In early October, i visited Poland for the first time. Of course, there was time for zoos; three completely new zoos. After flying in to Krakow and spending some time in the old town, I took the train ride to Wroclaw. Not the fastest ride in the universe (4 hours due to delays), but I finally arrived in the beautiful city of Breslau (the German name for Wroclaw) and went to bed knowing that some great zoo experiences was waiting the next day. First off, Zoo Wroclaw: This zoo is one of the fastest growing parks in Europe, having around 1.000 species as of October 2018. One of the ground breaking projects was the Afrykarium, giving the zoo over 2 milion visitors. And they are still getting better, new exhibits for Wolves and Otters are in the making and the Bird House is set to be renovated during the next years. In the future, new exhibits for Asian Elephants, Gorillas and Pygmy Hippos will also be added. The first exhibit that you see after entering is a quite large savannah enclosure, housing Reticulated giraffes, zebras, ostriches and the only remaining Cape hartebeest in Europe. The Afrykarium, as mentioned before is one of the best indoor tropical houses/aquariums in Europe. Housing everything from hippos, Nile crocodiles, manatees, aardvark, naked mole rats, many different free-flying bird species, sharks, rays, penguins and fur seals, this is a really great exhibition. The hippos could very well use an outdoor exhibit (I hope this is also in the future plans), but otherwise the enclosures in here were all very good. The underwater viewing for the seals and penguins was just stunning, lots of space for the animals to swim and also very nice water quality. The aquarium part is also excellent, except the sharks and rays there is also a beautiful Green sea turtle swimming around here. Stunning creature! If visiting Zoo Wroclaw, my tip is to start with the Afrykarium, it got crowded very fast after opening and later in the day it was almost unbearable. The west side of the zoo is home to Angolan lions, African wild dogs, White-bearded wildebeest, different antelope species, Ankole cattle and also the small but nice Sahara house for dromedaries, Scimitar-horned oryxes, Fennec foxes and gundis to name a few. The Madagascar House is also great, with the exception of the indoor exhibit for Narrow-striped mongoose. Free-flying in the house is a colony of Lyle's flying fox as well as different Malagasy birds. Other species include groups of Red and Black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Red-bellied lemurs and Alaotran gentle lemurs. A small part of the zoo is also showing native European species, including a stunning exhibit for Brown bears, a shared exhibit for Barbary macaques and Mouflon, European bisons, Lynx and European wildcat. A new exhibit for Wolves is under construction here too. Some older exhibits for Meerkats and Indian porcupines can also be found nearby. Next to the bisons, is a pair of very lush and nice exhibits for Okapis and Red river hogs, as well as a row of quite ordinary enclosures for Rheas, Guanacos, Alpacas, Agoutis and Crested screamers. After passing the farm and the Children's Zoo there is also a very nice exhibit for Red pandas mixed with some Tufted deer. The Odrarium, housing only native fishes, doesn't maybe sound that exciting but it's very well made and definitely one of the highlights of this zoo. Species include pike, roach, European pond turtle, carp, ide and European perch. Next to the Odrarium is currently a construction site for the new exhibit for European otters, which according to signage is set to open in late 2018.. The Terrarium nearby is without any doubt, the biggest and best collection of reptiles and amphibians I have ever seen. Spread on three floors! is a reptile lover's dream. Of course there are some fan favourites here mixed with more rare species. Some of the main species living here includes a Snapping turtle (in a tank big as a small bathtub), Green and Rhinoceros iguanas, Green and Yellow anacondas in the same enclosure, Galapagos giant tortoises, Panther chameleon, Komodo dragons, Nile monitor and Green basilisks. On the top floor is also a small room with free-flying butterflies. If you like reptiles or amphibians, you have to go here. More than 100 species can be found in this building. Outside the terrarium is also an open and lush enclosure for a group of Ring-tailed lemurs. The northeastern part of the zoo include some of the oldest enclosures, among others the former Bear castle, now home to a nice collection of different owl species. In some smaller aviaries is also Keas and as a nice surprise, an active pair of Yellow-throated martens. In the old deer house lives now groups of Reindeer, Pere David's deer and Dybowski deer. Here is also a row of enclosures for mountain ungulates. All of these enclosures are starting to show their age, but they are still showing some rare species including Golden takin and Visayan spotted deer. Could also see a single Cretan wild goat here and one of the paddocks was supposed to have Siberian ibex but they were nowhere to be seen. A brand new enclosure here is also