since we have a favourite exhibit why not have a worst exhibit thread. Off course worst doesnt techinchally mean bad. I cant really think about one the moment though come to mind Dublins Gorilla cage was rather bad but that was a few years back so things may have changed.
Worst Exhibit
- Thread starter ZooMania
- Start date
I've already nominated a 'Worst exhibit' in the favourite exhibits thread. Its 'Monkey Heights' at Paignton Zoo. Its not so much a 'worst exhibit' really as its very modern, but I do feel it was a very bad design for Monkeys. See Favourite. exhibits thread if you want the full description...
Dublin's Gorilla cage does look very poor from photos- though I've never actually seen it. I think its unchanged from a few years ago. I also thought Edinburgh's Ape/Gorilla House was not very pleasing- the dark gloomy interior cages you looked down into, and the outsides difficult to view closely because of a wall and ditch. (Its always good if you can linger by leaning on a wall or railing while viewing animals, I think.)
Writhedhornbill
Well-Known Member
The old enguin pool, although being an architectural masterpiece was awful. The problem with London as a whole is that they can never tear down any of their unsuitable exhibits, as they are all listed buildings.
My first visit to a zoo as a child was to Dudley, then my local zoo, about 20 years ago. I remember being depressed watching the polar bears pacing in their horrible concrete pit, and the gorillas begging (successfully) for food from the visitors in another ugly concrete exhibit. I haven't been back there since, but of course the bear pits have long since gone.
I think any exhibit where the animal clearly shows signs of stress or boredom is a bad exhibit. I have seen such behaviour with the leopards at Cotswold WP, the elephants and polar bear at Prague Zoo and very recently with the ratel and leopard (again) at Edinburgh. In fact, I really hated that row of small sloping enclosures at Edinburgh which house medium/large carnivores (ratel, wolverine, jaguar and leopard). They look at least 20 years out of date. I have even seen one of the elephants at Chester exhibit stereotypical head swaying behaviour. This could well have been the female that was recently introduced to the herd, but even so the paddock there is not exactly huge for a herd of 10.
I agree with one of the earlier posts regarding the gibbon, spider monkey and snow leopard enclosures at Colwyn Bay - all are too small and too cage-like. The gibbons have a long tunnel-like cage which is similar to the Twycross gibbon enclosures (and that's another depressing exhibit, not helped by the proliferation of children's toys which litter the floor). Compare and contrast with the amount of space and height that Chester's and Edinburgh's gibbons get.
I haven't been there for many years but Cricket St. Thomas struck me as a fairly grim place. The leopard enclosure was way too small, and the elephants had a horrible concrete yard on which they were made to perform tricks to entertain visitors. However they do have a very successful breeding record with the leopards, and fortunately the elephants have moved to other collections.
I think any exhibit where the animal clearly shows signs of stress or boredom is a bad exhibit. I have seen such behaviour with the leopards at Cotswold WP, the elephants and polar bear at Prague Zoo and very recently with the ratel and leopard (again) at Edinburgh. In fact, I really hated that row of small sloping enclosures at Edinburgh which house medium/large carnivores (ratel, wolverine, jaguar and leopard). They look at least 20 years out of date. I have even seen one of the elephants at Chester exhibit stereotypical head swaying behaviour. This could well have been the female that was recently introduced to the herd, but even so the paddock there is not exactly huge for a herd of 10.
I agree with one of the earlier posts regarding the gibbon, spider monkey and snow leopard enclosures at Colwyn Bay - all are too small and too cage-like. The gibbons have a long tunnel-like cage which is similar to the Twycross gibbon enclosures (and that's another depressing exhibit, not helped by the proliferation of children's toys which litter the floor). Compare and contrast with the amount of space and height that Chester's and Edinburgh's gibbons get.
I haven't been there for many years but Cricket St. Thomas struck me as a fairly grim place. The leopard enclosure was way too small, and the elephants had a horrible concrete yard on which they were made to perform tricks to entertain visitors. However they do have a very successful breeding record with the leopards, and fortunately the elephants have moved to other collections.
