Alpine Zoo Innsbruck The Alpine Adventures Of A Tea-Loving Dave - April 11 2015

Unfortunately I failed to spot them, although I did see telltale signs they were out of hibernation!

Alpenzoo is indeed an excellent place, and one I am champing at the bit to continue writing about once back from Germany again; quite apart from anything else the sooner I finish my 2015 trip reviews the sooner I can write about my *current* trip,

 

Part VII: Further Aviaries

As the footpath took a dogleg uphill, we reached a large triangular aviary signposted for European Raven (Corvus corax corax); this was perhaps only a little smaller than the entirety of the walkthrough exhibit we had just left, with viewing into the aviary available both from below - as we were viewing it - and above, from another stretch of footpath. There were many young trees planted within the aviary, along with several old logs and branches dotted on the ground; these provided plenty of perching opportunities for the taxon displayed within. Although I have seen European Raven in the wild and captivity on several occasions previously, I was quite pleased to see this species as I have a soft spot for corvids in general.





Just beyond here, we came across a series of large information boards detailing the various species which had been "adopted" by visitors to the collection, along with several companies and organisations; this was well-presented and pleasing to the eye, and the information provided regarding which species were most popular with adopters was rather interesting, as was the fact that even the most obscure taxa seemed to have attracted attention.



Beyond here, we decided after consulting the map that the most logical route for us to follow would be to make our way towards the aquarium building. As such, we made our way along a path overlooking the walkthrough aviary and Eurasian Beaver exhibit; after perhaps a dozen yards or so we reached a row of exhibits to our left. The first of these comprised a tall and well-designed aviary perhaps three or four metres high, signposted for Central European Dipper (Cinclus cinclus aquaticus) and European Penduline-tit (Remiz pendulinus pendulinus). The aviary itself was situated slightly above the level of the footpath, resting on a stone and brick platform built into the wall running alongside the path, with a thickly vegetated floor and a relatively mature tree present to the left of the aviary, whilst the right hand side contained a pond; the latter feature was partially built into the rockwork at the rear of the aviary, as was access to interior housing for the inhabitants.



Careful and patient observation was rewarded after a few minutes with sightings of both taxa; both of which represented lifeticks. Although I was well-familiar with the European Dipper as a species in general, I had previously seen only the two subspecies native to the British Isles; as such this particular subspecies, native to the Alpine region, was entirely new to me. The European Penduline-tit, on the other hand, was a taxon which represented not only a lifetick species, but a lifetick family for both Helly and myself. As the individuals present at Alpenzoo Innsbruck were, at the time of my visit, the only representatives of the species on-display within Europe, I was particularly pleased to see these attractive and unusual birds.

As we stood watching the inhabitants of this exhibit, motion on the wall in front of us caught our eye; we rapidly spotted several wild lizards climbing around and sunbathing on the stone platform between the footpath and the aviary. Further and more careful observation led us to the realisation that there were dozens of lizards around us, taking full advantage of the bright, hot sunlight. Some were within the aviary, others in the surrounding vegetation and rockwork; there were even lizards periodically running across the footpath itself, now that we paid closer attention to our surroundings.



These comprised no less than three species; Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis), Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) and Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis). The latter of these represented a wild lifetick for both Helly and myself, but quite honestly we were just as happy to see the other two taxa given our interest in native European reptiles and amphibians. It was very obvious that the south-facing hillside location of the collection was well-suited to the needs of such taxa; over the course of the day we would continue to see many other wild lizards, along with one or two other taxa of which I shall speak at the appropriate time.

The next aviary we reached was similar in general design to the previous one, albeit slightly larger and somewhat more lushly vegetated towards the rear of the aviary, and contained Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) and Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis); although I had been fortunate enough to see wild Blackcap and Common Kingfisher in the past, the Eurasian Golden Oriole represented a lifetick taxon for both Helly and myself. As such, we devoted some time to spotting this particular taxon within the aviary; ultimately we were able to briefly glimpse an Oriole in the deepest and thickest reaches of the foliage at the rear of the exhibit - however our satisfaction was no less complete for the brevity of this sighting. As with the preceding aviary, I felt that this exhibit was well-designed and very well suited to the taxa contained within; as noted already, the rockwork at the rear of these aviaries quite obviously contained futher off-display housing for the inhabitants, allowing them the opportunity to escape from sight if need be.

