What makes a great zoo?

[KungFuPanda]

Spinning off from the DC thread . . . what makes a great zoo? I've only been to a handful of zoos. I've enjoyed them all. Maybe I'm simple, but I'm happy just watching the animals do their thing. So, what makes a zoo special? Is it the variety of animals that you prefer? Is it the buildings? Is it the snack bar? Don't tell me there are zoos out there with decent, reasonably priced food. I will own up to watching zoo-cams from warm places when it's fold and icy here. I actually like zoos more than my kids do. What should I look for to get the ultimate zoo experience.

[Arcadia]

My kids and parents love the cable car rides and the double decker bus rides at San Diego Zoo. Food was decently priced for a tourist attraction. Restrooms were easy to find. The zoo was double stroller and elderly friendly.

 

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/content/skyfari®-aerial-tram

http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/content/guided-bus-tour

 

When we flew back home, we went to the Night Safari and our kids have a blast seeing the zoo after sunset and taking a tram ride.

http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/m/tram-safari/tram-safari-experience.html

Edited February 16, 2016 by Arcadia

[hornblower]

For me, from an animal rights standpoint, it comes to one thing only - does it really have to exist and has it made imprisoning the animals as tolerable as imprisonment can be?

Minimum standards would be accreditation with AZA;  a strong commitment to re-wilding;  careful breeding programs aimed at restoring endangered species & actually implementing a 'soft release' into the wild program;  creation of large habitats which allow natural expression of behaviors.  The last frequently make it a 'bad' zoo because well designed habitats mean you may not see any animals.

I haven't been to a zoo in years and I'm not sure I would again.

I prefer a sanctuary model... like the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee for ex.

[Annie G]

The Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison Wisconsin is lovely. It's free, and parking is free. It's small enough to see in an hour or two.  There is a children's zoo and a nice play place there. They have a delightful carousel and train ride for the kids, at like 1.50 a ride.  They allow you to bring in picnic lunches.  It's not a super zoo, and I wish they would charge some admission because some of the exhibits really need some work. But I love that it's not overwhelmingly large.   And adjacent to the zoo is a huge park with plenty of space to run and play and fly kites.   

 

We loved the large zoos we visited but it was nice to be able to visit the zoo in Madison often without it taking a whole day or costing an arm and a leg.  

[eternalsummer]

We don't do zoos.  I went to an outdoor safari-type thing in Louisiana when I was 10 or 11; they had maybe 20 people on a sort of open-sided bus and gave us cups of corn, then drove us around to see whatever groups of animals we could find.  They had camels, giraffes, sheep with largish/strange horns, some other assorted non-aggressive types.

 

Found it!  Here: http://www.globalwildlife.com/

 

It was great :)  That kind of thing is fine with me.

[PeacefulChaos]

I'm curious about this as well.  

 

I've been to a handful of zoos in my life - Denver, Colorado Springs, DC, Richmond, St. Louis, Springfield MO, Roanoke, Chiang Mai - and they're all a little different, and that doesn't bother me.  I don't necessarily look at one as being 'better' than the other, though I'm not sure the Roanoke one even still exists, because IIRC it was one of the old style 'animals in cages' ones.  But I was a kid so those things weren't jumping out at me.

 

I remember Denver and St. Louis having a similar feeling - growing up near the STL one, I've been there multiple times.  I remember thinking it was a good zoo and enjoying it.

I remember Colorado Springs was on a mountain, and the biggest problem with that was the uphill walk.  :lol:  But it was the first place I fed giraffes, which was cool.

The one in Springfield is not too bad, but I hate hate hate HATE the elephant section.  It's depressing and it's not how elephants should act.  I was very upset by that the last time I was there in 2014... there are portions which were fine but that part bothered me a lot, especially after being in Thailand at elephant sanctuaries and seeing how they *really* act.  Separating a pack animal and reducing them to what they've been reduced to at many zoos... unacceptable.  Ugh.  It's heartbreaking.

Richmond is not an awesome zoo but a lot of people enjoy it.  I'd say it's similar to Springfield, but without the elephants lol.  The animals seem very active and happy - the cheetahs are like, the most prolific cheetahs in the country lol.  That's probably been my most oft visited other than STL.

 

It's been years since I've been to DC but am looking forward to going again.  But Idk, I just think all sorts of zoos are interesting.  It's something we did for fun as I was growing up and it's just stuck with me, I guess.

 

 

 

On a side note, the Georgia Aquarium is freaking amazing.  Not a zoo, but yeah.  <3

[Rachel]

I'm not sure what makes a great zoo exactly. We have two within an hour of us and I like one better because of the gardens. I've been to probably 10 different zoos (4 or 5 as an adult) and I can't think of one that stands out as being much better than the others. I like the more natural habitats in general.

