What is in your opinion, the greatest zoo that no longer exists today?

Nile Hippo Expert

Nile Hippo Expert

Well-Known Member
Sorry if there is already a thread for this, but I think that the Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (1959-1998) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was the greatest now-closed zoo because it had several extremely rare species, such as Mountain Gorilla, Saiga and Hartebeest, and it also had a major and diverse collection. Here is a map of the park in the late 1970s (photo by @snowleopard)
full
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
Sorry if there is already a thread for this, but I think that the Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (1959-1998) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was the greatest now-closed zoo because it had several extremely rare species, such as Mountain Gorilla, Saiga and Hartebeest, and it also had a major and diverse collection. Here is a map of the park in the late 1970s (photo by @snowleopard)
full
Click to expand...
While I agree with you about your pick, the zoo didn't had mountain gorillas, instead they had lowland gorillas.
 
Dassie rat said:
Kilverstone
Click to expand...
As I've mentioned elsewhere, in other similar ZooChat threads, the two closed UK zoos that I personally miss the most are Kilverstone and the Rare Species Conservation Centre.

However, much as I loved these exciting animal collections, I don't think I'd consider either as "the greatest zoo that no longer exists".

My choice would probably be the original Hamburg Zoo (i.e.the zoo in Hamburg that predated Hagenbecks).
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
Sorry if there is already a thread for this, but I think that the Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (1959-1998) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was the greatest now-closed zoo because it had several extremely rare species, such as Mountain Gorilla, Saiga and Hartebeest, and it also had a major and diverse collection. Here is a map of the park in the late 1970s (photo by @snowleopard)
full
Click to expand...
Oklahoma City and São Paulo also had huge ungulate collections back in the 1970s. Sadly, those days are gone.

It's not really the greatest, but I kind of wish Buenos Aires still had its original zoo. Although it still exists, it was closed in 2016 and turned into an "Ecopark" (basically the place was renamed and it began phasing out exotic species).

My hometown also had a zoo back in the 1980s and 1990s, but it was not the best home for any animal, honestly.
 
No mention of the Catskill Game Farm? For shame!

I never had the chance to go there myself, but I definitely wish that I had!

Place not only had a fabulous collection, and was home to more than a few species that have since gone extinct in North American zoos... but it was also hugely historically important in introducing (And in some case, reintroducing) a number of exotic species to North America.
 
The Alberta Game Farm (Canada) had an incredible, jaw-dropping collection, which is remarkable because back then there would be at least 6 months of the year with snow on the ground in the city of Edmonton. Below is the complete list of species at the park from approximately 1978. This list is not a total of what the park had from its August 1st, 1959 opening to its 1998 closing...but rather a list of what was there at one time in the late 1970's. An incredible collection, but mainly in huge, fairly basic paddocks. I visited at least a couple of times every year for the first 10 years of my life, and this species list is from a 74-page guidebook from 1978. It is amusing to see some of the names given at that time, but it almost seems as if this is a listing of species in Berlin!

HOOFSTOCK: 90 species/subspecies

Grevy's Zebra
Damara Zebra
Chapman's Zebra
Grant's Zebra
Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
Woodland Caribou (only zoo with all the caribou species in the world)
Barrenland Caribou
Peary's Caribou
Osborn Caribou
Reindeer
Bighorn Sheep (the first zoo in the world to have Bighorn, Dall + Stone Sheep)
Dall Sheep
Stone Sheep
"Fannin" Sheep (hybrid mix of Dall + Stone Sheep)
Barbary Sheep
Mouflon
Himalayan Tahr
Rocky Mountain Goat (the only captive breeding herd in the world)
Yak
Moose
Muskox (approx. 20 at the park and largest herd in captivity)
Wapiti
White Elk
Przewalski's Horse
Onager
Sicilian Donkey
Poitou Donkey
Mule Deer
White-Tailed Deer
Fallow Deer (white, black + spotted colour variations)
European Red Deer
Pere David's Deer
Indian Sambar Deer
Roe Deer
Chinese Water Deer
Muntjac Deer
Eld's Deer
Japanese Sika Deer
Peking Sika Deer (also called Dybowski's Deer)
Formosan Sika Deer
Barasingha
Axis Deer
Prairie Bison
Wood Bison
Wisent
Chamois
Markhor
West Caucasian Tur
Siberian Ibex
Asian Elephant
Reticulated Giraffe
Bactrian Camel
Dromedary
Llama
Alpaca
Guanaco
Vicuna
White Rhino
Pygmy Hippo
Malayan Tapir
Brazilian Tapir
White-Tailed Gnu
White-Bearded Gnu
Blackbuck
Blesbok
Gemsbok
Addax
Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Beisa Oryx
Nilgai
Dama Gazelle
Thomson's Gazelle
Grant's Gazelle
Goitered Gazelle
Defassa Waterbuck
Common Waterbuck
Pronghorn Antelope
Saiga
Cape Hartebeest (1st cape hartebeest born in Canada)
Ankole Cattle
Common Eland
Greater Kudu
Cape Buffalo
Asian Water Buffalo
Roan Antelope
Sable Antelope
Nyala
Gayal (1st gayal born in North America in March of 1976)
Gaur
Banteng

