What the fake!
- Thread starter Benosaurus
- Start date
What is it: Goat.
Where is it: Central Park Zoo, USA
Which enclosure: Over the Fly River Turtle tank in the Tisch's children's zoo
What year: 2018
Score: 1.5 out of 5
Fake Goat | ZooChat
Where is it: Central Park Zoo, USA
Which enclosure: Over the Fly River Turtle tank in the Tisch's children's zoo
What year: 2018
Score: 1.5 out of 5
Fake Goat | ZooChat
What is it: Crocodile skull
Where is it: De Zonnegloed Sanctuary, Belgium
Which enclosure: ?
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Fake crocodile skull | ZooChat
Additional comments: Very good except for the teeth looking like they are fused to the jaw and being pristine white.
Where is it: De Zonnegloed Sanctuary, Belgium
Which enclosure: ?
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Fake crocodile skull | ZooChat
Additional comments: Very good except for the teeth looking like they are fused to the jaw and being pristine white.
What is it: Half a tree
Where is it: Emmen zoo, Netherlands
Which enclosure: Jungola
What year: 2016
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Jungola - Fake tree with invertebrate enclosures | ZooChat
Where is it: Emmen zoo, Netherlands
Which enclosure: Jungola
What year: 2016
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Jungola - Fake tree with invertebrate enclosures | ZooChat
What is it: Crocodile
Where is it: Dierenpark De Oliemeulen , Netherlands
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2016
Score: 5 out of 5
Escape ? | ZooChat
Additional comments: Possibly a cast of the real thing.
Where is it: Dierenpark De Oliemeulen , Netherlands
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2016
Score: 5 out of 5
Escape ? | ZooChat
Additional comments: Possibly a cast of the real thing.
What is it: Dead tree
Where is it: Chester zoo, UK
Which enclosure: Monsoon Forest, south west orang enclosure.
What year: 2015
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Monsoon Forest: south west orang enclosure | ZooChat
Where is it: Chester zoo, UK
Which enclosure: Monsoon Forest, south west orang enclosure.
What year: 2015
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Monsoon Forest: south west orang enclosure | ZooChat
What is it: Zebra carcass
Where is it: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, USA
Which enclosure: Birds of Africa (Cape Griffon vulture, hooded vulture, West African crowned crane and marabou stork)
What year: 2012
Score: 3 out of 5
Birds of Africa - Zebra Carcass | ZooChat
Where is it: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, USA
Which enclosure: Birds of Africa (Cape Griffon vulture, hooded vulture, West African crowned crane and marabou stork)
What year: 2012
Score: 3 out of 5
Birds of Africa - Zebra Carcass | ZooChat
What is it: Rocks
Where is it: Marwell zoo, UK
Which enclosure: Cheetah
What year: 2011
Score: 4 out of 5
Turkus the cheetah at Marwell Wildlife on 3rd September 2011 | ZooChat
Where is it: Marwell zoo, UK
Which enclosure: Cheetah
What year: 2011
Score: 4 out of 5
Turkus the cheetah at Marwell Wildlife on 3rd September 2011 | ZooChat
What is it: Termite mound
Where is it: Hamerton zoo park, UK
Which enclosure: Giant anteater
What year: 2011
Score: 5 out of 5
Squirrel House at Hamerton, 08/10/11 | ZooChat
Where is it: Hamerton zoo park, UK
Which enclosure: Giant anteater
What year: 2011
Score: 5 out of 5
Squirrel House at Hamerton, 08/10/11 | ZooChat
What is it: Baobab tree
Where is it: Bioparc Valencia, Spain
Which enclosure: Main savannah
What year: 2011
Score: 5 out of 5
Main Savannah at Bioparc Valencia, 28/05/11 | ZooChat
Where is it: Bioparc Valencia, Spain
Which enclosure: Main savannah
What year: 2011
Score: 5 out of 5
Main Savannah at Bioparc Valencia, 28/05/11 | ZooChat
You can also nominate whole zoos for overall worst and best executed theming.
My types:
Worst:
Hannover Zoo, Germany, especially THE geyser.
Best:
Burgers Zoo, Netherlands, especially for its Desert and Ocean.
Note: I visited Burgers desert exhibit years before I visited real Joshua Tree National Park. Only there I found that more unreal rocks in Burgers were actually exact copies of real rocks in Joshua Tree NP.
What perplexes me is that there is no objective reason why zoos continue to build fake monstrosities. Great landscaping at Burgers is older and not obviously more expensive than very fake landscaping at Hannover.
By the way, good and bad theming can include not only how realistic rocks are, but also:
-does the rock type fits the locality?
- Does cultural theming fits the culture of the locality?
- Are plants matching the locality?
- And is whole landscaping coherent (so e.g no artificial house next to the realistic termite mound, no artifical rocks with obvious, not concealed door in the middle)?
My types:
Worst:
Hannover Zoo, Germany, especially THE geyser.
Best:
Burgers Zoo, Netherlands, especially for its Desert and Ocean.
Note: I visited Burgers desert exhibit years before I visited real Joshua Tree National Park. Only there I found that more unreal rocks in Burgers were actually exact copies of real rocks in Joshua Tree NP.
What perplexes me is that there is no objective reason why zoos continue to build fake monstrosities. Great landscaping at Burgers is older and not obviously more expensive than very fake landscaping at Hannover.
By the way, good and bad theming can include not only how realistic rocks are, but also:
-does the rock type fits the locality?
- Does cultural theming fits the culture of the locality?
- Are plants matching the locality?
- And is whole landscaping coherent (so e.g no artificial house next to the realistic termite mound, no artifical rocks with obvious, not concealed door in the middle)?
Dinosaur
2.5/5
Clownfish
2/5
Those shark chairs in the corner
1/5
Evil
0/5
2.5/5
Clownfish
2/5
Those shark chairs in the corner
1/5
Evil
0/5
Yes. Several aquariums in Europe now put fake jellyfish on exhibit in place of real ones.
Do they sign them as real? I know Pairi Daiza did this but I didn't know it was a trend.
~Thylo
The ones at Pairi Daiza are not signed, they are just decor, they have real jellyfishes just a bit further on....
I wondered the same. I don't know about in real life but from the photo they looked fairly realistic.
@birdsandbats @lintworm I've seen some pretty convincing videos of robotic jellyfish in the past. Are the ones in the photo above made to move/pulsate like real jellyfish or are they just dragged around motionless by the current in the tank?
What is it: Mock rock
Where is it: Burgers' zoo, Netherlands
Which enclosure: Desert house
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Rock valley pathway in the Desert (Sep 16th, 2018) | ZooChat
Where is it: Burgers' zoo, Netherlands
Which enclosure: Desert house
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Rock valley pathway in the Desert (Sep 16th, 2018) | ZooChat
What is it: Titan arum
Where is it: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Model Titan Arum - Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum | ZooChat
Where is it: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2018
Score: 4 out of 5
Model Titan Arum - Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum | ZooChat
What is it: Saber-toothed cat head
Where is it: State Darwin museum, Russia
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2017
Score: 1.5 out of 5
Saber-toothed cat model | ZooChat
Where is it: State Darwin museum, Russia
Which enclosure: N/A
What year: 2017
Score: 1.5 out of 5
Saber-toothed cat model | ZooChat