World's Largest Zoo?

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I read on Wikipedia that Tierpark Berlin is 160 hectares in size (about 400 acres) and is apparently the largest zoological park in Europe. I'm intrigued as to which zoo is the largest in the world in terms of actual developed space, as there are two in the United States that are massive in comparison to many others. Are there other enormous zoos that are even larger?

1- Disney's Animal Kingdom is 500 acres in size, and it is the largest Disney theme park in the world. However, it could be argued that while it is definitely a zoo it is also "nahtazu" in the historical sense of the word.

2- The North Carolina Zoo also has 500 developed acres, but with the recent purchase of 322 acres that mammoth zoo now owns over 2,000 acres of land! There are only two sections (North America and Africa) but recent press releases have been made declaring that the zoo is considering adding an Asian zone:

Could North Carolina Zoo Get Asian Exhibit Area? | digtriad.com | Triad, NC | Local

Here is a 2-minute video on the recent surge in attendance over Easter:

Zoo Expands, Sets Attendance Record - WGHP

Other candidates? Open range zoos seem likely to be amongst the largest of their kind, and Monarto Zoo in South Australia is easily over 1,000 hectares and possibly up to 3,000 acres in size. However much of that land is still not developed.
 
The discussion on this thread should be interesting to follow.

A zoo's location should always be kept in mind when judging its past, present and future exhibits. I was annoyed when someone on Zoochat condemned London Zoo's new gorilla exhibit because in his view it was crap in comparison with the one at DAK. Not only is the financial ability different (Disney can and does spend money like it is water, which few if any other zoos can allow themselves) London Zoo is also city-locked while Disney has unlimited area at their disposal on the outskirts of Orlando/regional Florida. You must play with what you've got, and if you don't have acres and acres at your disposal, then you have to play with that.

While Berlin Tierpark is also in a city, it is a city that has gone through a lot so its planning may not be the best, and certainly not totally tourist-friendly, with all due respect. Orlando was only a sleepy regional landlocked town until Disney picked it for his second theme park (first one being in Anaheim, CA) instead of say sunny Miami in the late 1960s. Then came SeaWorld and whatever else, so Orlando has been developed around theme parks and the notion that it should be tourist friendly almost from the start. Not many cities are like that.

As to the huge North Carolina Zoo, location is their luxury, although the city of Asheboro is not far away. But it and DAK can do what probably all zoos want to, develope without much consideration of land limits.
 
Berlin TP ist the largest "landscape zoo" in the world(so they claim it) the largest European zoo would be Kolmarden zoo in Sweden.
 
How many hectares of developed area has Kolmarden?

Cabarceno claims to be the biggest (in Europe) with 750 ha.
 
The Largest Zoo in the UK & Ireland is Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and Gardens in kent @ 600 acres in total
 
Sorry, not Berlin or Disneys Animal Kingdom, but Askania Nova, Ukraine is by far the world's largest zoo.

The whole area is 33,307 ha, but much of it is nature reserve. Still, 4 x 6 km area called Bolshoy Chapelsky Pud must be the worlds largest zoo exhibit. It is inhabited by american bison, saiga, fallow and red deer, wild horse, kulan and african buffalo. In summer there are additional species released there: watussi cattle, eland, wildebeest, nilgai, zebras and gayal.

Interestingly, the place is unknown in the West, and then only for its steppe and wild animals.
 
Some of the responses are intriguing, as it is difficult to decide what is a large traditional zoo and what is a massive nature park.

Interestingly enough the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park near Seattle has a 435-acre enclosure that is home to Roosevelt elk, Rocky Mountain goats, caribou, bison, bighorn sheep, blacktailed deer, etc.
 
Baldur said:
As to the huge North Carolina Zoo, location is their luxury, although the city of Asheboro is not far away. But it and DAK can do what probably all zoos want to, develope without much consideration of land limits.
Click to expand...

The "city" of Ashboro (not to be confused with the city of Asheville) is actually a small town. The zoo's location was chosen as it was approximately equidistant from all points in the state of North Carolina, which put it smack dab in...the middle of nowhere. Until quite recently, the county in which the zoo is situated was "dry," (no sale of alcohol allowed, which gives you a clue as to how un-urban the place is). The zoo--as good as it is--has never approached a million visitors in a year, in large part because it is not in or close to a major population center.
 
Jurek7 said:
Sorry, not Berlin or Disneys Animal Kingdom, but Askania Nova, Ukraine is by far the world's largest zoo.
Click to expand...

Askania Nova was always considered the largest zoo in the world, although that's about all anyone in the west knew about it as the USSR wouldn't let foreign tourists near it (until the late 80's/early 90's)

:p

Hix
 
Might Tierpark Berlin be the largest "walkaround" zoo? I'm not overly familiar with all of the zoos mentioned here but I suspect that many involve areas which are only accessible in vehicles (be it cars, buses, trains or monorails). These feet have spent several days traipsing the hallowed hectares of Tierpark Berlin and it certainly a huge place (I seem to remember someone telling me that the footpaths add up to 25 kilometres).

Whipsnade Zoo has not been mentioned yet - 548 acres (221 hectares). Again, not all of this area is accessible on foot.
 
Toronto Zoo is 710 acres, but only about 350 is actually developed
 
It looks like it is a matter of how you are defining zoo. Do you include wildlife parks, which are almost always much larger than traditional zoos, or are you talking traditional zoos or urban zoos.

I have never heard of that place in Ukraine - sounds fascinating and must be biggest if you use a wide definition of any captive animal facility. Perhaps urban zoo (or walk-around zoo as mentioned) is a handy definition. I think (but am not positive) that Bronx Zoo claims to be the largest URBAN zoo in the U.S. - that is to say, the largest zoo located inside a major developed city, surrounded on all sides by development.

As wild areas become increasingly encroached and some small preserves need to be fenced and managed (e.g. private reserves in South Africa), the line between wildlife park (mega-zoo) and the wild will become more blurred.
 
Hmmmm - a google search indicates that Askania-Nova is now referred to as a Biosphere Reserve. It's over 11,000 ha in size and has one of the largest herds of Przewalski Horses in captivity in an enclosure that is 30km2.

At that size, you're probably stretching the definition of the word 'zoo'.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
At that size, you're probably stretching the definition of the word 'zoo'.


Hix
Click to expand...

I agree, I've never considered Askaniya-Nova to be a zoo but rather a nature preserve with some introduced exotics however this site states that

"A section of Askaniya-Nova is occupied by what can be called a zoological park, which is overgrown with giant trees, and has a lake too with elms and poplars standing around it as guards. Their reflections in the still water add a romantic touch to the scene. Among rare or even unique species of animals that you can come across in the park are deer of a species that had died out in nature but were saved from total extinction in British zoos."

Could husbandry considered a factor in defining a zoo or wildlife park? for example I wouldn't include a reserve in Africa where predators and prey live and eat and are eaten naturally as in a completely wild setting.
 
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