Kalaw
Well-Known Member
I was really surprised that no such thread already exists, with the closest thing I could find being two UK-specific ones, with a 2012 edition from @adrian1963 and a more recent one from myself. Forgive me if such a thread already exists.
You can use whatever definition of 'exhibit' you see fit. It could be a single terrarium that struck you as exceptionally well-done, or a chain of several, somewhat related, pavilions and enclosures. And, as the use of the word 'favourite' suggests, this is entirely your opinion and can be based on whatever factors you chose. Maybe you love this enclosure because of childhood memories, or because it was the first place that you saw a beloved species, or maybe you just think its amazing.
And, if you want to make your list longer than just five entries, then please feel free. Additionally, if you don't want to provide an explanation for your placements as I have done in my own list below, then that is absolutely fine.
What follows is my list. I do have one rule in place to make things a little bit interesting, but just to clarify, you are under no obligation whatsoever to follow the same rule: I have excluded major aquaria or major tropical houses within a zoo, or else this list would be quite uninteresting and predictable. Therefore, no Burgers' Bush or Ocean, and no Masoala either. The three of those in some order (probably Ocean, Masoala, Bush, but it can change), would form my entire top three if I were to include them. I want to take this opportunity to highlight some lesser-known exhibits that are just as delightful as those three, albeit with a few other names.
On that note:
1. Blackburn Pavilion - London Zoo: I doubt this will come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with my previous postings, as I adore this exhibit. Growing up as a London Zoo regular I took the place for granted and was frustrated by the lack of large mammals, but this exhibit single-handedly helped me fall in love with my local zoo, and in the process developed an interest in birds which I once found rather uninteresting. A large 19th century hall, made out of bright red bricks, it isn't as attractive as some continental buildings from the same era, but there is still an immeasurable charm to being in a big old hall surrounded by colourful and noisy birds. There is a main walkthrough, which is huge, well-planted with an attractive water feature, and big enough that it provides a rare opportunity to see the likes of laughingthrushes in prolonged flight, but both the walkthrough and the surrounding aviaries are only walled by wire, which means from almost any point in the building you can hear the calls and wingbeats of all the other birds, as well as the alluring echo of the waterfall. With both Scarlet-chested and Splendid Sunbirds as well as Collared Trogons, the place has always been excellent for rarities, and while the days of pittas are long-gone, there are wonderful new additions brought in regularly, with Grosbeak Starling and Pink-headed Fruit Dove, as well as female trogons to match the males, being more recent additions. The external aviaries are all very lush and well-landscaped, with the whole building being relatively out-of-the-way (the closure of the monkey walkthrough making it lie on a dead end) and therefore among the quieter spots in this very busy zoo.
2. Velemlokarium / Giant Salamander Pavilion - Prague Zoo: A true hidden gem. I am accustomed to seeing Chinese Giant Salamanders due to London holding them, but in close to 20 visits since the zoo started exhibiting the species again, I have never seen more than a head of tail emerging from a rock crevice, in all three of the enclosures that they have been held in within that timespan. I attribute this fact to the bustling crowds and lights of a reptile house. But at Prague, they have a devoted pavilion, embedded seamlessly into a grass hill, with five onshow tanks and several more offshow, all far deeper and, at certain times due to an altered daylight cycle that means the salamanders' night-time starts at 14:00, much darker than any of the London ones. So I went from having never seen any active salamanders to seeing four, one of which was climbing above me in a glass-floored tank, two of which were interacting rather interestingly with one another, and the other, the late and great Karlo, being the biggest amphibian on the planet at the time of my visit. The educational features are excellent, too, and with Mangshan Pitviper and Impressed Tortoise there are more nice species, with the staff policing the exhibit to prevent loud noises and photos being a worthwhile sacrifice to ensure greater salamander activity. Taking a fascinating species that is often boring to visitors and displaying them in such a way that puts their brilliance on full display is such a great achievement and Prague deserves much praise for it.
