Kalaw
Well-Known Member
My thread What Zoos Do You Miss?, got me wondering what individual exhibits that are now closed, despite the zoo themselves remaining open, are much missed. Whether this was for a good cause (i.e. a bigger and better exhibit being built on top) or due to financial struggles, or another reason entirely, if you wish that it had remained open in some form, then it qualifies for this thread! 
Here are three of my own choices (with pictures and a description, but you don't have to provide either, if you would rather just name the exhibits)
1- Exotics Room (Crystal Palace Park Farm)
This might be the strangest one, but I will try to explain it. Crystal Palace Park Farm is a small zoological collection, overlooking the pond at Crystal Palace Park where its famously outdated 19th Century dinosaurs are located. It is ran by the Capel Manor College, and serves as a place for students learning about agriculture or zoology to volunteer, with farm animals and allotments, as well as several exotic species. There was a tank for Goldfish, a Sugar Glider enclosure, and a lovely selection of herptiles, that at one point included rarities such as Marbled Salamander and Common Pine Snake. The reason that I liked it was its location - in a park decently local to me, but up a massive hill, which I cycle up regularly for exercise and fresh air if I don't have any plans for the day. Since the zoo was free to enter, I could easily tie that into a small zoo and some lovely species - who would pass on that?! For more than two years now, it has been closed, and so many species have departed in that time (with no plans to reopen it for the foreseeable future) that I fear it may never be public again.
@devilfish
2. Anteaters and Vicunas (ZSL London Zoo)
Another strange pick, I am sure. I considered many exhibits at London Zoo for this - the Fruit Bat Tunnel, the Lion Terraces, Snowdon Aviary, the bankside Owleries, the original Giant Tortoise enclosure, and of course the Aquarium. But while all of those have either seen a better exhibit built in their place or had a genuine reason as to why they no longer worked, this exhibit has no such reason. Both enclosures were nice, and although the Giant Anteaters rarely ventured outdoors, they could alway been seen indoors, ironically placed right opposite an invertebrate house. The vicuna left the zoo immediately, while the anteater remained at a paddock behind the giraffes, too far back to get any meaningful view, although they too left a year later. Neither are too rare (although the Vicuna aren't too common either), but both are sorely missed, and what replaced them only puts salt in the wound - a mini golf course, which in turn has been replaced by a wildlife garden. The golf course was an unacceptable waste of space in such a limited zoo, and the wildlife garden is entirely redundant, given that the zoo is surrounded by 170 hectares of beautiful park, teeming with birds and insects.
@Arizona Docent
3. Crocodile Swamp (Paignton Zoo)
I love crocodilians, and something about being in a giant greenhouse, with four species of them in lovely pools, with Paignton's wonderful botanical department (Giant Water Lilies were always a highlight) really shining, stood out to me. I saw my first Saltwater Crocodile here, and even though their individual was far from fully grown, it still fascinated me (not sure which collection it has gone to, but if any members are better-informed on the matter, I would love to know!). Surely in terms of height (and possibly area) it was among the largest tropical greenhouses in a British zoo, and seeing the entire thing devoted to crocodilians (with the other species, such as Reticulated Python, Komodo Dragons and Alligator Snapping Turtle all being equally lovely) was special to say the least. The enclosures themselves were of a high quality too, with far deeper pools, careful landscaping and thoughtful viewing than what most zoos offer crocodilians. Outside of specialist crocodile zoos, I would be surprised if anything in the world comes close.
@gulogulogulo
Honourable mentions:
- Elephant House and Sea Lion Splash at Whipsnade Zoo - the latter has been replaced by a far better house, and the former was awful, but both have sentimental value as my first time ever seeing either species.
- Himalaya at Zoo Zurich - not sure if its closed yet, but I do fear that the plans for 'Panterra' will take away what was so special about this, the greatest Snow Leopard enclosure which I have ever seen.
- The Aquarium and Fruit Bat Tunnel at London Zoo - both were lovely, and their buildings are now entirely unused, but at least the fruit bats have a far more spacious home in Rainforest Life now.
