The German Adventures Of A Tea-Loving Dave - April 2014

Indeed; much of the main body of the building comprises the walkthrough enclosures, with the four sets of aviaries found in the four wings coming off the main hub.

Indeed; given the fact that I believe 2 or 3 taxa had been added to the other walkthrough aviaries between the house opening and my visit, and the fact it is 9 months since I visited, it is quite possible there have been additions to the Australian walkthrough in the intervening time between then and the present.

The vast majority are mixed aviaries, actually and some species are found in multiple aviaries.

The way the house has been constructed, the only way this could have been achieved is by not giving an outdoor exhibit to whatever species were displayed in the indoor exhibit; the way things are, species are able to move in and out as they wish. If memory serves, the reason the outdoor aviaries were locked off when we visited was that keepers were doing maintenance work inside.

I did actually, now you mention it, but neglected to make a note of it or photograph it at the time - hence momentarily neglecting to recall it when writing the post.

 

colloquial country names for the species in Australia actually include "hornbill" and "toucan". I suspect the individual at Berlin would have come from Indonesia rather than Australia.

 

Not sure of the original geographic origin of the stock from which the Berlin animals are derived; I believe the individuals held at Berlin came from a Swiss private breeder in the late 1990's.

The fruitbat enclosure is within a small and unlit - so as to replicate a nocturnal environment - annexe room within the African wing.

 

Part IX: Bear Enclosures to Exit

Having only two hours or so left before the zoo closed, and after discussing with Chris and Ang where they wanted to revisit so as to plan out which areas myself and Helly would leave until our second day at Zoo Berlin, we decided to have a look at the bear enclosures which were just opposite the Fasanerie and Bird House.

The first and largest of these was the sizable enclosure for Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus); this comprised a collection of high rock platforms and boulders, surrounded by a deep and wide water-filled moat, much like the equivalent enclosure at Tierpark Berlin. However, unlike our view of said enclosure the previous day, when we were viewing this enclosure the inhabitants were not using the moat, instead remaining on dry land. This said, it was still a very good enclosure for the species held within, giving the inhabitants plenty of space - although naturally nowhere near the amount of space given to the polar bears at Highland Wildlife Park. My only real reservation about the enclosure, truth be told, was the complete lack of any soft substrate within - but this is only a minor quibble.

We next came to a smaller enclosure, comprising a grassy and somewhat wooded scrub paddock for non-subspecific "Arctic" Wolves (Canis lupus). I have to admit I was somewhat disappointed that this enclosure did not hold a pure subspecies of wolf, particularly as the animals at Tierpark Berlin had also been non-subspecific hybrids, but it was nonetheless a very nice and spacious enclosure, which the inhabitants were making full use of. The living quarters for this enclosure, I am given to understand, are shared with the living quarters for the neighbouring Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) enclosure and the two species are able to intermingle in the wolf enclosure if they so wish; however I did not see this during my visit. The aforementioned Brown Bear enclosure unfortunately holds non-subspecific animals; considering the relative high supply of pure European animals this is something of an oversight in my eyes, considering how choice much of the rest of the Zoo Berlin species collection is. The bear enclosure itself comprised a series of elevated rock dens and platforms - nothing particularly unusual, barring the fact that it is one of the oldest surviving portions of the zoo, having been constructed in 1937, surviving the Second World War and remaining more or less unchanged in the decades since. In some regards this is quite appropriate, when one considers that the Brown Bear is a central figure on the coat of arms for the city of Berlin.

The next two enclosures were broadly speaking similar to that constructed for the Brown Bear, albeit being of rather more recent construction and having been recently renovated. As such these enclosures were somewhat larger than the Brown Bear enclosure, and included large areas of grass and vegetation along with areas of what looked like genuine rockwork. These enclosures held Indian Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus ursinus) and Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), both of which were taxa I was particularly pleased to see. In the case of the former taxon, it represented a rather unusual lifetick - despite the fact that the Indian is the "common" subspecies within European collections, at this point in time I had only ever seen the unusual Sri Lankan subspecies held at Whipsnade. In the case of the latter taxon, although I had seen Asian Black Bear on a number of occasions in the past this had always been the extremely geriatric female "Inca" held at Dudley Zoo; as such it was quite pleasant to see an individual which was still young enough to be mobile and active!

We then decided to make our way to the collection of small rodent, baboon and macaque enclosures on the southern edge of the zoo; the only portion of the collection which Chris and Ang had yet to view. However, en-route myself and Helly briefly entered the Rhinoceros House - although we intended to view this house more fully on our second day at Zoo Berlin, we knew that this house held a single Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) - a taxon which neither of us had seen, and one which is in low enough numbers within Europe that we decided to see it sooner rather than later, on the admittedly slim chance the still-youthful animal would perish before our second visit. This house also held Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris). From our cursory look through the interior of the house, it was built very much along functional lines as a means of holding the inhabitants overnight, with the exterior paddocks quite obviously the primary intended means of viewing the taxa onshow. As such, it struck us as somewhat stark and a little undersized, but not *bad* per se.

After briefly revisiting the Carnivore House in an ultimately-unsuccessful attempt to spot the Cururo, and a more successful attempt to get further photographs of certain highlight taxa, we then made our way to the southern edge of the zoo, just southwest of the exterior enclosures for the Gorillas and Orangutans held within the Ape House. Here we came to the "Monkey Rock", another of the oldest surviving parts of the zoo having been built in 1932 to a plan designed by the then-director Lutz Heck and comprising two large rocky enclosures imitating cliff-faces with a handful of trees and wooden structures providing further climbing opportunity for the inhabitants; the larger of the two enclosures held a sizeable group of very active Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) whilst the smaller contained a group of Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), a species of which I am rather fond. The baboon group are particularly noteworthy as they are said to be direct descendants of the original group, some of the very few animals which survived World War II - if this claim is true, I wonder how many other taxa in European collections can be traced with as long a lineage whilst remaining in the original enclosure for the entire duration of time being discussed?

Just opposite from here were a collection of very pleasant rodent enclosures, each coming off a central rocky hub and following the same general plan; a combination of grass and sandy-scrub with scattered rockwork and logs, with the central enclosure being the largest. The first of these enclosures held African Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus); unsurprisingly, when one considers that this taxon is somewhat nocturnal in its tastes, we failed to see the inhabitants of this enclosure. However, the inhabitants of the second and - as already noted - largest enclosure were both numerous and active, comprising a large breeding group of Coypu (Myocastor coypus). This taxon represented a lifetick for us, as due to the invasive nature of the species and the successful campaign to exterminate them from the UK there are restrictions placed on the captive maintenance of Coypu within the UK. As a result, at the current time there are no public collections which keep this taxon. The final enclosure held Southern African Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), a species which although by no means uncommon I am always pleased to view.

As we still had a little time remaining before we would have to depart, we elected to walk back to the Ibex Mountain enclosure, and view this portion of the collection along with the nearby collection of bird of prey aviaries before leaving the zoo. This took us along a path which ran behind the elephant house, and took us past a number of very attractive animal statues of the sort we had admired whilst at Tierpark Berlin.

As previously noted, the Ibex Mountain exhibit comprised a set of rocky cliffs and peaks very reminiscent in appearance to the Mappin Terraces at ZSL London Zoo, albeit in rather better condition and much more realistic, being apparently constructed with the use of real stone. However, this set of enclosures, unlike the Mappins, was still being used for the purpose to which end they had been designed. Moreover, they held rather more appealing taxa than the uninspiring wallabies and emu of said London exhibit - along with the aforementioned West Caucasian Tur which had very recently arrived, there was also a large group of Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) along with a number of small enclosures built into the rockwork for Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota marmota) and Woodchuck (Marmota monax). Behind the mountain itself, there was an enclosure for West Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) - however as this was slightly out of our way we omitted this enclosure, resolving to view it on our second day of visiting Zoo Berlin. Unfortunately, our visit to Zoo Berlin was poorly timed as the two marmot species - both of which would have been lifeticks for myself - were both still in hibernation; although anticipated to awake anytime, they had not done so at the time of our visit.

As previously noted, the Ibex and Tur were both making full use of their enclosures, demonstrating very well the prodigious ability of caprines to ascend near-vertical cliff-faces and slopes with ease - something which we all enjoyed viewing very much indeed, as enclosures for caprine taxa seldom provide such opportunities in my (admittedly limited) experience of such exhibits. However, our enjoyment was soon tempered with a note of outright amusement, as we noticed that one of the Tur had managed to escape its enclosure and was stood within the boundary hedge feeding from the hedge with very little notice taken of us! As we watched, it then exited the enclosure entirely and started feeding from the hedges whilst stood on the public path; however it did not get far, as it soon drew too close to the bird of prey aviaries - an alarm call from a King Vulture startled the animal, which promptly fled back into its enclosure.

This seems an appropriate point to break the narrative somewhat to note that in what I deem to be an incredibly hasty and foolish move, when this individual along with one or two others apparently continued to occasionally exit the enclosure over the following months - always during the last hour or so of visiting hours and the hours following when the zoo was closed and there were little to no visitors present - the new director of the two Berlin collections ordered the entire group of Tur shot for fear they would all learn to escape, with the exception of two males who were spared and sent to Frankfurt. This represents the loss of approximately six or seven animals in total. This move strikes me as both hasty and foolish when one considers that from all I have heard since, the Cretan Goats that had previously been held in this enclosure also took to escaping in the year or so following their arrival, as had the Siberian Ibex in the neighbouring enclosure, but that as they settled into their new home this tailed off and ultimately ceased - in other words, as the Tur had only been at the collection roughly 9 months when they were shot, there was no reason not to believe this behaviour would also tail off as they grew comfortable. As the enclosure now holds Sichuan Takin - also notorious climbers, and rather more dangerous than the Tur - I fear that these will also be killed in time.

