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TOP ZOOS

by Allen W. Nyhuis

We live in a competitive society that always wants to know what's best. There are "Top 10" lists for everything from city populations to college sports teams. I don’t rank zoos from best to worst, nor do I give them an overall numeric score. Ranking zoos is a subjective matter.  Some visitors want to see lots of birds. Others aren't interested in birds and want to see reptiles or bears. So rating a zoo is dependent on the particular interests of the individual visitor.

My choice as the best zoo in each category is labeled "#1," while the runner-ups are listed in alphabetical order as "#2." The remaining zoos in each top ten are listed next, also in alphabetical order.

Top 10 Children's Zoos

(based on size and quality)

1. Baltimore Zoo

2. Bronx Zoo

3. Los Angeles Zoo

4. Houston Zoo

5. Lincoln Park Zoo

6. Oglebay's Good Children's Zoo

7. Phoenix Zoo

8. San Antonio Zoo

9. San Diego Zoo

10. San Francisco Zoo

World's Top 10 Animal Collections

(base on number of species and population)

1. Berlin Zoo (Germany)

2. Berlin Tierpark (Germany)

3. Bronx Zoo (New York)

4. San Diego Zoo (California)

5. Artis Zoo (Netherlands)

6. Frankfurt Zoo (Germany)

7. London Zoo (England)

8. National Zoo (South Africa)

9. San Antonio Zoo (Texas)

10. Wilhelma Zoo (Germany)

THE TOP 25 U.S. ZOO EXHIBITS

All of the zoos reviewed in THE ZOO BOOK: A GUIDE TO AMERICA’S BEST have some outstanding exhibits. Each zoo review includes a "Don't Miss" section that mentions its best and most unique exhibits. Here is my rating of the country's 25 best exhibits. The exhibits are rated according to their scope, realism, and size, as well as the variety, popularity, and number of animals included. This list includes only exhibits that opened before mid-1993.

1. Lied Jungle (Omaha)

2. Wilds of Africa (Dallas)

3. Tropic World (Brookfield)

4. Northern Trail (Minnesota)

5. Louisiana Swamp (Audubon)

6. Tropics Trail (Minnesota)

7. The Rain Forest (Cleveland)

8. Children's Zoo (Baltimore)

9. JungleWorld (Bronx)

10. North American Living Museum (Tulsa)

11. Fragile Kingdom (Brookfield)

12. World of Primates (Fort Worth)

13. Discovery Reef Aquarium (Point Defiance)

14. Insect World (Cincinnati)

15. Tiger River (San Diego)

16. African Pavilion (North Carolina)

17. Outback/Pampas (Sedgwick County)

18. African Tropical Forest (Franklin Park)

19. World of Waters (Indianapolis)

20. R.J.Reynolds Forest Aviary (North Carolina)

21. Texas! (Fort Worth)

22. Jungle Trails (Cincinnati)

23. East Africa (Caldwell)

24. Wild Asia (Bronx)

25. Gorilla Tropics (San Diego)

This information is excerpted from THE ZOO BOOK: A GUIDE TO AMERICA’S BEST, by Allen W. Nyhuis, published by Carousel Press, http://www.carousel-press.com

Photographs provided by respective zoos.

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