Florida The Busch Gardens Park in Tampa, Florida is one of the oldest, and most famous, combination theme-parks and zoos. Originally started as a recreation area for brewery workers, over the course of half a century Busch Gardens has grown into a major amusement park with the continent of Africa as a theme. Approximately half of the park is given over animal exhibits and … [Read more...]
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Florida The Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World is the largest man-made wildlife park anywhere in the world. It is also the world’s largest theme park by area and is home to some of the best wildlife care facilities on the planet. This sprawling facility is dominated by two immense reserve areas featuring animals from Africa and Asia. The Animal Kingdom is the most … [Read more...]
LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY
Australia The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is one of the world’s unique zoo experiences. This relatively small facility is home to only a small sampling of Australia’s fauna, most famously the country’s cuddly mascot, the Koala Bear. What makes this sanctuary so beloved and popular is that, under very careful supervision, visitors may pick up and handle some of the resident … [Read more...]
TARONGA ZOO
Australia The Taronga Zoo is the oldest and most visited zoo in Australia. Located in Sydney, it was probably the most famous until upstaged by the Australia Zoo in the 1990s. Taronga was one of the first zoos in the world to feature the native fauna of the continent of Australia, which remains the specialty of the park to this day. It is particularly famous for its … [Read more...]
AUSTRALIA ZOO
Australia The Australia Zoo is not Australia’s preeminent zoo, but is probably that country’s most famous one. Founded in the 1970s by the Irwin family, this zoo received worldwide fame because of its association with popular television host Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter. Although Steve Irwin has passed away, the family still maintains this famous reptile … [Read more...]
SINGAPORE ZOO & NIGHT SAFARI
Singapore The Singapore Zoo is regularly ranked among the world’s top zoos, and is arguably the best zoo in the Far East. Not constructed until the 1970s, this park had the benefit of the best modern zooscaping techniques from the outset, giving the animals some of the best designed natural enclosures anywhere. Primarily a showcase of the best fauna of Southeast Asia, it is … [Read more...]
BEIJING ZOO
China The Beiijing Zoo is the preeminent zoo of china and historically one of the most fascinating anywhere. A very old animal facility, the zoo has been built and rebuilt several times, and restocked with fresh animal populations on more than one occasion. Over the last few decades it has been completely overhauled into a modern facility and is one Beijing’s top cultural … [Read more...]
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa Thanks to its abundance of wildlife reserves, where animals roam free in the wild, the Africa has little need for zoos. However, there are a few, and the most popular of these is the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa. Founded at the end of the 19th century, it catered primarily to those who wished to enjoy the native wildlife without the inconvenience … [Read more...]
AL AIN ZOO
UAE The Al Ain Zoo is the premier zoo of the Arabian Peninsula, and possibly the best in the entire Middle East. An ecological highlight of the United Arab Emirates, this zoo features animals from the throughout Arabia, some of which are on the brink of extinction and can’t be seen anywhere else. The star attraction is the White Lion, possibly the rarest big cat in the … [Read more...]
JERUSALEM BIBLICAL ZOO
Israel The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is the largest zoo in Israel and one of the most popular zoos in the Middle East. Started privately by a zoology professor, it was originally intended to be an exhibit featuring animals described in the Bible. Now called the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, it has since grown into Israel’s defacto national zoo. For several years it ranked … [Read more...]