You Can Visit Any Zoo During Any Time in History - Which do you choose?

pachyderm pro

pachyderm pro

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I feel the title is pretty self explanatory so let's keep this brief. If you pick one zoo to visit during any time in history, what one are you choosing and why? It doesn't have to be a specific year, just a general time frame when you would have liked to visit, but perhaps were never able to, or just a time from the past that you miss.

I'd have to go with the Brookfield Zoo during early 2000s. I was far too young to remember much of my home zoo during this period, and its a time before the zoo began to abandon many exhibits and the mass removal of many of the more interesting species. The baboon and ibex islands, the old reptile and bird houses, elephants and hippos in the pachyderm house, the tree kangaroos in the nocturnal hall, the aardvark house etc. I truly feel like this was a time where the zoo was in its prime. Of course, the bear grottos still existed, as did some other less than ideal exhibits like the elephants, but seeing them in use again would rewaken some serious nostalgia. It would have been great to see how Tropic World was back then, back when it was plentiful and packed with species. Seeing some of Brookfield's formerly iconic species like elephants, hippos, walruses, baboons, ibex, Congo buffalo, even the raccoons in the old children's zoo which for whatever reason were always a favorite, would be incredible. What I wouldn't do to go back and see the zoo during this period.

But hey, thats just me...
 
I'd go to SDZ back when Horn and Hoof Mesa was still there, I would love to see all those ungulates! Also, I'd go to SDZSP back when the monorail was still operating, I would really like to see all those Asian ungulates that cannot be seen now without an extra fee.
 
Animals R AMAZING! said:
I'd go to SDZ back when Horn and Hoof Mesa was still there, I would love to see all those ungulates! Also, I'd go to SDZSP back when the monorail was still operating, I would really like to see all those Asian ungulates that cannot be seen now without an extra fee.
Click to expand...
Both San Diego parks pre 2000’s have to be my answer. I mean Mongolian wolves, Eurasian lynx, asiatic Lion, wisent, Saiga, and so much more. Such a win. SeaWorld 1970-1990 would also be very interesting to still se the theater of the sea, opening day shark reef and manatee areas, and everything else early SeaWorld offered.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Both San Diego parks pre 2000’s have to be my answer. I mean Mongolian wolves, Eurasian lynx, asiatic Lion, wisent, Saiga, and so much more. Such a win. SeaWorld 1970-1990 would also be very interesting to still se the theater of the sea, opening day shark reef and manatee areas, and everything else early SeaWorld offered.
Click to expand...
Didn't Seaworld also keep a grey whale in the 90s?
 
Maybe in Paris (Jardin des Plantes and Zoo de Vincennes) in the 1950-60's.
To see this part of history of both zoos (poorly known, especially for the Jardin des Plantes ; there are very few images, shhootings or testimonies from this time), and species that are now very rare in zoos (at least in France or Europe).
 
I choose for Zoo Antwerp in the 70's, 80's en 90's because I think the zoo was at its peak then (not the quality of the enclosures, but animal collection). In 1987 the Zoo had giant panda's,and in that 30 years they had some rare animals like elephant seals, baikal seals, mountain gorillas and eastern lowlandgorillas (as well as the well-known western lowland gorilla Gust), pygmy hippo's (not rare but but they are 1 of my favorite animals, and 1 of my favorite animals in my favorite zoo is just amazing;)), ass well the Monkey House closed in 1978, which has now been replaced by the Small-ape building (building for animals like colobuses, mandrills, ...)
 
Haliaeetus said:
Maybe in Paris (Jardin des Plantes and Zoo de Vincennes) in the 1950-60's.
To see this part of history of both zoos (poorly known, especially for the Jardin des Plantes ; there are very few images, shhootings or testimonies from this time), and species that are now very rare in zoos (at least in France or Europe).
Click to expand...
I would like to be able to visit Vincennes Zoo in the late 1930s to see the type specimen of kouprey. It would also be interesting to see the (sadly very short-lived) indri that were briefly held in the Jardin des Plantes Menagerie in 1939.
Tiger said:
I choose for Zoo Antwerp in the 70's, 80's en 90's because I think the zoo was at its peak then (not the quality of the enclosures, but animal collection)
Click to expand...
I would like to have been able to have visited Antwerp Zoo a little earlier so I could have seen the African manatees. Re the rare animals in Antwerp; the northern white rhinoceros "Chloe" was still there in the 1980s; I saw her several times.
 
Dallas Zoo before the monorail was closed.
Dallas Zoo before the Australian area was closed.
The Aquarium at Fair Park.
Tenochtitlan zoo.
Hierakonpolis zoo.
Any zoo that had extinct animals.
 
Animals R AMAZING! said:
I'd go to SDZ back when Horn and Hoof Mesa was still there, I would love to see all those ungulates! Also, I'd go to SDZSP back when the monorail was still operating, I would really like to see all those Asian ungulates that cannot be seen now without an extra fee.
Click to expand...
That would be my choice as well. I would also have loved to have seen the passenger pigeons and Carolina parakeets in the Cincinatti Zoo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top