An American travel specialist has named Bermuda's Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) as the sixth best such attraction in the world, ahead of much larger zoos in some of the world's most famous capital cities.

The website of the men's magazine Ask Men (www.askmen.com) carried an article by Harry Marks in which he ranked the attraction among zoos in London, Beijing and New York in a list of what he believes to be the world's top zoos.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that plans are in place to completely revamp the facility's museum, which Curator Jack Ward said would hopefully be opening some time next year.

The new exhibits, which will detail Bermuda's natural evolution over the millenia, will be constructed overseas and should be installed later this year, he said.

Mr. Marks' criteria for judging the world top ten including looking at how well the zoo expresses the local flavour of its location in terms of regional species and also in terms of architecture and layout.

London Zoo came seventh, ahead of attractions in Belize and Johannesburg, while New York's Bronx Zoo was ranked second and the Tiergarten Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria took the number one spot.

In explaining his decision, Mr. Marks pointed to Bermuda's aquarium, including the North Rock exhibit which includes a 145,000-gallon tank designed as a replica of the coral reef, as the highlight of the facility.

He added: "While the zoo may not wow visitors in the same way as the aquarium does, it possesses its fair share of marvels."

He noted that the Australasia exhibit is particularly popular, "although one need not necessariliy make a beeline straight for it. Set aside a day to casually wander around the zoo's grounds, alongside the free-roaming peacocks and discover its riches on your own terms".

Yesterday, Mr. Ward said he agreed that the attraction should be placed among some of the best in the world.

"Of course, this is one person's analysis and there are numerous facilities around the world that shine in many ways. But one thing that is particularly nice about this place is its size and its intimacy. It's certainly one of the best small zoos that I have ever been to."

He said the BAMZ contrasted to other larger facilities because of the fact that visitors are able to take in the whole experience in one visit.

In a statement, Environment Minister Dennis Lister said he thought of the BAMZ as "a world class facility that can hold its own amongst the very best".

He added that the facility has received five prestigious awards from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in the past few years.

"We have ample evidence that the international community recognise the achievements of the dedicated team at the Aquarium. We should all be proud of this home-grown institution."