FELINES: 14 species

Siberian Tiger
African Lion
Snow Leopard
Amur Leopard (listed as North Chinese Leopard)
Cougar
Asiatic Golden Cat
Leopard Cat
Pallas's Cat
European Wildcat
Cheetah
Bobcat
Canadian Lynx
European/Siberian Lynx
Caracal

CANINES: 8 species

Grey/Timber Wolves (approx. 18 at the park)
Coyote
Arctic Fox
Kit Fox
Corsac Fox
Fennec Fox
Blue Fox
Silver Fox

OTHER CARNIVORES/OMNIVORES: 8 species

Grizzly Bear (3 Swan Hills Grizzlies)
Polar Bear (6 at the park - 2.4) - the enclosure has a 600,000 gallon pool
Wolverine
Fisher
Marten
North American River Otter
Raccoon
Raccoon Dog (almost nonexistent in North American zoos at that time)

RODENTS: 10 species

Prairie Dog
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Columbia Ground Squirrel
Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel
Parry's/Arctic Ground Squirrel
Pika
Arctic Hare
North American Porcupine
Muskrat
Beaver

OTHER:

Two Lowland Gorillas (Sultan + Zakula) signed as Mountain Gorillas
Wallaby (unspecified species)
Red Panda
Baikal Seal

BIRDS:

Ostrich
Pheasants - 10 species
Cranes - 8 species (Sandhill, Sarus, Demoiselle, Stanley/Blue, East African Crowned, West African Crowned, Lilford and Wattled.
Great Grey Owl (only San Diego and Bronx had these owls)
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Hawk Owl
Chilean Flamingo
Caribbean Flamingo
Indian Peafowl
Marabou Stork
European Stork
Grouse - 5 species
Swans - 5 species
Geese - at least 15 species
Ducks + Gulls - at least 15 species
 
Wisp O' Mist said:
The London Zoo still exists, though. And I believe that this thread is intended to be about zoos that are no longer in operation.
Click to expand...

London Zoo changed its name, changed its philosophy (according to itself), lost 95% of species including almost all rare ones. Even the buildings are mostly from after the period of the 19. and early 20. century. Then London had one of the biggest animal collections in the world, and many world's firsts like a first public aquarium in a zoo. This change works both ways - on the grounds of the old zoo is a different and really very middling zoo.
 
snowleopard said:
The Alberta Game Farm (Canada) had an incredible, jaw-dropping collection, which is remarkable because back then there would be at least 6 months of the year with snow on the ground in the city of Edmonton. Below is the complete list of species at the park from approximately 1978. This list is not a total of what the park had from its August 1st, 1959 opening to its 1998 closing...but rather a list of what was there at one time in the late 1970's. An incredible collection, but mainly in huge, fairly basic paddocks. I visited at least a couple of times every year for the first 10 years of my life, and this species list is from a 74-page guidebook from 1978. It is amusing to see some of the names given at that time, but it almost seems as if this is a listing of species in Berlin!