In any case, this all lay in the future when I visited, and thoroughly enjoyed viewing this exhibit. With little time remaining to us, we then made our way to the collection of bird of prey aviaries which lay slightly down the path from the Ibex Mountain. We were extremely pleased to find a collection of taxa which would put many falconry centres to shame, never mind other major zoological collections - as we rather expected by this point, having viewed the taxonomic variety and quality of so much of Zoo Berlin. This area of the collection held the following taxa:

White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis)
Northern Caracara (Caracara cheriway)
Western Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus percnopterus)
Non-subspecific Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)
White-necked Raven (Corvus albicollis)
King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)
Northern Harris' Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus harrisi)
European Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa lapponica)
African Wood-Owl (Strix woodfordii)
Barred Eagle-owl (Bubo sumatranus strepitans)
Sri Lankan Forest Eagle-owl (Bubo nipalensis blighi)
Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)
African Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)
Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus)
Pied Crow (Corvus albus)
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
Southern Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri)
Northern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis)
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum)
Sri Lankan Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica ochrogenys)
Malayan Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus intermedius)

The highlights of this collection, it rather goes without saying, were the two unusual species of Eagle-owl, the Sri Lankan Wood Owl and the unusual subspecies of Brahminy Kite, all of which are very rare in European collections; in point of fact, with the exception of the Sri Lankan Forest Eagle-owl, these taxa can only be found at Zoo Berlin. As such, again with the exception of the Sri Lankan Forest Eagle-owl - a taxon I have seen at the World Owl Trust at Muncaster Castle - these taxa all represented life-ticks for myself. It was particularly interesting to view the difference between the Barred Eagle-owl and the Forest Eagle-owl, and to see a pure subspecific form of the Brown Wood Owl. It is also worth noting that the subspecies of Egyptian Vulture held here is different to that held at Tierpark Berlin. The aviaries in which these taxa were held were all very pleasant, well-vegetated and a decent size; something which along with the quality of taxa displayed meant I thoroughly enjoyed this area of Zoo Berlin.

We then left the Zoo, and made our way to Bahnhof Berlin Zoologischer Garten opposite; here we purchased some food before taking the S5 line to Berlin Hauptbahnhof with Chris and Ang. This served a number of purposes. Firstly, Chris and Ang had expressed a desire to visit Magdeburg with us, which meant that taking advantage of the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket which we had been informed about prior to our trip would be the best option. This ticket, available only on weekends, costs 44 euro and is valid for up to 5 individuals, allowing those using the ticket an unlimited amount of travel on the regional Deutsche-Bahn services for 24 hours. As such, we wanted to discuss this option to ensure that the aforementioned pair still wished to visit Magdeburg before we bought the ticket. At the same time as I used the ticket machines to purchase the Schönes-Wochenende, I showed Chris and Ang how to use the machines in order to purchase advance train tickets. This meant that they were able to buy advance train tickets to Leipzig for the forthcoming Monday, when they planned to accompany Hel and myself to the zoo there.

The other purpose of our coming to the Hauptbahnhof with Chris and Ang was to perform a "dry run" locating and making our way to the train platform both for the trip to Magdeburg, but also for the trip to Leipzig. This was important as the trains we intended to catch for both days were departing rather early in the morning, and so knowing where they were located would prove advantageous to ensure we caught the trains on time. This was, of course, somewhat more of a consideration for Chris and Ang, as the former individual especially is somewhat loath to use trains and public transport, and historically is seldom on time!

Having bid Chris and Ang goodnight, we made our way back to the hostel and got an early night.

(Attached are three images of statuework between the Monkey Rock and Ibex Mountain, an image of the Tur on the "Mountain", two Zoochatters being photobombed by an escaping Tur, and an image of a statue in the Bird of Prey area)

 

Some photographs from my first day at Zoo Berlin.

http://www.zoochat.com/59/pallid-gerbil-gerbillus-perpallidus-zoo-berlin-402307/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/rock-cavy-kerodon-rupestris-zoo-berlin-402308/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/pallas-long-tongued-bat-glossophaga-soricina-402313/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/northern-narrow-striped-boky-mungotictis-decemlineata-402310/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/jaguarundi-puma-yagouaroundi-zoo-berlin-april-402314/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/sri-lankan-rusty-spotted-cat-prionailurus-402321/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/corsac-fox-vulpes-corsac-zoo-berlin-402309/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/arctic-fox-vulpes-lagopus-zoo-berlin-402315/
http://www.zoochat.com/1359/western-diamondback-rattlesnake-crotalus-atrox-berlin-402303/
http://www.zoochat.com/1359/ganges-gharial-gavialis-gangeticus-berlin-zoo-402304/
http://www.zoochat.com/1359/ganges-gharial-gavialis-gangeticus-berlin-zoo-402305/
http://www.zoochat.com/1359/spectacled-caiman-caiman-crocodilus-berlin-zoo-402306/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/black-mantled-tamarin-saguinus-nigricollis-graellsi-402316/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/natal-red-duiker-cephalophus-natalensis-zoo-402311/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/trumpet-manucode-manucodia-keraudrenii-zoo-berlin-402318/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/sonnerat-s-junglefowl-gallus-sonneratii-zoo-402319/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/taveta-golden-weaver-ploceus-castaneiceps-zoo-402312/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/northern-cardinal-cardinalis-cardinalis-zoo-berlin-402320/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/barred-eagle-owl-bubo-sumatranus-strepitans-402322/
http://www.zoochat.com/59/sri-lankan-wood-owl-strix-leptogrammica-402323/

Next: Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg .....

(As I have already written and posted this section elsewhere, I will now cross-post the review; however I will edit sections together as I will be linking to the original posts rather than re-posting the attachments for each section, and thus need not keep sections to a length dictated by number of attachments)

 

April 5th 2014 - Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg

Part I: A Train, A Walk And First Impressions

On the Saturday morning, Hel and myself rose at about 5.30am, taking the opportunity to eat some snacks we had picked up for breakfast the previous night before making our way from the hostel to Senefelderplatz. There, we caught the U2 line to Alexanderplatz, where we changed for a S75 service to Berlin-Hauptbahnhof. We reached the platform where our train to Magdeburg was to depart from in good time, and eventually were joined by Chris and Ang. After a few choice jokes about how strange it must have felt for Chris to be punctual, we started discussing the plan for reaching the zoo. I had worked out that although tram services were available from Magdeburg-Hauptbahnhof which would take us close to the entrance of the zoo, the timetable for these services meant that it would prove much more sensible to disembark from our train one stop beforehand, at Magdeburg-Neustadt, and walk the 2 kilometres to the zoo.

The train we caught set off from Berlin at 07:11, and was a direct regional stopping service which arrived at Magdeburg-Neustadt at 08:46. We were all rather pleasantly surprised to note that the train was a Bombardier Double-deck Coach, as none of the four of us had travelled on a multiple-storey train in the past. On arrival into Magdeburg, we found that we had chosen a fine, sunny and pleasant day, which rendered our walk to the zoo a rather enjoyable prospect. The area immediately surrounding Magdeburg-Neustadt station was unfortunately rather impoverished and in poor condition, but as we walked further onward we came to modern and well-kept suburban areas of the city, before ultimately crossing a main road and entering a pleasant and wooded park. After about 5 minutes of walking along the footpath of the park, we were met with our first sight of the entrance to Zoo Magdeburg, set within a large and rather attractive building. The route we took on our journey to the zoo is linked below:

http://goo.gl/maps/ImrO4

After paying for entry into the zoo at a kiosk on the side of the building, we briefly made our way into the building itself, which comprised the zoo shop, a cafe and a selection of small tanks holding a few choice species. The first, which immediately grabbed my attention, was a tank holding Golden Spiny Mouse (Acomys russatus), a species which I had previously never seen and which struck me as rather different in appearance to all the Acomys taxa I had seen up until that point in time. In the neighbouring tank there were a group of Tropical Girdled Lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum) and Common Flat Lizard (Platysaurus intermedius), the latter of which represented yet another life tick for Hel and myself. Also displayed in tanks in this area were Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis), Horsfield’s Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) and Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor).

As we made our way into the zoo itself, the first enclosure we came to - built next to the entrance building - was a large if run-of-the-mill enclosure for Meerkat (Suricata suricatta), before we made our way along the footpath through a few acres of parkland before reaching the main body of the zoo. It was apparent that the footplan of the zoo has somewhat increased over the years, and that the site of the meerkat enclosure and entrance building lay some distance from where the original entry to the zoo had been.

The westernmost side of the main body of the zoo - along which we were heading northwards - extended closer to the entrance than the rest of the collection; as such we started making our way around the zoo starting from this point, heading northwards.

As we did so, the first enclosure the four of us reached was a mixed exhibit, holding Michie's Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus michianus), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) and Goosander (Mergus merganser). The exhibit comprised a relatively large paddock which had, quite obviously, been constructed around the trees which had already been present in the parkland prior to the zoo being constructed. This paddock provided several places for the deer within to hide from the public and shelter; these were wooden and artificially constructed, but covered in natural foliage and felled branches and twigs. The two duck species were found in a moat separating the deer paddock from the public path; this moat is fed by one of the many streams flowing through the park which feed the Schrode as it flows alongside the park, northwards to where it joins the Elbe. The enclosure struck me as a simple and very attractive one, helped by the aforementioned attempts to make the paddock fit with the pre-existing feel of the surrounding parkland.

Opposite the paddock, across a small lawn, there was a relatively large enclosure comprising a mixture of felled and living trees, rockwork and pebble-gardening, surrounded by fine mesh and backing onto part of the viewing complex for another enclosure. This former enclosure held an unusual but rather good species-mix; a pair of Temminck's Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii) and a group of Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel (Tamiops swinhoei). The squirrels were, as this species tends to be, incredibly active and rather hard to photograph - however the highlight was without a doubt the fact that as the four of us watched, the male tragopan inflated his lappet and horns and started to display to the female with a high level of vigour; something which I had never actually seen in person up until that point in time, although I had seen video and photographs of it occurring.