home to Pallas cats. In the nearby lake, big groups of different waterfowl can be seen such as geese, ducks and pelicans. Two big islands in the lake are home to Squirrel monkeys and White-cheeked gibbons. Don't miss the enclosure for Balabac chevrotains next to the gibbon pagoda-style indoor exhibit. The old ape house is now home to a small group of chimpanzees, they looked quite old and so does their indoor housing. It will be interesting to see what they will do to this exhibit in the future. After passing the Australian exhibits for Red kangaroos, Emu and Red-necked wallabies, the next stop is the Monkey house. Here, different species of smaller monkeys can be seen. Highlights include a breeding group of Black howler monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, Gabon talapoin, Angolan colobuses and Sulawesi crested macaques. (A fun note is that some of the monkeys inside the zoo has often access to the nearby trees, this is also the case with Yellow-throated martens for example.) Inside the house, there are some rarities hiding as well. In one of the indoor exhibits lives Short-beaked echidnas with Red and White giant flying squirrels (no one of them to be seen though). A couple of free-ranging sloths can also be seen here. One of the biggest rarities in the whole zoo, the Bear cuscus is also supposed to be here but they were neither signed nor to be seen. Lucky me that I saw one last year at Pairi Daiza, I assume they are kept off-show since they bred recently. The old monkey cliffs is now home to a group of Yellow baboons. The last part of the zoo includes some old and new exhibits. The two remaining Asian elephants are sharing the old historical Elephant House with Pygmy hippos, Capybaras and Brazilian tapirs. The age of these enclosures are starting to show unfortunately. The nearby old Bird House from 1889 was closed for renovation at my visit so I can't tell much about the collection kept inside. The old carnivore exhibits is now home to Sumatran tigers, Grey wolves (waiting to be moved), a single Brown bear and two very active Asian Black bears. Next door is also a spacious bassin for Harbor seals. The new Leopard Territory (opened this summer) including top-notch exhibits for Snow and Clouded leopards are also in this part of the zoo. A mixed exhibit for Indian rhinos and Pileated gibbon will conclude this review from Zoo Wroclaw. Don't forget to buy the newly updated English version of the guidebook in the souvenir shop before you leave. Zoo Wroclaw is truly one of the best zoos in Central Europe, and I'm sure they will just getting better and better. Many rarities are kept here together with the main ABC species. The only thing they maybe miss out on are great apes (only keeping chimps and gibbons), but hopefully that will change in the future. This zoo is a must see for all zoochatters out there, not only for the Afrykarium. Highlights: Afrykarium (including manatees, sharks, crocodiles, seals and penguins), Monkey House (including bear cuscus, echidna, flying squirrels etc), Odrarium, Terrarium (huge reptile collection), mixed enclosure for Barbary Macaque and Mouflon, Leopard Territory, Madagascar House, Cape Hartebeest, Golden Takin just to name a few. To be continued/ Swedish Zoo Fan
Two things stood out for me when I visited Wroclaw Zoo around ten years ago: 1/ It's the only collection where I've seen Purple Heron 2/ Had excellent Halibut and chips for lunch there, hundreds of Mike from the sea
Opole Zoo For the second zoo visit of this trip, I took the short train ride (about 45 minutes) from Wroclaw to the small town of Opole. This delightful little zoo is located in a forest, about a 20 minute walk from the railway station. Easy to find, much thanks to the gibbons that you could hear singing already from far away. What struck me first was the very cheap entrance fee, 18 zloty for one person (that is about 4 euros). After entering, allocated on two islands is groups of White-handed gibbons and Siamangs. This is where I started the day, watching these lively animals singing and enjoying the morning sun. Turning left from the main entrance is also a small tamarin forest, including a quite large selection of species including: Bearded emperor tamarin, Cotton-top tamarin, Geoffroy's marmoset (a large group), Golden-handed tamarin, Red-bellied tamarin, Pygmy marmoset, Common marmoset, Big hairy armadillo and Three-banded armadillo. Next is a lush island for a group of three Western lowland gorillas together with Mantled colobus. The gorillas and colobus can also be seen indoor in two very spacious enclosures. Next to the gorilla enclosure is the monkey house, home to various middle-sized monkey species. Squirrel monkeys, White-faced saki, Goeldi's monkey, Ring-tailed lemurs (one of three groups in the park!), Red-ruffed lemurs, Black lemurs, Gabon talapoins, Grey-handed night monkeys (free ranging in the house), Two-toed sloths, a single Southern tamandua and some sleepy Pygmy slow loris. The enclosures in this house are all of decent size, but could still be bigger. Around the monkey house is a mish-mash of enclosures for different species; raptor