Your five favourite UK Zoos and Why?

Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
1. Jersey zoo (Gerald Durrell and his legacy, their commitment / ethos to ex-situ and in-situ conservation and overall excellence, the species kept are very interesting).
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Jersey zoo is undeniably in a class of its own. Unfortunately its isolated location means its frequently off the radar, even for zoo enthusiasts. I have not visited for many years now, probably the main reason it doesn't feature in my Top 5.
 
snowleopard said:
Updated List of 47 Zoos (including all changes and additions during the past week)

Chester - 29
Whipsnade - 16
London - 15
Cotswold - 12
Colchester - 11
Bristol - 10
Paignton - 10
Dudley - 8
Edinburgh - 6
Yorkshire Wildlife Park - 6
Durrell - 5 (although technically not in the U.K.)
Highland Wildlife Park - 5
Howletts - 5
Twycross - 5
Blackpool - 4
Marwell - 4
Paradise Park - 4
Port Lympne - 4
Knowsley - 3
Monkey World - 3
Welsh Mountain - 3
Africa Alive! - 2
Birdland - 2
Exmoor - 2
Hamerton - 2
RSCC - 2
Axe Valley - 1
Banham - 1
Birmingham Nature Centre - 1
Broxbourne - 1
Curraghs - 1 (although technically not in the U.K.)
5 Sisters - 1
Flamingo Land - 1
Hagley Falconry Centre - 1
Kilverstone - 1 (now closed)
Kirkley Hall - 1
Lakeland Wildlife Oasis - 1
Living Coasts - 1
Longleat - 1
Newquay - 1
Sewerby - 1
Slimbridge - 1
South Lakes - 1
Southport - 1 (now closed)
Wildlife Heritage Foundation - 1
Wild Wood - 1
Wingham Wildlife Park - 1

Addendum:

- Chester is by far and away the favourite (almost double the next contender)
- Even though the well-travelled American ZooChatter "Arizona Docent" recently called London a "lousy outdated zoo" it still remains the 3rd favourite zoo in the U.K. (maybe due to its history?)
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park has become a rather popular zoo
- Variety is the spice of life with 47 zoos represented
- Have any of you visited every zoo on the list?
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I have visited 22 of these, but few recently!
 
Pertinax said:
Jersey zoo is undeniably in a class of its own. Unfortunately its isolated location means its frequently off the radar, even for zoo enthusiasts. I have not visited for many years now, probably the main reason it doesn't feature in my Top 5.
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In my opinion it is the best zoo in the world but even though I hold it in such regard I haven't yet been there to see it myself.

I read many of Durrell's books and quite a few of my colleagues and mentors here in Brazil and in Mexico have been there and studied at the DESMAN course and have gone on to do brilliant things for species conservation and I've met former keepers from Jersey.

I definitely want to pay a visit there one day and see the zoo for myself if the opportunity presents itself.
 
My lost would be.

1. Exmoor Zoo. Great mix of unusual and generic zoo animals with a family run relaxed atmosphere.
2. Bristol. For me the highlight would be the twilight area, plus the tree kangaroo. Although I do miss the okapi when here now.
3. Jersey. Enjoy the rarity of some of the animals, each time I've been there's been something that draws me in.
4. Newquay. The developments have been done so well in my opinion and the tropical house and nocturnal area are always interesting.
5. Shaldon. Has been top of my lost for years however recent changes have caused a big slip. But there's a connection to the animals you gain from shaldon where you can get up close unlike other collections.
 
I used to volunteer here both with the animals and in the gift shop. However I stopped because it stopped being enjoyable when long standing animals were moved (if it was for breeding purposes it would be fine but it wasn't) the enclosures some animals were held in changed and the pros and cons for this weren't balanced. Some of the species held although are valuable breeding wize didn't make sence for the zoo and changes to the staffing changed and became uncomfortable to work with.

So it's more personal opinion really. But it does provide a great conservation role and at one point was in the top 5 UK zoos for primate conservation due to the genitic value of its animals. But this has long changed.
 
Sausagefingers said:
I used to volunteer here both with the animals and in the gift shop. However I stopped because it stopped being enjoyable when long standing animals were moved (if it was for breeding purposes it would be fine but it wasn't) the enclosures some animals were held in changed and the pros and cons for this weren't balanced. Some of the species held although are valuable breeding wize didn't make sence for the zoo and changes to the staffing changed and became uncomfortable to work with.

So it's more personal opinion really. But it does provide a great conservation role and at one point was in the top 5 UK zoos for primate conservation due to the genitic value of its animals. But this has long changed.
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Ah I see, well I can't comment on the internal issues of the zoo as I've personally never been there but it is interesting to hear your opinion on it as someone who saw these changes.

What I can say is that Shaldon zoo has done a lot for in-situ primate conservation here in Brazil and I do feel very grateful for their contributions in this regard.
 