3. Orangutan-Haus - Zoo Dresden: There is something wonderful as a zoo enthusiast about seeing a brand-new exhibit, and this is an experience that I normally only get for my local zoos. To see an exhibit at a German zoo within mere months of its opening was really special for me. Dresden (city and zoo) as a whole was somewhere that I fell in love with, in part due to it being a zoo which I knew next to nothing about going into my visit which I can't say for many other places, and I was outstanded by the high quality throughout, but this really was special. The orangutans have four indoor chambers and three outdoor ones, offering sufficient separation options to tackle the complex social structures for the species, while the other major issue with keeping the species in captivity (their reluctance to climb as much as they do in the wild) is resolved by a vast array of climbing apparatus, including a mesh ceiling which presumably allows for a scatter feed. As far as other animals in the building go, it probably had the best Binturong enclosure that I have ever seen, as well as the biggest indoor area for otters including stunningly clear underwater viewing and a strong outdoors to show for it. The various reptile enclosures are good too, although to nitpick it is essentially your standard 'starter pack' species selection. From a visitor perspective, the educational facilities are excellent and the multi-storey viewing is a nice touch, too, with the interesting o-shaped building, with the otter and orangs having their outdoor enclosures, intersected by a sheltered boardwalk, on the inside of the building, being a creative touch.
4. Hippopotamus Reserve - ZooParc de Beauval: One of my first ever zoo-going 'wow' moments triggered not by my first encounter with a species, but by an exhibit. Not only seeing hippos swim underwater for the first time, which truly puts their size and surprising grace on full display, but doing so in such a remarkable setting. An acre large aviary, viewed on three separate stories, with vultures swooping above you, pelicans resting on the pools, and egrets nesting above your head - it would probably be an elite zoo exhibit even without the hippos, but their presence further added to the awe factor. At the time of my visit (and probably still to this day if we are to exclude tropical houses), it was the biggest aviary that I had ever seen, with its towering structure visible from many other parts of the zoo and making for an entertaining view from the cable car. Being in the same space as so many large birds, including one of my favourite orders of animals in the pelecaniformes, is an experience which has only been recreated since by Antwerp, and to a lesser extent Prague. Just to round off an excellent exhibit, there is a huge cichlid tank, some very large fish sharing with the hippos, and nice nyala and Red River Hog paddocks.
5. Polar Pavilion - Océanopolis Brest: An exhibit that will, very sadly, be a thing of the past quite soon, I feel very privileged to have seen it while I could. This is a key destination for enthusiasts due to the presence of Bearded and Ringed Seals, each kept at only one other European collection (excluding Russia). Two fascinating species that serve as some of the very few representatives of polar seals in captivity, they proved endlessly entertaining on my visit, with the strikingly deep pool in their enclosure, and the interesting feeding routine, making for even more joy. But it was the penguins that really caught my eye, with one of the largest and deepest pools that I have seen, although with a far better underwater viewing feature than the other similarly excellent pools (Antwerp or Edinburgh) that I have seen. That, coupled with the activity of the penguins on my visit, with countless Gentoos plus the occasional King or Rockhopper putting their diving and porpoising on full display, made for the best viewing I have ever had of penguins. The fish and marine invertebrate displays, the educational features, and the striking domed roof of the building, round off my favourite exhibit at what is, for now, the best aquarium that I have been to.
Honourable Mentions:
- Spirit of the Jaguar (Chester)
- Bear Wood (Bristol)
- Serre Tropicale (Paris / Vincennes): my first manatees
- Indonesian Jungle Pavilion (Prague): my first pangolin
- Cliffside exhibits (Prague)
- Chambal / Gharial Pavilion (Prague)
- Buffalo Savannah (Antwerp)
- SLoRA (London)
- Mangrove (Burgers')
- Kaeng Krachan Elefantenpark (Zürich)
- Lewa Savane (Zürich)
- Sangay Bergnebelwald (Zürich)
That is my list, and I would love to hear some other members provide theirs. Again, apologies if such a thread already exists, because although I certainly couldn't find any, it feels like such a widely discussed concept (what the best exhibit is for whatever archetype) that I struggle to believe there isn't one.