aviaries including two impressive Andean condors, three nicely sized aviary-style exhibits for jaguar, cougar and ocelot, another group of ring-tailed lemurs, a row of aviaries for parrots, amazons and parakeets, an quite boring enclosure for European otters and two South American exhibits including alpacas, vicuna, capybara, mara, giant anteater and Brazilian tapirs. One of the highlights of Opole Zoo is the tropical house, including a really impressive collection of amphibians. Some of the species to be seen here include: Mountain chicken, Red-eyed tree frog, Chantaburi treefrog, Oriental fire-bellied toad, Tomato frog, Axolotl, Bornean eared frog and different species of poison dart frogs. Also in the house is a smaller selection of reptiles including Panther and Yemen chameleon, Rhino rat snake, Standing's day gecko, Green anole and many others. While not as impressive as the collection I saw the day before in Wroclaw, this is still a really nice collection of reptiles and amphibians, especially for a smaller zoo. After exiting the tropical house, you will encounter the worst exhibit complex in the whole zoo. A row of all-indoor exhibits housing Asian small-clawed otters, jaguarundi, big hairy armadillo as well as a selection of tropical birds including Violet turaco, Von der Decken's hornbill, rainbow lorikeet, blue-winged kookaburra and hill mynah, all in small and cramped areas. Passing the flamingos and a small restaurant where I had a small but needed coffee break, the next enclosures are for red pandas, a small group Grey wolves and wolverines. I liked especially the panda enclosure, that was really lush and nicely decorated with a small water stream running through the enclosure. Unfortunately no pandas could be seen. Next up is the snow leopards (whose enclosure is decent, but nothing spectacular) and a row of nice and lush enclosures for different species of herbivores. Fallow deer, Eurasian elk, pygmy hippos, scimitar-horned oryx, a mixed enclosure for addax and sitatunga and lastly a group of bongos. The bongo house has since my visit also became home for a pair of Okapi, meaning Opole is now the second zoo in Poland to show these beautiful animals. Following this is a small children's zoo, featuring a small cafeteria and playground. Here is also the entrance to the giraffe house, closed at my visit though as the inhabitants was outside in the autumn sun. Next is a pair of cheetah enclosures, both spacious and nicely decorated. The cheetahs can also be seen indoor in the colder months. Nearby is a small enclosure for red river hogs (nowhere to be seen though) and a large enclosure for red kangaroos (many of them!) There was construction going on here at my visit, they were building what looked like a big aviary of some sort (possibly Australian birds?). The savannah for Rothschild giraffes, plains zebras and ostriches is one of the better enclosures of it's kind I've seen in Europe. However it could use more species, white rhinos or at least two species of antelope would be great additions. The obligatory meerkats also has their home in this part of the zoo, and on two lemur islands is a third group of ring-tailed lemurs as well as red-fronted lemurs. Also a bit malplaced here, is a row of aviaries for different owl species. Next is a lake for three species of pelican (Dalmatian, great white and pink-backed), a lake for different geese, ducks, swans, crowned crane and muntjacs, an aviary for Waldrapps, and a small row of exhibits for smaller cats including Eurasian lynx, caracal and European wild cats. The last part of the zoo is unfortunately quite empty for now, but there is still a nice mixed exhibit for Bactrian camels and kulan, an excellent enclosure for Californian sealions (one of the best ones I've seen for this species), a row of aviaries for different wading birds such as scarlet ibises, a prairie dog exhibit and ending with a nice and quite unusual mixed exhibit for maned wolf (didn't see it, but could smell it) and Black howler monkeys. Opole Zoo is not the biggest zoo in Poland, but is one of the zoos with most potential. Among their future plans (they are listed on the official map too) are new exhibits for Indian rhinos, orangutans, Siberian tigers, penguins, Asian lions and a new exotarium. When they get all these enclosures finished, Opole might very well be among the top elite of zoos in Central Europe. This zoo was a positive surprise for me, and I really want to make a revisit someday. Highlights: Nice collections of tamarins, monkeys and amphibians, mixed exhibit for maned wolf and howler monkey, gibbons, South American enclosure for tapirs, alpacas, anteater and capybaras, lemur islands, gorillas. To be continued/ Swedish Zoo Fan