Doris thr slow loris was moved to another collection when what was though to be a male but was actually a female was moved in from monkey world. The female gentle lemur Rosie was moved to Paignton after the male passed. The black and white ruffled lemurs were replaced by red fronted lemurs (Paignton has them and are 15 minutes away) black tailed marmosets and buffy tuffed ear marmosets left the collection and as these were generously moved to site from other collections after the large robbery of primates it seemed unfair to remove these from the collection.
The red ruff lemurs were ment to be a very important trio for breeding for the stud book thses we're moved from a large enclosure to a smaller one.
The addition of the bettong with the removal of the potoroo although far more endangered the potoroo were a big character.
The black cheek love birds moving from the large aviary to the small ex swinhoe squirrel enclosures.
The white faced saki move to monkey world was sad too, as they were the favourite of one of the keepers who sadly passed away.

All this may seem petty but at such a small site where a large amount of the people involved are voluntary there are big connections and bonds felt and it seem like the site had moved away from this.
 
Sausagefingers said:
Doris thr slow loris was moved to another collection when what was though to be a male but was actually a female was moved in from monkey world. The female gentle lemur Rosie was moved to Paignton after the male passed. The black and white ruffled lemurs were replaced by red fronted lemurs (Paignton has them and are 15 minutes away) black tailed marmosets and buffy tuffed ear marmosets left the collection and as these were generously moved to site from other collections after the large robbery of primates it seemed unfair to remove these from the collection.
The red ruff lemurs were ment to be a very important trio for breeding for the stud book thses we're moved from a large enclosure to a smaller one.
The addition of the bettong with the removal of the potoroo although far more endangered the potoroo were a big character.
The black cheek love birds moving from the large aviary to the small ex swinhoe squirrel enclosures.
The white faced saki move to monkey world was sad too, as they were the favourite of one of the keepers who sadly passed away.

All this may seem petty but at such a small site where a large amount of the people involved are voluntary there are big connections and bonds felt and it seem like the site had moved away from this.
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Yes, I can imagine that the dynamic may have changed and this probably changed long term volunteers perceptions.

Honestly, I think that perhaps one of the biggest challenges at such a small zoo like Shaldon is ensuring that the limited space available is used wisely. As I've never been there I have no idea if this is the case but I would imagine that management do the best that they can under the circumstances (of course they probably make mistakes too, they are only human afterall).

Perhaps the enclosures of the monkey species that you mention having been moved may be replaced / re-purposed with / for far more endangered callitrichid species either new to the zoo or already kept ?

I can understand that people feel a bond with an animal and find it upsetting when it is moved but as you've mentioned the brush tailed bettong is a critically endangered species and I can definitely see why this would be prioritized at the zoo over the long nosed potoroo.
 
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The buffy tufted marmoset is currently only in captivity within Brazil, but I think she may have meant Callithrix pencillata or have got confused because our project for the species here in Brazil does have some close links with Shaldon.
 
I believe so, from the small group brought back in 1990 with the last of that group passing just a couple of years ago. He sadly didn't last long once they arrived in shaldon probably 2012/3 and I believe he did not sire any young.
 
The recent bump to this post got me thinking about the changes to my rankings in the last five years. Though I didn’t post on this (not even sure if I was a member) back in 2015, I still know exactly what my top five would have been, even if by that point I’d not visited anywhere near as many zoos as I have now. In no particular order and from a 2015 perspective:


1. Bristol Zoo. My home zoo, the one I have the most experience with, and the only one I’ve contributed to in any significant way. Gets basically a free pass even if one of my favourite buildings (the aquarium) wasn’t as good in 2015 as it was 4-5 years previously. Big points for Bug World, the reptile house, Twilight World and the bird collection, as well as the superb gardens and planting.

2. London Zoo. The best aquarium in a zoo in the UK puts this right up, along with some gorgeous architecture and animal houses. The reptile house is excellent, as is the main bird house and ‘rainforest’ house (plus nocturnal section), and a very nice collection of birds and mammals of a wide variety of species adds balance.

3. Slimbridge WWT. Another with a very personal connection which earns it points (because what are lists if not personally subjective?). Commitment to local and global conservation is superb, the research they put out is massively influential and the grounds are a pleasure to wander around.

4. Chester Zoo. The zoo I loath to love. I hate the crass commercialisation and the colossal waste of money on imperialistic set dressing for Islands [note, I had previously visited Chester in 2014, and was keeping up to date with Islands’ opening, though it wouldn’t be until 2016 that I visited], and yet it’s such a wonderfully balanced zoo to visit from all of the main criteria I have for zoo visits, highlights including the tropical house, aquarium, Europe aviary, and carnivorous plant collection, that I just can’t not have it in the top 5.