Further on from this enclosure, and running behind it, were two different routes leading to positions from which to view the Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) enclosure; the path which led to the right directly behind the tragopan aviary was a ground level viewing window, which looked directly into the covered shelter where a single tiger was laid asleep, whilst the path leading to the left ascended a wooden viewing structure which allowed for a comprehensive view of the entire enclosure. The enclosure was relatively large and thickly planted, again making the most of the vegetation which had already been in the parkland; the centrepoint of the enclosure was the stump of a large tree, the rest of which appeared to have been partially used for construction of the enclosure. Although, as noted, the inhabitant of the enclosure was asleep when we viewed it, I felt the enclosure was very good for the species; certainly I was pleasantly surprised considering how little information I had heard about the collection before the visit.

As we continued along the path beyond the tiger enclosure, the next enclosure we reached was a twin enclosure for a species which the four of us particularly hoped to see; the Marbled Polecat (Vormela peregusna). This exhibit comprised two mid-size enclosures set in a buttress of rockwork, each rather effectively emulating the species natural habitat of steppe, scrub and semi-arid upland areas, and with artificial tunnels connecting the two. It was also very obvious that the inhabitants had created a system of natural tunnels within the enclosure. As some may have gathered in the past, my taste in animal species is already somewhat biased towards small carnivores, but this particular taxon - as a member of the particularly unusual Galictine lineage of mustelids - is one of my favorite animal species. We had, of course, seen the species in the past when it was displayed at Edinburgh Zoo, but had been able only to get brief glimpses in thickly-planted enclosures. Moreover, the species has all but disappeared from UK collections in recent years. As such, we hoped to be presented with the chance to observe the species for a little longer than previous opportunities. When we reached the enclosure, we noted with interest a sign which stated that the species was - as we already knew - highly reclusive, but also told the visitor that the individuals on display at Magdeburg tended to be particularly active between approximately 10:00 and 11:30. As such, we resolved to continue to make our way around the collection for another half-hour or so before returning to the Marbled Polecat enclosure.

(Follow this link for an image of my Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket, a photograph of the zoo entrance, signposting for the Golden Spiny Mouse, and signposting for the Girdled Lizard and Flat Lizard, and this link for photographs of the Tufted Deer enclosure, the Temminck's Tragopan aviary, the Amur Tiger enclosure, and the two Marbled Polecat enclosures)

 

Part II: Parrots and Predators

Just opposite the Marbled Polecat enclosure was the summer enclosure for the Horsfield's Tortoise which we had seen in the entrance complex, and as such the enclosure was vacant. The enclosure - although nothing special - was quite pleasant, comprising a small greenhouse surrounded by a mixture of vegetated and bare ground, and with various rocks and stones placed around the area.

A little further along the path from the Marbled Polecat enclosure was a large enclosure which held a mixture of non-subspecific Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena), all of which were female, and a single male East African Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena dubbah). The enclosure comprised a large paddock which was designed to match a semi-desert scrub habitat, with rocky outcroppings scattered around the enclosure concealing areas for the inhabitants to shelter and hide. At the far edges of the enclosure were a number of large holding cages, through which we were able to see one of the non-subspecific females. A short period of observation made it rather clear that the individual in the enclosure at the time we were present was the East African individual, which looked rather different in colouration and pelage when compared to individuals we had seen in the past. We rather enjoyed observing this male hyena, which was both highly visible and active and, as noted previously, looked somewhat unusual.

Opposite the hyena enclosure was a large enclosure for Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia); another enclosure which had made the most of the large amount of vegetation which had naturally been found on the site through preservation of the largest trees, felling of smaller trees and use of the timber to construct shelters. This was supplemented by a substantial amount of rockwork, and the enclosure was surrounded by stone walls through which were viewing windows. As was rapidly becoming the trend as far as my impressions of this collection went, I was seriously impressed with this enclosure; it gave plenty of opportunity for the animals within to move around, climb and if need be, hide from the public. At the same time, it was good to look at as a construction in its own right, with a particularly good stone wall frontage which had a statue of a snow leopard climbing down it.

A little further along we came to a large and rather good enclosure for a group of Chinese Dhole (Cuon alpinus lepturus), which unusually for this species were somewhat inactive in the steadily-increasing heat of the day; in retrospect this may well have been connected with the fact a litter of pups have been born at Magdeburg since my visit to the collection. The enclosure was very much like the Hyena enclosure in style and construction, although I did wonder whether it is usually as barren and muddy as it appeared to be on my visit - it is entirely possible that any vegetation could have been killed off over the winter. Nonetheless, I felt the enclosure suited the species even if it would be classed as relatively basic by the standards of larger and more popular collections.

One rather subtle detail which very much pleased me was the signage for the enclosure; as was the case with the others we had seen thus far at Magdeburg, the enclosure labels were of a very high standard giving a detailed account of what the species held in the enclosure was. However, this particular enclosure went the extra mile, as it were, also including a detailed poster making it clear that despite the morphological similarities, the Dhole were not a kind of Red Fox, moreover displaying the various diagnostic differences between the two taxa.

We next made our way towards the area of the zoo holding the Tapir House.

As we did not have much time before we wanted to return to the Marbled Polecat enclosure, we decided we would investigate the parrot and callitrichid enclosures which were opposite the Tapir House. As we made our way to the enclosures, we passed one side of the large outdoor paddock for the South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), which was also signposted as holding Ring-tailed Coati (Nasua nasua). Neither of the species in question were visible from where the four of us were viewing the enclosure, but as we intended to view both the enclosure and the adjoining house at length later this was of little concern to us.

The enclosure was rather large and very thickly planted, and much like many of the enclosures we had seen thus far at Magdeburg contained a number of mature trees which may well have been in-situ when the zoo was originally constructed. This high level of vegetation, of course, would be very good for the coati living within the enclosure. Moreover, the portion of the enclosure closest to the border fencing and walls descended down steps into a concrete area which - although dry when we visited - looked like it was used as a pool for the tapirs. Overall, my first impression of the enclosure was that it was of a high standard, likely achieved at a relatively low cost, and one which would suit both of the species it held.

The parrot and callitrichid area opposite the Tapir House itself comprised a small cul-de-sac with a row of parrot aviaries and a row of callitrichid enclosures facing one another, with a small landscaped stream dividing the two. All the parrot aviaries appeared to include substantial offshow sleeping quarters for the animals found within. The first, and largest, of the parrot aviaries held a pair of Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), a species which i have always been rather fond of. The cage contained many logs and other potential perches for the parrots, along with a small amount of rockwork, and at an estimate was approximately 12' x 20' x 8' - not the largest enclosure I have seen for Hyacinth Macaw, but certainly large enough to suit the species in my opinion; the following aviaries were each approximately half the size.

The next enclosure held Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) and Greenish Acouchy (Myoprocta pratti), and was somewhat similar in design to the Hyacinth Macaw enclosure with one notable difference; the rockwork and vegetation on the ground was somewhat thicker, presumably for the benefit of the Acouchy, with hollow logs provided for shelter. The latter species is one which had until very recently been entirely new to me, as I had first seen it at Zoo Berlin only a day prior, and as such was of some interest to me. The neighbouring enclosure was again very similar, albeit even more thickly planted, and held a combination of Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) and Giant Wood Rail (Aramides ypecaha). Both of these enclosures, although holding species which barring the acouchy are commonplace in the UK and thus very familiar to me, were nonetheless enjoyed due to their attractive, neat and well-presented format.

The next enclosure was of great interest to all four of us due to the species held within; a combination of Blue-headed Macaw (Primolius couloni) and Tataupa Tinamou (Crypturellus tataupa). The former species, although not entirely new to us, was one which we had seldom been able to see as a result of the animals at Chester Zoo being held offshow, visible only at a distance with some luck. The latter taxon, however, was indeed entirely new to all four of us and, in point of fact, marked the first tinamou that myself and Hel had ever seen. This rather pleased us, as we had hoped to see a member of this unusual paleognath group for some time, all such species having disappeared from public collections in the UK over the course of the last decade. The enclosure itself was rather akin to its neighbours, albeit with the inclusion of a small rock-lined pond for the use of the tinamou.

The final enclosure in this row was again similar in design, but with more focus given to terrestrial design, with small logs and tree trunks laid on the ground, and another small pond in among rockwork. Naturally, a large amount of higher perching points were also provided. This enclosure held a mix of Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira), Lilacine Amazon (Amazona autumnalis lilacina) and Gambel's Quail (Lophortyx gambelii), the lattermost of which represented a rather attractive and active lifetick. This mix, as with all the species combinations in this row of enclosures, seemed to work rather well, with all species appearing to interact well and without conflict.

(Follow this link for photographs of the tortoise enclosure, the Striped Hyena enclosure, the Snow Leopard enclosure and frontage, the Dhole enclosure, and an educational signpost at the Dhole enclosure regarding the difference between this taxon and Red Fox, and this link for images of the Tapir enclosure, the Hyacinth Macaw enclosure, the Scarlet Macaw and Acouchy enclosure, the Blue-headed Macaw and Tataupa Tinamou enclosure, the Guira Cuckoo, Lilacine Amazon and Gambel's Quail enclosure, and a photo of a Gambel's Quail)

 

Part III: Callitrichids, Marbled Polecat and Tapir House

Opposite the parrot aviaries were a row of enclosures which held a variety of callitrichid taxa. The first of these enclosures held a group of Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas), and was thickly planted with vegetation on the ground, with a variety of trees and branches provided for the animals within to climb and move between. This enclosure was reasonably large for a callitrichid enclosure, and the inhabitants were extremely visible and active.

