Magdeburg Zoo - Pachyderm House

A view into the Pachyderm House in Magdeburg. This house opened in 1967 and is a prime example of DDR zoo architecture. Originally it housed elephants, rhinos and hippos. Today only two elephants and one elderly black rhino remains (the rest have moved to the new Africambo exhibit).

In the near future this area will be turned into a new African elephant house + exhibit as part of the Africambo II project.

June 2012

Always depresses me to see an animal house with more room for the visitors rather than the animals that call it home.

The last Black Rhino in that house, the female"Kenia" passed away a few weeks ago.

Was she preserved? There's a natural history museum in the city!
Also s a pair of older hippos and a newborn baby died at the zoo in 90s.
What happened with them?

As far as I know, she wasn't"preserved"-why they should do that ? Only because there is a Natural Museum in the Museum ?

Because of the Hippos, I belive, the dead Bodys were burned.

As usual, once animal dies it losts all value in our eyes
Where's the 'science' at the zoo is nothing is preserved?! No skulls even?
Rhinos & hippos don't breed and die like rabbits to be wasted!!!
Besides museums, there are universities with own collections, and transfer between institutions is possible as well.
While adult pachyderms are technically hard to work with, a cute newborn hippo is quite easy to move around and prepare... but nobody cares.