others are in no particular order.

 

[Johnny Morris.]

Howletts is in my opinion the "must see zoo." in this country. Chester is probably the best, though nowhere near being a favourite of mine, Bristol for it's size, is possibly the most diverse collection. And finally a word for Exmoor, a small zoo in the middle of nowhere, but a great collection of rareties and very friendly staff.

 

[gentle lemur]

Several choices are obvious, but a lot depends on your individual interests.
I think that the best general collections are London, Chester and Colchester (I don't know why no-one has mentioned it yet).
But if you are interested in zoo history, London, Whipsnade, Bristol and Longleat (the original safari park) are probably the top four. If you like primates, forget Whipsnade, but add Twycross, Edinburgh, Howletts, Port Lympne and perhaps Cotswold (for lemurs in particular). For ungulates, don't miss Marwell, and so on.
Think about your travel plans, it will take time to get from point to point, particularly if you follow Maguari's advice and look at some native wildlife (and note that the gannets only visit Grassholm in the summer).

Alan

 

[Maguari]

I think that the best general collections are London, Chester and Colchester (I don't know why no-one has mentioned it yet).

Crikey, yes. That's one of the ones that would be buzzing about at the southern end of the top ten.

(and note that the gannets only visit Grassholm in the summer).

Yes, good call.

 

[DavidBrown]

Thanks much everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. A UK zoo tour is now on my radar as something that I would like to do at some point in the not-distant future. For now I will organize a virtual "road trip" through the gallery of the places mentioned and look at what all of these places look like.

Thanks again for all of your input. It is exciting to know that there is literally an entire world of zoos that I have never systematically explored.

 

[Zambar]

On the wildlife side, as it seems previous posters have got the zoos sorted, Scotland's definitely the place to be; within the Cairngorms National Park for example, you can see ospreys from the hide at Loch Garten, watch Pine Martens & Badgers from a hide at night near Aviemore and watch bottlenose dolphins from the shore of the Moray Firth; and you can neatly a wedge in a HWP trip from here too. Personally, I'd recommend the Isle of Mull off the Scottish West Coast. We had an excellent week wildlife watching there three years ago, taking trips to see White-Tailed Eagles, Otters, Red Deer and the like from a mini bus one day and having a boat trip where you can see minke whales, basking sharks, dolphins and sunfish the next.

 

[tigercat]

For me Chester would have to be first choise,but if you are in the Northwest of England for a couple of days Blackpool zoo is close by [70 odd miles] and well worth a visit, as is knowsley safari park.
Brums recommendation of West Midlands Safari Park is also spot on,with the chance to feed some of the ungulates from the car as you drive round.

 

[chizlit]

Nobody has chosen Yorkshire Wildlife Park yet.
Also I will not surprisingly also stand up for Dudley, it's vastly improved from it's pretty grim past, and has all that added extra history (a castle).

 

[Brum]

Nobody has chosen Yorkshire Wildlife Park yet.
Also I will not surprisingly also stand up for Dudley, it's vastly improved from it's pretty grim past, and has all that added extra history (a castle).

Not to mention the Tectons which are also historically important and good to judge what zoos in the UK used to aspire to.