HOOFSTOCK: 90 species/subspecies

Grevy's Zebra
Damara Zebra
Chapman's Zebra
Grant's Zebra
Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
Woodland Caribou (only zoo with all the caribou species in the world)
Barrenland Caribou
Peary's Caribou
Osborn Caribou
Reindeer
Bighorn Sheep (the first zoo in the world to have Bighorn, Dall + Stone Sheep)
Dall Sheep
Stone Sheep
"Fannin" Sheep (hybrid mix of Dall + Stone Sheep)
Barbary Sheep
Mouflon
Himalayan Tahr
Rocky Mountain Goat (the only captive breeding herd in the world)
Yak
Moose
Muskox (approx. 20 at the park and largest herd in captivity)
Wapiti
White Elk
Przewalski's Horse
Onager
Sicilian Donkey
Poitou Donkey
Mule Deer
White-Tailed Deer
Fallow Deer (white, black + spotted colour variations)
European Red Deer
Pere David's Deer
Indian Sambar Deer
Roe Deer
Chinese Water Deer
Muntjac Deer
Eld's Deer
Japanese Sika Deer
Peking Sika Deer (also called Dybowski's Deer)
Formosan Sika Deer
Barasingha
Axis Deer
Prairie Bison
Wood Bison
Wisent
Chamois
Markhor
West Caucasian Tur
Siberian Ibex
Asian Elephant
Reticulated Giraffe
Bactrian Camel
Dromedary
Llama
Alpaca
Guanaco
Vicuna
White Rhino
Pygmy Hippo
Malayan Tapir
Brazilian Tapir
White-Tailed Gnu
White-Bearded Gnu
Blackbuck
Blesbok
Gemsbok
Addax
Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Beisa Oryx
Nilgai
Dama Gazelle
Thomson's Gazelle
Grant's Gazelle
Goitered Gazelle
Defassa Waterbuck
Common Waterbuck
Pronghorn Antelope
Saiga
Cape Hartebeest (1st cape hartebeest born in Canada)
Ankole Cattle
Common Eland
Greater Kudu
Cape Buffalo
Asian Water Buffalo
Roan Antelope
Sable Antelope
Nyala
Gayal (1st gayal born in North America in March of 1976)
Gaur
Banteng

FELINES: 14 species

Siberian Tiger
African Lion
Snow Leopard
Amur Leopard (listed as North Chinese Leopard)
Cougar
Asiatic Golden Cat
Leopard Cat
Pallas's Cat
European Wildcat
Cheetah
Bobcat
Canadian Lynx
European/Siberian Lynx
Caracal

CANINES: 8 species

Grey/Timber Wolves (approx. 18 at the park)
Coyote
Arctic Fox
Kit Fox
Corsac Fox
Fennec Fox
Blue Fox
Silver Fox

OTHER CARNIVORES/OMNIVORES: 8 species

Grizzly Bear (3 Swan Hills Grizzlies)
Polar Bear (6 at the park - 2.4) - the enclosure has a 600,000 gallon pool
Wolverine
Fisher
Marten
North American River Otter
Raccoon
Raccoon Dog (almost nonexistent in North American zoos at that time)

RODENTS: 10 species

Prairie Dog
Richardson's Ground Squirrel
Columbia Ground Squirrel
Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel
Parry's/Arctic Ground Squirrel
Pika
Arctic Hare
North American Porcupine
Muskrat
Beaver

OTHER:

Two Lowland Gorillas (Sultan + Zakula) signed as Mountain Gorillas
Wallaby (unspecified species)
Red Panda
Baikal Seal

BIRDS:

Ostrich
Pheasants - 10 species
Cranes - 8 species (Sandhill, Sarus, Demoiselle, Stanley/Blue, East African Crowned, West African Crowned, Lilford and Wattled.
Great Grey Owl (only San Diego and Bronx had these owls)
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Hawk Owl
Chilean Flamingo
Caribbean Flamingo
Indian Peafowl
Marabou Stork
European Stork
Grouse - 5 species
Swans - 5 species
Geese - at least 15 species
Ducks + Gulls - at least 15 species
Click to expand...
This species list only just makes it sound way more insane than it already was! Every species of caribou! Five zebra species! Ten deer species! Multiple animal species not held in much or even any places in captivity! A 600,000 gallon polar bear pool! This place just had it all…except for Nile Hippos! But even not having Nile Hippos does not make me this place is anything less than amazing, and now that I see this, it very well could have been the #1 zoo in the world at one point!
 
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