 

We had passes to one zoo a couple years ago and went several times in a short time span. The last time I remember watching the tiger pace and realized how little space he had. I ended up having really mixed feelings about it, on the one hand he was probably much better fed than he would have been in the wild, but on the other he seemed like he wanted more space to actually be able to run.

 

I have heard so many good things about the San Diego Zoo that I would love to visit if I ever make it out west though.

[idnib]

I think I'm just tired and punchy but your avatar makes it feel as if these zoo questions are being asked by an actual panda!  :laugh:

[AK_Mom4]

Giraffes

And maybe a kangaroo.

[Pawz4me]

I'm biased.  We've been to zoos all over the country and haven't found one that's anywhere near as good as our NC Zoo.  What makes it so great IMO is that it's a natural habitat zoo (one of the largest in the country) and the largest walk thru zoo in the world.  I hate seeing animals in cages.  Our zoo sets such a high standard that we've pretty much stopped going to other zoos.  They make us sad.

[Chris in VA]

For me, a great zoo has lots of land for the animals. It is why I won't go to DC zoo anymore. I just think our nation's capital should have a state-of-the-art facility. I am glad, however, that they got rid of the giraffes, because the space was just too small. I wish they'd give more space to the cats and the elephants. I never used to be that sensitive to zoos, but am now. I hate Sea World, too.

I grew up with Metro Zoo in Miami and the Cleveland Zoo. Comparing with DC was a shocker.

[Carrie12345]

I have a love/hate relationship with zoos.  Our regular zoo began as a sanctuary, but has moved far away from that original mission.

 

My favorite thing about the two zoos we visit regularly is that they're generally low key.  My kids, since they were able to walk, have always been able to meander freely (with us following attentively, of course.)  And picnicking is very easy in both locations.  Our visits to the Bronx and Atlanta zoos were much more crowded, chaotic, and getting a cooler from the car would have been a giant pain (if it's allowed. I didn't check.)

 

I think all of our visits have been beneficial to my nature loving kids, but I do struggle with the question of "At what cost?"

[Alessandra]

For me, from an animal rights standpoint, it comes to one thing only - does it really have to exist and has it made imprisoning the animals as tolerable as imprisonment can be?

 

Minimum standards would be accreditation with AZA; a strong commitment to re-wilding; careful breeding programs aimed at restoring endangered species & actually implementing a 'soft release' into the wild program; creation of large habitats which allow natural expression of behaviors. The last frequently make it a 'bad' zoo because well designed habitats mean you may not see any animals.

 

I haven't been to a zoo in years and I'm not sure I would again.

I prefer a sanctuary model... like the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee for ex.

Yes, this.

 

I want to know about the programs the zoo does outside the zoo in terms of habitat conservation, breeding, etc. in the zoo, I want natural habitats and good education. If there is not enough room for a species, do not keep it -- for example, the zoo near us (Bronx zoo) is closing, or has closed, its elephant exhibit. Bronx has a tiny fraction of the space that a zoo like San Diego has.

 

I have inadvertently been to roadside zoos, seen big cats in cages the size of my bedroom. Horrible. The worst thing I saw was in the Houston Aquarium -- a white tiger was kept in a marble floored room, windowless, I think, that was supposed to look like a maharajah's palace. I got my kids out of there so fast we left a trail of dust. And the place was AZA accredited.

 

A good zoo will have a website that describes the zoo's conservation efforts. It will educate people about the importance of habitat preservation. A good zoo, unless it is very large, will probably not have all the big animals, but will have s selection of habitats and probably some lesser animals that you have never heard of. A good zoo will have education programs -- even if you don't go, it is nice to know they are there. A good zoo will have a membership program, because the zoo is worth repeat visits. A good zoo will do active fund raising, because their efforts are worth supporting.

 

But, more and more, I have to agree with Hornblower. The more we know about animal behavior, the less appealing zoos are. Think of the Sea World scandals.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Alessandra

[JFSinIL]

We go to Brookfield Zoo - lots of natural habitats so takes  a lot of walking, but that is better for the animals than being in the old timey cages where they would be bored out of their minds. 

[T'smom]

I like zoos where the animals have lots of room- but you can still see them. There is a zoo near us where you practically need binoculars to see the animals! I don't want the animals to have less space, but it would be nice if there were more vantage points to view the animals.

[MercyA]

For me, from an animal rights standpoint, it comes to one thing only - does it really have to exist and has it made imprisoning the animals as tolerable as imprisonment can be?

 

Minimum standards would be accreditation with AZA;  a strong commitment to re-wilding;  careful breeding programs aimed at restoring endangered species & actually implementing a 'soft release' into the wild program;  creation of large habitats which allow natural expression of behaviors.  The last frequently make it a 'bad' zoo because well designed habitats mean you may not see any animals.