The next enclosure, although somewhat smaller than the prior enclosure, was rather more thickly planted with vegetation and contained Red-Bellied Tamarin (Saguinus labiatus) - however, the enclosure was still entirely suitable for the purpose of holding this species as far as I could tell, as there was a high level of climbing opportunity provided for the animals within.

The neighbouring enclosure, which held a group of Cotton-Top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) mixed with Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), was of a similar size to the first enclosure. However, significantly more branches and logs were placed throughout this enclosure when compared to the lion tamarin enclosure; something which was presumably done for the benefit of the tamandua which lived in the enclosure. It was not possible, unfortunately, to gauge how successful this species combination was, as neither species were visible at this point in time. However, in terms of design I would expect this enclosure would have suited both species, when previous experience viewing these taxa in a variety of collections was borne in mind - plenty of climbing opportunities and space was provided, and when one considers how shy both species tend to be, the fact that there was a large amount of vegetation provided which could be used to shelter from the public was a good sign.

The final enclosure in this row of callitrichid enclosures held a large and highly active breeding group of Pied Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) - a species which although present in UK collections in some numbers is often difficult to see due to how shy and reclusive they can be, even by the standards of members of the Saguinus genus. As such the four of us particularly enjoyed the chance to view the species with such ease and over such a prolonged period of time, and were pleased to note the presence of an infant among the group. The enclosure itself was rather akin to the first of the callitrichid enclosures discussed, both in the design and size, albeit with possibly the least vegetation of the four enclosures.

We were aware of two further callitrichid enclosures around the corner, directly opposite the entrance to the Tapir House, but as it was approaching the optimum time for viewing the Marbled Polecat we elected to make our way back to the latter area. This was, it transpired, an excellent choice; within about 10 minutes of our return to the Marbled Polecat exhibit Hel spotted first one individual, and then another, carefully examining their surroundings with their heads emerging from a burrow in the left of the two enclosures. Soon afterward, both animals emerged fully and started to constantly run around both enclosures, crossing from one to another through the connecting tunnels, and periodically pausing to periscope and survey their surroundings and - it became rapidly clear - paying particular attention to us, something which permitted us to take a great deal of photographs and video. These individuals were particularly fine-looking examples of the species, displaying the mixture of black, brown, white and golden markings which grant them their name. As previously noted, although we had all previously seen this species in the UK, we had until now never viewed them for as prolonged a period as this; for this reason, as well as the status the species holds in my heart as one of my personal favorites and the rapidly declining captive population in Europe, we elected to stay at the enclosure for a while, making the most of what I fear may well be the final time I am able to see the species.

Ultimately, we remained at the Marbled Polecat enclosure for a shade under an hour, during which time both animals remained constantly visible and active - with at least 50% of this activity comprising regular and vigorous mating; something which would have been much less bittersweet were it not for the fact both individuals are, I believe, somewhat elderly and almost certainly beyond any successful breeding. Eventually, the four of us summoned up enough self-control to voluntarily leave the enclosure and make our way to the Tapir House.

Before entering the tapir house, we took the opportunity to have a look at the two enclosures opposite the entrance which we had previously omitted. The first of the two enclosures, which held Bearded Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens), was very much akin to the other callitrichid exhibits in both size and the quantity of climbing opportunities provided, but greatly surpassed them in terms of the level of vegetation provided. This appeared to have paid dividends, as the animals held within were highly active and seemed entirely relaxed with being on display. The second of the two enclosures, which was somewhat larger, differed from the other enclosures in this area in one major regard; rather than holding a species of callitrichid, it held a closely related form of New World primate, the White-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia). Other than this, the enclosure was of a similar design and format to the callitrichid enclosures in this area, and of equally high quality in my opinion.

As we entered the tapir house, we noted that the interior was thickly planted with vegetation and contained a number of free-flying bird species. Three of these were signposted; Venezuelan Blue-throated Piping-guan (Pipile cumanensis cumanensis), Blue Ground-dove (Claravis pretiosa) and Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias). Of these, the most visible and active were the ground-doves - a species which until my visit to Tierpark Berlin two days prior I had never seen, and which I still thoroughly enjoyed being able to observe. Although the main focus of the interior of the house was naturally the tapir enclosure, there were also a number of smaller enclosures and vivariums dotted around the public path through the house.

The first of these enclosures held a very interesting invertebrate species, albeit one which I would imagine many visitors would overlook; the Golden-Eyed Stick Insect (Peruphasma schultei). Although rapidly becoming common in private hands, this species is still relatively unknown in public collections - something which I suspect may rapidly change when the size and striking appearance of the taxon, which was first discovered in 2005, is taken into account. The enclosure was relatively small but well-planted, but looked like it had recently been put in place - as such I suspect this exhibit will be improved given time for the vegetation and inhabitants to settle in. A similar enclosure nearby contained Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi).

The neighbouring enclosure held a mixture of Green-and-Black Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) and Marañón Poison Frog (Excidobates mysteriosus) - the former of which was unlabelled. The enclosure was very much similar to many other dendrobatid enclosures which we had seen in the past, but had no flaws which we could remark upon. As Chris and Ang have a particular affinity for amphibians, and the Marañón is a particularly unusual species of dendrobatid in both appearance and scarcity in captive hands, we spent some time examining this enclosure. For this reason, we were also extremely interested to observe the presence of a vivarium for a pair of Rococo Toad (Rhinella schneideri), a species of amphibian which is entirely absent from public collections within the UK. The exhibit primarily comprised stonework and sand, with a small pool for the inhabitants, and was rather sizeable; as one would expect for a toad which is one of the largest extant anuran taxa.

As previously noted, the main body of the tapir house was given over to the indoor enclosure for the South American Tapir held by the collection, which we had failed to see when passing one portion of their external enclosure. This enclosure was almost certainly the best indoor enclosure for the species I had ever seen, and in point of fact rivalled many external enclosures I have seen through the years. The enclosure, which was surrounded by rather natural-looking rockwork and a substantial moat which contained aquatic vegetation, gave the inhabitants a large amount of space with a number of pools built into the enclosure for the tapirs with multiple trees and other plants improving the general appearance of the whole. Overall, as one may be able to deduce, I was rather impressed with the tapir house as a whole.

Once we had finished viewing the interior of the tapir house, we were presented with two possible courses of action. One possibility was to leave the tapir house through the alternate exit to the one through which we had entered, which would take us along the far side of the external tapir enclosure towards the lemur and anteater enclosures. The other option was to leave the way we had entered and make our way towards the zoo restaurant via the rhinoceros house - an option which the four of us decided was the better of the two.

and this link for images of the Emperor Tamarin enclosure, the White-faced Saki enclosure, the poison dart frog enclosure, the tarantula enclosure, the Rococo Toad enclosure and the South American Tapir enclosure)

 

Part IV: Rhinoceros House And Environs

On the way to the rhinoceros house, we passed a sizeable paddock which held a pair of Maguari Stork (Ciconia maguari) - another species which until recently we had never seen, due to their complete absence from UK collections, but which we had seen the day previously at Zoo Berlin. As with many of the larger enclosures at Mageburg, this enclosure contained a number of large mature trees which may well have been present prior to the collection opening - certainly the enclosure had been built to accomodate them, as they blended in well with the overall feel of the exhibit. The enclosure was quite open, with a number of large felled tree-trunks laid around the paddock. Immediately outside the rhinoceros house, we came to a mid-size pit enclosure holding a mixture of Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) and Cape Ground Squirrel (Xerus inauris); the enclosure did a rather good job of emulating the natural arid glassland habitat of both species, comprising a large amount of rockwork, sandy scrub and wood. I was rather pleased to see this enclosure, as the latter inhabitants were very active and represented yet another lifetick species.

The interior of the rhinoceros house was consistently themed with rockwork and thick vegetation, presumably with the intention of giving the house the overall appearance and feel of the south-east African habitat of the species held within. This theming was carried over to each of the individual exhibits within the house, much as it was for the mixed mongoose and squirrel enclosure outside. For example, just opposite the entrance to the house we came across a glass-fronted enclosure which held a mixture of Blue Rainbow Lizard (Agama lionotus) and African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus). This enclosure comprised a rock overhang over a set of shallow pools with dead wood and vegetation dotted around the enclosure, with both species held within being relatively visible.

The majority of the interior was devoted to a large indoor paddock for Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), which at the time we were in the house was not in use. It comprised two large sandy areas, with a bare rocky passage connecting the two. A large spur extended out between the two, containing a large amount of vegetation including a number of small trees - where this spur met the joining passage, there were a row of depressions on the ground where dividing poles would be able to be erected in order to separate animals, were this necessary. Between the public path and the rhinoceros enclosure, there were rock walls and a number of thickly-planted plant beds, further adding to the overall high-quality feel of the house as a whole.

Close to the mid-line of the house, the rock wall dividing the rhinoceros enclosure from the public area increased in height and the plant beds were replaced by another pit enclosure akin to the one outside the house, and like said enclosure holding Dwarf Mongoose and Cape Ground Squirrel - in fact, although we were unable to view the enclosure at such an angle to be certain, we rather suspected there was a tunnel joining the two enclosures. Like the external enclosure, the exhibit displayed a large amount of stonework and sandy scrub flooring - again fitting with the overall theme of place and habitat adopted by the rhinoceros house.

The next enclosure within the rhinoceros house was a mid-size paddock which contained a mixture of trees and branches to provide climbing opportunities, along with a variety of vegetation and rockwork; all of which fit with the previously mentioned overall theme of the interior of the rhinoceros house. This enclosure held Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), as well as serving as the indoor enclosure for the Peters’s Angolan Colobus (Colobus angolensis palliates) held by the collection, although at this point in time only the tortoise were visible. The enclosure seemed like it was a high-quality one for both the species it was intended to hold, although for obvious reasons we were unable to gauge how well the mixture worked.

