As Simon and Garfunkel once crooned nearly 60 years ago, someone told me it’s all happening at the zoo…and at the best zoos in the world, I do believe it. I do believe it’s true. Who among us hasn’t carried a stuffy of their favorite animal around everywhere, or wanted to be a zookeeper on career day, or covetously eyed the Zoo Pals plates being distributed at a school mate’s birthday party? I’ll admit that last item might be specific to this writer, but zoos are so much more than simply fun days out. They’re the kind of weekend visits and field trips that inspire a love for the world and all the exciting life forms that swim, walk, and fly in it at an early age.
As leading institutions in animal population and habitat restoration, the most exciting work that the best zoos in the world put forward go far beyond their animal enclosures. From San Antonio Zoo’s collaborative restoration projects with indigenous groups in the Amazon River basin to Loro Parque’s work conducting research on orcas native to the Strait of Gibraltar, the positive ecological impact these zoos leave extend far and beyond their own gates.
Here, we’ve gathered our favorite zoos across the globe, with a quick overview of some of the conservation and restoration programs they fund, conduct fieldwork for, and sustain year after year, plus some of the coolest animals not to miss on your next visit.