 

I prefer a sanctuary model... like the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee for ex.

 

This. I've seen some sad things in zoos:

 

Dolphins kept in indoor tanks, without sunlight or fresh air. They were made to perform foolish tricks to blaring heavy metal music and flashing strobe lights. We left soon after the show started and I regret patronizing the zoo at all.

 

Animals pacing endlessly back and forth in enclosures that were far too small.

 

A mother and baby elephant, who should have been traveling miles a day in a large family group, trapped in a barren enclosure with little or no shade on a very hot day.

 

A chimpanzee clutching a blanket and rocking back and forth. I later found out that one of the chimps at the zoo--I suspect the one who was rocking--had been kept at a medical lab and used for breeding. She had her babies taken away from her for years.  :( I'm glad she's out of the lab, but wish she could be in a sanctuary. The zoo does do what it can for her, providing her with companionship, access to the outdoors, blankets, stuffed animals, and other gifts.

 

Better zoos keep the animals in the biggest and most natural environments possible and don't force them to perform tricks. They provide a variety of fresh food and enrichment items that animals can use for play, foraging, and expressing other natural behaviors.

 

I prefer sanctuaries.

[wendyroo]

I think the "best" zoo depends a lot on your audience.  Right now, with only little kids, our small, local zoo is ideal.  We can meander at toddler speed through the whole zoo in about an hour and a half.  There aren't a ton of different animals, and nothing big like elephants or giraffes, but it is an interesting assortment and I think they make good use of their space while providing the animals with large, natural habitat enclosures.  

 

Membership is cheap, so we can go and watch the chimps for 20 minutes and be done for the day.  They have picnic tables available if you want to bring your own picnic lunch.  There is a small petting farm area and two playgrounds, plus a wonderful wild forest play area that is just a clearing in the woods with semi-defined areas to play camping, build a teepee out of long sticks, walk on a log obstacle course, etc.

 

The zoo also runs a bunch of reasonably priced special programs.  Trick or treating and games at Halloween, light festival in December, occasional evening role-playing mystery scavenger hunt type events.  They also do a zoo camp program each summer that is very well run and educational.

 

They do offer middle school students the opportunity to help with many aspects of animal care, but I think, in general, kids start to outgrow this zoo by middle school and would be better served by driving the two hours into the big city to go to that zoo.

 

Wendy

[Serenade]

The last frequently make it a 'bad' zoo because well designed habitats mean you may not see any animals.

 

This is my biggest complaint against these natural habit zoos.  If you can't seen the animals,  what is the point?  Now, my viewpoint on this is quite different than yours, obviously.  I believe zoos are a good thing, and that they allow people to see wild animals who might not otherwise be able to do so.  Most of us can't afford to go on wildlife safaris and rainforest treks.   I do believe a combination of natural habit with good viewing possibilities is possible.  I think the NC zoo has done this fairly well, although one has to walk a lot to see the animals, and ever since the zoo upgraded the rhino area, I'm never able to see them anymore, and that makes me sad.  I wish they would actually have the rhinos in a smaller area with close-up viewing for part of the day, before releasing them into the huge field/meadow where they hang out on the back end, mostly out of view.

[Mom2Five]

I would say the best zoos would be those that had animals that you wouldn't see in every day zoos.

 

I vote for Disney's Animal Kingdom, lol. I love the gorilla's and the hippo pool. I like the tigers, but think that jax zoo has a better tiger exhibit. I love the safari.

[Dmmetler]

A good zoo is also constantly improving the situation for the animals. The Memphis zoo has gone from being an old style zoo to being much more natural and open in the years we've lived here. Is it perfect? No. But they're constantly trying to improve their husbandry and improving the programming for them. And that means that parts of the zoo won't be available at any set time. A zoo with everything open and no projects going on is a zoo that is stagnant.

 

Active breeding and reintroduction and conservation programs for animals, especially a focus on local and regional threatened species. There should be as much or more focus on local and regional animals as the larger, better known, more charismatic species. I really love the Nashville Zoo for this reason.

 

Active cooperation and education with different conservation groups, schools, and organizations. Sponsoring Citizen science trainings, teacher trainings, and things that encourage people to explore the wildlife around them. The zoo should not end at the walls.

[TechWife]

I'm biased. We've been to zoos all over the country and haven't found one that's anywhere near as good as our NC Zoo. What makes it so great IMO is that it's a natural habitat zoo (one of the largest in the country) and the largest walk thru zoo in the world. I hate seeing animals in cages. Our zoo sets such a high standard that we've pretty much stopped going to other zoos. They make us sad.

This, exactly. We had been to the NC Zoo a few times when we went to the National Zoo. We were appalled at the poor living arrangements for the animals - small areas, lots of cement, they had allowed the city to grow right up to the zoo (this was about 15 years ago). We left after about an hour.

