Zoos vs Aquariums vs "World-class"

[Batto]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there sometimes an issue with catching an animal, establishing it in captivity, and then releasing it? I can't say what exactly the problem is, but it may have to do with re-adjusting to the wild.

There are several issues. Among others, it is illegal or strictly controlled in several countries to begin with. Then there's animal welfare, disease control...

 

[Bengal Tiger]

disease control

I had a hunch about that one, thanks for the clarification.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

This is false. I am going to try to list as many aquariums with world-class exhibitry as possible.

Georgia Aquarium

And this is just within a quick timespan. I'm sure I can list more.

Not to drag up a dead horse but Georgia Aquarium has one good, stand-out tank. The entire rest of the place ranged from generic to entirely mediocre.

~Thylo

 

[StoppableSan]

Not to drag up a dead horse but Georgia Aquarium has one good, stand-out tank. The entire rest of the place ranged from generic to entirely mediocre.

~Thylo

I genuinely want to visit Georgia at some point; from what I've seen, there is one thing that separates even Georgia's most mediocre tanks from the rest...

 

[ThylacineAlive]

I genuinely want to visit Georgia at some point; from what I've seen, there is one thing that separates even Georgia's most mediocre tanks from the rest...

IMO even then it's just the big ocean tank that's really presented super well. Maybe the new shark exhibit, too, but I haven't seen that. The other two standout habitats are a generic coral reef exhibit and then possibly the worst sea lion habitat I've ever seen (though tbh Shedd's is up there as well, as genuinely excellent as the rest of the place it).

~Thylo

 

[Ituri]

Not to drag up a dead horse but Georgia Aquarium has one good, stand-out tank. The entire rest of the place ranged from generic to entirely mediocre.

~Thylo

I wouldn't limit it to one. The enormous live coral reef in the Tropical Diver gallery is almost as impressive an experience as whale sharks.

 

[MonkeyBat]

I feel like the term "world class", as stated before, is a "slap on sticker" any zoo with enough publicity can put on in order to advertise themselves. There's no rating scale to determine whether a zoo is world class. Many smaller AZA facilities advertise themselves as "the best of the best" because they're in the AZA as visitor appeal, lumping themselves with giants like San Diego or Bronx.

I think a good example is Topeka. They advertise themselves as the "world famous" Topeka Zoo because (I believe) they had the first indoor rainforest in the 70's. The zoo uses this as a slogan to increase local pride in the zoo, despite the fact they have not had another major breakthrough and have remained pretty unknown to the public for the last 50 years.

 

[Zooplantman]

I think a good example is Topeka. They advertise themselves as the "world famous" Topeka Zoo because (I believe) they had the first indoor rainforest in the 70's. The zoo uses this as a slogan to increase local pride in the zoo, despite the fact they have not had another major breakthrough and have remained pretty unknown to the public for the last 50 years.

The true test would be to ask a person on the street in Mumbai or Doha or Guangzhou or Nairobi or Split, "What can you tell me about the Topeka zoo?"

 

[Ituri]

To be fair, Topeka no longer uses the "World Famous" moniker.