I've visited tropical rainforest buildings in American zoos such as Bronx, Brookfield, Buffalo, Central Park, Cleveland, Denver, Fort Wayne, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisville, Mesker Park, Minnesota, National Zoo, North Carolina, Omaha, Rio Grande, Roger Williams, Sedgwick County, Tulsa and Woodland Park, although some of those are either not around these days or are not really true 'jungles' in any sense of the word.
I posted this on ZooChat in 2016:
Bronx – JungleWorld (opened in 1985) now has a separate entrance fee, which is a major flaw, but this excellent recreation of an Asian rainforest is still one of the best around after around 30 years of operation. There are 3 separate environments that visitors are immersed in, and the zoo chose to showcase one continental area (Asia) really well rather than multiple continental areas haphazardly.
Brookfield – this massive structure opened in stages in the early 1980’s and with African, Asian and South American zones there is an excellent variation of species (particularly primates) on display. At the time it was probably magnificent but the decades have not been kind to it and now there is the sense that the football-field-sized interior is outdated and due for an overhaul. The sheer “fakeness” of the surroundings overwhelms even cursory zoo fans, and the gorilla and orangutan exhibits with zero outdoor areas are extremely poorly regarded these days.
Buffalo – a relatively new complex that is 18,000 sq. ft. in size and opened in 2008. An extremely pleasant environment containing modern exhibitry showcasing South American animals, and there is a great overview of the rainforest from a high observation deck.
Central Park – a two-level rainforest with smaller side exhibits but many free-roaming animals, and overall it is a decent recreation of a jungle atmosphere in the middle of New York City.
Cleveland – this absolutely enormous building, 85,000 sq. ft. in size and with reportedly 2 acres of floor space, features animals from Asia and South America and opened in 1992. Two large levels are expansive and the majority of the exhibits are top-notch, particularly the large gharial/turtle pool and the numerous reptile habitats. The major downside is an all-indoor orangutan exhibit that is subpar for such an intelligent species.
Denver – Tropical Discovery opened in 1993 and while there are only 10 major exhibits (including at one time the largest indoor Komodo dragon habitat in the world) everything is well done and the idea of mini-biomes from around the planet is modern and informative.
Fort Wayne – the Jungle Dome contains an excellent walk-through aviary that is lush and thick with vegetation, and it technically could qualify as a rainforest building due to the presence of an all-indoor orangutan exhibit. Unfortunately that enclosure is dire, dim and badly in need of a swift overhaul.
Jacksonville – not a true rainforest building but the Mayan Temple area in Range of the Jaguar includes numerous indoor exhibits in a ruined temple-themed zone. The highlights of this area are the outdoor habitats for jaguars, capybaras, tapirs and a large walk-through aviary.
Kansas City – the Tropics building is more than a century old but features a new, modern, innovative area (gibbons and otters in the same exhibit and having overhead and below ground passageways) but ultimately average due to the fact that there are only 5 exhibits and there is not really any attempt at immersion.
Louisville – again not a true rainforest building but the Islands Pavilion has a walk-through aviary, numerous animal exhibits and serves as the backdrop for the Asian rotational habitats of 5 major mammals species.
Mesker Park – a 10,000 sq. ft. structure that opened in 2008 and it is easily the newest, biggest and best part of an otherwise nondescript zoo. Amazonia: Forest of Riches is top-notch in almost all compartments, it uses modern exhibitry methods, and the focus on South American animals is impressive and thus the limits of this mid-sized zoo were not stretched during construction.
Minnesota – a 1.5 acre Tropics Trail building featuring animals from Africa, Asia and South America, as well as an excellent coral reef habitat. The scope of the building is impressive, particularly for Minnesotans keen to escape the winter blues in the northern city, but the size of the exhibits for many of the larger animals leaves a little to be desired. Much improved in recent years due to the switching of certain species and the opening of the permanent African area.
National – Amazonia is 15,000 sq. ft. in size and very well done as it focuses on South American animals, opened in 1992 and is two levels. The lack of large popular mammals is its downfall and also its greatest asset as the focus is on accomplishing one thing and doing that with expertise.
North Carolina – the African Pavilion used to be teeming with all sorts of rare animal species, but these days it is animal-free and the empty exhibits have been left standing and are somewhat eerily packed with dense undergrowth as the zoo has allowed the plant life to reign supreme. Now closed.
Omaha – the Lied Jungle opened in 1992 and is considered by many to be the premier rainforest building in North America. The dirt pathway on the lower level adds to the thrill, but the downside is that several of the enclosures for larger animals are definitely too small.
Rio Grande – this tropical American building features a series of well-designed visitor pathways, but many of the animal exhibits are simply average at best.
Roger Williams Park – borderline terrible building that is small, poorly designed and full of wires and ventilation pipes that remain unhidden and disconcerting to visitors. This Tropical American complex is tiny and only worth seeing for the decent, outdoor giant anteater exhibit.
Sedgwick County – this building opened in 1977 and its half-acre area holds up well 40 years later. Age has added to the aroma of the thick vegetation, and the dirt pathway and muddy signs actually create an effective immersive experience that makes this one of the better rainforest complexes in existence.
Tulsa – a showcasing of Central and South American animals in a vast building is the best complex at an otherwise disappointing zoo. The idea to focus on one continental area adds to the richness of the exhibitry.
Woodland Park – this tropical rainforest building opened in 1992 and it is smaller than many other American behemoths, but it features a decent set of indoor exhibits for South American animals. The real gems are the outdoor areas: 2 trend-setting gorilla habitats, Jaguar Cove, colobus monkeys, red-flanked duikers and red ruffed lemurs.
Then in 2019 I spent the summer touring 95 European zoos and I posted this on ZooChat:
11 zoos with Tropical Houses (only including those buildings of a substantial size): Pakawi Park (Olmen, BE), Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE), Mondo Verde (Landgraaf, NL), Cologne Zoo (Cologne, DE), Dortmund Zoo (Dortmund, DE), ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Gelsenkirchen, DE), Krefeld Zoo (Krefeld, DE), Burgers' Zoo (Arnhem, NL), Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Walsrode, DE), Allwetterzoo Munster (Munster, DE) and Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Emmen, NL).
3 best Tropical Houses: Burgers' Zoo (Arnhem, NL) and Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Emmen, NL) are the two stand-out Tropical Houses that I saw on the trip and they are just about the two largest in all of Europe. (Zurich and Leipzig would perhaps round out a ‘Top 4’ list). It’s difficult to make a third selection, but I’ll go with Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE) for the inclusion of Sulawesi Bear Cuscus, Bulwer’s Pheasant, St. Lucia Amazon Parrot, St. Vincent Parrot and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock in its decent Tropical House.
Finally, here are the 'Big 5' tropical houses in Europe in terms of size:
Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen's Jungola - 18,000 square metres (23 metres high)
Leipzig Zoo's Gondwanaland - 16,500 square metres (34 metres high)
Burgers' Zoo's Bush - 15,000 square metres (20 metres high)
Zurich Zoo's Masoala - 11,000 square metres (30 metres high)
Beauval Zoo's Tropical Dome - 8,000 square metres (38 metres high)
In regards to North American zoos, Omaha's Lied Jungle is often quoted as having 123,000 square feet of floor space and that equates to approximately 11,400 square metres. The height of that indoor jungle is 24 metres, which was staggering when it opened in 1992 but has obviously been surpassed by some zoos on the list above.