Edited February 17, 2016 by TechWife

[TechWife]

This is my biggest complaint against these natural habit zoos.  If you can't seen the animals,  what is the point? 

 

Conservation

Breeding

Education (dozens of topics)

 

I think of it this way: They let people pay to see the animals so that they can fund the needed care, studies and projects. 

[PeacefulChaos]

I'm biased.  We've been to zoos all over the country and haven't found one that's anywhere near as good as our NC Zoo.  What makes it so great IMO is that it's a natural habitat zoo (one of the largest in the country) and the largest walk thru zoo in the world.  I hate seeing animals in cages.  Our zoo sets such a high standard that we've pretty much stopped going to other zoos.  They make us sad.

 

NC Zoo is on my 'want to visit' list.  I've heard excellent things about it.  :)

[ktgrok]

My favorite "zoo" is actually a sanctuary in South Florida, the Busch Wildlife Center. It's tiny, and it's free. All the animals are ones that were confiscated or injured and couldn't be returned to the wild. All the animals are native. It's shady, and you can picnic there. And I don't feel guilty about going because the alternative would have been putting the animals down. 

 

We have some zoos near where I live now...I'm ambivalent. The Brevard Zoo seems okay, the Central Florida Zoo has enclosures that are too small for the big cats. When I was a kid we'd go to the metro zoo in Miami but haven't been in ages. I remember it being huge when I went last, for my teen's 2nd birthday in 2001. 

 

Oh, and I thought the animal enclosures on Grandfather mountain were well done, but it's been years since I've been there too and there are only a few animals. 

[kroe1]

When Animal Kingdom was still in the formative years, the Disney imagineers started sending out emails to zoos all over the country. They would ask all kinds of questions including feeding, enclosures, safety, medical, enrichment, procurement, breeding, etc. In the typical Disney fashion, they hired the zookeepers who had the best responses. The problem with this approach was that as the decision processes were being made, all the players spoke different languages.

 

At any rate, Animal Kingdom eventually came to fruition and is my favorite zoo. Miami and Memphis is a close second although I have not been to them in over five years.

 

Why I like Animal Kingdom is that special attention was made to recreate the natural habitat for each animal all the way down to the vegetation and diet. There are obviously enclosures, but the public cannot see them just like the feeders are hidden as well. Also, Disney was careful to have a built in hiding place for every animal in the event one needed some privacy.

 

In addition, I love the adventure of it all. I love riding in a big open air vehicle and being made to feel I am on a real safari. I also like the long walk through the "jungle" and riding a train out to the petting zoo. I love all the conservation learning opportunities.

 

Finally, I love how every animal is brought inside each night for protection. After closing, one can start hearing different sounds and bells coming from the safari. Each breed knows his species' sound and walks back to the enclosure. The next day, only those animals who want to go out have to. Sometimes animals need some peace and quiet and can stay away from the crowds.

 

I was fortunate enough to take a "Safari" with one of the Disney vets. It was phenomenal to hear how the animals contract different diseases here in Florida, i.e. hoof disease and how the Disney vets create new, safe treatments.

 

Finally, taking an afternoon ride on Expedition Everest is icing on the cake.

[kubiac]

At this point in my life preferred zoos are very small with very few showy animals. All I want is a modest exhibit of a few reptiles and birds and small rodent-size mammals, and maybe a churro stand for when I need a snack.

 

"Charismatic megafauna" belong in the wild, where they can act out natural behaviors. My heart hurts for anything that might appear to have a personality, i.e. any primate and most social mammals, plus corvids, psittacines, etc. If I want to see an elephant, I can watch an Attenborough documentary or fly to Africa myself.

 

We have a modest wildlife rescue facility near us that offers short guided tours in exchange for a donation. They educate little kids about the environment and wildlife conservation, and provide a retirement home for abandoned macaws (they pull their feathers out in anguish when they lose their human parents), illegally imported alligators and so forth. There's another one up in the hills that is generally inaccessible but that houses larger mammals like mountain lions who are too injured or human-socialized to be released into the wild. I like wildlife rescue centers. These days, I feel very uncomfortable at traditional zoos.

 

The worst zoo I've ever visited was the Siegfried & Roy "zoo" in Las Vegas. I should have known better but we were looking for something to do with kids and grands. It was like being on the Island of Doctor Moreau. All those poor mutated animals in sad little enclosures with plastic grass, for no other reason than some ludicrous performance! I felt sick to my stomach being there. 

 

Reading a book like Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees by Roger Fouts has really made me question our assumed superiority over the animal kingdom. We treated animals as objects before we knew better, but scientific research illustrating the intelligence of animals has made it increasingly clear to me that we may have done a grave disservice to the souls of the non-human.

Edited February 18, 2016 by kubiac