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Hvedekorn

Sagnlandet Lejre - Carp lake

Sagnlandet Lejre - Carp lake
Hvedekorn, 27 Jun 2022
    • Hvedekorn
      This lake houses a huge group of Eurasian carp. These are not wild fish, but captive-bred and in fact descendants of a carp group that have lived for centuries in a pond by Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. These carp came to Lejre in 1994. They can be fed by the guests with feed sold in a nearby gift shop.

      I also saw (wild) red-necked grebes and the ubiquitous mallards on the lake. It's also possible to sail the lake in reconstructed Stone Age boats (with a guide) or more modern rowboats (on your own).

      ---

      Sagnlandet Lejre is an archaeological open-air museum near the town of Lejre, Denmark. It represents the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Viking Age, smallholdings of the 18th century, and some medieval crafts. It's not a zoological institution per se, and thus I didn't give it its own folder, but it does display 10 species of animal (mostly domestics) where it makes sense in the historical context.

      May 2022.
    • Zoo2022
      These carp came to Lejre in 1994. They can be fed by the guests with feed sold in a nearby gift shop.

      This will be illegal in the UK when new legislation comes into force (in zoos, if not elsewhere) - as this is the very definition of a 'touch pool'...
    • Hvedekorn
      So touch pools will soon be a thing of the past at British aquaria? I didn't know that before now, though I guess it makes sense to not make "touch exhibits" with anything but hardy domesticated animals.
    • Zoo2022
      @Hvedekorn
      Yes - it appears so. This part of the new legislation appears to supported by many people (including posters on here) and organisations. The only 'slight' issue is that there is no proposed species list at all; so logically (unless the incredibly vague proposed legislation changes) it will include carp, ducks, penguins - literally anything that can be kept in a pool and touched. The supporters of these changes appear to be supporting the blanket ban and not pushing for more specifics. Hardy domestic spp are not excluded, and nothing is specifically included.
      The size of the pool is not specified, so a lake of many acres with ample space for the animals to avoid people, is included - alongside a goldfish bowl.
      Unchanged, it would/will have major implications for organisations like the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, where of course visitors can touch the animals kept in/on the pool.
    • birdsandbats
      Is there some sort of study that proves touch pools are actually harmful to animals? They are a great visitor experience and many animals such a stingrays seem to enjoy being touched.
    • Hvedekorn
      I sure hope they do something about the wording of that law. I don't think most regular zoo visitors will be that bothered about not seeing a carp or a duck in a zoo again (though there are some waterfowl in important breeding programs), but penguins are popular enough to cause some outrage if all zoos in the UK go out of them at the same time.

      @birdsandbats: I don't know if any studies have been done. Here in Denmark, small-spotted catsharks and thornback rays are kept in most touch pools, and these two don't seem too bothered about being touched. On the other hand, I've seen smaller fish like wrasses that seemed very much frightened and stressed and would immediately hide every time a kid's hand came near them.
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  • Category:
    Denmark - Other
    Uploaded By:
    Hvedekorn
    Date:
    27 Jun 2022
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    Comment Count:
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