what is one of the most disappointing habitats in zoos you have gone to

Zurich is a genuine contender for being the best zoo in Europe, or even the world, and is by some margin the greatest zoo that I have visited. And yet its Affenhaus (Ape House) is an atrocity. The indoors are decent, but the outdoors are ridiculously small and barren. Thankfully, the zoo will construct a new gorilla exhibit, known as 'Kongo' in 2029, and there are plans for a new orangutan exhibit, 'Sumatra Regenwald,' some time from 2030 onwards, but the zoo really needs to get their priorities straight, as neither of those construction projects will commence until the already excellent big cat and South American exhibits receive extensive renovations, and a cable car line is built!

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@Gil - gorilla outdoor area

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@Gil - gorilla indoor area

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@Philipine eagle - orangutan outdoor area

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@Kalaw - orangutan indoor area

What is most interesting is that I am informed that, when these enclosures first opened, in 1959, per a 1960 edition of the International Zoo Yearbook, they were considered to be ahead of their time and among the finest ape exhibits in the world. Said edition of the IZY labels it as 'a hopeful sign of the Zoo's awakening from its slumber which, like the Sleeping Beauty, it has been submerged in ever since its foundation in 1929,' a sentiment which seems laughable today seeing as the Affenhaus is the only suggestion today that the zoo has ever been in a state of 'slumber'! Admittedly, that article is more in reference to the architectural elements of the House than the exhibit-related ones, as its post-war brutalism style was popular at the time, and to this day, like many of Zurich's buildings, is a charming combination of concrete and natural elements (there are many plants within the zoo's indoor areas at times) which I personally enjoy. But other sources, such as the wonderful review on this forum from @Hix , which is as recent as 1984, praise the exhibit quality as well, which make for a fascinating comparison and an excellent example of how times have changed in the zoo world.
 
As a member of ABWAk (Association of British Wild Animal Keepers)during the 1980s 1990s,I regularly received the magazine Ratel,which always had plenty of articles regarding animal enrichment. Edinburgh Zoo always seemed to contribute many articles about enrichment for their primates, so when the opportunity arose to visit Edinburgh Zoo in 1992 i took it.and was very keen to see their primate enrichment and enclosures. How disappointed was I the enrichment was sparse to say the least infact the whole monkey house was disappointing. However it didn't spoil my day the rest of the zoo cheered me up
 
One exhibit I was let down by was the Hippo Bay at Zoo Berlin. Not nearly as big as is seemed and was looking a little tired and outdated when I visited.
 
ZooTripper365 said:
One exhibit I was let down by was the Hippo Bay at Zoo Berlin. Not nearly as big as is seemed and was looking a little tired and outdated when I visited.
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...Well that is certainly a take you could indeed have.

I think the obvious choices in Berlin (even more so than the Ape house) are the Elephant enclosures, specifically the bull one. Tragically small.
 
I've been going to the Columbus Zoo since before I can remember, and I have hated the Aquarium for years. The zoo genuinely has zero room to call themselves "The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium" when they have a singular large fishtank and a few smaller tanks inside the building. I hope that in the future they can expand it.
 
Frankie_number_1_fan said:
I've been going to the Columbus Zoo since before I can remember, and I have hated the Aquarium for years. The zoo genuinely has zero room to call themselves "The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium" when they have a singular large fishtank and a few smaller tanks inside the building. I hope that in the future they can expand it.
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I mean… manatees.
 
Frankie_number_1_fan said:
I've been going to the Columbus Zoo since before I can remember, and I have hated the Aquarium for years. The zoo genuinely has zero room to call themselves "The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium" when they have a singular large fishtank and a few smaller tanks inside the building. I hope that in the future they can expand it.
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I always thought the aquarium was quite small.
 
Frankie_number_1_fan said:
Agreed. The size and theming is absoloutly gorgeous and is favorite of mine. I meant the aquarium building next door.
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The aquarium always felt odd and compared to omaha’s or toledo’s the aquarium is not in comparison. The manatee exhibit is the best one have seen. With the view of salt water in mind it is very unique compared to cincinnati’s and DWA.
 
USZOOfan42 said:
The aquarium always felt odd and compared to omaha’s or toledo’s the aquarium is not in comparison. The manatee exhibit is the best one have seen. With the view of salt water in mind it is very unique compared to cincinnati’s and DWA.
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The Aquarium is so bad that even the employees call the zoo "The Columbus Zoo and Fishtank" to poke fun. Columbus has claimed that they "don't have the space" to expand the aquarium for years, and yet they put a mediocre play area in very easily usable space.
 
I was under the idea it was called the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium because they had aquatic animals in multiple buildings, that the “aquarium” in the title didn’t refer to a single building.
 
evilmonkey239 said:
I was under the idea it was called the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium because they had aquatic animals in multiple buildings, that the “aquarium” in the title didn’t refer to a single building.
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All zoos that have the “aquarium” title seem to have a separate building for aquatics but oddly zoos like John ball and Brookfield don’t have the title.
 
Astrotom3000 said:
ZooTampa's Main Avairy; ZooTampa itself is a hodgepodge of disappointment exhibits, but for me, the one that sticks out the most is the Main Aviary. This large exhibit towers over the main plaza, and it looked impressive. I was very eager to check it out. But once inside, I was sorely disappointed by the lackluster path layout, the large ugly wooden structure at the very center seemingly left to rot, and the exhibit itself feeling very underpopulated. Compared to the excellent walk-through aviaries I experienced that same week, including those at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida Aquarium, and Jacksonville, I was very underwhelmed by what ZooTampa had to offer.
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You really nailed that aviary, correctly. It used to be so nice, the wonderful observation deck, the path used to go the opposite way, and they used to have so many more birds, and genuine rarities in the side aviaries. At one time it had royal antelope, bats, tamarins, and iguanas free roaming too. It is a shadow of its former self.
 
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