Zoos which are no longer open

B

BDub

Member
Let's create a list of zoos which are no longer open for visitors. Below is a start of what I have come up with. If I am mistaken (such as the zoo is now operating under a different name), please correct my list. Add zoos which you KNOW are closed as well.

  • Acadia Zoo/Kisma Preserve, 446 Bar Harbor Road (Rte. 3), Trenton, ME 04605-5808, kismapreserve.org
  • Clearsprings Aviaries & Zoological Gardens, 5686 IH-35 South, New Braunfels, TX 78132, (830)606-6029
  • Goose River Zoo, Highway 200, Mayville, ND 58257, (701)786-4048
  • Hornocker Wildlife Institute, 301 N. Willson Ave., Bozeman, MT 59715-3502
  • Oakhill Center for Rare & Endangered Species, 19800 East Coffee Creek Road, Luther, OK 73054
  • Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Makawao, Hawaii 96768
  • SEA Discovery Center in Poulsbo, 18743 Front Street NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370
  • Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo, 1911 Gaynor Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
 
Busch Gardens (Van Nuys, California, USA)
California Alligator Farm (Buena Park, California, USA)
Marineland (Palos Verdes, California, USA)
Crandon Park Zoo (Miami, Florida, USA)
Japanese Gardens Deer Farm (Buena Park, California, USA)
Southern Nevada Zoo (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
Lion Country Safari (Irvine, California, USA)

I will note that I have personally visited all of these, though Crandon Park only in its closed state (ie with no animals on display)
 
@BDub First of all welcome to ZooChat! This is an interesting topic and I hope we get lots of replies (including some from overseas).

I don't think Hornocker Wildlife Institute was a zoo, was it? I think it was the research institution of Maurice Hornocker who studied wild mountain lions and other big cats.
 
Thank you, I agree. It would be great if this list could include defunct international zoos as well.
I think you are correct about Hornocker. Since then, Maurice founded Selway Institute and is now on the board of Lava Lake Institute for Science & Conservation (neither institution is a zoo).
 
Catskill Game Farm (NY)
Benson’s Wild Animal Park (NH)
Houlton Game Farm (ME)
New London Zoo (CT)
Mohegan Park Zoo (CT)
 
UK closed collections, off the top of my head :-
  • Kilverstone
  • Gatwick
  • Southport
  • Belle Vue (Manchester)
  • RSCC (due to be reopened by new owners)
  • Cricket St Thomas
  • Lambton Lion Park
  • Loch Lomond Bear Park
  • Malvern Hills Wildlife Park
  • Glasgow
Plus lots of others... The above are all recent (last 50 years) closures.

Older collections included Hull, Cheltenham, Edinburgh (original zoo, not the current one) and The Tower Menagerie.
 
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Brum said:
RSCC (due to be reopened by new owners)
Click to expand...

I'd call the upcoming Sandwich Wildlife Park a completely different collection opened on the site of a previous collection rather than a mere re-opening or re-naming. For similar reasons I would argue Birmingham Zoo and Blackbrook Zoo - both collections whose sites are occupied once again - count for the purposes of this thread, as does Lowther Wildlife Country Park.


A few other recent losses (including one which is still open, but only for another 6 days)

Chestnut Centre
Skye Serpentarium
Galloway Wildlife Park
Tropical Wings
Beaver Water World
 
Poole Serpentarium and Riber Castle were former collections of renown, the latter for lynxes and the former for its unmatched herp collection. I'm surprised no one mentioned Penscynor, either.
 
In the summer of 1988 I went to Poole with the intention of visiting the Serpentarium. I found the placeonly to see that it had closed a few weeks earlier.
 
bongorob said:
In the summer of 1988 I went to Poole with the intention of visiting the Serpentarium. I found the placeonly to see that it had closed a few weeks earlier.
Click to expand...

You sure about that Rob? I visited in the 90's and it was open then... :p ;)
 
Would be nice if anyone would upload old camcorder footage of deceased collections. It must be hassle but, the record in real time must be more valuable heritage than the static photo gallery.
 
Lakewood Zoo (Lakewood, WI, USA)

I visited this zoo when I was little, and don't remember much of it. But the things I do remember were pretty good. I was sad when I heard it closed.
 
BDub said:
Let's create a list of zoos which are no longer open for visitors. Below is a start of what I have come up with. If I am mistaken (such as the zoo is now operating under a different name), please correct my list. Add zoos which you KNOW are closed as well.

  • Acadia Zoo/Kisma Preserve, 446 Bar Harbor Road (Rte. 3), Trenton, ME 04605-5808, kismapreserve.org
  • Clearsprings Aviaries & Zoological Gardens, 5686 IH-35 South, New Braunfels, TX 78132, (830)606-6029
  • Goose River Zoo, Highway 200, Mayville, ND 58257, (701)786-4048
  • Hornocker Wildlife Institute, 301 N. Willson Ave., Bozeman, MT 59715-3502
  • Oakhill Center for Rare & Endangered Species, 19800 East Coffee Creek Road, Luther, OK 73054
  • Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Makawao, Hawaii 96768
  • SEA Discovery Center in Poulsbo, 18743 Front Street NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370
  • Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo, 1911 Gaynor Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
Click to expand...

Is the Wisconsin Rapids Zoo permanently closed? Or is it just closed for the season?
 
I made a mistake in my dates. It was 2002 when I attempted to visit Poole aquarium.Thank you Brum and Sealpup for pointing out my error. Although I was right when I said I did not goto Poole in the 1990s :D
 
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