Favorite Zoos

[MisterSG1]

Anyone besides the Canadian posters on here been to the Toronto Zoo?

To be fair, I've never went to another zoo, but I've heard that the zoos in Omaha, San Diego, DC, and the Bronx are very good.

While the Toronto Zoo frequently appears on top 10 lists when you search the web, in my opinion, the place feels very dated.

[abefroman329]

I wouldn't say the DC zoo is particularly good, particularly since it's run by the Smithsonian, who otherwise know a thing or two about museums.  They seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their animals alive a few years ago, and you'd think by now they would have come up with a solution to this problem: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/08/AR2009110817703.html and https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/white-tailed-deer-dies-after-jumping-into-cheetah-enclosure-at-national-zoo/2013/12/27/221a6732-6f67-11e3-b405-7e360f7e9fd2_story.html?utm_term=.063d0795a80f

[vdeane]

Anyone besides the Canadian posters on here been to the Toronto Zoo?

To be fair, I've never went to another zoo, but I've heard that the zoos in Omaha, San Diego, DC, and the Bronx are very good.

While the Toronto Zoo frequently appears on top 10 lists when you search the web, in my opinion, the place feels very dated.

I have.  In fact, aside from a stop to see the pandas at the DC zoo during my 7th grade field trip, I think it's the only zoo I've been to other than Rochester's.  The only one I can remember, at least.

[kphoger]

They seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their animals from not dying...

Those pesky critters just kept surviving, didn't they?   

[abefroman329]

They seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their animals from not dying...

Those pesky critters just kept surviving, didn't they?   

It's what I get for attempting a triple negative.

[MisterSG1]

I wouldn't say the DC zoo is particularly good, particularly since it's run by the Smithsonian, who otherwise know a thing or two about museums.  They seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their animals alive a few years ago, and you'd think by now they would have come up with a solution to this problem: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/08/AR2009110817703.html and https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/white-tailed-deer-dies-after-jumping-into-cheetah-enclosure-at-national-zoo/2013/12/27/221a6732-6f67-11e3-b405-7e360f7e9fd2_story.html?utm_term=.063d0795a80f

To be fair, the Toronto Zoo had a controversy regarding its elephants at the beginning of the 2010s. They were pressured by extreme animal activists and Bob Barker himself to send the elephants to PAWS in California despite PAWS's trouble with tuberculosis. In a very heated political situation that when on for years, the zoo sent the elephants to PAWS and lost its AZA accreditation in 2012. They only get their accreditation back in 2016.

I was mentioning the DC Zoo being good mainly because of its giant panda exhibit. There are only four zoos in the US which have giant panda exhibits currently.