You can use whatever definition of 'exhibit' you see fit. It could be a single terrarium that struck you as exceptionally well-done, or a chain of several, somewhat related, pavilions and enclosures. And, as the use of the word 'favourite' suggests, this is entirely your opinion and can be based on whatever factors you chose. Maybe you love this enclosure because of childhood memories, or because it was the first place that you saw a beloved species, or maybe you just think its amazing.
And, if you want to make your list longer than just five entries, then please feel free. Additionally, if you don't want to provide an explanation for your placements as I have done in my own list below, then that is absolutely fine.
What follows is my list. I do have one rule in place to make things a little bit interesting, but just to clarify, you are under no obligation whatsoever to follow the same rule: I have excluded major aquaria or major tropical houses within a zoo, or else this list would be quite uninteresting and predictable. Therefore, no Burgers' Bush or Ocean, and no Masoala either. The three of those in some order (probably Ocean, Masoala, Bush, but it can change), would form my entire top three if I were to include them. I want to take this opportunity to highlight some lesser-known exhibits that are just as delightful as those three, albeit with a few other names.
On that note:
1. Blackburn Pavilion - London Zoo: I doubt this will come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with my previous postings, as I adore this exhibit. Growing up as a London Zoo regular I took the place for granted and was frustrated by the lack of large mammals, but this exhibit single-handedly helped me fall in love with my local zoo, and in the process developed an interest in birds which I once found rather uninteresting. A large 19th century hall, made out of bright red bricks, it isn't as attractive as some continental buildings from the same era, but there is still an immeasurable charm to being in a big old hall surrounded by colourful and noisy birds. There is a main walkthrough, which is huge, well-planted with an attractive water feature, and big enough that it provides a rare opportunity to see the likes of laughingthrushes in prolonged flight, but both the walkthrough and the surrounding aviaries are only walled by wire, which means from almost any point in the building you can hear the calls and wingbeats of all the other birds, as well as the alluring echo of the waterfall. With both Scarlet-chested and Splendid Sunbirds as well as Collared Trogons, the place has always been excellent for rarities, and while the days of pittas are long-gone, there are wonderful new additions brought in regularly, with Grosbeak Starling and Pink-headed Fruit Dove, as well as female trogons to match the males, being more recent additions. The external aviaries are all very lush and well-landscaped, with the whole building being relatively out-of-the-way (the closure of the monkey walkthrough making it lie on a dead end) and therefore among the quieter spots in this very busy zoo.
2. Velemlokarium / Giant Salamander Pavilion - Prague Zoo: A true hidden gem. I am accustomed to seeing Chinese Giant Salamanders due to London holding them, but in close to 20 visits since the zoo started exhibiting the species again, I have never seen more than a head of tail emerging from a rock crevice, in all three of the enclosures that they have been held in within that timespan. I attribute this fact to the bustling crowds and lights of a reptile house. But at Prague, they have a devoted pavilion, embedded seamlessly into a grass hill, with five onshow tanks and several more offshow, all far deeper and, at certain times due to an altered daylight cycle that means the salamanders' night-time starts at 14:00, much darker than any of the London ones. So I went from having never seen any active salamanders to seeing four, one of which was climbing above me in a glass-floored tank, two of which were interacting rather interestingly with one another, and the other, the late and great Karlo, being the biggest amphibian on the planet at the time of my visit. The educational features are excellent, too, and with Mangshan Pitviper and Impressed Tortoise there are more nice species, with the staff policing the exhibit to prevent loud noises and photos being a worthwhile sacrifice to ensure greater salamander activity. Taking a fascinating species that is often boring to visitors and displaying them in such a way that puts their brilliance on full display is such a great achievement and Prague deserves much praise for it.