The final exhibit in the interior of the house comprised a glass-fronted tank containing more of the sand, rockwork and branches found throughout the enclosures of the rhinoceros house, and was of a similarly high quality to the other exhibits. This particular enclosure held a mixture of Sudan Plated Lizard (Gerrhosaurus major), Plains Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) and Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri), a combination which I felt worked very well, with the agama representing an unexpected lifetick as this was a species which Zootierliste did not list for the collection.

Immediately outside the rhinoceros house, a bridge over one of the streams running through the zoo led to the colobus walkthrough enclosure, which also comprised part of the external enclosure for the Eastern Black Rhinoceros. The enclosure had a number of trees for the colobus to climb, along with a large amount of rockwork and felled trees on the ground - some of which was carefully placed and designed to hide the presence of a ha-ha dividing the walkthrough enclosure from the portion of the paddock accessible to the rhinoceros whilst still permitting the colobus to cross from the rhinoceros enclosure to the walkthrough and visa-versa. We were able to get excellent views of the colobus, as one individual in particular was rather fond of sitting on the fence at the side of the public footpath; the keeper who was stationed in the walkthrough enclosure had to make this individual move away from us on a number of occasions. As this was one of the species which represented a major incentive for visiting Magdeburg, we were very pleased to be able to watch this unusual and attractive species at some length.

After exiting the walkthrough enclosure, the path took us around to a point where we could view the second of the exterior enclosures for the rhinoceros; this one being a large grassy paddock containing a small amount of rockwork and a number of relatively young trees, and which contained the Eastern Black Rhinoceros, along with groups of both Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa) and Blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi), both of which are species which although present in UK collections are still somewhat unusual and always worth further attention in my opinion. The enclosure seemed to work rather well for all three species held, with the animals mixing freely and without any visible problems in their interactions - furthermore, it was a very pleasant looking enclosure overall, and one which kept to the high standards which the collection had demonstrated thus far.

Just opposite this enclosure was a very pleasant little exhibit which held a pair of South African Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis megalotis), a species which I always enjoy observing due to their unusual appearance and behaviour; in many ways, this taxon fills a similar niche to the aardwolf, both being members of carnivoran groups which have almost entirely specialised into feeding almost entirely on termites. The exhibit itself was glass-fronted with an attractive wooden frame permitting unrestricted views on a sandy enclosure with plentiful small bushes and a number of dens where the inhabitants could hide away from the public; however, when we visited the foxes were highly active and visible.

At this point, having reached the main restaurant, we took the opportunity to have some lunch.

and this link for photographs of the indoor colobus enclosure, the mixed reptile enclosure, two views of the colobus walkthrough, the external rhinoceros enclosure and the bat-eared fox enclosure)

 

Part V: A Spot Of Lunch, A High Point And A Low Point

Upon arrival at the restaurant, we carefully examined the menu in order to discern what we wanted to eat. Unsurprisingly, Chris and Ang chose the easy option of a plate of chips, whilst Hel and myself elected to have soup. Although the staff did not speak English, my grasp of German was good enough for me to be able to order without much trouble, as the provided menus were typewritten and thus easy to read and decipher. We then sat in the seating area outside due to the clement weather to await our orders. I had ordered a lentil and bockwurst soup, which I expected would be quite similar to the soup I had eaten at Zoo Berlin the day prior in comprising a soup with slices of the sausage within. I was very pleasantly surprised to be served a substantial bowl of lentil soup so thick it was almost akin to mushy peas one would order with fish and chips, with a 9-inch bockwurst served on the side for me to slice and add to the soup at my leisure. Very filling, very tasty and above all, very good value for money!

After finishing our meals, we continued our way around the collection with the intention of walking towards the Giraffe House. The first exhibit we reached on the path leading in this direction was a pair of enclosures for Belted Lemur (Varecia variegata subcincta) and Yellow-breasted Capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos), each of which followed a similar design; a basic but functional cage which were somewhat higher than some of the other enclosures we had seen thus far, and which included a high amount of tree trunks and branches to provide a high level of climbing opportunity. Furthermore, the back of each enclosure contained entrances to off-show sleeping quarters, which extended back further than could be discerned easily. Just opposite these enclosures was a large paddock for Northern Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus africanus), which primarily comprised large expanses of sand and rock, with a substantial amount of felled tree trunks laid around the enclosure, particularly concentrated in the centre of the enclosure where they formed a shady area for the inhabitants of the enclosure to retreat to. As warthog enclosures go it was a relatively good one - nothing out of the ordinary or unusually special, but an enclosure which was suited to the inhabitants and looked visually appealing for the visitor nonetheless.

Just beyond this point, the path forked, with one route leading to the Giraffe House and the other leading to the Elephant House and the rest of the collection. Before we made our way to the former, we had a look at a large aviary on the corner which held a number of rather attractive species, with both the outdoor and indoor portions of the enclosure visible from the path. The outdoor area of the aviary was thickly planted with evergreen vegetation, something which led it to be somewhat difficult to view the inhabitants but which appeared to be very good for the activity levels and general welfare of the various taxa held within. This aviary held a mixture of Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae), Red-faced Finch (Neochmia ruficauda), Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii), Diamond Dove (Geopelia cuneata) and Asian Blue Quail (Coturnix chinensis), all of which are attractive species which although present in UK collections are by no means common. The mix seemed to work well with no adverse interaction visible between the species.

A little further along the path towards the Giraffe House, we were able to look across to the large paddock adjoining the external enclosures for the Giraffe House, which held a mixture of large hoofstock species. This paddock, which contained another group of Defassa Waterbuck along with numbers of Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) and Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi), was like many of the enclosures at Magdeburg simple and effective, comprising a large grassy paddock with rockwork surrounding a number of large trees which may well have been part of the site prior to the enclosure being built. The enclosure seemed good for the species found within, being large enough for the species to avoid one another if need be yet small enough that the individuals held within were readily visible to the public.

As we entered the Giraffe House, the first enclosure we came to on our right-hand side was a large aviary enclosure, which was filled with a wide variety of vegetation and cacti, with logs and other perching opportunities suspended from the ceiling and a large area of fake rockwork at one end of the exhibit. This aviary held a mixture of bird species native to the same area of Africa as the range of the Rothschild's Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) held within the Giraffe House, and by and large the species all seemed to mix rather well, with two specific examples which I will note in due course. The species held within the aviary were Blue-throated Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus), Mombasa Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus mombassicus), Uganda Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala ruberrima), Harlequin Quail (Coturnix delegorguei), Cape Turtle Dove (Streptopelia capicola) and Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus), the majority of which were taxa we had previously never seen before. Unfortunately, as alluded above, the Cordon-bleu and Bee-eater seemed to not mix terribly well, with the former staying well away from the latter taxon and the Bee-eaters being somewhat aggressive when this distance grew too small.

The main enclosure within the house, that for the giraffes themselves, was of a high quality, being pleasant to look at and providing a large area for the inhabitants to move around, with a high level of bamboo used in the construction of the walls of the enclosure. The interior of the house itself was bright and well-lit with large windows and skylights letting in a large amount of sunlight, and with an overall decoration theme based around wood construction, giving the impression of a house which did a very good job for relatively little money spent in construction.

Opposite the main enclosure, an informational panel recreated the diagnostic colour and pattern of four giraffe taxa, discussing the differences in range and appearance of these subspecies. Next to this informational panel, a large set of invertebrate tanks constructed from felled tree trunks fronted with glass contained Flat Rock Scorpion (Hadogenes troglodytes), Sun Beetle (Pachnoda marginata peregrina) and Giant African Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas) - I was solidly impressed with this display, which struck me as something many collections would not bother with and which was likely rather cheap to construct, but which enriched the Giraffe House as a whole. I feel that a similar enclosure containing rodent taxa would be ideal to improve the house further; something which could well be achieved as there was still a reasonable amount of floorspace within the house for such a development.

We were overall very impressed indeed with the interior of the Giraffe House, as it made good use of the space it had, displayed a wide range of attractive species well, and aesthetically was a very pleasing house in general, with a high standard of signage within the house - as we were rapidly coming to expect from the collection. Upon leaving the house, we investigated the exterior paddock for the giraffes and were pleased to note that an equal level of care and attention had been employed in ensuring the animals had a large paddock for their use, with public viewing of the enclosure both from a footpath on the other side of the paddock and a high vantage point next to the house itself.

We exited the giraffe house, and made our way to the Elephant House which lay opposite. Outside the house there were two mid-size paddocks, neither of which was occupied at the time and both of which seemed to be in rather poor condition. The paddock on the left of the house was in rather more disrepair; we knew this to be the old enclosure for a geriatric Black Rhinoceros which passed away some months ago, and which remains unoccupied due to the fact that this area of Zoo Magdeburg is destined for substantial alteration in the second phase of the Africambo project.

The interior of the house was the first truly bad point we had encountered at Magdeburg thus far; the house was relatively small, yet the vast majority of the floorspace was given over to the public. The two interior enclosures - each roughly 8 metres square - were bare concrete platforms separated from the public only by a shallow dry moat and a small barrier. Despite the fact the rhinoceros enclosure was unoccupied for the reason already stated, the opportunity had not been taken to move one of the elephants into this enclosure - something which would have at least slightly improved the feel and appearance of the interior. As it was, both individuals held in the house - an elderly South African Elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) and equally elderly Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) - were confined to a single small enclosure, with access only to their sleeping quarters and not the external paddock. The overall feel in the house was one of dusty neglect, as if this corner of the zoo had been forgotten - as there are substantial redevelopments planned for this area in the future, there appears to be neither the desire nor money to improve what is, after all, a house on borrowed time.

