Zoos & Aquariums of California - (Ranked)

[Blackleopard207]

Hey everyone! So this thread is going to be a detailed ranking of every zoo and aquarium in California. In total there will be 36 locations, and I will post one location each day! There will be information on each zoo as well as info on the best exhibits!

 

[SwampDonkey]

Fun idea, I look forward to the thread.

 

[Blackleopard207]

1. San Diego Zoo
This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the San Diego Zoo is one of the best zoos in the world! This 100-acre facility is home to 14,000 animals representing over 700 species! The San Diego Zoo has an abundance of world-class exhibits! The first must-see exhibit is the polar bear habitat. Some nice features include huge panoramic views of both underwater and land viewing! Another great exhibit is the newer (opened in 2017) Africa Rocks! This unique exhibit has exhibits highlighting the different areas and habitats across Africa including kopjes, Ethiopian highlands, Madagascar, and the shores! Another must-see is the Lost Forest! This massive rainforest houses species from across the world, including both common and Pygmy hippos, gorillas, bonobos, gharials, tigers, and an abundance of other species! Other nice exhibits are the koala habitat, Elephant Odyssey, and the all new Wildlife Explorer’s Basecamp! This world-renowned zoo is a must-see for any California zoo trip!

Photo Guide
1. Polar Bear Habitat
2. Kopje Exhibit - (Bataleur Eagle)
3. Ethiopian Highlands - (Gelada)
4. Madagascar Exhibit - (Lemur)
5. Shores Exhibit - (African Penguin)
6. Common Hippopotamus Exhibit
7. Bonobo Exhibit
8. Gharial Exhibit
9. Koala Exhibit
10. Elephant Odyssey
11. Wildlife Explorer’s Basecamp

 

[Chlidonias]

Hey everyone! So this thread is going to be a detailed ranking of every zoo and aquarium in California. In total there will be 36 locations, and I will post one location each day! There will be information on each zoo as well as info on the best exhibits!

Just two questions:

Surely there are a whole lot more than 36 zoos and aquariums in California - maybe three times that number?

Have you actually been to all these zoos and aquariums in order to give a "detailed ranking" of them?

 

[Blackleopard207]

To answer your first question, the 36 zoos and aquariums that I am ranking are the locations I chose to rank, and the ones I know about. And I wouldn’t say there are three times that number, at least for any real zoos and aquariums that you can visit. However, there may be that number if you include facilities that you can’t visit. Also, I may add to that number as I do more of this thread. Secondly, I have been to some of these locations, but not all of them. Also, this is my personal opinion and I am doing my best to rank them based on research.

 

[Blackleopard207]

By the way, everyone feel free to comment and share your opinions and thoughts of my ranking choice for the entirety of this thread! Comments and feedback are much appreciated!

 

[DavidBrown]

To answer your first question, the 36 zoos and aquariums that I am ranking are the locations I chose to rank, and the ones I know about. And I wouldn’t say there are three times that number, at least for any real zoos and aquariums that you can visit. However, there may be that number if you include facilities that you can’t visit. Also, I may add to that number as I do more of this thread. Secondly, I have been to some of these locations, but not all of them. Also, this is my personal opinion and I am doing my best to rank them based on research.

How can you fairly rank places that you have never actually been to and experienced? Your list will not be very credible if you just offer empty opinions based on no actual knowledge of the places that you claim to rank.

Why not just start with ranking the places that you have actually experienced? That would make your exercise much more credible than what you are proposing here.

 

[BenFoxster]

The San Diego Zoo did not look like that at all when I visited during my April spring break. A lot of the exhibits were either desert dry, overgrown to the rim with grass, leaves, or weeds, the penguin exhibit is not like that anymore at all, now they are in a small grotto with nothing but a pool by the bears and snow leopard. Bonobos and gharial were off display, and the hippo exhibit is under reconstruction.

 

[Blackleopard207]

You make a good point. But, I was trying to do a California zoo version of the thread 50 best zoos and 100 best zoo exhibits. How is this any different? Unless of course Pachydermpro visited each and every zoo and exhibit he ranked. However, I think his thread was amazing and well done regardless of whether he visited it or not!

 

[Blackleopard207]

The San Diego Zoo did not look like that at all when I visited during my April spring break. A lot of the exhibits were either desert dry, overgrown to the rim with grass, leaves, or weeds, the penguin exhibit is not like that anymore at all, now they are in a small grotto with nothing but a pool by the bears and snow leopard. Bonobos and gharial were off display, and the hippo exhibit is under reconstruction.

