Your Five Favourite UK Zoos

Cotswold being in second place has me very excited for my first ever visit to the zoo next month, and it is wonderful to see Exmoor and Highland getting the praise they deserve! :)
 
snowleopard said:
In February 2017, here were the 10 most popular UK zoos:

Chester - 32 votes
London - 18
Whipsnade - 17
Cotswold - 12
Bristol - 11
Colchester - 11
Paignton - 10
Dudley - 8
Edinburgh - 7
Twycross - 7

In June 2023, here is the new list with all the votes compiled on this thread:

Chester - 22 votes
Cotswold - 14
Whipsnade - 11
Exmoor - 10
Paignton - 9
Dudley - 8
Hamerton - 8
Colchester - 7
Highland Wildlife Park - 7
London - 7

Say goodbye to Bristol, Edinburgh and Twycross.

Say hello to Exmoor, Hamerton and Highland Wildlife Park.
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These results have got me interested in visiting Exmoor and Cotswold, both are in parts of the country I've never been before, but going by Google Maps they both look quite remote so I don't know how I'd get to either (I don't have a car). Highland has been on my radar for a couple of years now, perhaps I'll arrange a visit next year.
 
Jambi said:
These results have got me interested in visiting Exmoor and Cotswold, both are in parts of the country I've never been before, but going by Google Maps they both look quite remote so I don't know how I'd get to either (I don't have a car). Highland has been on my radar for a couple of years now, perhaps I'll arrange a visit next year.
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Exmoor and Highland are doable by public transport if you plan carefully, although it's a tad tricky :) Cotswold, however, is impossible unless one has a near-suicidal desire to walk along a busy main road with no footpath and a 60mph speed limit for about 2 miles!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Exmoor and Highland are doable by public transport if you plan carefully, although it's a tad tricky :) Cotswold, however, is impossible unless one has a near-suicidal desire to walk along a busy main road with no footpath and a 60mph speed limit for about 2 miles!
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I actually did this :) but it was more than 50 years ago (not long after the zoo opened). Road traffic was rather different then - it would be bonkers to do it today :rolleyes:
 
Zoofella said:
My favourites are Chester Paignton Blackpool welsh Mountain and knosley, because they are the only one I've been in england. I hope to visit more in summer with my Chester membership.
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Have since been to twycross, Africa alive and banham. All free knock Welsh mountain from my topfive and maybe knowsley too
 
My first favourite zoo is Exmoor,obviously it's a great location and the collection is full of rarities, but the main reason is that after visiting it for the 14th time I happened to mention to my wife that if ii could afford to buy a place like this I would, she agreed. 3 years later we were lucky enough to find the perfect place that we could afford and for the last 7years we have been developing our own private zoo.Sometimes I think be careful for what you wish for
My second zoo is Dudley, it's my local and in1992 I was allowed to do the zoo Animal Management course there, everyone made me feel so welcome, the course flew by and was completed in 11 months, with a double d.I haven't visited much recently because of my commitments but we are hoping t t visit next month, dying to see the new Orang facilities
My third zoo is Cotswold wildlife park, this is the most beautiful place on my list, it's
always a wrench to to leave when it's time to go home .We have visited here 15 times
My fourth zoo is Paignton this place has many fond memories for us and every visit (12 times) has been an absolute pleasure
My fifth zoo, and I know it's not there anymore is Bristol, as12 year old in1967 I was taken there on day trip (I know the cages were too small, but I fell in love with the place) and it inspired me to know what career I wanted ,I even wrote to Bristol 4 times asking for a job before I was 16,how desperate was I
I could have added many more but these are my special ones
 
My favourites in order are Colchester, Chester, twycross, Cotswolds, whipsnade. I like the layout and displays of Colchester. I rank twycross that high only due to it housing all 4 great apes
 
I've not been to a huge amount of Zoos in this country but the ones I enjoyed the most are:
Chester Zoo- amazing amount of rare animals and great enclosures

