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Zoo København Copenhagen Zoo news 2017

Discussion in 'Denmark' started by Thesweham, 7 Jan 2017.

  1. Thesweham

    Thesweham Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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  2. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    A Giraffe was born on Jan. 7 2017 :).
     
  3. pipaluk

    pipaluk Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Hopefully this one is not of the same ill-fated bloodline as Marius?! If so, here we go again...., and to be honest there would be no defending a second culling!
     
  4. Coelacanth18

    Coelacanth18 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    Danish zoos cull thousands of animals every year, so it wouldn't really be a "second" culling. And their defense, I assume, would be the same defense that they give for every animal that gets culled.
     
  5. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Culling is not neccecery anymore ( :( ), the calf was not healthy and has died.
     
  6. pipaluk

    pipaluk Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I'm well aware of the article on the general thread, but just believe the zoo should stop breeding if they are intending to cull the offspring! It doesn't matter about the scientific rights of it, it gives the anti zoo mob another field day, sorry just my opinion!
     
  7. NigeW

    NigeW Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Knowing I was going to find myself with half a day to spare in Copenhagen, a perfect opportunity presented itself to visit a collection new to me. As I do whenever these occasions occur, I did a little reading on the place. At this point, both on zoochat and everywhere else, I entered a giraffe storm. I won’t even attempt to comment on all of that, so putting it out of my mind approached Zoo Copenhagen as I would any other zoo.

    And that approach for me is usually to have a look at what the collection holds in advance, turn up on the morning, pick up a map and take it from there. At this point I came unstuck, I should have worked out a route in advance and taken some notes with me. The map, although fine geographically, gives very little indication of what is where other than headline species. I did quite a bit of doubling back and still had a nagging doubt I’d missed something, and in fact I had, the nocturnal house in the basement of the monkey house I believe?

    I was looking forward to the Artic Ring most, but it was a little underwhelming. Had I been lucky enough to see the Polar Bear swimming under water I may have gained a different impression, but there were close views of an active polar bear outside, and through clear air, and that can’t be bad.

    The true highlight of the zoo lay beyond in the Nordic section. A freezing cold January morning and hard frost on the ground was authentic and wolves, brown bear, musk oxen and a very active arctic fox and snowy owl mix were highlights of my visit.

    The Australian section was also a hive of activity, with a walkthrough kangaroo and wallaby mix, leading on to the Tassie Devils, running around as Tassie Devils always seem to be, and very visible with only a low glass wall enclosing them. Wombat was a no show.

    Elsewhere there is a mix of the mainstream and not so, modern enclosures and old ones, as most city zoos are. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the place. Its not the biggest, but its interesting and has character – and that’s what I look for in a collection. And especially on a winter’s day, with open fire pits around the site and all, it’s a whole different perspective.

    There are some pics in the gallery.
     
  8. zooboy28

    zooboy28 Well-Known Member

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    I also missed the nocturnal house on my visit! No idea how, and I only realised much later. Does anyone have a list of species on display in the nocturnal house?

    Interesting that you say devils are always running around, I find them to be either doing that, or sleeping out of sight (as wombats are often prone to doing too). I wonder how important temperature is in that, maybe the cold invigorates them. Might also be enrichment, I suspect the Copenhagen devils may get more "natural" food during visiting hours than in many other zoos. On my visit I saw the lions getting stuck into a llama.
     
  9. NigeW

    NigeW Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I did notice the food. The Polar Bear was digging into something I couldn't identify, but I did notice a video on youtube of a polar bear playing with a horses head in the pool. Erm, striking!

    My experience of devils isn't broad. I saw them first at LA, where they ran around continually for the time their enclosure was in my sight, and San Diego where they certainly didn't. But between the three collections I don't think I've seen a devil walk anywhere.

    You know zooboy28, following your question we're about to be told we missed some ultra-rarity in the noctural basement!
     
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  10. Hvedekorn

    Hvedekorn Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I don't think you've missed anything special, since they don't keep white-eared opossums anymore, which was no doubt the most interesting species in the basement.

    The other species are pretty much your standard night zoo roster:
    - Brown rat
    - Egyptian fruit bat
    - Bushbaby (they have kept Moholi bushbaby, but I believe they've now switched with the more common Senegal bushbaby) cohabiting with African four-toed hedgehog.

    I don't know if a new species have taken over the former opossum exhibit, but if that's the case, I doubt it's a particularly rare species - otherwise, word would probably have gotten out.
     
