Just been on the german language site for Schonbrunn, and it looks like they are planning to build a new polar bear exhibit. Admittedly, my German is very limited, so this could just be wishful thinking on my part! Does anybody know any details??
In short: They will start building in 2011. All polar bears must leave the zoo. Eric, the male, has already found a new home in Rotterdam. The two youngsters will go to Hannover when Yukon Bay is finished (2010). They are still looking for a place for the two females. There won't be any polar bears in Vienna between 2012 and 2014.
Hi Ice Queen, Thanks for the reply. Are they building on the site of the current enclosures, or will they be in a different part if the zoo?
I didn't say on the website, bu I suspect they will build a new encloser on the site of the current encloser, because the polar bears must leave the zoo and they don't have much space left in the zoo to built a big new enclosure in another part of the zoo.
Thanks Icequeen. Do you know if the zoo has finished refurbishing the Crocodile pavilion? We were last there in April last year, and the notices said they were moving the Morelet's crocs into the pavilion after some alterations.
I don't know. We were there in june last year and if my memory serves my correct they we're still busy with the exhibit.
The crocs moved to the Crocodile Pavillon last year. After months of (medical) training the crocs stopped behaving like cats and dogs. Then one day Puebla started to build a mount ... Well, 4 weeks ago the keepers found eggs in it. They moved 12 eggs to an incubator but left some eggs in the mount, too. Now everyone is awaiting some tiny little crocs this October.
Are the Schoenbrunner Morelet's crocs unrelated to the Cotswolds ones at Burford? It would seem we would be getting somewhere with a very endangered croc at last!
Hi Jola, Thanks for the reply. Fantastic news! Let's hope your Vienna crocs have the same breeding success as our Cotswold crocs I don't know if they are related to the Cotswold crocs, Kifaru bwana.
Is it not all the more reason to set up a proper EEP/ESB for the Morelett's to avoid inbreeding and recommend good unrelated pairings? Or were the Schoenbrunn crocs unrelated to one another in the first place (which I do not think so). If not it is a heavily inbred F2 generation.
If what i was told at the time of Cotswolds Crocs arrival is correct they came from somewhere in Spain! So maybe unrelated to Vienna`s.
Yesterday I've been to Vienna and I've found that before the costruction of the polar bear exibit they will build an new giraffe exibit.