 

Part VIII: Aquarium

We then reached a series of enclosures positioned immediately prior to the entrance to the aquarium; the first of these was a large and very well-designed exhibit for Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra lutra). This comprised a deep and relatively large pool to the left of the enclosure, with patches of land and rockwork to the rear and right allowing the inhabitants to move around on land if they so desired. Towards the rear of the exhibit there were patches of young vegetation and trees, which would no doubt look rather more impressive with the passage of time; however, on the land area to the right of the exhibit there was a single very large mature tree, which quite possibly had been present for many years. The rockwork at the rear of the enclosure gave way to a sheer rocky cliff-face, within which were a number of entrances to off-display and indoor housing. The exhibit seemed very well-suited to the taxon displayed within; we were able to observe several otters swimming back and forth, periodically entering and exiting their sleeping quarters. All in all, I rather liked this exhibit - it was large enough for the taxon in question, and provided a good blend of land and water for their various welfare needs; given my liking for small carnivores, and mustelids in particular, I am always pleased to see a well-executed exhibit for a member of this group.



Immediately next to this exhibit, we reached the enclosure for European Polecat (Mustela putorius); this had very obviously been designed in such a way as to emulate a riverbank environment, with a pair of mature trees surrounded by logs and branches, rocks and boulders, and scrubby vegetation, with a bubbling stream flowing over the rocks in the centre of the exhibit into the moat at the front of the enclosure. Entrances into burrows built into the slope of the hillside were dotted throughout the exhibit. As such, I felt this exhibit was very appealing to the eye, giving a naturalistic feel which almost gave the impression that an area of the original hillside had been preserved - although this is not, of course, the case - and was well-suited to the taxon displayed within. Given the nocturnal nature of the European Polecat it was not terribly surprising that we failed to spot the inhabitants of this exhibit, however.



The next exhibit we reached, located just prior to the entrance into the aquarium itself, was a small but well-designed enclosure for Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) and Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus); this comprised a glass-fronted and open-topped tank with a relatively large expanse of water at the front of the enclosure, and several old branches and logs sprawled around the rear of the exhibit. In the rear-right corner of the exhibit, there was a large heap of dead and dying grass; this was no doubt intended to provide cover for the frogs within the exhibit on those occasions they choose to leave the water. I quite liked this exhibit; it was well-signposted with information about the taxa within and, although not terribly large, was well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants.



Opposite this exhibit was a large outdoor enclosure for European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis); this comprised a large deep pool with beds of water reeds growing throughout, with a cluster of large logs at one end. As one would imagine, the inhabitants of the exhibit were largely hauled out here, basking under heat lamps positioned over the logs for precisely this purpose. Although at the time of our visit, the reedbeds were quite thin and sparse, one would imagine that at the height of summer the amount of vegetation within this exhibit would be significantly increased - as such we were perhaps visiting at the best time of year to view the exhibit as a whole, without the vegetation obscuring areas. I felt this was an extremely good exhibit on the whole, given that it provided a large and natural-looking habitat for the taxon displayed within, and one which was well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants.



Having viewed this exhibit, we then made our way into the aquarium itself; the first portion of the aquarium comprised a long hallway dotted with tanks to either side of the public path through the building, containing the following taxa:

European Bitterling (Rhodeus amarus) and Sunbleak (Leucaspius delineatus)
Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris vulgaris) and European Tree Frog (Hyla arborea)
Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) and European Weatherfish (Misgurnus fossilis)
European Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata)
Spotted Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra salamandra)
European Crayfish (Astacus astacus)

In general design, these exhibits tended to resemble the one displaying Marsh Frog and Three-spined Stickleback which I have already discussed; some contained rather more dry land and vegetation than the aforementioned enclosure had - for instance the exhibits for European Yellow-bellied Toad and Spotted Fire Salamander - whilst some, such as the European Crayfish exhibit, contained no dry land whatsoever. However, all maintained the high standard of design and attention to the welfare needs of the inhabitants which I have already commented upon.



At the end of this hallway, there was a particularly good exhibit displaying a variety of small aquatic invertebrates - these were unlabelled except in the broadest terms, but contained taxa such as pondskater, pond beetles and snails, and so forth. This exhibit, as with all the previous ones within the aquarium, was accompanied by highly-detailed informational signage discussing the ecosystem within which the inhabitants belong.

