Welcome to The Zoo Review

Welcome to The Zoo Review, our first multi-blog series here on Devilled Toads. In-depth reviews of zoos, safari parks and aquariums are surprisingly scant on the internet, especially when compared to other major visitor attractions like theme parks. Yet, as people who visit a lot of zoos, we find there is so much to be said about them. 

Each review contains a rambling collection of our thoughts and experiences, followed by a summary scoring based on five factors. We look at the aesthetics of the zoo, its animal and plant collection, the general visitor experience, the facilities on offer, and, of course, the quality of animal welfare. Each of these categories is granted a score out of 10, then totalled to give a final verdict out of 50. Then there's an an extra factor, which we have dubbed the 'zoo factor'. It's a little harder to put into words, but this is essentially whether a zoo has a certain star quality to it, something special that means it was more enjoyable than our scores might suggest.

How we review

Aesthetics

Our first category is based on appearances. The way a zoo looks plays a big part in how it's perceived; if everything is well-maintained, it's generally held in higher regard than if areas are starting to look a little old and shabby. This applies to all visitor-facing areas, including exhibits, gardens, food outlets, even pathways and thoroughfares. Theming can be a big factor in a zoo's aesthetic appeal, but areas that are over-themed at the expense of other important factors like visitor experience or animal welfare are unlikely to achieve a high score. Instead, it's often the zoos with the most cohesiveness, their own unique identity, that are the most aesthetically pleasing. Staff-only areas tend to be judged a little less harshly on how they look, as there isn't really an incentive for them to be pretty; they need only be functional in most cases.

Collection

Category number two judges a zoo's collections of animals and plants. This isn't about comparing the species held at each zoo and rewarding the ones that have the most animals you can't see elsewhere. Instead, each zoo's collection is unique in some way, and there are many routes to scoring highly. A collection representing a range of species from across the animal kingdom is impressive, as is focusing on a specific taxonomic group or geographical region (for instance, a comprehensive set of African species, or a diverse array of primates). This category also looks at conservation efforts, so which breeding programmes a zoo partakes in is a major factor. Plants are a little harder to judge, but many zoos have their own botanical collections, which, when displayed properly, can be just as impressive as a well-rounded animal collection.

Experience

Visitor experience covers pretty much everything that matters to the average zoo-goer. In some ways, this pulls together the other four categories; poor facilities might make for a more negative experience, whereas an engaging animal collection might make for a good one. In other ways, all sorts of factors that might not initially pop into your mind when thinking about what makes a good zoo are considered. We'll be taking into account the zoo's layout, accessibility, visitor services, value for money, events on offer, and so on. Pretty much anything 'miscellaneous' that contributes to a visitor's enjoyment of a zoo comes under this umbrella.

Facilities

The quality and availability of facilities is often forgotten in zoo-based discussions, but is one of the most important visitor-facing factors there is. Some facilities are primarily functional, such as toilets, seating areas and first aid points, in which case their cleanliness, easiness to find and general distribution around a zoo is what is most important. Others, like concession stands and gift shops are less explicitly functional, but still serve an important service while contributing to the overall experience. In these cases, quality and value of what is sold is important, as well as how much variety there might be around the zoo. 

Welfare

Arguably the most important aspect of all is animal welfare (we at Devilled Toads certainly think so). This addresses whether each animal has an appropriate exhibit, looking at their needs for space, ability to exhibit natural behaviours like climbing or burrowing, enrichment, off-show areas and so on. Where possible, we'll also look at how animals' dietary and social needs are met, and the general quality of care their keepers are able to give them. A good zoo is one that puts the needs of it's animal inhabitants first and foremost, so a zoo without good welfare standards will not receive the Zoo Factor, no matter how much it succeeds in other categories.