That must’ve been a bit disappointing to see! However, the zoo is still the best in the state.

 

[Great Argus]

A number of problematic things going on here - firstly:

So this thread is going to be a detailed ranking of every zoo and aquarium in California.

To answer your first question, the 36 zoos and aquariums that I am ranking are the locations I chose to rank, and the ones I know about.

You say every, and then back off of it - and as a fellow Californian I can certainly confirm you are missing facilities. That alone is a good indication you're not qualified to give an honest ranking in my opinion. You have publicly stated you've been to ten zoos in California - less than a third of your selected facilities - and have also noted it has been years since you've been to some of them. You've also exhibited a fair bit of bias towards certain zoos as well as having posted incorrect and outdated information.

Unless of course Pachydermpro visited each and every zoo and exhibit he ranked. However, I think his thread was amazing and well done regardless of whether he visited it or not!

He hasn't, but he did spend months researching and looking into things for the exhibit thread in particular. Your thread seems pulled out of a hat. There's a lot more I would have said about SDZ that you left off. And actually in Pachy's thread each exhibit from SDZ got more text than you gave the entire zoo.
Also one of your listed inhabitants for an exhibit is no longer correct.

A much bigger issue is it didn't take me long to find most of your photos used on Google - that's not allowed because of copyright.

 

[SusScrofa]

There are more than 36 publicly opened locations. Check this thread out:
Where to see captive animals in the USA

Also, the 100 must see exhibits wasn't really a ranking, it was a way of highlighting exhibits. The order also wasn't determinative of rank, it was random. If you're actually going to judge zoos based on which you feel is better or worse, it would be more useful if you only ranked the ones you actually visited, which you can just do in this thread:List and Rank The North American Zoos You Have Visited! No one really is going to need to hear another post about San Diego being the best because its just listed as the best by a bunch of other people.

 

[Blackleopard207]

Alright well I guess I’ll discontinue this thread because people don’t seem to like it.

 

[DavidBrown]

Alright well I guess I’ll discontinue this thread because people don’t seem to like it.

The objection is to your attempt to rank zoos and aquariums that you have not seen. People would be interested in reading your rankings of the California zoos and aquariums that you have been to. As SusScrofa points out there is an existing thread for doing that, so ending this thread probably does make sense until you have visited at least most of the AZA institutions in California.

 

[pachyderm pro]

I appreciate your enthusiasm @Blackleopard207 and I don't want you to just discontinue something you're clearly passionate about. However, there's no shame in putting a pause on this idea until you're better prepared to tackle a project of this magnitude. That's what I did; many years ago when @lintworm first completed 'Europe's 50 Must-see Zoos' I immediately wanted to take on my own version of such a thread for US zoos. However, after talking with him about the idea, I realized I was in over my head. I did not have the knowledge, experience or preparation necessary to pull off such a large project at the time. I ended up shelving the idea, but eventually came back to it four years later when I felt I was knowledgeable enough.

My advice, take on something like this slowly. What you saw recently in 'America's 100 Must-see Exhibits' was a culmination of over a year of research and writing. I know from personal experience that threads like these are a lot harder and way more time consuming than they appear. Maybe come back to this idea a year or two from now when you have a clearer vision of what you're trying to accomplish and are more prepared to do so.

 

[Blackleopard207]

I appreciate your enthusiasm @Blackleopard207 and I don't want you to just discontinue something you're clearly passionate about. However, there's no shame in putting a pause on this idea until you're better prepared to tackle a project of this magnitude. That's what I did; many years ago when @lintworm first completed 'Europe's 50 Must-see Zoos' I immediately wanted to take on my own version of such a thread for US zoos. However, after talking with him about the idea, I realized I was in over my head. I did not have the knowledge, experience or preparation necessary to pull off such a large project at the time. I ended up shelving the idea, but eventually came back to it four years later when I felt I was knowledgeable enough.

My advice, take on something like this slowly. What you saw recently in 'America's 100 Must-see Exhibits' was a culmination of over a year of research and writing. I know from personal experience that threads like these are a lot harder and way more time consuming than they appear. Maybe come back to this idea a year or two from now when you have a clearer vision of what you're trying to accomplish and are more prepared to do so.

Thank you @pachyderm pro it’s refreshing to hear some encouragement. I will use your advice!