Beyond this hallway, we reached a large open viewing area onto a massive glass-fronted tank, the centrepiece of the Alpenzoo aquarium; the Alpine Lake exhibit. The viewing window at the front of the tank spanned the vast majority of one wall, starting perhaps a metre from the floor and reaching approximately four metres to the ceiling. The pool within was deep and clear, and designed in such a way as to emulate the floor of an alpine lake; the base of the pool sloped away and upwards from the deepest point at the window to wide shallow areas at the rear of the pool, with the floor scattered with rocks and pebbles, along with several sunken trees and logs. The walls of the lake exhibit comprised craggy mock-rock ledges and boulders. The overall effect was extremely good, giving the distinct feeling that one was genuinely viewing the floor of a mountain lake or tarn; the pool was, as one might have guessed, populated by numerous species of fish which are native to the Alps and found throughout the lakes and pools of the region.



The taxa displayed within the Alpine Lake exhibit were as follows:

Common Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus)
European Chub (Squalius cephalus)
Zarte (Vimba vimba)
Common Bream (Abramis brama)
Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus)
Roach (Rutilus rutilus)
Danube Bleak (Alburnus mento)
Bleak (Alburnus alburnus)
Lake Chub (Rutilus meidingerii)

Although we had been thoroughly impressed by the vast majority of the exhibits we had seen at Alpenzoo thus far, this exhibit was certainly one of the highlights - not only was it well-designed and appealing to the eye, but it represented an example of precisely the kind of region-specific exhibit which one would never find at a more mainstream zoological collection, and which makes Alpenzoo particularly special.

We then followed a staircase out of the aquarium, and onto the terrace above.

 

Part IX: Terrace and Cafe

On reaching the terrace, we noted the presence of a cafe area; as it was still reasonably early, we decided we would return here to eat later in the day and - in the meantime - continue making our way around the collection. The first exhibit on the terrace which we viewed was a large and very pleasantly-designed exhibit for European Otter; considering its location, it struck me as highly probable that this was - for all intents and purposes - a continuation of the previous exhibit for this taxon which we had viewed below, presumably connected to said enclosure through the interior sleeping quarters present within the rockface to the rear of each exhibit. The exhibit was perhaps slightly smaller than the lower enclosure for the taxon; however it provided rather more land area, with piles of rocks, boulders and hollow logs at the rear of the exhibit, against the rock wall leading to the interior housing for the inhabitants.



As was the case with several other exhibits we had viewed thus far at Alpenzoo, there was a brass statue of one of the inhabitants situated nearby; as one may have gathered, I am always pleased when I see this sort of supplementary decoration within a captive collection.



At the time we were viewing the exhibit, the inhabitants of this enclosure were highly visible and active - possibly the most readily-visible of any European Otters I had seen in a captive collection to date, given that in my experience this taxon was rather less confiding than other species of otter. On the whole, then, I was very pleased with this exhibit; it was well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants, looked pleasing to the eye and "fit" with the overall feel and aesthetic of the collection as a whole.

Nearby, we saw a series of high-quality informational posters discussing the conservation, captive breeding and reintroduction projects with which Alpenzoo Innsbruck is involved; each giving copious details about the taxa in question, the wider programmes aimed at protecting them and information on the actions which Alpenzoo has taken in this regard.



Four posters focused on specific Alpine taxa; the Alpine Ibex, the Ural Owl, the European Wildcat and the Lammergeier. A fifth poster discussed the various EEP which Alpenzoo is particularly involved in; these are the programmes for European Otter, Wisent, Lammergeier, Black Stork, European Black Vulture and Waldrapp Ibis. All of the posters in question were very informative and interesting, and very much in line with the high-quality of those portions of the collection which we had viewed thus far.



The next exhibit we reached was a relatively small but well-designed aviary for what was, perhaps, the jewel in the Alpenzoo collection; the only Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) held in captivity worldwide. The collection has held this taxon since 1962, with varying numbers at different times; however, at the time of our visit the population had dwindled to a single very geriatric female, and one which we had been warned seldom left the nestbox. However, we felt that a species such as this merited a little time and patience; as such we stood quietly in front of the aviary for a while, ultimately being rewarded by brief, but no less satisfying, glimpses of this unique animal. The exhibit itself comprised a pair of interconnected aviaries, with sheer craggy walls akin to roughly-constructed drystone dykes on all sides in an emulation of the Wallcreeper's natural cliff-face habitat, with fine mesh at the front of the exhibit sealing it off from the public footpath. Given the small size of the single inhabitant, the naturally cliff-dwelling nature of the species and the careful design of the exhibit to emulate this habitat, I felt that this aviary was excellent despite being perhaps only two metres tall and four metres long.



Just along from the Wallcreeper aviary, we were able to get another view of the Alpine Lake exhibit which I have already discussed; this time, we were able to view the "lake" from above, allowing us to see more clearly the way in which the base of the pool sloped upwards to a shallow gravel area, and look down onto the inhabitants. This alternative view of the exhibit served only to confirm our previous opinion that this was an extremely good exhibit, well-suited to the inhabitants and appealling to the eye.



