Z – Best Zoos of the World

Best Zoos of the World

Whenever I travel, it has become mandatory to check if that place or city has a zoo or not. I just enjoy interacting and looking at animals in their surroundings and natural habitat. Zoos are often visited by locals and children besides tourists. That is where you get to see kids enjoy animals and interact with them. A zoo enables people to view animals that they normally would not be able to see. Visitors are also able to learn about animals and their habits.

Most of us live in towns and cities, in tall buildings with practically no greenery around.  Visiting a zoo is a respite and fascination for us all.

So, which are the best Zoos of the world?

1. Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria

Ranked as ‘the most loved Zoo in the World’, by tourists. This spectacular zoo is located in the grounds of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. It is also the oldest zoo in the world, founded in 1752. More than 700 species of animals are housed at this Zoo. Some rare species of penguins, orangutans and giant pandas are visible here. This most extraordinary zoo in the world is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Tourists have an opportunity to observe many of the animals at feeding time and enjoy them in their natural habitat.

2. London Zoo, UK

The Regent Zoo or London Zoo is the oldest zoo in the UK and also a centre for scientific study. The zoo is situated on the northern edge of The Regent’s Park. London Zoo houses a collection of 755 species of animals, making it one of the largest collections in the UK. This zoo can be visited all round the year. The best part about the zoo is that it strikes a great balance between entertaining its guests and not compromising on animal welfare. The animals have large and interesting enclosures, which makes it very pleasurable to view.

3. San Diago Zoo, USA

The San Diego Zoo showcases more than 3,700 species of animals. The stories of some of the more than 3,700 animals.  The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park is located in Balboa Park, California, and is the world’s largest zoological membership association, with over 250000 member households and 130000 children. You can practically spend an entire day at the zoo as there is no shortage of activities, exhibits, and animals to see while you’re there.

4. Toronto Zoo, Canada

I hope to experience the Toronto Zoo in the near future when I visit my daughter in Canada. The Toronto Zoo is in the state of Ontario, it’s known to be one of the largest and magnificent zoos in the world, It is spread over a sprawling area of 710 acres, with a huge range of 491 species of animals from around the globe. The salient feature of Toronto Zoo is the division of seven zoo geographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Eurasia, Canadian Domain, and the Tundra Trek. The animals are completely taken care of in indoor tropical pavilions and outdoor environments.

5. Berlin Zoological Garden, Germany

The Berlin Zoological Garden in Germany was initially started by Prussia’s King William IV as his personal collection. The majority of the animals were destroyed in World War-II. Later the Zoo was reopened in 1844 making it the oldest Zoo in Germany and one of the largest in the world. Zoo Berlin is the home for more than 15.000 endangered and unique animals. From elephants to polar bears, pandas to zebras you will get to see a large variety of animals in their natural habitat. One of the Best Zoos of the World on my bucket list.

Personal favourites from my Visit Diaries

Dusit Zoo, Bangkok

Bangkok is known for its shopping and moreover nightlife, no one would take time out to visit a zoo. For visitors, Dusit Zoo would never be on the top of the list, but my sister and I decided to enjoy that morning outdoors admiring animals.
Dusit Zoo was located very far from our hotel so we started off early by sky train. The zoo was not very crowded with many tourists.  At the entrance, there is a huge natural enclosure for the zebras and giraffes. The surrounding gardens and lakes are well maintained. My favourite part was the bird section, reptile house and to see the hippopotamus swimming with ease underwater.

Singapore Zoo, Singapore

 Singapore Zoo was the highlight of our travel itinerary to Singapore. It was a great place to spend time because as a family we are all animal lovers. The zoo is well organized and has plenty of open areas with large enclosures for the animals. Plenty of added activities like ‘Breakfast with the Orangutans’ and ‘Feed the birds’ to name a few. Overall, the Singapore Zoo is a great family attraction for all. Highly recommend is the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari also whilst in Singapore.

My final thoughts

People say we should not keep animals in cages and avoid going to the Zoo to make it so popular. But now Zoos have replaced cages with Natural enclosures, habitats with moats, temperature-controlled environments to make the animals feel they are living in natural surroundings. The best zoos in the world are offering a multi-sensorial experience to their visitors keeping in mind the best conservation and breeding conditions of the animals. Also giving them proper food and medical attention while seeing to it that even the endangered animals breed and are healthy, happy in their natural environment.

As I reach my last post for letter Z – Best Zoos of the World, I have mixed feelings and a heavy heart. Let me leave you with my Y post – Yogurt and its benefits.