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. ________________________________ The Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich is world reknowned for its back-breeding experiments performed under the direction of Heinz Heck. These experiments eventually led to re-creating two extinct species of mammal – the Aurochs (a species of bovine) and the Tarpan (a species of horse). I saw both these animals and a graphic that showed how they back-bred to the Aurochs. The Bird House had only six enclosures. The first five were all constructed similarly, square-shaped with a pane of glass at the front with a half inch gap all the way around Some of the smaller birds would have been able to squeeze out through this gap, but the public area was dimly lit and the cages were brightly lit so the birds were not too interested in leaving. The last cage had no front at all and when everyone else had left but me, two Silver-eared Mesias flew out onto the signs and the floor where there was some light falling. One of the cages had weaver birds and their nests. The cat cages were a bit of a letdown as they were very old and almost Victorian. Their Elephant House was gigantic, too gigantic. I walked in to the great domed building and, standing under the dome’s centre, looked up. I got giddy and almost fell over. They could have had three elephants standing on top of one another and still not been able to touch the roof. Why so big? The Grossevoliere is a walk-through aviary set as European country. The pathway was just cobbled stones, no fences or railings to keep people on the path. In Germany, the Germans are very obedient and don’t walk off paths if they’re told not to. Pity Australians are not like that. The Primate House was the highlight of Hellabrunn. A recent structure, it had indoor accommodation and islands surrounded water for the Summer. In Winter, the water freezes over so the animals spend their time indoors in very large cages with plenty of trees (both vertical and horizontal) and logs. Vogelhaus The Bird House in Munich’s zoo was a building with five exhibits down one side of the building and a larger exhibit at the end of the house. The following is a description of the first five cages. Front: Glass with a half inch gap around the edges, possibly for ventilation. Some birds could squeeze out if they wanted but the public area is dark. Sides: White concrete, some have a door. Back: Made of wooden logs. Floor: Concrete covered with sand or leaves etc. All cages have a concrete pool with rocks around the edge and water in the pool. Roof: White concrete with two rectangular and two square holes for light. Size: Approximately 12 feet long, 12 feet deep and 9 feet high. Cage #1 Dusky Lory (Pseudos fuscata fuscata) Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccensis) Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus) Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus forsteni) Burmese Red-wattled Lapwing (Lobivanellus indicus atronuchalis) Cage contains three real multi-branched trees and nine nestboxes. Also, large parts of tree roots and pine needles on the floor. At least two birds are going bald – severely. The cage is alright, but why have three subspecies of lorikeet in one exhibit when they are hard to distinguish and could interbreed? Cage #2 Purple-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia sperata) Malachite Sunbird (Nectarinia famosa) Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amthestina) Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus chocoana) Very lush foliage; Ficus, Monstera, Epiphytes etc. Leaf litter on the floor. Thich vegetation and many trees. A perfect reproduction. The German names for the birds were, respectively: Von Halsett Nektarvogel, Malachit Nektarvogel, & Amethyst Nektarvogel; Bananenquitt; and Gelbfüßiger Honigsauger. Cage #3 Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) x 2 Three trees, large stones on the floor with a large pool and sand all over the floor. The cage is OK but because of the large size of these birds, they cannot fly. They can stretch their wings but there is nowhere to fly to. There is a big nestbox made of the same wooden logs that cover the back wall. Cage #4 Chestnut Weaver (Textor rubiginosus) Spotted-backed Weaver (Textor cucullata) Black-winged Bishop (Euplectes hordaceus) Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) Sandy floor with grass tufts either growing or planted in the ground around the pool. There is one extremely big multi-branched tree (a real one) with many branches and the birds have built five nests in it. On the ground are some large boulders and a big tree root. This is an excellent exhibit and the birds obviously like it as the nests prove. Although there is a large number of birds in the cage, it is not overcrowded – yet. Weavers are adept at pulling out grass stalks. The German names are: Rotbrauner Weber, Textor Weber, Flammen Weber, and Triel. Cage #5 Purple-throated Sunbird (Nectarinia sperata) Beautiful Sunbird (Nectarinia pulchella) Preuss’ Double-collared Sunbird (Nectarinia preussi) This exhibit is identical to the second cage, and is again an excellent enclosure. The Beautiful and Preuss’ Sunbirds are called Schön and Preuss Nektarvogel. Last Exhibit The final exhibit that took up the end of the building was thickly forested like the two sunbird exhibits. It also has a large pool and a running stream. There is soil on the ground and plenty of light. In fact, the light is important because the viewing area is dimly lit and the exhibit has no front on it. The birds, theoretically, should not leave the enclosure but two Mesias flew out onto the signs and the floor of the viewing area when no-one was around but me. Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) Gold-crested Grackle (Ampeliceps coronatus) Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella) Black-capped Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata) Magpie Tanager (Cissopis leveriana) Egyptian Plover (Pluvianus aegypticus) Red-cheeked Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus erythrogenys) Orange-headed Ground Thrush (Zoothera citrina citrina) Malay Sand Plover (Charadrius peronii) Irene Pitta (Pitta guajana) Paradise Tanager (Tangara chiliensis) Brazilian Tanager (Ramphocelus breslius) Peking Nightingale (Leiothrix lutea lutea) Silver-beaked Tanager (Ramphocelus carbo) Black-crested Finch Lophospingus pusillus) The Brazilian Tanager is known as Purpurtangare. The Silver-beaked Tanager is called Silberschnabeltangare. And the Black-crested Finch is Zwerghaubenfink. Terrarium Nine tanks of varying sizes. Some are well vegetated, other are almost bare. Tank 1: Water Monitor (Varanus salvatori) x 1 …...…..Large specimen, about six feet from head to tail-tip. Tank 2: Boa Constrictor (Constrictor constrictor) x 3 …...…..Three babies. Tank 3: Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) x 3 …...…..Royal Python (Python regius) x 1 …...…..Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) x 2 …...…..Curled up in a ball some numbers may not be accurate. Tank 4: Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) x 1 …...…..Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) x 1 Tank 5: Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus concinnus) …...…..Helmeted Iguana (Corytophanes cristatus) …...…..Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) Tank 6: Green Tree Python (Chondropython viridis) Tank 7: Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus leseurii) Tank 8: Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) x 3 …...…..Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus concinnus) x 2 …...…..Brown Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus) …...…..Tokay Gecko (Gecko gecko) x 1 Tank 9: Boa Constrictor (Constrictor constrictor) x 6 …...…..Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria) x 3 Apenhaus 1 The Ape House in Munich is a recent building and very good for exhibiting primates in conditions that would induce breeding. One building has four large, curved cages made out of tiles with a glass front. Each enclosure has a sliding glass door in the back that leads outside to islands surrounded by water. As it was Winter when I was there, the water was frozen so the animals were kept inside. The outside islands had trees on them, and the inside cages were furnished with many, many real trees. Cage sizes are approximates. Cage 1: Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) x 4 …...…..Two adults, a juvenile, a baby born 4/8/83. Many, many ropes and 23 trees. Cage 2: Squirrel monkey (Siamiri sp.) x 4 …...…..A bit smaller, perhaps 40 foot long. 17 trees. No ropes but horizontal branches attached to upright …...…..trees. Cage3: Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) x2 …...…..Two adult Black-and-Whites. 17 trees. Cage 4: Ringtailed Lemur (Lemur catta) x 12 approx. …...…..Mayotte brown Lemur (Lemur fulvus mayottensis) x 8 approx. …...…..German names are Catta and Mayotmaki. Apenhaus 2 Twelve enclosures, all with glass fronts. Interior is all tiled, roofs are either wire or translucent glass. Well furnished with logs, trees and ropes, and all have access to outside during Summer. Silvery Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) x 3 Black gibbon (Hylobates concolor) x 2 Sumatran Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus abelli) x 5 Bornean Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) x 2 White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) x 3 Bornean Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) x 2 babies born 10/12/82, 10/4/83. Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) x 1 baby born 3/1/83 Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) x 7 approx. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) x 5 Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) x 4 Ursine Colobus (Colobus polykomos polykomos) x 2 Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) x 5