However, despite my lack of particular enjoyment of this area of the zoo, my enjoyment of the collection as a whole was not unduly impacted by this inferior portion of the whole - as I had already seen just what had been achieved with the new rhinoceros house, the giraffe house and the surrounding developments which had been part of the first stage of Africambo, I am entirely certain that when the time comes for a new Elephant House it will be a good one.

Exiting the house, we then continued along the footpath to a medium-size and thickly vegetated enclosure for a mixture of European White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) and Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo), with little decoration barring a number of small felled trees. Although it was nothing particularly special, the enclosure was reasonably good with no faults that we were able to pick up on. The next enclosure held Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), with this being a pretty unremarkable but solid exhibit; unremarkable enough that looking back, it transpires I took no photographs whatsoever of the enclosure, which thus means I have to rely on my memory of the exhibit in order to judge it! Much like the preceding stork enclosure, there was very little to condemn the enclosure over, but equally little to pick out as worthy of particular mention. Overall, the enclosure was very much like the hyena enclosure writ small, mostly comprising sandy scrub.

We next came to a large area which was blocked from access due to ongoing construction work - this, I believe, will eventually comprise a new chimpanzee house, with the existing house being repurposed for African monkey taxa. This building work also blocked us from being able to enter the extant Chimp House at the usual point; however we were aware of an access point at the back of the house which we would reach in due course whilst walking through the zoo. Opposite the largest portion of the building work, we were able to view across a moat to the external paddock for the giraffes, as we were now proceeding down the footpath which was previously mentioned.

A little further down the path, we reached a large exhibit for Jackass Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), comprising a series of pools set in a sandy enclosure with several mature trees having been left in-situ where they had undoubtedly been present prior to the construction of the enclosure. One particular feature of this enclosure which I was particularly pleased with was, yet again, the quality of the educational labelling and signposting present. As well as the label for the taxon held within the enclosure, there was also a large and detailed poster which went into some detail about the natural history of the penguin family, including images and discussion of all extant species - barring certain taxa which have been split from their parent species relatively recently or are still subject to some debate.

and this link for photographs of the interior enclosure for the Asian and African Elephant, the crane paddock, the exterior enclosure for the giraffe, the penguin enclosure, and an example of educational signposting regarding penguin taxonomy)

 

Part VI: Pottering To Pademelons

As we continued along our chosen route through the zoo, we reached a crossroads. To our left the path led back to the Tapir House, ahead of us the path led towards the lemur enclosures, whilst the path to the right of us led towards the back entrance to the Ape House. As we knew that the latter of these routes would ultimately loop back towards the lemur enclosures, we decided to head in this direction.

However, to save further doubling back at a later point, we first briefly made our way down the path towards the Tapir House to investigate an enclosure 20 metres or so down the path which we had not visited previously. This enclosure was a large and - when we visited - rather muddy paddock which was dotted with entrance holes to burrows along with tree trunks which criss-crossed the area. The reason for the muddiness of the enclosure was rapidly apparent - the enclosure appeared to be in the middle of having grass and possibly other vegetation seeded and replanted, as a system of sprinklers were active through the enclosure watering the bare ground. The enclosure held a mixture of two species: Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum). We were only able to observe the latter of the species at the time, but insofar as much as we could tell the enclosure was a rather good one for both species - certainly once the enclosure was once again fully vegetated.

On the corner of the crossroads, we came to a large and rather pleasant aviary which held a combination of Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni) and Texas Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus texanus), two very appealing species which blended together rather well. The aviary itself was landscaped with a combination of rockwork, vegetation and sandy paths, and gave plenty of space to both species living within it. Next to this aviary we came to a smaller, but no less well-designed aviary which provided rather more perching opportunities than found in its neighbour, but which had a much simpler sandy flooring. This smaller aviary held Lesser Patagonian Conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus patagonus) and Californian Quail (Lophortyx californica); I particularly enjoyed seeing the latter of these species for two reasons. Firstly, until the previous day at Zoo Berlin I had never seen Californian Quail, and as such I still appreciated it with the eyes of one new to the species. Secondly, having seen the closely related Gambel's Quail only hours previously, I rather enjoyed being able to mentally compare the two taxa.

As we started to make our way to the Ape House, the first enclosure we reached - just opposite the aviary holding the Socorro Dove - was a large sandy paddock. The paddock contained a handful of the mature trees which - as has previously been noted - are dotted around much of Zoo Magdeburg, but otherwise was plain and functional, holding a group of Eurasian Forest Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus). As a pure and undomesticated subspecies, I always enjoy having the chance to view Forest Reindeer and observe the various morphological and behavioural differences marking them out from the domestic form which I am highly familiar with.

The next paddock was substantially larger and more open, containing only a few small trees and a central area of rockwork in an otherwise grass-covered representation of - judging by the presence of a sizeable group of Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) - the high plains of the Andes. The enclosure seemed to be well suited for the species, although of course it would have been even more satisfying to observe had the enclosure contained an undomesticated species such as Vicuna or Guanaco. The neighbouring enclosure was a very similar paddock, differentiated primarily by the presence of a larger amount of rockwork but of a more or less equal size. This provided plenty of room for the Congo Buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus) held within the enclosure.

The next paddock, which rather resembled a larger version of the Forest Reindeer enclosure to my eyes as it was relatively plain with sandy flooring and a small amount of rockwork, contained Persian Onager (Equus hemionus onager) - a species I was particularly pleased to see, as I have a strong soft spot for the taxon having observed it on many occasions at Chester Zoo and likely would count it as my favorite perissodactyl species. The paddock struck me as a very pleasant enclosure for the species, giving the inhabitants -which comprised three males - plenty of space and emulating to some extent the native habitat of the Onager.

We next came to a large and grassy enclosure which was reasonably well-vegetated, with a number of young trees and less rockwork than in the various paddocks immediately preceding. The overall aesthetic of the enclosure was pretty good, being large and pleasant on the eye - however I admit to having felt a small degree of disappointment to observe that the enclosure held something as commonplace as Tasmanian Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus fruticus). This said, when one considers how many unusual species and rarities I had seen thus far, I could not bring myself to complain excessively; moreover the inhabitants seemed to be in good condition and the enclosure suited them well. The only real complaint I can offer is that it seemed rather large for a relatively small number of individuals; it is possible these animals are in the enclosure as a stopgap, or represent the last of a dwindling population. If the latter is the case, I would suggest that this enclosure would suit a species such as Red Kangaroo or Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby well.

The next paddock was very similar to the Tufted Deer enclosure near the entrance to Zoo Magdeburg, being a well-vegetated paddock with a number of wooden shelters which were partially concealed underneath various branches and other dead vegetation, and with mature trees growing within. As such, it was little surprise that the enclosure held a similar species, the Reeves's Muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi); not the most unusual species but one which I am relatively fond of due to the fact I have observed wild introduced individuals on a number of occasions. However, beyond noting that the enclosure was pleasant and seemed good for the species held within, our attention was not held by this enclosure all that long.

We then reached the far side of the Ape House, which as previously noted was inaccessible through the usual route due to the ongoing work in construction of a new house, after which point the current house will be refocused to hold a variety of monkey taxa. To ensure continued access into the house, a path currently extends behind the house leading to what I assume is usually a fire exit for the house, through which we entered the Ape House itself.

The first enclosure we reached held a pair of Common Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), one of which belonged to the Western subspecies (Pan troglodytes verus). The enclosure, although nowhere near the worst chimpanzee enclosure I have seen, did not strike me as anything special; something which I readily admit may have been partially influenced by the fact I rather dislike the species. It comprised a substantial amount of fake rockwork and imitation tree trunks, with ropes criss-crossing the enclosure suspended from the ceiling and "trunks". The enclosure was viewable from a number of windows on the ground level; I suspect that it was also designed to be viewed from the upper level of the Ape House, but the relevant part of the house (as will be alluded to a little further in this post) was closed as part of the ongoing renovation of the house.

The path through the house went in two directions; to the right the path went around and underneath the chimpanzee enclosure, whilst to the left it led to another large indoor enclosure. Said enclosure was similar in some ways to that for the chimpanzees, but differed in a number of qualities. Firstly, there was significantly less fake rockwork within the enclosure, something which improved the look of the enclosure immediately. Secondly, there was a much higher level of climbing opportunities in the form of ropes and wooden structures provided to the inhabitants, which we found were Common Mona Monkey (Cercopithecus mona). As this was one of the primate species which had been a large determining factor in my desire to visit this enclosure, I was very pleased to observe the inhabitants of the enclosure for some length of time, both from ground level and - due to the fact the path extended upwards onto the first floor of the Ape House - an elevated position looking down into the enclosure. However, the path was blocked beyond this point due to the aforementioned work on the house. As such, we then descended back to the ground floor of the house and made our way through the tunnel which ran past and behind the chimpanzee enclosure.

We then came to a relatively large and high-quality indoor enclosure which contained Midas Tamarin (Saguinus midas). The enclosure struck me as a very good exhibit for the species, providing a large amount of climbing opportunities and vegetation, with plenty of space provided for the inhabitants. Although an indoor-only enclosure, it was of a similar high quality to the callitrichid enclosures which we had seen earlier that day; however as this particular species of tamarin is one with which I am rather fond, I must admit I was particularly pleased to see the quality of this enclosure.

Next to the Midas Tamarin enclosure, we came to a second large enclosure of a similar design; this one contained much less vegetation and a bare sandy floor but, to my eyes, provided rather more opportunity for climbing. Moreover, unlike the neighbouring enclosure there was outdoor access granted to the inhabitants, which transpired to be Gabon Talapoin (Miopithecus ogouensis), the third and final of the major primate lifeticks which Zoo Magdeburg held for me. Although the Talapoin were nowhere to be seen within, the size and design of the enclosure struck me as entirely suitable for a taxon of the size and nature which I already knew the Talapoin to be. As such, this enclosure along with the neighbouring one for the Midas Tamarin were probably the best thing within the Ape House; one hopes that when the ongoing developments to this house are completed the rest of the house will be improved to an equal standard.