Wild Discovery-It's very small but worth it because the Binturong, Capybara,Anteater and Sloth are amazing to see

YWP- I love the enclosure quality(Polar Bear, Lion, Hyena, Tiger) and I love the South America walk-through

Blackpool- When I first went here I hadn't seen Aardvarks,Pelicans,Gorillas and Magellenic penguin before and I managed to see all of those animals and I just really enjoyed the zoo

Northumberland Zoo-Its a lovely little zoo and it is very eco friendly and the Livingstone Fruit Bats,Baby Capybaras and Snow Leopard were amazing and the Armadillo are very cute:)
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
My favorite 5 UK Zoos and why:

1. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo - Because they have Nile Hippos.

2. West Midlands Safari Park - Because they have Nile Hippos.

3. Longleat Safari Park - Because they have Nile Hippos.

4. Flamingo Land - Because they have Nile Hippos.

5. Woburn - Because they used to have Nile Hippos and I did once see one there.

Honorable Mention: Dublin - It is not in the UK so it can't count for this list. By the way the reason for liking it is because they have Nile Hippos.
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I love Nile Hippos too
 
Jacob Blackwood said:
I've not been to a huge amount of Zoos in this country but the ones I enjoyed the most are:
Chester Zoo- amazing amount of rare animals and great enclosures

Wild Discovery-It's very small but worth it because the Binturong, Capybara,Anteater and Sloth are amazing to see

YWP- I love the enclosure quality(Polar Bear, Lion, Hyena, Tiger) and I love the South America walk-through

Blackpool- When I first went here I hadn't seen Aardvarks,Pelicans,Gorillas and Magellenic penguin before and I managed to see all of those animals and I just really enjoyed the zoo

Northumberland Zoo-Its a lovely little zoo and it is very eco friendly and the Livingstone Fruit Bats,Baby Capybaras and Snow Leopard were amazing and the Armadillo are very cute:)
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Good rating
 
1- Blackpool Zoo : Great animals, lovely enclosures. Great to go with family
2- Chester Zoo : Obviously Chester is on my list, it's enclosures are great and animals are amazing to see , this zoo is so great and it's definitely doing well trying to save animals
3- Yorkshire Wildlife Park : Great enclosure quality, such as : Amur Leopard, Polar Bear, Capybara, Giant Anteater, Lions, Tiger and so much more. Lovely fried donuts aswell at the stand by the leopards
4- Wild Discovery : So lovely, Enjoyed the very active capybaras and the very cute Otters and Binturongs, I love the Dik Dik enclosure, The Sloth was awesome to see!
5- Northumberland Zoo: Very productive zoo with lots of projects going on, The Armadillos were so active, the capybaras were so cute, standout enclosures are : Capybara, Snow Leopard, Livingstone Fruit Bat, Parrot Walk through, Wallaby, Scottish Wildcat, Lynx, Otter and Porcupine
I'm going to South Lakes soon so that would probably be tied with Chester Zoo
 
Kalaw said:
Here are mine:

#5 - Exmoor Zoo: From Shoebill to Spotted Fanaloka, this zoo has one of the country's best collections of rare species, specialising in small carnivores. Its style of exhibitry can be repetitive, with most enclosures using wood and mesh, but it is all adequate, and the Sitatunga enclosure, which subverts the trend, is wonderful. Its obscure location in North Devon's countryside gives a very unique feeling, of being in the middle of nowhere surrounded by rare species!

#4 - Paignton Zoo: During my first visit to this zoo, so much about it blew me away. Its wonderful botanical department, its high quality of exhibitry, and its perfect balance between crowd-pleasers and smaller species. It offered my first Saltwater Crocodile, my first Yellow Anaconda, my first cassowary and my first echidna! Others have reported a decline in the zoo since my last visit, so I am not sure whether this high placement will survive a return, but as it stands, Paignton is easily in my top five.

