Zoo Websites

C

CZJimmy

Well-Known Member
After thinking for many years (and noticing various moans on this forum), I have yet to find a good, informative Zoo website. For instance, my favourite zoo (Chester) has a really outdated website.

So, is there any good websites out there?
 
i have found the colchester site is always updating their site more often than others, also the howletts/port lympne is very good they have info on theur animals not the species in general.
 
CZJimmy said:
After thinking for many years (and noticing various moans on this forum), I have yet to find a good, informative Zoo website. For instance, my favourite zoo (Chester) has a really outdated website.

So, is there any good websites out there?
Click to expand...

I think there are a few decent zoo websites but no outstanding ones. Chester should rightly be criticised for its appalling news section and horribly outdated developments section but apart from that it's not too shabby. I wish all zoos would publish their annual report with full stock list on their websites as Chester do, but most privately owned zoos do not. I believe Chester are in the process of revamping their website.

Colchester are reasonably good for news, as are Cotswold. Durrell has a very eye-catching new site which is a vast improvement over the old one. Dudley's newsletters are pretty good but only come around once in a while. Edinburgh is another decent site.

The most useless zoo website is Chessington. Yes I know it's not really a true zoo but it still has an important collection and big plans for development. Their website just screams 'afterthought'.

A good zoo website would have the following information:

1. Regularly updated news section with arrivals, departures, births, deaths and other news.
2. A justification for the zoo's existence backed up with evidence.
3. Up-to-date and downloadable map (much more useful than those horrible flash player maps.
4. Fact-sheets and family trees for animals in the collection.
5. Up-to-date annual review and stock list.
6. Masterplan, future developments, developments under construction.
7. Video footage/webcams of animals (including perhaps live births or behind the scenes footage) and 360-degree panoramas of exhibits.
8. Conservation/breeding success stories, including in-situ projects funded.
9. History of the zoo with past species, archive photos and archive newsletters.
10. PDF version of the current guidebook.

Not forgetting all the usual essentials such as opening hours, directions, facilities, prices, online shop, species factsheets, corporate events etc.
 
thats a good list there Chris.

One of the things that bugs me about Chester's is that they still have Amur Tigers under species profiles and they have had two different types of Tigers since the Amurs died.

If it's possible, I may create a zoo website for my IT coursework. I can see for myself the task of creating a good zoo site then...
 
tarongas has got better thanks to you tube vids, and about a month ago updates everyday, but slowly that died away, i would like more individual animal stuff though that some uk zoos have
 
Chester really do need to update. London has lots of updates but not a lot are about the actual collection. The Welsh Mountain Zoo though is terrible and updates about twice a year.
 
UK's best and worst websites...

Dublin don't bother to update theirs at all nowadays.

Cotswold Wildlife Park has the most informative as far as news of their animal collection goes- births and hatchings, deaths, arrivals, departures are all documented in good detail.
 
Australia Zoo has a good website too. the colour scheme is a bit busy but its got good up to date infromation about both divisions and individual animals. it also has cool little stories about the animals personalitys and that sort of stuff. i really like the keeper diaries too they provide an insight into the workings of each division.
 
EVERY zoo's website should include a list of species (regularly updated) at that particular zoo.Some do; some don't.........

Where are the good ones? (Twycross and Marwell are both pretty good, as are Santa Barbara and Sacramento in U.S.)
 
Ara, I certainly wouldn't say Twycross has a good website.

Their species list may be good, but the news section hasn't been updated since last June and the whole look of the site just looks quite amateur.
 
Best sites in the Netherlands are definately those of the Zodiac animals parks. Very regular updates, allthough biased to good news only (arrivals and births, and barely any deaths and departures). And a decent species list to boot.
 
I'm still frustrated by zoo websites which are too general, too vague and don't provide specific information. Most of them are like that.

I don't want a zoo's website to read like some kid's ABC of animals - a whole lot of general information that everyone knows anyway.
I want info. about THIS particular zoo - a species list is a basic necessity but rarely is provided.
 
I think San Diego Zoo's website is one of the best because:
-they update their website daily
-they tell you where each animal is located at the zoo or the park
-they have photos of each exhibit at both the zoo and park
-they are constantly putting videos up
-they have live webcams
-they have great zoo maps
 
Chris79 said:
I think there are a few decent zoo websites but no outstanding ones. Chester should rightly be criticised for its appalling news section and horribly outdated developments section but apart from that it's not too shabby. I wish all zoos would publish their annual report with full stock list on their websites as Chester do, but most privately owned zoos do not. I believe Chester are in the process of revamping their website.

Colchester are reasonably good for news, as are Cotswold. Durrell has a very eye-catching new site which is a vast improvement over the old one. Dudley's newsletters are pretty good but only come around once in a while. Edinburgh is another decent site.

The most useless zoo website is Chessington. Yes I know it's not really a true zoo but it still has an important collection and big plans for development. Their website just screams 'afterthought'.

A good zoo website would have the following information:

1. Regularly updated news section with arrivals, departures, births, deaths and other news.
2. A justification for the zoo's existence backed up with evidence.
3. Up-to-date and downloadable map (much more useful than those horrible flash player maps.
4. Fact-sheets and family trees for animals in the collection.
5. Up-to-date annual review and stock list.
6. Masterplan, future developments, developments under construction.
7. Video footage/webcams of animals (including perhaps live births or behind the scenes footage) and 360-degree panoramas of exhibits.
8. Conservation/breeding success stories, including in-situ projects funded.
9. History of the zoo with past species, archive photos and archive newsletters.
10. PDF version of the current guidebook.

Not forgetting all the usual essentials such as opening hours, directions, facilities, prices, online shop, species factsheets, corporate events etc.
Click to expand...

totally agree with you there chris

also i think that on the animal infomation pages they should have the date when the species first arrived at the zoo (even if it is like the girrafes at london, kept constently since 1850 or somthing)
 
More information on the animals that each zoo has would be good and most need to have better news sections. and one thing i dont like is that some have online shops but dont sale their guide books through them that bugs me
 
I agree with San Diego Zoo's website; lots of stuff to feast my eyes on! That's just how I'd love the Toronto Zoo's website to be like; sure they have the fact sheets but I find it's a little too . . . Advertisey? I'd like to see more announcements about births, acquisitions, etc, and not just featuring the "big ticket", popular animals.
 
A good zoo website would have the following information:


2. A justification for the zoo's existence backed up with evidence.

Are you serious????????????

7. Video footage/webcams of animals (including perhaps live births or behind the scenes footage) and 360-degree panoramas of exhibits.

So why would you then need to go and see the zoo?????????

Not forgetting all the usual essentials such as opening hours, directions, facilities, prices, online shop, species factsheets, corporate events etc.

Now that's the REAL reason to have a web site!
 
Does anyone think there are good reasons why so many zoo websites are poor. Firstly they want people to come to the zoo & learn about the animals not just check them out online. Most probably do not have the staff to update all the time or are not willing to pay the high fees of website designers.
In answer to chris79 you have some good points but if they put a pdf of the guide online everyone would print it out at home & there would go another source of income for the zoo?
 
Hi guys, sorry to hijack the thread a little but as you may know, we recently launched a new website for belfast, i'd really appreciate it if you could give me an honest opinion on it, what features you like, its design, content etc. If you know the zoo, do you think its a good reflection of it, what improvements would you like to see!?? I really appreciate all comments! :)
 
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