How are zoos ranked?

The most important factors are quality of care for the animals and quality of the exhibits. Two other main factors are available animal encounters and organized zoo regions. Zoos that have a large variety of animals or unique animals also score well.



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San Diego, California Our 2023 Best Of Travel Award winner for Best Zoo in the U.S. is the San Diego Zoo! Situated in sunny San Diego's beautiful Balboa Park, this southern California zoo is renowned for its diverse collection of animals and dedication to conservation.

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Naming 275 zoos and aquariums in total, the awards call the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, the world's best. The San Diego Zoo in California comes in second place. Monterey, California's Monterey Bay Aquarium tops the list of world aquariums.

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How to Tell If the Zoo You're Looking to Visit Is Ethical
  • Does It Have Any Form of Accreditation? ...
  • How Are the Animals Acquired? ...
  • Does It Allow Interactions With Animals, and Is It Animal- or People-Focused? ...
  • Can You Find Photos of the Enclosures? ...
  • Where Does Its Money Go?
  • What Is Your Gut Reaction?


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It is well known for its lush, naturalistic habitats and unique animal encounters and is home to more than 3,700 rare and endangered animals representing approximately 660 species and subspecies and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 plants.

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MYTH 4: Animals in Zoos are happy. Animals in captivity across the globe have been documented displaying signs of anxiety and depression. In fact, psychological distress in zoo animals is so common that it has its own name: Zoochosis.

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Zoos Care for Their Animals Animals can have a quality of life as high or higher than in the wild. They don't suffer from the stress and threat of predators, the pain of parasites, injury, or illness, and they won't suffer from starvation or drought.

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Top zoos in the U.S.
  1. San Diego Zoo | San Diego, CA. ...
  2. Henry Doorly Zoo | Omaha, NE. ...
  3. Denver Zoo | Denver, CO. ...
  4. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium | Pittsburgh, PA. ...
  5. Dallas Zoological Park | Marsalis Park, TX. ...
  6. Bronx Zoo | New York City, NY. ...
  7. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden | Cincinnati, OH. ...
  8. Brookfield Zoo | Brookfield, IL.


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50 Best Zoos in the World
  • 1 – San Diego Zoo, USA.
  • 2 – Singapore Zoo, Singapore.
  • 3 – Loro Parque, Spain.
  • 4 – St. Louis Zoo, USA.
  • 5 – Henry Doorly Zoo, USA.
  • 6 – Rotterdam Zoo, Netherlands.
  • 7 – Australia Zoo, Australia.
  • 8 – Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, USA.


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San Diego Zoo — San Diego, California The San Diego Zoo has long been considered one of the best zoos in the world. The zoo, which opened its doors in 1916, stretches across 100 acres and is home to more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals.

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Which States have the highest number of businesses in the Zoos & Aquariums industry in the United States? California (63 businesses), Florida (61 businesses) and Texas (50 businesses) are the States with the most number of Zoos & Aquariums businesses in the US.

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1. Henry Doorly Zoo
  • Animals: 17,000.
  • Species: 962.
  • Size: 160 acres.
  • First Opened: 1894.
  • Most Popular Feature: Lied Jungle (America's largest indoor jungle).
  • Mission Statement: “To inspire, educate and engage people to serve as lifelong stewards for the conservation of animals and their habitats.


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Schönbrunn Zoo (German: Tiergarten Schönbrunn; also simply called Vienna Zoo) is a 17-hectare (42-acre) zoo in the city of Vienna, Austria. Established in 1752, it is the world's oldest zoo still in operation.

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On average, captive animals (especially mammals) live longer than wild animals. This may be due to the fact that zoos provide refuge against diseases, competition with others of the same species and predators.

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Do zoos help or harm animals? While some suggest that zoos exploit captive animals and that wild animals should be wild, these facilities also present wildlife conservation attempts and learning opportunities as well. Zoos may introduce trauma to animals, but they are also taken care of in zoos.

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Captive animals seldom learn crucial survival skills and often are too habituated to human contact. Lacking a natural fear of humans, they are vulnerable to poachers and ill equipped for life in the wild.

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Although 700 million people worldwide visit zoos and aquariums each year, many zoos have found their attendance numbers going down in recent years.

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Zoo visitors are often aspects of a zoo animal's environment that animals cannot control and as such can be stressful, although some species appear to show good adaptability for the changing conditions of visitors, said Dr Samantha Ward, from Nottingham Trent University.

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The report estimated the total economic output of AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums in 2018 to be $22.5 billion. On top of that, in 2013 zoos contributed to an estimated $2.4 billion in before/after visit spending by the public and $5.4 billion in personal earnings.

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“San Diego Zoo Global earned a spot on the 10 worst zoos for elephants list in 2019 for its treatment of four young brothers as afterthoughts, abruptly sending them to other zoos, separating them from their families,” said Fleur Dawes, communications director of the organization.

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The San Diego Zoo, hands down, no question- it is arguably the best zoo in the United States… particularly if you include its sister institution, about 30 miles north, the San Diego Wild Animal Park - the L.A. Zoo has nothing comparable and has always struck me as a sterile and depressing environment for the animals.

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