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Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover Impressions Of Hannover Zoo - from 1984

Discussion in 'Germany' started by Hix, 18 Apr 2019.

  1. Hix

    Hix Wildlife Enthusiast and Lover of Islands 15+ year member Premium Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Sydney
    In early 1984 I travelled to Europe to see some of the more well-known zoos in that part of the world. Almost a year later I intended to give a slide presentation to zookeepers at the Australasian Society of Zoo Keepers annual conference and wrote a commentary on each of the zoos. This is the review of one of those zoos.

    At many of the zoos I visited I took notes of the exhibits and the different species I saw – due to Australian laws the zoos in Australia are somewhat limited in the species available for display. The text for each zoo’s review was written several months afterwards and was based upon my notes and from what I could remember. As I said, it was to be delivered to zoo keepers in Australia so there are occasional references or comparisons to Taronga Zoo and its exhibits. In the early 1980’s many zoos around the world were ‘modernising’ their exhibits to look more natural and be more beneficial to the occupants, as opposed to keeping the public happy at the animals expense. Behavioural enrichment was a new concept, too, so there are sometimes frequent references to enclosure design/construction and furnishings.

    I have copied the text verbatim, and resisted the temptation to correct my grammar, to re-word or rephrase sentences and paragraphs. I was 21 at the time and my writing skills were underdeveloped (by my current standards). However, if for the sake of clarity I feel the need to add words or additional information, I have done so in [brackets]. The scientific names are recorded from labels on exhibits at the time, and I have not updated them to current usage for posterity’s sake. Measurements are all estimates.

    I have created a thread covering all the zoos on my trip, found here A Look at Some Well-known European Zoos - in 1984 and I’ll be posting the individual reviews in the appropriate forums.

    Finally, the opinions expressed here are mine and often reflect the views of the day. Some reviews are not complimentary, but I’m hoping that in the intervening 35 years these zoos have improved.

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    The two things I remember about Hannover Zoo was the number of different African antelope [species] and the fantastic Ape House. They have several different species of antelope: Addax, Gemsbok, Kudu, Sable, Roan and the rare Arabian Oryx. The cages were rectangular paddocks with moats at the front and soil bases. The moat is hidden almost by a short hedge on the public’s side of it. The cages are very basic with a shelter at the back.

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    The Ape House, called Menschenaffen Im Urwaldhaus, is one of the finest ape accommodations I have seen. Large outdoor cages for summer and just as large indoor accommodation for the Winter make it an excellent display of apes. Because of the roof made of glass, the whole building is planted extensively with plants …. and I mean extensively! The enclosures are similar in design to Taronga’s Chimpanzee Park: there are large viewing windows beside the animals and at another point the public are separated from the occupants by a moat. The moat is not waterfilled, the enclosures are terraced at that side. These enclosures housed Gorillas and Chimpanzees. The Orang cages were just that – cages. They were made entirely of wire save the fronts which had large panes of glass. There was also a nursery with two baby orangs and a baby chimp. All enclosures were well-furnished with logs and tree stumps, the nursery and orang cages having many ropes as well.

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    Tropicarium

    The Tropicarium is in two levels joined together by a flight of stairs. The top level has reptiles, the lower level has primates and under the stairs (on the lower level) are caiman. Also on the lower level are two cages/tanks containing Tupaia and Squirrels. A pair of Two-toed Sloths (Chloepus didactylus) are on a group of branches suspended in the air at eye-level with the public on the top floor. Although there is plenty of room to move, I don’t think it is extensive enough.

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    The outdoor area for Squirrel Monkeys could be hexagonal. Mainly wire. Approx. 20 animals.


    Reptiles

    All the cages/tanks are of a similar construction. Back wall of wood or logs. Sides are concrete and the front is glass. Snake pools are twice as long as the lizards.

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    Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) x 2
    Tank nowhere near big enough. Approximately six feet long, 4 feet deep and four feet high. Pool not big enough for either lizard to get in. Sand substrate.

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    Pink-tongued Skink (Tiliqua gerrardi) x 3
    One lizard looks like an Eastern Bluetongue (Tiliqua scincoides). One lizard has an infection on the side of its snout. Some rocks and a prickly pear in exhibit, concrete back and walls have a desert scene painted (Pink-tongued Skinks are a rainforest species).

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    Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) x 1
    Bigger than the Rhino Iguanas Leaf substrate instead of sand. Plastic vine.

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    Common Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) x 1
    Coming up to a slough. All bundled into the pool, the last coil sitting out of the water.

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    Boa Contrictor (Constrictor constrictor) x 1

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    Red-eared Tortoise (Pseudemys scripta elegans) x 40 approx.
    Large pool about two feet deep.

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    Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodylus) x 2
    Both are five feet long. Tank is large enough but nowhere deep enough being about one foot deep now, but looks like it could probably get to about one-and-a-half feet deep. The exhibit has no roof, you look over a four foot high glass wall.

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    Primates
    Cages are all large enough for the occupants. Concrete and/or brick with glass fronts and wire roofs. Boxlike in shape with plenty of furnishings.

    Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis albogularis) x 5
    Collared Mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus torquatus) x 5
    Entellus Langur (Presbytis entellus) x 10
    Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) x 8


    A Blue Monkey baby was born 9/1/84.
    A juvenile Mangabey born 30/7/83.
    Three Entellus babies born 2/5/83, 20/7/83, 3/8/83.
    Two baby drills born 21/10/83 and 25/1/84.

    Somehow, a juvenile Blue Monkey was able to escape into the roof area and was on top of the Entellus cage playing with the young langurs but upsetting the adults.


    Two Smaller Tanks
    Approximately six feet long, four feet wide and four feet high each. Concrete with a glass front and wire roof. Lots of branches and leaf litter covers the floors.

    Common Tree Shrew (Tupaia glis) x 2
    Malayan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor) x 1

    While the exhibit is adequate for the Tree Shrews, the cage for the Squirrel is too small and the animal is exhibiting at least two different stereo-typed behaviour patterns.



    Menschenaffen Im Urwalkdhaus
    Extremely large tropical building with many tropical plants, Palms, Ficus, Monstera etc. All enclosures are very large and are made out of concrete. Excellent exhibits. All animals are active (with the exception of the adult orangs) and appear healthy – in none of them did I see copraphagic behaviour.

    [There are large outdoor exhibits but due to the weather the animals were all indoors, and it is these indoor exhibits described below.]


    Nursery Exhibit
    Two baby orangs and one baby chimp, all active, not bored. Front of exhibit is made up of glass panels approximately 12 feet high and 8 feet wide. A small part f the roof was partly wired, the rest concrete. Inside the cage were several tree trunks (at least 10) and some tree branches. There was plenty of wood wool, plastic skittles, 4 large rope nets and some climbing ropes.

    Gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla) x 5
    This enclosure has no roof, the public is separated by glass (approx. 6 feet high and 10-12 feet long) and a large moat. The moat is terraced with steps at one side. There are three upright tree trunks with short branches concreted to the floor and three tree trunks horizontally bolted to the floor.

    Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) x 10
    This cage is very much like the gorilla cage. It is large, has no roof, pane of glass, terraced moat, three tree stumps in concrete, three tree trunks bolted. It also has one large concrete rock and some woodwool. There are nine adults and one very small baby.

    Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) x 5
    Two enclosures, one with three juveniles, the other with an adult pair. Both cages have at least three large panes of glass at the front standing vertically. The domed roof is of wire. Both enclosures contain concrete ‘trees’ and hanging ropes, the adults also have two rope nets. Both adults were pretty much stationary but the juveniles were on the go.
     
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