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. ________________________________ I was the only person at Nuremburg Zoo the day I visited and I’m not really surprised because there was six inches of snow on the ground and it was falling steadily (and heavily!) and it was bitterly cold. I asked if I might meet the Director, and his secretary told me to come back later on. So I went around the zoo. Most of the animals, being intelligent, were inside although a Barbary Ape was sitting on a rock in the snow. I had found in previous zoos that the best way to get out of the cold was to find one of the animal houses and go in there for a while. The first building I came to was the Ape House … but it was shut for the Winter while some work was being done to it. The next building was the dolphinarium, but it was closed too. Finally I found the Hippo House and spent half-an-hour in there watching a baby [Common Hippo] trying to climb on his parent’s backs. Venturing out later on I found that the Polar Bears were also out, enjoying the Arctic weather. Further along I came upon some Darwin’s Rheas, the smaller relative of the common rhea. Then I spent ages in the Tropenhaus petting four Manatees. It appears they like having their belly rubbed/scratched. The other animals in the Tropenhaus were all asleep. The Manatees were in warm water and I had a great time. I later found out that the two babies had been hand-raised. Heading back to the Entrance the Director’s secretary, Doo-dah, said that the Director was too busy but that the vet would see me. The vet, Dr Gauckler, took me around part of the zoo to his workroom and then to the Dolphinarium. There I was introduced to Mr Klinckert, the head dolphin and seal keeper. I spent the next hour asking and answering questions, and then Mr Klinckert let me feed two of the four Bottle-nosed Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). After that I watched as he fed four rare Guyana Dolphins (Sotalia guianensis). It was a shame that it was snowing so badly that day, because I can’t really say exactly how good the zoo is. All I do know is that it is a good zoo and that I will definitely go back there sometime in the Summer. Tropenhaus Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis libieriensis) x 2 Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus braziliensis) x 1 Boa Constrictor (Constrictor constrictor) x 3 Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) x 1 Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus) x 2 Two-toed Sloth (Chloepus didactylus) x 3 Manatee (Trichechus manatus) x 4 Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) x small flock All the animals were asleep except for the Ducks and the Manatees. The Manatee tank could be larger even though it is now large enough. The Manatee and Ducks were in the same tank, the two species getting on well together. I saw the Ducks sitting on the Manatee’s backs and saw the Manatees occasionally pushing the Ducks around in the water, but it did not appear to be aggression as it was just a slow nudge with the mouth, and when the Ducks swam away the Manatee did not follow. The Manatee tank was just that: a large concrete swimming pool with a glass front and an island in the middle with some plant life on it for the ducks. The depth of the water was about 4 ½ feet. I suspect they had access to an off-display tank at the back of the exhibit because I couldn’t see them all at certain times. The four animals were two adults and two offspring. There was some lettuce floating on the top of the water that they were feeding on. I didn’t pay much attention to the other animals [in the Tropenhaus] because they were all asleep, but the two Malayan Tapirs comprised and adult female and a baby.
