The Artic Ring » Zoo København

Time for an update
31-12-2010

Just thought that is was time for an update on the new "Arctic Ring" in Copenhagen Zoo. Construction has been ongoing since the summer of 2010 and the building site is now basically a large hole in the ground.

You may disregard the previous pictures I have shown you of the exhibit. I have posted pictures of the official plan and model of the Arctic Ring below:





The area of the Arctic Ring will be around 3000 sq. meters. Besides polar bears the area will also include a small seal exhibit (most likely for common seals) and a North Atlantic bird exhibit including puffins and guillemots.

The Arctic Ring is set to open in June 2012.

__________________
I am Toddy, the zoo-enthusiast from Denmark!
Different zoos visited: 115
Favourite animals: Aardvarks and manatees.

31-12-2010

I can't wait to see this - remarkable that in a country as small as Denmark there will be three very fine Polar Bear exhibits by 2012.

31-12-2010

Koebenhavn is also turning in a zoo well worth visiting both for its animal collection and innovative exhibits of late ...

31-12-2010

Let us not forget that they managed to get a breeding pair of Tasmanian Devils just because of their prince's bride selection!

Were there any people left in Europe with experience of Tassie Devil keeping? (the last devil died I think in either Rotterdam or Budapest but not sure where, I have a photo of the Rotterdam one from 1992 but somewhere I read that there was an animal left in Budapest as late as 1996)

31-12-2010

I thought they had received 4 rather young animals?

31-12-2010

You can read the whole story of the tasmanian devils in Copenhagen Zoo in this thread

__________________
I am Toddy, the zoo-enthusiast from Denmark!
Different zoos visited: 115
Favourite animals: Aardvarks and manatees.

01-01-2011

This link is to a page on there website about the exhibit (it is using google translate).
Google Translate

20-04-2011

copenhagen zoo artic ring will be ready by summer 2012 and if you believe there will be three polar bears
which is now two right now with one female and one male to the female probably so they can become bear cubs in the future
I can not wait until 2012 to the Copenhagen Zoo

07-02-2013

The Arctic Ring opened two days ago in Copenhagen Zoo. The Zoo has created a special website dedicated to the project where you can read details as well as see pictures and videos.

www.denarktiskering.dk

__________________
I am Toddy, the zoo-enthusiast from Denmark!
Different zoos visited: 115
Favourite animals: Aardvarks and manatees.

07-02-2013

There has been international coverage including this:

Cute polar bears in Arctic Circle at Copenhagen Zoo - Globaltimes.cn

and this which I posted a while ago in another thread

13-02-2013

This new exciting exhibit sounds an awful lot like the Detroit Zoo's "Arctic Ring of Life" here in the USA. Detroit's is considered by many people (including my coauthor and I) to be the best polar bear exhibit in the world. So has anyone seen both (Detroit and Copenhagen)? I'm wondering how they compare.

Toddy, you took me to see this exhibit when it was still under construction. Has it lived up to your expectations?

13-02-2013

Well, due to an unfortunate camera malfunction I'm afraid that I have not pictures to post. I can give a short review though until I can post pictures:

Overview
The Arctic Ring is based around a journey through the Arctic. Visitors start at the the Arctic coast from where they look over the rocky land-part of the polar bear exhibit. The substrate varies from gravel, to small rocks to large rocks to dirt/grass and sporadic vegetation. The visitors overlook the exhibit from across a dry moat (which the polar bears can also use) or through various viewing windows.

The next part of the journey takes the visitors into the Arctic sea. Through panorama windows and a 306 degrees tunnel through the water. The polar bears can go on both sides of the tunnel and on one side there as a viewing window through which visitors might be lucky to see a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) swim by.

All through The Arctic Ring there are signs, exhibitions and 1:1 models on polar bears and other Arctic wildlife. After the tunnel visitors enter the main building with loads of interactive education stations. Visitors can follow a polar bear for 24 hours, attempt to catch a seal when it looks through it's breathing hole or take the role of the seal, looking out for polar bears on the prowl, and much more. The centrepiece of the main building is the exhibit for North Atlantic birds made to look like a cliff side above the water on the Faroe Islands. In here visitors can observe Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica grabae), common guillemots (Uria aalge) and banded razorbills (Alca torda) both over and under water.

The last part of The Arctic Ring gives the visitors a panoramic look over the Arctic coast before taking them up a ramp glowing with the Northern lights The journey ends with one last look over the coast from the opposite side of the entrance point.


Review

• Animal perspective: While the polar bear exhibit is a definite improvement, I would define it as still a bit on the small side. The polar bear land area is 720 km2 and the water area 330 m2. The land area is surprisingly varied though and a lot of hidden enrichment has been designed into the exhibit. The pool is also very deep and the polar bears are showing a very high interest in the tunnel. Unfortunately, the exhibit cannot be divided in two so if the polar bears need to be separated one of them will temporarily go in the old exhibit. The bird and seal exhibits are likewise decently designed but a bit small.
• Visitor perspective: The visitor experience is generally good but it seems like the designers couldn't figure out whether to go with a naturalistic and architectural direction. Some places the exhibit is covered in mock rock and suddenly there is a blank concrete wall or even a window. The visitors can also see each other from across the exhibit. However the attention to design details in the visitor area is very high.
• Educational perspective: The education aspect of The Arctic Ring is where it really shines. The signage is generally very good and the interactive displays work really well. The building itself is surprisingly pleasant to look at and would work very well if this wasn't a zoo. If one likes architecture this is sure to be a hit!

In short: The Arctic Ring is better than I thought it would be but it is not one of my favourite exhibits. Having only seen pictures of Detroit's exhibit I can't really compare but I doubt Copenhagen's is nearly as good.

__________________
I am Toddy, the zoo-enthusiast from Denmark!
Different zoos visited: 115
Favourite animals: Aardvarks and manatees.

14-02-2013

Thanks, Toddy. Great review. It sounds like Copenhagen has a real winner here, but that Detroit maintains their title of world's best polar bear exhibit.