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  11. NigeW

    NigeW Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Thanks Hvedekorn. Its a relief to hear I didn't miss anything especially out of the ordinary. I'm still kicking myself for missing the nocturnal house though, on a matter of principle :)
     
  12. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    @Hvedekorn, any significant news items for this year or something planned for Daenmark's capital zoo?
     
  13. Hvedekorn

    Hvedekorn Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Ha ha, I missed most of Antwerp Zoo's nocturnal house (only saw the aardvarks and the viscachas, and today I still have no idea where the room with the rest of the animals is located, as I saw no entrance when I visited), so I know how you feel. I have a feeling that the nocturnal house in Copenhagen may be phased out anyways, as it has fewer animals that it used to have. (Disclaimer: It's just a feeling - I have no idea whether it's actually the case)

    I'm not a frequent visitor as I live in the opposite end of the country, so some of the other Danish users may be able to enlighten you more, but the only thing I know of that is actually scheduled, and not just in the idea phase, is the arrival of the giant pandas for next year. They were originally scheduled to arrive in 2017, but now the plan is 2018. So they might start building the exhibit this year.

    That's a rule of thumb for Copenhagen, by the way - expect any of their plans for upcoming exhibits to be at least one year delayed.
     
  14. Vision

    Vision Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    How coincidental, I missed the nocturnal house on my first visit too! Luckily I did find it on my visit the day after, though it was disappointing to find the opossum exhibit empty :(

    @Hvedekorn, I really have no idea how you could have missed the rest of Antwerp's nocturnal house, though. The aardvark exhibit is alongside the main hallway, that leads to the rest of the exhibits, no doors or walls in between the other set of exhibits... Perhaps it was temporarily closed off when you visited? Either way, you should still have seen the other entrance to it next to the leopard exhibit. Very weird. :p
     
  15. Hvedekorn

    Hvedekorn Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Well, I don't think the signs said anything about it being closed off, but that may be the reason. I visited in July 2010 if that helps. I entered through the Aquaforum entrance, and as far I remember, the aardvark exhibit was on the left after the entrance, the viscacha exhibit was on the right, and the sea lion underwater viewing was straight ahead. I can't for the life of me remember the hallway leading to anywhere but the sea lion exhibit. And I'm pretty sure I didn't see another entrance by the leopard exhibit.

    Hm, maybe "nocturnal house blindness" is a disease periodically contracted by Zoochatters. :p
    Weirdly enough, I - on the other hand - had no trouble finding the Copenhagen nocturnal house when I visited the first time. I'm pretty sure I immediately saw the "natzoo" sign when I approached the primate house. Might that be the reason? That the sign is only in Danish, and not everyone would know that "nat" means "night"?
     
  16. Vision

    Vision Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The rest of the night house would have been to the left of you if you entered from there, before going through the sliding doors for the sea lions. Perhaps you walked straight towards the sea lions and didn't come back to check again?
    (After the aardvark exhibit is another exhibit for aardvarks, one for Australian water rats, one for slender lorises (and currently Javan/lesser mouse deer, though there would have been balabac mouse deer there in 2010), one for tamanduas, a mixed South American exhibit, and then a small bat cave. Sadly the viscachas you mention aren't in the collection anymore)

    I think the reason people might miss the night house is not so much the sign, which is quite obvious, but the door? The door, from a distance, doesn't look like one a visitor would usually open when visiting a zoo, and if you're not paying much attention it might seem the natzoo arrow just points to the entrance of the primate house instead. :p

    Do you know since when the bushbabies were switched? On my visit in September they were definitely signed as Moholi, though I didn't quite see enough of them to really be able to see the difference between them and Senegal...
     
  17. zoo chp89

    zoo chp89 Well-Known Member

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  18. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

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    According to the picture itself and my translation app this is going to replace the old Elephant House. I think that's a great shame. It was (still is) a fantastic piece of architecture, albeit one totally unsuitable for the modern keeping of pachyderms. I wish they would renovate it, or even gut the inside and just keep it as a shell. It could then be repurposed to hold any number of smaller exhibits, and as now the outside could be surrounded by small enclosures or even aviaries.

    It says the work will start in November. Does anyone know if this refers to destruction or construction?
     
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  19. Water Dragon

    Water Dragon Well-Known Member

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    I too am going to miss the old elephant house but I am rather excited for the new panda exhibit. I am guessing that it means destruction as they probably still have a lot to do (paper work and stuff) before the work begins.
     
  20. Coelacanth18

    Coelacanth18 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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