We then exited the Ape House momentarily through what normally would be the main entrance to the house; although the path leading away from the house was blocked due to the ongoing work, the area immediately in front of the Ape House was still accessible to us. This permitted us to view the exterior enclosure for the Gabon Talapoin, which we were extremely pleased to note was an extremely large size for such a small primate. As a rough estimate, I would say the enclosure was at least 10' high, and something like 30' long, with thick vegetation throughout as well as several levels of branches and trees for the inhabitants to move around on. The Talapoin were making full use of this enclosure, and we viewed them for some time with a great degree of interest; as has been discussed on Zoochat over a number of occasions in the past the captive diversity and numbers of guenon species in Europe has starkly plummeted in the past decade or so. As such, it was a rare and precious event for us to have the chance to see two guenon lifeticks within the space of 10 minutes or so, let alone two species which were so starkly different; whilst the Mona Monkey was very much akin to many other guenon taxa, the Talapoin were highly unusual, the closest comparison to their cousins possible being to draw an analogy to a pygmy form of Allen's Swamp Monkey.

Being unable to go any further along this portion of the path, we left the area of the Ape House through the way we came, and continued on our route through Zoo Magdeburg. The next enclosure we reached was a large paddock for Japanese Serow (Capricornis crispus), a highly attractive caprine taxon which lamentably appears to be in terminal decline within captive collections. The paddock was rather expansive and grass-covered, with numerous small hillocks and boulders strewn throughout and high piles of branches and twigs piled up in heaps here and there. Having observed the last individual at Zoo Berlin a day prior, and knowing that the population at the handful of other European collections had dwindled to single individuals here and there, we observed the inhabitants of this enclosure for some time, knowing that it may well be the last opportunity we get to view this species in Europe.

Just beyond the Serow enclosure, we came to what appeared to be a large aviary, with a portion of the indoor accommodation for the inhabitants viewable through a window. Readily visible - and indeed audible - in the enclosure was a mixture of Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) and Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). However, investigation through the window into the indoor housing of the enclosure revealed that the mix also included something rather special; a group of Dusky Pademelon (Thylogale brunii), another of the species which had particularly drawn me to visiting Zoo Magdeburg. The interior housing was tricky to view, due to the position of the sun upon the window at the point in time we were at the enclosure, but appeared to be small but well designed with vegetation and branches provided for the two bird species held within the enclosure, as well as sleeping quarters for the Padamelon. However, as was apparent when we viewed the external portion of the enclosure, this was only a small onshow display, with entrance routes into a larger offshow sleeping area visible in the outside wall. The outdoor enclosure itself was very good, providing a great deal of height and perching opportunity for the two bird species held within, whilst the floor of the enclosure contained a number of logs and rocks on a sandy substrate. As we observed the padamelons, we were pleased to note that another individual emerged from within the offshow interior housing, appearing very much as if it were a female with an already sizeable joey in-pouch; something which I believe has been confirmed since my visit. As all three European collections holding this very attractive small marsupial have had a reasonably high level of breeding success, it is to be hoped that the taxon will become more common within Europe in time.

and follow this link for images of the interior and exterior enclosures for the Gabon Talapoin, the Japanese Serow enclosure, the interior and exterior enclosures for the Dusky Padamelon and an updated routeplan showing the route we had walked since visiting the Tapir House in orange, with the route we had walked prior to this marked as before in blue)

 

Part VII: From Australia To Central Europe

Just along from the Padamelon enclosure, we came to a very sizeable aviary for Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - as an estimate, the aviary was at least 6 metres tall and 20 metres long, with large amounts of vegetation and branches strewn on the ground and a central tree reaching the full height of the aviary. Moreover, a number of roosts were built into the sides of the aviaries. Overall, this meant that the inhabitants had a relatively high degree of room provided for flight, as well as a number of perching opportunities. Although not the best eagle enclosure I have seen in a zoological collection, in my opinion, I thought that this aviary was very pleasing to look at and - more importantly - fully took the welfare of its inhabitants into account.

Just opposite this aviary, there was a sizeable paddock for Axis Deer (Axis axis) and Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra; two relatively common species in captivity but ones which I always enjoy viewing. The paddock was split into two differing appearances, although no barrier divided the enclosure. Half the enclosure comprised a sandy paddock with a number of shallow hillocks, and numerous boulders and branches scattered around the paddock. However, as the enclosure stretched to the right the ground became more grassy, with several trees dotted around the enclosure. The impression given by the whole was of sandy scrubland giving way to woodland, something which I felt went rather well with the species held within.

Beyond here, the path divided; whilst one route went directly to the petting zoo and lemur enclosure, the other comprised a self-contained loop through woodland which would also lead to the lemur enclosure. As such, we chose to take the second route so as to not miss anything. The first enclosure we came to was a large walkthrough exhibit with a large number of free-flying Australian bird species, which was themed around the concept of Uluru and the Australian outback. As such, the centrepiece of the walkthrough was a large imitation-sandstone replica of Uluru itself, surrounded by numerous bamboo poles and a variety of rocks and branches laid around the ground. Moreover, the buildings and houses within the enclosure were all painted terracotta-red with various designs intended to mimic Aboriginal rock art. The walkthrough contained Crested Dove (Ocyphaps lophotes), Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis), Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae), Bourke's Parrot (Neopsephotus bourkii), Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius), Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata) and Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles). This mix worked rather well, and it was rather refreshing to see a walkthrough enclosure for Australasian birds which entirely omitted the near-ubiquitous Rainbow Lorikeet.

We then crossed a bridge over one of the numerous streams within Zoo Magdeburg, where the path led us into a heavily wooded area. The first enclosure we encountered in this area was a relatively large aviary which held a mixture of Vietnamese Pheasant (Lophura hatinhensis) and Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha); two species which although by no means unusual are always very appealing to watch. The enclosure itself was nothing special, providing plenty of space and perching opportunities for the inhabitants but being relatively plain with an increasing degree of vegetation towards one end of the aviary, but the birds within were very active and visible; something which I suspect may well be partially due to this enclosure being tucked away in a corner of Zoo Magdeburg which I would be willing to wager many visitors miss, thus allowing the inhabitants a greater degree of quiet and privacy.

The next enclosure we came to was one I had rather been looking forward to; the exhibit for European Golden Jackal (Canis aureus moreotica). As someone with more than a passing interest in carnivorans, the prospect of seeing a canid taxon which was entirely new to me had been a big incentive in my wishing to visit Zoo Magdeburg, only increased by the knowledge that the individuals held here were known to be a pure strain, with no contamination from Canis lupus lupaster as has, I believe, occurred in a number of locations elsewhere in Europe.

The enclosure itself comprised a significant stretch of wooded hillside - by the looks of it likely natural, albeit altered to some degree - which had been supplemented with a variety of logs, branches and vegetation on the ground, along with a pool at the front of the enclosure which was surrounded by cobbled rockwork. At the far right of the enclosure were a pair of offshow enclosures which although just about visible were too distant to divine much about, looking like they extended behind the aviary holding the Vietnamese Pheasant and Red-Billed Blue Magpie. At the centre point of the enclosure, a viewing hut with seating had been constructed for the public. The four of us took the time to sit and talk with one another awhile whilst we watched the pair of jackals within the enclosure, which although initially dozing in the afternoon heat soon awoke and started patrolling their territory extremely energetically. As one may be able to tell, I thoroughly enjoyed and approved of the enclosure; it was extremely large and provided a combination of open areas, shaded areas and places where the inhabitants could be concealed from the public, yet from the point of view of a visitor it was still attractive and enjoyable to look at.

The next enclosure held European Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo bubo), again in a hillside wooded enclosure which seemed to have been adapted from the natural state of the parkland which Zoo Magdeburg was constructed on. However, this one did seem to be a bit more altered than the prior enclosure had been, with a large amount of scrub and ruined brickwork strewn around the enclosure; I rather got the feeling that this enclosure had been built over the ruins of a pre-existing building to some extent, although I could not ascertain whether this was a design choice or the actual state of affairs. However, I was very pleased with the feel of the enclosure as a whole; one design choice which I particularly appreciated was the fact that to view the enclosure properly, the path led into a small viewing hide of sorts, the front of which was entirely open - barring a knee high stone wall - to the enclosure itself. Although just as good a view of the inhabitants could have been obtained were the enclosure to have been viewed through glass, something about the lack of any real barrier between us and the animals completely appealed to me. The nearest equivalent I have ever experienced within the UK, for those who want a frame of reference, is the Pallas Cat enclosure at Port Lympne.

The next enclosure again followed the same overall theme of natural woodland, and contained Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus). However, there were some differences between this enclosure and the two immediately preceding. The most notable was that whilst the Eagle Owl enclosure had been open to view by the public, this enclosure was fronted by a fine zoo-mesh, and was visible from the public path without any viewing hide or seating area. Moreover, this was the most thickly vegetated enclosure of the three, with large numbers of young trees, bushes and other plant life covering the ground almost completely. The overall impression given was of a much wilder, more isolated environment; it is entirely possible that this design choice was deliberate, as I would imagine that it would suit the inhabitants of the enclosure well. Of course, we rather got the impression that this whole row of enclosures was a somewhat hidden portion of Zoo Magdeburg, often unnoticed by visitors, and as such this feeling of quiet and isolation is one that I suspect the inhabitants of all the enclosures in this area benefit from. The following enclosure, for Red Kite (Milvus milvus), followed much the same style as the enclosure for the eagle owls, being viewed from the same kind of open hide structure with a similar degree of enjoyment being therefore felt by the four of us. However, it was rather more lushly vegetated than the aforesaid enclosure had been, with thick bushes and mature trees throughout, with cobbled rockwork akin to that in the jackal enclosure towards the front.