#3 - ZSL Whipsnade Zoo: While it is not the closest as the crow flies, nor the one which I have visited the most, nor the first that I visited, I consider Whipsnade to be my home zoo. I strongly suspect that, had I not visited Whipsnade when I was very young, finding myself amazed to see such animals as elephants, bears, sea lions, chimpanzees, hippos, gaurs and cheetahs which London did not house, my love for zoos would not be what it is today. It qualifies for the top five on sentimental grounds alone, but it is amazing in other aspects.

#2 - Chester Zoo: My visit to Chester Zoo wasn't under the best circumstances, with avian influenza and the pandemic forcing many of its best exhibits to shut down. That, and my preference for somewhere else, keeps it at second, but I don't think anyone who has been there can deny its quality. My favourite aspect was the way in which such species as jaguars, sloths, giant otters, vultures and hornbills, who are rarely the centre of attention in zoos, are presented with excellent enclosures, perhaps the finest in the country in all five instances.

#1 - Highland Wildlife Park: A surprise to some, but this wasn't even a debate for me. I don't believe I have ever enjoyed a British zoo as much as Highland. They made the choice to specialise on species who would thrive in the zoo's extreme setting, and the result was brilliant. Every animal, from Snow Leopard to Wisent, feels very much at home, and species such as Tajik Markhor and Japanese Macaque, are housed nowhere in the country but here. The highlight, for me, are the pair of Polar Bear enclosures - very spacious and well-designed, for a species which is, sadly, not all too common in the UK. But everything about this zoo - its exhibits, its collection, its views, its conservation ethos - is amazing.

This list has been really fun to put together, but not very easy. At the end of the day, my top three were somewhat set in stone, but beyond that, so many other zoos have their own reasons as to why they should be on this list!

London came the closest, for the sentimental connection, and the incredible exhibit that is Blackburn Pavilion, followed by Colchester, for its all-around quality and the Northern Rufous Hornbills. Bristol would easily make the list were it still open, while Wild Place just misses out, but that could change. The Horniman Museum is an obscure natural history museum with a sizeable collection of living animals, but as I grew up within walking distance of it, I was very tempted to put it in the list! Marwell, Edinburgh, Crocodiles of the World, Woburn Safari Park and the Hawk Conservancy Trust weren't far off!
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With this thread having been recently bumped, I thought I would update my post above, as I saw many doing in the original thread linked to by snowleopard in the OP.

This is my list now:

5. Shaldon Zoo
4. Chester Zoo
3. Cotswold Wildlife Park
2. Highland Wildlife Park
1. Whipsnade Zoo

Whipsnade is now my number one, which makes sense, as it is closer to my heart than any other, for the reasons that I have detailed both in the above post and elsewhere on this site. The only issue was that, without a car, my visits became more and more infrequent, but that has changed recently, as I visited in May for the first time in three years, and then again in October. Seeing how much it has changed, mostly for the better, along with being reminded of all its strengths and charms that made me fall in love with it many years ago, moved it back to the number one spot on my list, where it rightfully belongs.

Cotswold was lovely, of a similar quality to Paignton, which it displaced from my list, only far more charming, with its lovely rural architecture, often incorporated geniously into enclosures, really impressing me. I have raved about it enough elsewhere not to do so any more here, but I believe it to be one of the best zoos in the country.

Shaldon is my wildcard, as one of the smallest zoos that I have ever visited, but it was so abundantly charming, so admirable (with its conservation efforts despite its small size) and so creative that it impressed me enough to make it on the list as a very personal take. My first Owston's Civets and Bengal Slow Loris, as well as the lovely setting in South Devon, definitely helped!

Exmoor just misses out, but it is likely a matter of time before either a return visit or the arrival of a new rarity (as so often happens with Exmoor) changes that, and London is closer than ever, with the new Reptile House, should it be a success, definitely being capable of pushing it into the list.
 
As with @Kalaw, my list needs a slight update...