Writhedhornbill
Well-Known Member
The elephants that show sterotypical behaviour at Chester ( Thi Hi Way and Birma) were both born at a logging camp.
from the out view of their website Cricket St Thomas does look like a realy nice looking place. The Welsh Mountain Zoo is improving however the new enclsoures are onl really a small improvent. I know the place is closed now but Glasgow did have some truly horrible conditions.
Also Paris Zoo's Hippos and Pygmy Hippos enclosure were dreadfuly small. A very little known zoo called The Animalaium at Borth was a really dipressing of a place aswell especially for animals such as large cats and monkeys.
Also Paris Zoo's Hippos and Pygmy Hippos enclosure were dreadfuly small. A very little known zoo called The Animalaium at Borth was a really dipressing of a place aswell especially for animals such as large cats and monkeys.
Sadly not, although some planting has occurred, Dudley still keeps bears in a pit. At least they are not in the old polar bear enlcosure though.
Worst exhibits, there are so many....
I think Mole Hall wildlife park's chimpanzee cage is pretty bad.
The Dudley Orang house is another, at least it's getting replaced sometime soon.
The Sulawesi macaque enclosure at Drusillas, and the crocodile pool there.
The Cats' Cloisters at Thrigby, mainly for the Clouded leopard and Golden Cats having so little height/ privacy/ cover/ potential as a breeding facility
The Aye Aye exhibit at London zoo
The Arabian Oryx, Vicugna and (until very recently) the lowland anoa enclosures at Marwell.
Also the elephant and mixed african paddocks at Colchester.
The 1960's Dudley Ape House used to house all three species; Gorilla, Orangutan and Chimpanzee. Latterly its only been used for orangutans and the dividing walls of the three outdoor enclosures have been knocked through.
They've been talking about either upgrading, or replacing this House for close on twenty five years or more, but so far to no effect. The inside areas are terribly gloomy by today's standards. I think perhaps it really will be demolished sometime soon as they have a multi-million pound major renovation scheme planned for the zoo..
I'm afraid Dudley has always struck me as a very depressing zoo, even on a fine day...
I've never seen it in the light, (I guess the darkness may do it some favours) but I didn't think it was that bad. Maybe a little small, but otherwise fitting the purpose.
When thinking of worst exhibits its probably a little unfair to talk about old exhibits as zoos probably realise they are inadequate and with any luck intend to replace them. The shocking thing is how many bad new exhibits there are!
Thinking of bad new exhibits I'd say that Zona Brazil's tapir and capybara/enclosure at Bristol Zoo is really fairly poor. Also, the Indian Rhino exhibit at Edinburgh Zoo really leaves a lot to be desired.
paris zoo's macaw enclosure definitely the worst european zoo enclosure ive ever ever come across in my european travels.....that was only in 2005. quite shocking to see a zoo in one of the worlds greatest capital cities keeping gorgeous birds in conditions like that...but overall paris zoo, whilst run down, at least gave the majority of its animals space, natural conditons and i must say the animals were all otherwise well
I would certainly second that. They seem to have a unique style of design I've seen nowhere else- lots of blocks of cages for the monkeys and ugly brick buildings and unimaginative outdoor enclosures for the Apes....
.I've not seen there apehouse, but I've been on Flickr looking for photos of Rostock and I have to say the polar bear enclosure looks pretty awful too.
I'll second grant's comments on Twycross's Ape buildings too, I've seen them first hand, and the 'brand new' gorilla house built in 2003 seemed 30 years old when it opened.
this was the vineeces zoo wasnt it. on my visit this summer the only macaw i saw was a blue and gold macaw in a cage with a budgie and a cockatoo. they were near a garden area and were not too far away from the monkeys.
A duirnal lemur species of equivalent size would never be kept in that sort of space. Granted, they are a delicate species, but again diurnal lemurs, some equally rare, are given access to fresh air and living vegetation in zoos as a matter of course. A similar thing happens with douracoulis, kept completely indoors in small exhibits compared to say, Callitrichids. Also, the acoustics of the public area, and the opening and closing of the doors at each end just gives me the impression that there is a great deal of disturbance for these animals as visitors traipse through (given that the male is a very nervous animal anyway).