My local zoo is Colchester Zoo. It is one of the largest zoos in the UK and is often considered to be one of the best. Some things I like about the place include its very comprehensive mammal collection (probably one of the strongest in Britain, with at least 55 on-show wild mammal species) and its very strong commitment to conservation - at the moment it is supporting seventeen different projects around the world, as well as running its own nature reserve (closed to all but volunteers and researchers) in South Africa, which has returned degraded farmland to nature, released sixteen different species including giraffes, zebras, ostriches and eight species of antelope and encouraged the natural return of leopards, spotted hyenas, honey badgers, baboons and crocodiles.
My one main gripe with Colchester is that, for their mammal collection to be so big, there have to be sacrifices. In this case it is birds, of which there are only 16 species in the entire zoo. Most of these are larger birds such as ostriches, Darwin's rheas, two groups of Humboldt penguins, two species of Asian hornbills, four species of vulture and condor, two species of crane, great grey owls, Victoria crowned pigeons and Chilean flamingos. The smaller birds are represented only by a rainbow lorikeet walkthrough aviary and a small display for weaverbirds.
Despite its flaws, I love going there and am always looking forward to my next visit.