TNT said:
As others have also said, my top five are based on a range of factors, not necessarily making them the five best zoos in the UK. It's also worth noting that I'm only including zoos that I've visited, with most zoos north of the Lake District being omissed (other than Edinburgh), give or take a few down south which likely wouldn't have made the list anyway.

Exmoor Zoo - Hands down my favourite zoo in the UK. Having lived nearby for may years until last September, I have been visiting since I was a child on an almost annual basis (at a minimum more recently). The choice of species is incredible, hosting some real mammalian oddities that many of the larger UK zoos don't touch, alongside the familiar EEP/Breeding programme (and other) species. It's a proper British zoo with its "wood and wire" exhibits that only a Brit could love (We all know @snowleopard isn't a fan :p), but due to their clever use of the natural environment, planting, and "Exmoor Zoo Style" mock rock, most are beautiful! Some exhibits might be on the smaller side, but no zoo is perfect, and they're home to one of the best sitatunga exhibits in Europe. With all the other praise Exmoor is getting on this thread, I think I'll leave it at that.

Axe Valley Wildlife Park - As with Exmoor, I've never not enjoyed a visit to Axe Valley. The species on offer are fantastic (lots of small carnivores) and it's got the small British zoo vibe that I can't get enough of. I don't think there's been a visit where I haven't seen something new, with their most recent expansion seemingly increasing the footprint of the zoo by almost a third. I've often described it as "almost Exmoor"... Doing very similar things, but the execution isn't quite there. The zoo nerd side of me loves it, but the zoo professional finds some aspects of the collection difficult to look past. That said, it's a solid small zoo that's always worth a visit.

Cotswold Wildlife Park - One of the more charming collections in the UK. A zoo that not only focuses on some of the more unusual species across a range of taxa, but also maintains beautiful gardens and grounds. For a zoo of it's size and quality, it seems to fly under the radar for non-zoo folk, which I find a shame. That said, it's clearly a favourite of us nerds and more than deserves a place on this list.

Edinburgh Zoo - Whilst I've only visited once, the experience was the most memorable of any previous zoo trips. Whilst clearly in an overall decline if you follow the zoo and it's history, I found myself ticking off a number of lifers and enjoyed seeing some iconic exhibits. @TeaLovingDave might chastise me for this when I see him next month, but it's not common for me to tick off a handful of lifers in one zoo! :D

Paignton Zoo - Can you tell I'm from the South West? Narrowly beating Whipsnade, and Bristol had it still been open, Paignton takes the final slot. Having completed a placement there during my time at university and following many visits throughout my childhood, Paignton is very close to my heart. The zoo has some wonderful species and exhibits, with the Takin quarry being a favourite of mine. I do worry that it won't make the top ten this time around, like Edinburgh, with the rise of collections like Hamerton and YWP... But I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Honourable mentions to Whipsnade, Banham, Crocs of the World, Noah's Ark, Port Lympne and Hamerton.
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Due to some observations during a recent visit that I couldn't overlook, Whipsnade takes the place of Axe Valley. Certainly a full day zoo with plenty to see. Some lovely developments recently that I'm excited to see completed (in person). Just a nice all rounder for me!
 
Lafone said:
Fun thread! Not that easy to pick.

I’ll go with zoos I like the most vs zoos that are famed for their reputation - I’ve not been to Chester for a number of years as it’s too far for me to spend enough time in to enjoy it. YWP is another possible contender due to the polar bears alone and the other huge spaces for interesting animals but not in my top 5. I just don’t go to London zoo (even when I lived I. London) so haven’t rated it in the top either - I find it too crowded and touristy to really enjoy a day there.

1. Cotswold wildlife park. Number one and two are really equal for me with number three close by. I love the variety of Cotswold and the open paths through the trees, the walled garden and lemur enclosure and the way through the grounds to see the lions, leopards and little Africa area with the dwarf mongoose nearby. The views across the rhino enclosure to the house are iconic and it’s such a lovely place to sit and watch the rhinos go by. Three species of mongoose for the win too. The lake is lovely (avian flu notwithstanding) and it has a great mix of animals to enjoy, Pallas’s cat, asiatic lion, lemurs and small primates, the wolves of course as well as some excellent aviary spaces. Super breeding record - the spring season is full of new small animals to enjoy. Being able to see the white storks nest building then hatching the young and the young going off for rewilding is a privilege. Always something to see, great grounds, ok cafes, good spaces for a coffee.

