ZSL London Zoo

I went to London zoo last week expecting to have a great family day out! I hadn't been since I was a child and really didn't remember much about it. The enclosures were so small it was heart breaking. I'm not sure what I expected but I didn't think the Victorian styled zoo would still be going to the same format. There clearly isn't space for these animals and it shows, with many animals displaying signs of extreme boredom. They are in good health but this isn't the place for them. There are many other zoos and parks across the UK that have much more space, so I guess the only reason London Zoo is still going is to make money (not surprisingly everything is priced at a premium, but that's to be expected of a London tourist attraction). I thought there was very little for children to do to get the younger children interested and to hold their attention. The children in our party (aged 3, 5 and 8) were more impressed by the playground facilities. We could have taken them to the park for a fraction of the cost. At other animal parks and zoos, they have been able to do activities relating to the particular animal at each enclosure that got their attention and taught them something about the animals. There were few things like that at London Zoo. Also, we found the glass on a lot of the enclosures extremely frustrating. They hadn't been treated with any kind of anti-glare material so it was near impossible to see in and point out to the children where many of the animals were. Overall, very disappointing, and has certainly made me question the need for zoos of this type.

My wife and I visit zoos wherever we go. The London Zoo is expensive to get into and small, with marginal conditions for the limited numbers and types of creatures on display. There were one or two interesting highlights (otters, a temporary butterfly aviary), but for the most part, very disappointing. Considering this is a world class city and a very old zoo with a very interesting history, London has really dropped the ball on this one. Save your money (over $30.00 US just to get in, versus $24.50 to get into the AMAZING San Diego Zoo) and don't believe the hype! Much of what you see in the advertising for the London Zoo you will NOT see once you get in. I would very much like to tell you that the London Zoo is worthwhile, but it is not...

I was very surprised that such a famous zoo in such a famous city would be so poor. The animals were in cramped conditions and looked sad and bored. The lions were asleep, the tiger invisible and the gorillas sat silently. I saw a few monkeys but there was very little interaction between them, they sat and stared. Perhaps it is not surprising when the environment is so limited and unchanging.

The surrounding area of Regents Park is beautiful and provides lovely walks. But the zoo needs to be updated, its concrete buildings, its poor and untidy restaurants and the facilities it provides for the animals.