- South Road Exhibits at Marwell Zoo - I was too young to really remember these when I saw them, but there were lovely species, such as peccaries and takins, which are now sadly lost.
Here are three of my own choices (with pictures and a description, but you don't have to provide either, if you would rather just name the exhibits)
1- Exotics Room (Crystal Palace Park Farm)
This might be the strangest one, but I will try to explain it. Crystal Palace Park Farm is a small zoological collection, overlooking the pond at Crystal Palace Park where its famously outdated 19th Century dinosaurs are located. It is ran by the Capel Manor College, and serves as a place for students learning about agriculture or zoology to volunteer, with farm animals and allotments, as well as several exotic species. There was a tank for Goldfish, a Sugar Glider enclosure, and a lovely selection of herptiles, that at one point included rarities such as Marbled Salamander and Common Pine Snake. The reason that I liked it was its location - in a park decently local to me, but up a massive hill, which I cycle up regularly for exercise and fresh air if I don't have any plans for the day. Since the zoo was free to enter, I could easily tie that into a small zoo and some lovely species - who would pass on that?! For more than two years now, it has been closed, and so many species have departed in that time (with no plans to reopen it for the foreseeable future) that I fear it may never be public again.
@devilfish
2. Anteaters and Vicunas (ZSL London Zoo)
Another strange pick, I am sure. I considered many exhibits at London Zoo for this - the Fruit Bat Tunnel, the Lion Terraces, Snowdon Aviary, the bankside Owleries, the original Giant Tortoise enclosure, and of course the Aquarium. But while all of those have either seen a better exhibit built in their place or had a genuine reason as to why they no longer worked, this exhibit has no such reason. Both enclosures were nice, and although the Giant Anteaters rarely ventured outdoors, they could alway been seen indoors, ironically placed right opposite an invertebrate house. The vicuna left the zoo immediately, while the anteater remained at a paddock behind the giraffes, too far back to get any meaningful view, although they too left a year later. Neither are too rare (although the Vicuna aren't too common either), but both are sorely missed, and what replaced them only puts salt in the wound - a mini golf course, which in turn has been replaced by a wildlife garden. The golf course was an unacceptable waste of space in such a limited zoo, and the wildlife garden is entirely redundant, given that the zoo is surrounded by 170 hectares of beautiful park, teeming with birds and insects.
@Arizona Docent
3. Crocodile Swamp (Paignton Zoo)
I love crocodilians, and something about being in a giant greenhouse, with four species of them in lovely pools, with Paignton's wonderful botanical department (Giant Water Lilies were always a highlight) really shining, stood out to me. I saw my first Saltwater Crocodile here, and even though their individual was far from fully grown, it still fascinated me (not sure which collection it has gone to, but if any members are better-informed on the matter, I would love to know!). Surely in terms of height (and possibly area) it was among the largest tropical greenhouses in a British zoo, and seeing the entire thing devoted to crocodilians (with the other species, such as Reticulated Python, Komodo Dragons and Alligator Snapping Turtle all being equally lovely) was special to say the least. The enclosures themselves were of a high quality too, with far deeper pools, careful landscaping and thoughtful viewing than what most zoos offer crocodilians. Outside of specialist crocodile zoos, I would be surprised if anything in the world comes close.
@gulogulogulo
Honourable mentions:
- Elephant House and Sea Lion Splash at Whipsnade Zoo - the latter has been replaced by a far better house, and the former was awful, but both have sentimental value as my first time ever seeing either species.
- Himalaya at Zoo Zurich - not sure if its closed yet, but I do fear that the plans for 'Panterra' will take away what was so special about this, the greatest Snow Leopard enclosure which I have ever seen.
- The Aquarium and Fruit Bat Tunnel at London Zoo - both were lovely, and their buildings are now entirely unused, but at least the fruit bats have a far more spacious home in Rainforest Life now.
- South Road Exhibits at Marwell Zoo - I was too young to really remember these when I saw them, but there were lovely species, such as peccaries and takins, which are now sadly lost.