2. ZSL Whipsnade - my ‘local’ I love Whipsnade for the expanse, the great views over the downs and some great exhibits for wolverine, bear and the tigers (and when we have non holidaying lions again), rockhopper, rhinos and new cheetahs. Both species of hippo are a treat. It’s ‘big’ in all respects from the species to the layout but the small areas for butterflies are also nice. I love the lynx and have spent hours there. Trying to get decent shots of the Whipsnade lynx kicked off me getting back into of zoo photography. The flying demos are always fun and the general feel of the place is always positive. I often enjoy it the most in the ‘off’ season as it gets absolutely rammed on school holidays in peak season, but there’s always something to enjoy on a walk around, whatever the weather. The cafes are a bit rubbish - take a flask and enjoy the wind sweeping over the downs!

3. Hamerton - I visit my top 3 zoos the most and Hamerton never fails to be a great day out. Unusual and unique species, good layout and always something developing or being built like new tortoise house or a new species like the dik dik. The bears are always active enjoying their pond and out of season you can have the enclosure nearly to yourself. Excellent breeding success from lemurs to flamingoes, cassowary to civets as well as unusual animals you can’t see anywhere else / are hard to see elsewhere like the spot nosed guinon or the dingoes or Malayan tiger. The corsac foxes also neatly mark the seasons for me as they change their coats. Easier drink and ice cream wise since they added the vending machines.

4. Dudley - it’s a fairly recent one for me but I really enjoy Dudley and the interesting layout. I like the use of natural terrain for the gelada, the chair lift is unusual and the exhibits for the fox, chimps, Orangs, and penguins are particularly well done. The lemur walkthrough is excellent. There are some areas needing some work but it feels a good place to spend time in and it has lots of the animals like the lions in good spaces I love to spend time just watching. I like the lorikeet walkthrough. Cafes are a little indifferent but the coffee place near the new aviaries is great.

5. Colchester - I did go back and forth between this and Banham but the small primate walkthroughs at Colchester secured the fifth place. Seeing small primates without glass / wire is one of my favourite things and I’d go to Colchester just for those two areas alone. There are also some unusual species I don’t see anywhere else like condor or the lion tailed macaques and sun bears and the chimp enclosure is interesting. A few of the spaces don’t feel as ‘wow’ or huge as they might (hyenas and cheetahs feel like a missed opportunity) but the number of species means there’s always something to enjoy. The one slight downer is the amount of highly reflective enclosure glass which means viewing isn’t always as easy as it might be. I like their no plastic stance on water containers and it’s easy to grab a coffee. Gets very busy at peak season though as with the ‘Larger’ places and so Banham, Beale, Shepreth or Linton would be my other ‘go tos’ along with a new enthusiasm for wild place.
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Great opportunity to do an end of year reflection!

I'll also go with a little update as, having been to Chester a couple of times this year now, I will swap it out with my number 5 Colchester. The bird collection alone was worth the trip. It doesn't go much higher as it's quite a slog to get there - I enjoy regular visits so I understand what a zoo has, appreciate the layout and can get a feel for times to see things, how animals use their enclosures etc. However it was a lovely couple of days and my number 5 was always a bit of a grab space anyway. My top two remain pretty equal and indeed that's reflected in my visit number (17 Whipsnade, 16 CWP visits in 2023, so far). I'd also add Peak to my 'others nearly there' based partly on Polar Bears but actually more on their captivating red squirrels.
 
1. West Midlands Safari Park
2. RZSS Edinburgh Zoo
3. Yorkshire Wildlife Park
4. Chester Zoo
5. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

only from what ive visited
 
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