The third and last zoo that I visited on this trip was the Krakow Zoo. The zoo is located in a lush and beautiful forest, about a 25 minute bus ride from the city centre of Krakow. The bus stops right outside of the zoo entrance. Also here, the entrance fee was very cheap, 18 zloty (about 4 euros). After entering the zoo, turning right is a row of aviaries for different bird species, with species such as; Western crowned pigeon, Bali mynah, Temminck's tragopan, Himalayan monal, Kookaburra and many others. Next is two small exhibits for Golden lion tamarins and Geoffroy's marmosets, a flamingo exhibit housing Greater and Chilean flamingos and two exhibits for agoutis and the always popular meerkats. Following that is more aviaries including; Von der Decken's hornbill, Red-billed blue magpie, Patagonian conure, Nanday conure, Ring-necked parakeet and Rainbow parakeet. Around here is also a row of exhibits many different wading birds, including Great white pelicans, Black and White storks, Black swans, many different ducks and geese species, Marabou storks, Scarlet and Sacred ibis, African spoonbills and Crowned cranes. The exhibits aren't very large, but good enough for the species they are keeping. A smaller exhibit in this part of the zoo is also keeping European otters, although they were nowhere to be seen. The next exhibits is a row of cages for smaller cat species with Servals, Ocelots, Caracals, Jaguarundi and as a positive surprise also Geoffroy's cat. Next, a couple of exhibits are housing Indian porcupines, Bat-eared foxes (many of them), Maned wolves, Arctic foxes and European badgers (not seen). I believe at least one of these exhibits has kept Striped hyenas in the past. Nearby is a couple of the worst exhibits in the zoo, some ridiculously small exhibits for Raccoons, Tayras, Sand cats and also Prevost's squirrels. These animals (especially the tayras) could well use an improvement. The nearby living Grey wolves has way more space in their forest exhibit. Opposite the wolves is the indoor viewing for the zoo's small group of Brazilian tapirs, sharing their exhibit with Greater rheas. Next stop is one of the newer exhibits in the zoo, namely the giraffe house. Here lives three giraffes, two Rothschild's and one Reticulated mixed together. The exhibit is big, green and nicely located in the forest but would be way better with some more species added to it, for example antelopes or zebras. In a row of nearby forest exhibits lives groups of different ungulates; Red deer, Fallow deer, Indian swamp deer, Reeve's muntjac, Pere David's deer, Kulan and Markhor. There is also a children's zoo in this part of the zoo, I didn't enter but could see Llamas, Pygmy goats, Potbelly pigs, Donkeys and Guinea pigs from the outside. Ending this part of the zoo is an outdated exhibit for Palla's cats, two quite spacious aviaries for Andean condors (one for young birds and one for fully grown), a row of aviaries for other birds of prey and exhibits for Ring-tailed lemurs, Red-ruffed lemurs and Squirrel monkeys. Next is a row of netted exhibits for big cats. Most crowd favourites can be seen here; Siberian tigers, Asian lions, Chinese leopards, Snow leopards and Jaguars (including a black one). The exhibits are not the biggest I have seen, but they are way better than the older exhibits the zoo had (cages and bars..) so a big improvement here. Following the cats are a row of small aviaries for Ural owl, Snowy owl and Great grey owl. After passing the exhibit for Red-crowned cranes is one of few indoor exhibits in the Krakow Zoo, namely the Nocturnal pavilion. While not the best nocturnal house in Europe, for a smaller zoo it's quite good with an interesting collection. At my visit I could see the following species: Kinkajou, Northern Luzon cloud rat, Sugar glider mixed with Big hairy armadillo, Pygmy slow loris, Ground cuscus (very active, the big highlight for me in the house) and a mixed exhibit for a group of Egyptian fruit bats and Two-toed sloths. Outside of the house is also a smaller exhibit housing a pair of Fennec fox, and a row of older enclosures for Coatis, Lynx, European wild cats and Jungle cats (without indoor viewing though). One thing that stood out for me visiting this zoo was the very diverse collection of different herbivore species. Most of them had also very spacious enclosures, especially for a smaller zoo. Species here are Bactrian camel, Guanaco, Alpaca, Common eland, Ostrich, Waterbuck, Red lechwe, Sitatunga, Barbary sheep, Addax, Przewalski's horse, Red-necked Wallaby, Emu, Vicuna, Pygmy hippopotamus (with a very tiny pool) and Reindeer. This part of the zoo also houses the newest exhibit in the zoo, a very nice exhibit for a group of Humboldt penguins. Also the worst exhibit in the zoo is here, a bathtub (just kidding) for two South American sealions. Awfully small, I really hope they are planning a new exhibit for them, or maybe giving up the species for good. We have now come to the last part of the Krakow Zoo. After a small exhibit for Red pandas, comes the row of monkey enclosures. All of these are quite new (not exactly sure when they were opened) and are of the same netted design as for the great cats. Opposite these are also the old cages (luckily without animals) with pictures of how the exhibits used to look before and after. The monkey exhibits aren't very large but as for the cats, an improvement for the animals. The species here are White-handed gibbon, Javan lutung, Mantled colobus, Black mangabey (the highlight), Mandrill and a small group of three chimpanzees. I believe they have also kept Hamadryas baboons here until recently (they are still listed in the guidebook). The chimpanzees looked quite old, and I believe when they die the zoo will not return to this species. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ring-tailed lemurs will be moving here in the future. Next is the zoos tropical house, called Exotarium. This house hasn't the most exciting species collection, but most visitor favourites are here, including Green iguanas, Piranhas, Dwarf caimans, Yellow anacondas, Panther chameleons and also Sailfin iguanas. After exiting the Exotarium, the last exhibit is for the zoos beloved pair of Asian elephants, which I believe are both quite old. The exhibit is not fantastic, but good enough for these old ladies. That concludes the tour of Krakow Zoo, while this zoo is not the biggest nor the best zoo I have seen, the location and it's quite diverse species collection makes it worth a visit especially if you are in or nearby Krakow. Some old exhibits makes a bad taste though, especially the Sealions but also Tayras, Chimpanzees, Pygmy hippos and the Exotarium could use a renovation. I fully understand though that this zoo doesn't have the same visitor numbers or money as the Wroclaw Zoo. But the zoo has potential, and I hope they are going in the right direction to a bright future. Also the city of Krakow is well worth a visit, a beautiful city with lots of history and great sightseeing. Highlights: diverse collection of cats, herbivores, Nocturnal pavilion, new exhibit for Humboldt penguins, Giraffe house. Thank you for this time, Poland! / Swedish Zoo Fan
Two small but important (in my opinion) amendments to the Krakow Zoo Review: they are kept in the zoo quite rare in European zoos Central American Agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata) and Australian White Ibises (Threskiornis molucca) - no Sacred Ibises.
I've really enjoyed this thread; it's just a pity you didn't manage to get to Warsaw and Poznan as well! Definitely serves as inspiration for the future though. Cheers.
Thank you for the reviews. and kinda contradict one another. I consider myself as very interested and fond of reptiles and their wellbeing; therefore, seeing a specimen kept in an inadequate enclosure does not sound all too exciting to me.
If you're referring to me: well, depending on your individual definition of "small", the size of a small bathtub doesn't sound like a vast enclosure for an adult specimen of said species.
Certainly a small bathtub is not vast, but the question was why you considere that "not vast" is the same than "inadequate" for a turtle that, while big, is the less movile of all turtles and pass all day and night in the same spot waiting for prey. Certainly, if adult, I would put it in a more extensive enclosure, but I think that probably the exhibit they have don't surpass the frontier of "inadequate", just it could be better. For a more mobile turtle of the same size, such a Podocnemis, it would be certainly much worst.
Could it be that you're confusing the three extant Chelydra species with the Macrochelys alligator snapping turtles? Chelydra sp. can be both ambush as well as active predators, including nocturnal trips on dry land. And they can climb remarkably well. I've observed Chelydra serpentina both in and ex situ, and it's stunning how they flourish if you give them more space to move around and explore. All in all, they're way more active than you might give them credit for. And even the Macrochelys turtles are not as vegetative as often depicted.
Yes I was thinking in Macrochelys, but I didn't knew that Chelydra were much more mobile than Macrochelys! I just assumed same lifestile for both related genera. Thanks for open my eyes! Anyway the video is amazing and very suprising
You're welcome. ^^ I hope you can now understand my reservation regarding the adequacy of said Polish enclosure.
Thoroughly enjoyed this thread but I can't help reading the title as pie orgies, and that gives rise to some disturbing mental images!
I also visited my first Polish zoos this year. Like you, I also chose Opole and Wroclaw, but I visited Poznan instead of Krakow. Krakow and Warshaw are on my wishlist for next year.
In my opinion, the top ranking of zoos in Poland is somewhat like Wroclaw, Poznan, Warsaw, Opole. Wroclaw is the best so far and among Europes top zoos. Poznan New Zoo is enormous, over 100 ha, with several rares including African Palm Civets. Poznan Old Zoo is somewhat of a phase out zoo. Warsaw has very good, balanced collection of ABCs and rarer animals in modern enclosures. Opole has very nice exhibits but it is definitely a smaller zoo lacking many ABCs.
Łódź zoo is now about a third a construction site of the Orientarium complex. I don't want to judge before it is open and fully stocked at least 3 years in future. Most likely it would move Łódź from the 5-8th place to the 2nd in Poland. I don't think it would suprass Wrocław, which has lots of other good exhibits and rarities. But Łódź will be definitely a second Polish zoo worth a trip from abroad (and evidently the city council hopes for it).