The final enclosure in this wooded hillside row was a large one for Carpathian Lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus), a taxon with which I am particularly fond. The enclosure as a whole was roughly the same size as that for the European Golden Jackals had been, but was somewhat less wooded or vegetated when compared with any of the other enclosures in the row. It was, of course, still rather thickly vegetated when compared with many of the other enclosures I had seen at Zoo Magdeburg, with a few large trees dotted throughout; however the main design motif of this enclosure was that of a sloping cliff, with judicious use of rockwork and dead logs and branches to help give the impression of a steep slope leading up to the sleeping quarters of the lynx at the left of the enclosure, with the enclosure getting more and more wooded and vegetated as it ran to the right and connected with the other enclosures in this row.

As a whole, this row of wooded hillside enclosures covering the general theme of native European wildlife was a real highlight of my day at Zoo Magdeburg. Certainly some of the enclosures and exhibits were larger and flashier, for instance the first phase of the Africambo exhibit mentioned previously; however, this quiet little area of the collection demonstrated that an exhibit need not be flashy or overly ambitious to both truly impress the visitor and keep to a high standard of care for the animals within. As such, although from an objective point of view this exhibit as a whole is not the best at Zoo Magdeburg - although it is still pretty close to this standard - it was possibly my favorite, rivalled only by the exhibit for the Marbled Polecat, an opinion admittedly coloured by my love for said taxon!

As we continued on the path beyond these enclosures, it once again crossed the stream and came out just opposite the lower end of the Axis and Blackbuck paddock. As such, we now made our way down the path towards the Children's Zoo.

and follow this link for two images of the Golden Jackal enclosure, and images of the Eurasian Eagle Owl enclosure, Snowy Owl enclosure, Red Kite enclosure and Carpathian Lynx enclosure)

 

Part VIII: Childrens Zoo And Further Callitrichids

As we made our way towards the Children's Zoo, we came to a large sandy paddock on our left which contained a group of Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus). The enclosure was akin to many of the hoofstock paddocks we had seen at Zoo Magdeburg, being sizeable and with a sandy floor, interspersed with rocks and branches. There were also several mature trees growing within the paddock, which had quite obviously been constructed around them. As enclosures for the species went, it was a pretty good one, being large enough for the inhabitants and - more importantly for a species with as destructive a nature as this - protected to some extent against the risk of becoming a mudbath.

Just beyond this point we reached the Children's Zoo, a combination of a petting farm and a play area for children. As such it was without a doubt the busiest part of the zoo we had seen thus far, but it was not unappealing; the various enclosures within were of a similar high standard to those found in the rest of the collection, and although merely stocked with a variety of domestic animals there were a few breeds which we were unfamiliar with. Each species had their own enclosure, but were able to exit freely and enter an area where they could mingle with the public. The first enclosure we came to held a variety of domestic chicken breeds, including German Langshan, Modern English Dwarf and German Dwarf (Gallus gallus domestica). This enclosure comprised a relatively tall cage which contained a handful of small trees; when we saw the enclosure the German Langshan were inside, and as such we took the opportunity to observe these fowl for a time as this was a breed that we had not seen in the past. Next to this enclosure was an enclosure for Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domestica), of a similar size to that for the chicken breeds but open-topped and - doubtless to prevent damage by the inhabitants - the small tree within this enclosure was within a reinforced wooden frame.

Next to the paddock for the Red River Hogs was a paddock for the one domestic species which was not part of the petting area, Llama (Lama glama) - although I suspect that individual animals may well sometimes be led into the petting area. This paddock was a sizeable scrub-like enclosure with little to no vegetation barring the occasional pile of branches and twigs, and was obviously built to serve the function of holding the inhabitants rather than displaying them, being rather akin to a farm paddock in many ways. Opposite this enclosure was a paddock of similar size which held two varieties of domestic goat, Jamtland Goat and Cameroon Dwarf (Capra aegagrus hircus). However, this enclosure was rather more appealing in appearance, containing a number of mature trees and felled trunks, and the same sandy substrate found throughout many of the hoofstock enclosures at Magdeburg. This said, both of these enclosures seemed entirely fine for the purpose of holding the species within whilst providing them with sufficient space for their welfare.

Of course, given that the four of us were not accompanied by children, this portion of the zoo was not aimed towards us and as such it is hard to comment further on the quality and content of the play areas therein; however the fact that as previously noted this was the busiest part of the zoo we had seen rather demonstrates the popularity and success of the Children's Zoo for the desired audience of families with small children.

As we continued down the path towards the portion of the zoo we knew to contain the lemur walkthrough, we reached a large and rather attractive aviary. Within was a combination of rockwork, small ponds, sandy flooring and more thickly vegetated patches of ground, with a number of trees and branches placed within to provide perching opportunities for the inhabitants. These, it quickly transpired, comprised Black-cheeked Lovebird (Agapornis nigrigenis), Speckled Pigeon (Columba guinea) and Stone Partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus), the latter of which was a highly unexpected but no less appreciated lifetick, and as such an animal which I was careful to watch for a time.

We then entered the walkthrough enclosure for Ringtailed Lemur (Lemur catta); a rather ubiquitous species, and as such not an enclosure which I felt myself to be unduly interested in. However, the enclosure itself was rather pleasant, comprising a small island surrounded by a moat which held a group of Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), with a large number of wooded poles and various tree trunks laid around the enclosure to provide a variety of climbing opportunities for the animals held within. Although surrounded by anti-climbing cladding, the enclosure also contained a number of large mature trees as was standard for many of the enclosures at Zoo Magdeburg. Overall, I rather felt that this walkthrough was something of a missed opportunity; the Belted Ruffed Lemurs we had seen elsewhere in the zoo a few hours previously would have worked very well in this enclosure, and would have provided an extra species for the public to observe; one which is rather less commonly seen when compared to the Ringtailed Lemur, at that.

Opposite the walkthrough was a large, grassy and relatively open enclosure for Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), containing a handful of large trees and a ridge formed by a row of large stones and rocks. Unfortunately, we did not see the occupants of the enclosure outside, which of course meant it was somewhat hard to gauge how good the enclosure was for the species. However, when compared with other enclosures I have seen for the species I imagine it serves the purpose well, suiting the welfare of the animals whilst not being as "themed" as many anteater enclosures tend to be. As the species is often found on open grassland, the enclosure was not too dissimilar to the habitat in which the animals could be found in the wild. We made note of the fact that the main path leading away from the walkthrough, back towards the entrance of the zoo, led past the indoor housing of the anteaters and resolved to take a closer look at this portion of the anteater enclosure later.

In the meantime, we made our way down a quiet path which led past the walkthrough and the anteater enclosure towards the Tapir House - which we presumed would eventually enter the house through the door we had neglected to exit through previously. Some way down this path, we reached a short row of callitrichid exhibits. The first of these comprised the interior housing for another group of Midas Tamarin (Saguinus midas), with the exterior enclosure for the species visible next to it. The interior enclosure was somewhat smaller and more functional when compared to the Midas Tamarin enclosure we had seen earlier that day in the Ape House; however it was still pretty good, comprising a number of tree trunks and branches laid around the enclosure, with feeding points at a number of levels. The exterior enclosure, on the other hand, was rather spacious and thickly planted with vegetation and tree trunks, in a similar format and style to the callitrichid enclosures we had seen earlier in the day on the opposite side of the Tapir House. However, this enclosure was slightly larger than these had been, although the occupants were just as active here as those in the aforementioned enclosures were.

Next to this enclosure was a similar exhibit for a number of species; however this time the external enclosure was the first we came to, followed by the indoor enclosure. As a result, the two external enclosures were effectively mirror images of one another, although the exact design and layout of the contents of the enclosures were different. The second exhibit held a mixture of Cottontop Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus), Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea niveiventris), Red-footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) and - possibly most importantly - Black Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus). I was particularly pleased to see the latter of these species, as it is a very attractive taxon which is rapidly dying out in captive collections within Europe due to disease and a lack of successful breeding. Moreover, the European population as a whole is now rather elderly; something which meant that on both of the previous occasions I had seen this taxon - at Bristol and Chester shortly before each collection lost the species - the individuals I had observed lacked the brightly coloured markings which inspire the alternate name for the taxon of Golden-rumped Lion Tamarin, instead having pale white markings and faded fur overall. Conversely, the animals held in this enclosure - although still somewhat elderly to my knowledge - were young enough to still possess the titular golden rumps, and dark black fur. As such, all four of us very much enjoyed having the opportunity to view this species at close proximity for a prolonged amount of time; an opportunity which may well never come again.

The exterior enclosure itself, as noted, was somewhat similar to that for the Midas Tamarin - however it was somewhat less thickly vegetated, but with more climbing opportunities and areas of rockwork on the ground; the latter of these features was constructed around the ground-level entrance to the indoor enclosure, providing a de-facto shaded cave for the tortoises to shelter from their callitrichid neighbours. The interior enclosure was slightly larger than that for the Midas Tamarin, with more attention paid to the ground level due to the presence of the tortoises, and a higher density of branches and logs.

Just beyond here, we once again reached the Tapir House. Rather than pass through the house, we elected to double-back and head towards the interior viewing for the Giant Anteaters, a route which would then give us a rather better view of the outdoor enclosure for the Lowland Tapir than we had previously been able to see.

and follow this link for two images of the Ringtailed Lemur walkthrough, a view of the Giant Anteater enclosure, the interior housing of the Midas Tamarin enclosure, the exterior enclosure for the Midas Tamarin and the exterior enclosure for the Black Lion Tamarin)