From Iceland Review Online 29/07/2010 Humans on Display for the First Time at Reykjavík Zoo The human being will be on display for the first time in its natural environment in the Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo next weekend. Visitors can observe three men and one woman in a cage after 10 am on Saturday and Sunday The initiative is part of a summer project for 16 to 18-year-olds and the show is directed by the actors Aevar Thór Benediktsson and Hilmir Jensson, Fréttabladid reports. “The kids have organized various performances in the park this summer and we intend to wrap the project up with this exhibit,” Benediktsson said. “It is done to jazz up the park and let its guests participate in the fun.” The four human specimens will be placed inside a cage which is usually intended for crisis-stricken animals. Benediktsson said the cage will be securely locked, so the humans are unable to get out, even if they want to. At 1 pm the humans will be foddered with hamburgers and everyone is welcome to observe. However, visitors to the zoo cannot feed the humans themselves, as applies to all other animals at the zoo. “They will be given a ball, a television and possibly one book,” Benediktsson said. “It is very important to keep them in their natural environment.”
I was actually going to write a review of Reykjavík Zoo as I was there a couple of weeks ago. Firstly it is important to remember that the entire country has a population of only around 320,000 - that's less than Wakefield in the UK or Santa Ana, California. The country also has stunning natural sites of interest and bird and whale watching opportunities. I arrived at the zoo as the sun was rising - at 11am. Most of the paddocks were empty as it was a cold day -4 degrees. Reykjavík actually has a much more moderate climate than its latitude suggests and for the rest of the week the temperature was around 7 degrees. The lovely Icelandic horses were outside as was the single female reindeer called Regina if I remember correctly. the video above is fairly comprehensive in listing what can be seen. There is also a small 'museum' with pelts, antlers and bones to see and touch and some small tanks with pet shop species like bearded dragon, fire-bellied toad and terrapins. There is indoor viewing for mink and Arctic fox, they were curled up inside in the warm. The outside mink pen also has underwater viewing. A large aviary was empty as I think it is only used for rehabilitation of injured native species. The seal pool was a nice modern enclosure and the four or five harbour seals were very active as they were fed. It's a small place and cost kr 6000 which is about £3 I think. Not too bad, I spent about 45 minutes there I think. As the video shows, most species are domestics. As I left and walked past the botanic garden I thought that there would be great potential for a wider collection featuring Nordic animals like bears, lynx, wolverine and musk ox as well as more birds. This is a small collection in a medium sized city but I think it could be viable as a slightly larger zoo and could be combined with some traditional Icelandic buildings like Skansen in Stockholm. I think that would be a popular attraction. It's worth stopping by if you are in Iceland, you won't need much time and it is easily accessible from the centre of Reykjavík.
Earlier this week the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police received an unusual callout: a seal pup was hanging out at Laugardalur camping ground. Some tourists had come across the pup on their morning walk. The seal was returned to its home at the nearby Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo but not before biting one of the officers, who was taken to the hospital’s emergency department for treatment. It was reported that the pup will be slaughtered this autumn and used as feed for the zoo’s foxes because there is no room for the animal at the zoo. In fact it was killed this week. A Facebook page called Spare the Life of the Sprinter Seal was created following its capture. It was liked by almost 1,400 people, but that was not sufficient to change the minds of park officials. Despite suspicions by pup fans that its escape attempt has resulted in capital punishment, zoo officials claim there is no connection. On the contrary, they maintain that every pup not intended for breeding must be slaughtered by the end of summer due to lack of space in the zoo. That statement has further increased the grief of the pup’s fans who are convinced the pup knew its days were numbered and, therefore, attempted to escape. They believe this to have been a clear sign of unusual intelligence and, thus, a reason to use the pup for breeding. Chris Draper, Programmes Manager for the Born Free Foundation, said: “The case of this seal provides yet further evidence of a dirty secret in the zoo industry: zoos kill healthy animals. Zoos must accept responsibility to maintain their animals in good health and to provide them with adequate lifetime care – anything less is a betrayal of the animals, zoo visitors and the wider public. We are calling for swift action to end the killing of healthy animals in zoos.” There are also reports of zoo staff 'feasting' on zoo animals every autumn. What they neglect to add is that almost all of these animals at the zoo are domestic farm animals. Captured Seal Executed, Fed To Foxes - The Reykjavik Grapevine Capital Punishment for Seal? | Iceland Review
A seal pup has been born at the zoo and there is a debate as to whether it should be euthanased, as has happened to all pups born there previously, or released into the wild. The enclosure is only big enough for 3 adults: Seal Pup Born at Reykjavík Zoo Raises Ethical Concerns
Dinoponera ants, the world's largest, are coming to Reykjavik zoo: World’s Biggest Ants Coming to Reykjavík Zoo
The zoo has plans to import tarantulas and white-faced owls. It currently houses mostly domesticated animals native to Iceland: Reykjavík Zoo to Import Tarantulas
The owls are the subject of a separate permit and are “to be imported from the United Kingdom, for display and educational purposes at a separate location”.
Expansion of harbor seal enclosure began this week: Seal Expansion Begun Earlier this year, concept art and blueprints of the expansions were released: Reykjavík Zoo seal enclosure expansion