3. Orangutan-Haus - Zoo Dresden: There is something wonderful as a zoo enthusiast about seeing a brand-new exhibit, and this is an experience that I normally only get for my local zoos. To see an exhibit at a German zoo within mere months of its opening was really special for me. Dresden (city and zoo) as a whole was somewhere that I fell in love with, in part due to it being a zoo which I knew next to nothing about going into my visit which I can't say for many other places, and I was outstanded by the high quality throughout, but this really was special. The orangutans have four indoor chambers and three outdoor ones, offering sufficient separation options to tackle the complex social structures for the species, while the other major issue with keeping the species in captivity (their reluctance to climb as much as they do in the wild) is resolved by a vast array of climbing apparatus, including a mesh ceiling which presumably allows for a scatter feed. As far as other animals in the building go, it probably had the best Binturong enclosure that I have ever seen, as well as the biggest indoor area for otters including stunningly clear underwater viewing and a strong outdoors to show for it. The various reptile enclosures are good too, although to nitpick it is essentially your standard 'starter pack' species selection. From a visitor perspective, the educational facilities are excellent and the multi-storey viewing is a nice touch, too, with the interesting o-shaped building, with the otter and orangs having their outdoor enclosures, intersected by a sheltered boardwalk, on the inside of the building, being a creative touch.
4. Hippopotamus Reserve - ZooParc de Beauval: One of my first ever zoo-going 'wow' moments triggered not by my first encounter with a species, but by an exhibit. Not only seeing hippos swim underwater for the first time, which truly puts their size and surprising grace on full display, but doing so in such a remarkable setting. An acre large aviary, viewed on three separate stories, with vultures swooping above you, pelicans resting on the pools, and egrets nesting above your head - it would probably be an elite zoo exhibit even without the hippos, but their presence further added to the awe factor. At the time of my visit (and probably still to this day if we are to exclude tropical houses), it was the biggest aviary that I had ever seen, with its towering structure visible from many other parts of the zoo and making for an entertaining view from the cable car. Being in the same space as so many large birds, including one of my favourite orders of animals in the pelecaniformes, is an experience which has only been recreated since by Antwerp, and to a lesser extent Prague. Just to round off an excellent exhibit, there is a huge cichlid tank, some very large fish sharing with the hippos, and nice nyala and Red River Hog paddocks.
5. Polar Pavilion - Océanopolis Brest: An exhibit that will, very sadly, be a thing of the past quite soon, I feel very privileged to have seen it while I could. This is a key destination for enthusiasts due to the presence of Bearded and Ringed Seals, each kept at only one other European collection (excluding Russia). Two fascinating species that serve as some of the very few representatives of polar seals in captivity, they proved endlessly entertaining on my visit, with the strikingly deep pool in their enclosure, and the interesting feeding routine, making for even more joy. But it was the penguins that really caught my eye, with one of the largest and deepest pools that I have seen, although with a far better underwater viewing feature than the other similarly excellent pools (Antwerp or Edinburgh) that I have seen. That, coupled with the activity of the penguins on my visit, with countless Gentoos plus the occasional King or Rockhopper putting their diving and porpoising on full display, made for the best viewing I have ever had of penguins. The fish and marine invertebrate displays, the educational features, and the striking domed roof of the building, round off my favourite exhibit at what is, for now, the best aquarium that I have been to.
Honourable Mentions:
- Spirit of the Jaguar (Chester)
- Bear Wood (Bristol)
- Serre Tropicale (Paris / Vincennes): my first manatees
- Indonesian Jungle Pavilion (Prague): my first pangolin
- Cliffside exhibits (Prague)
- Chambal / Gharial Pavilion (Prague)
- Buffalo Savannah (Antwerp)
- SLoRA (London)
- Mangrove (Burgers')
- Kaeng Krachan Elefantenpark (Zürich)
- Lewa Savane (Zürich)
- Sangay Bergnebelwald (Zürich)
That is my list, and I would love to hear some other members provide theirs. Again, apologies if such a thread already exists, because although I certainly couldn't find any, it feels like such a widely discussed concept (what the best exhibit is for whatever archetype) that I struggle to believe there isn't one.