5. Paignton Zoo. When I visited this for the first time since the 90s in 2014 I was just blown away. Crocodile swamps, the desert house, the parrot cages and cottage aviary, the avian breeding centre and the gardens were some of the best parts of any zoo in the UK and it stole my heart within about 30 minutes thanks to the superb collection of exhibits to the left of the entrance. The collection was balanced-ish and I had really high hopes for this continuing to grow to keep itself as one of the best zoos in the country.


Five years on and a lot has changed. I’ve visited far more zoos both in the UK and abroad and feel I have a better handle on what I enjoy from a zoo, even if my active involvement with them has waned somewhat. I’m also going to pretend that a certain pandemic isn’t happening because that’s a wildcard no-one needs right now…


1. Bristol Zoo. Now relying very heavily on that personal connection. If it wasn’t for that then even the (ex-)Wallace Aviary, BugWorld and aquarium couldn’t save it from being taken off the list. However, the decimation of the bird collection which took place is now finally being repaired and the newer ideas for the collection might be the boost it needs. With Wild Place beginning to stand on its own two feet without the financial support of Bristol (which has been essentially a loss-leader for years now) I’m hopeful that Bristol will start to capitalise on the areas that make it great and to change things for the better. Cautiously optimistic from the slump I felt it was in from 2017-2019.

2. Slimbridge WWT. Very little has changed at Slimbridge (despite the sad closure of the tropical house) and what always made it great has stayed largely the same, despite the loss of a couple of species, and the lower number of wintering geese. The Slimbridge 2020 reforms however are very welcome, and I’m excited to see the Living Wetland Theatre when it opens next year.

3. Chester Zoo. Damn it, Islands was great fun. Yes I hated the set dressing as much as I thought I would do, the fake plants in Monsoon Forest really were a bit silly, and the overtheming of the smaller tanks in Monsoon was so anti-visitor it was almost funny, but this was still an excellent addition to an already great zoo. Once Monsoon is back open I really need to schedule in another visit before the aquarium and tropical hall are closed down…

4. Cotswold Wildlife Park. The most British of British zoos. The gardens are simply stunning, and the effort to combine these with the animal enclosures needs to be applauded. It’s a near-complete experience (needs more fish…), even if there are a few rough edges here and there. The collection is well balanced between big public draws and weird stuff for us, and despite some very disjunct areas the whole place comes across as distinctly cohesive.

5. Newquay Zoo. A total dorky paradise which takes over from Paignton as my favourite zoo in the far south west. Generally excellent enclosures, plenty of crowd favourites balanced with obscure species and a surprisingly strong role in aviculture in the UK allow this to sneak into my top 5. It’s simply a fun zoo to visit.

London losing the aquarium immediately killed my interest sadly. Land of the Lions was terrible and although a waste of money I could overlook it because I really wasn’t interested in that area anyway, but other developments don’t seem to have been too interesting, and it’s fallen well off my radar. Paignton has had an incredibly difficult time, and I’ll keep extolling its virtues, but it just isn’t the zoo it was. If only the kiwi could move to Newquay…

International Centre for Birds of Prey and the Hawk Conservancy are brilliant visits, though neither has really changed in five years. Hamerton and Wild Place are my two bets for the future – the former for a total collectors paradise (it even includes a great fish section!) which I’m hoping will grow into itself (recent enclosures are a big step up from previous), though I wish the conservation side of things was higher on the agenda. Wild Place is growing nicely but having not been for a good few years I’m a bit behind – Bear Woods certainly looks excellent, and another exhibit of similar quality would probably put it up there. Whipsnade has always interested me just outside of a top 5 (though it might have been when I first visited it in 2012), and the aquarium opening might balance out some of the loss of hoofstock for me when I come to eventually visit again.
 
Sausagefingers said:
Doris thr slow loris was moved to another collection when what was though to be a male but was actually a female was moved in from monkey world. The female gentle lemur Rosie was moved to Paignton after the male passed. The black and white ruffled lemurs were replaced by red fronted lemurs (Paignton has them and are 15 minutes away) black tailed marmosets and buffy tuffed ear marmosets left the collection and as these were generously moved to site from other collections after the large robbery of primates it seemed unfair to remove these from the collection.
The red ruff lemurs were ment to be a very important trio for breeding for the stud book thses we're moved from a large enclosure to a smaller one.
The addition of the bettong with the removal of the potoroo although far more endangered the potoroo were a big character.
The black cheek love birds moving from the large aviary to the small ex swinhoe squirrel enclosures.
The white faced saki move to monkey world was sad too, as they were the favourite of one of the keepers who sadly passed away.

All this may seem petty but at such a small site where a large amount of the people involved are voluntary there are big connections and bonds felt and it seem like the site had moved away from this.
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Pretty much all of these sound like they were done for very sensible reasons... most of these moves sound as though they were intended for captive breeding purposes even though you say they weren't?

~Thylo
 
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