The footpath led around the perimeter of the Alpine Lake to a second aquarium building, signposted as "Fischwelt der Alpen"; as I understood it, this comprised a more comprehensive look at the various species of fish found within the Alpine region rather than the lake-specific taxa displayed within the "Alpine Lake", and the general selection of species found within the main aquarium. However, as the weather forecast had indicated a distinct threat of thunderstorms later in the afternoon, we felt it would be most prudent to leave this indoor exhibit until later and view the remaining outdoor areas of Alpenzoo whilst the weather was on our side. As such, we doubled back in order to continue viewing the terrace and the exhibits beyond.

 

Part X: Heading Uphill From Terrace

The next two enclosures we reached were - very much like the European Otter one nearby - continuations of an exhibit located on the lower level of the mountainside leading towards the Aquarium; in this case, both were exhibits for Common Kingfisher, connected to one another and - through holes in the rear wall of the exhibit - to the exhibit below. Both exhibits were broadly-speaking similar in design, more or less being mirror-images of one another; as such, given the fact that each was accessible from the other through a panel in the mesh separating them, it strikes me as appropriate to discuss them as a single exhibit.



The rear wall of the exhibit comprised imitation rockwork, with a buttress in the centre - bisected by the mesh which separated the exhibit into two portions - which contained access into the interior housing for the inhabitants of this exhibit in the left-hand portion of the exhibit, and a door permitting keeper access to this area in the right-hand portion of the exhibit. Towards the base of this imitation rockwork wall, there were piles of genuine rocks and boulders; around the central portion of the overall exhibit, these surrounded a pair of pools which were - once again - separated only by a small concrete and mesh barrier. To the far left and far right of the exhibit, land areas contained several small trees which provided the inhabitants of this exhibit with perching opportunities. In the central pools themselves - which appeared to be reasonably deep and to extend below the level of the footpath - there were open-topped plastic tubs partially filled with water and live fish, with the water level just about meeting the surrounding pool; this is worthy of particular note, as it indicates the Common Kingfishers at Innsbruck Alpenzoo are fed - at least in part - on live fish, something which rather belies the standard assumption among many zoo enthusiasts that this is in some way impossible or even illegal. The use of plastic tubs in order to slowly introduce the live fish to the exhibit presumably is intended to ensure the fish are not harmed by temperature shock, there presumably being a difference between the ambient temperature of the water within the exhibit and the water they are stored in. In the top right-hand corner of the exhibit as a whole, the imitation rockwork at the rear of the enclosure was supplemented by a drystone wall akin to that found within the Wallcreeper exhibit - a gap at the very top of this wall allowed direct access to the exhibit below without the inhabitants having to pass through their internal housing.



As one may gather from the detail of this description, I felt this was a particularly good exhibit; possibly a little more functional in appearance than other exhibits discussed thus far, but when viewed as an overall complex with the offshow interior and the exhibit below, this series of enclosures has to be among the best exhibits in Europe - both in terms of design and animal welfare - for a native bird species.

Before leaving the terrace area and continuing on our way up the mountainside in order to view the rest of the collection, the map indicated there was one final exhibit which we were yet to view; opposite the aforementioned "Fischwelt der Alpen" building, there was a large hillside exhibit for a number of waterfowl native to the Alpine region. This comprised a large, deep pool at the front of the exhibit, with a concrete and brick structure built into the hillside immediately behind which presumably provided interior housing for the inhabitants of the exhibit.



Above this structure, which was very carefully hidden by the natural shape and form of the hillside, the land area of the exhibit was covered in scrubby vegetation, a number of mature trees and fallen logs, and a small wooden pergola which was covered in twigs, branches and dead vegetation, providing a nest platform and shelter. This exhibit held the following taxa:

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
European Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
Eurasian Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca crecca)
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)

The inhabitants of this exhibit were making full use of the space permitted and the varying design elements of the enclosure; for instance, the pair of Black Stork present within the exhibit were very obviously using the aforementioned pergola as a nesting area, whilst several of the ducks were basking on the ramp leading out from the main pool of the exhibit. As such, I felt this was a rather good exhibit and one which was well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants.

We then took a path which led sharply uphill from the European Otter exhibit, in order to continue our journey around the collection.

 

Dippers are certainly still present in one of the aviaries below, per Part VII of this report; however given the fact only Kingfisher were signposted (and seen) in these upper aviaries, and they had access to both, the Dippers may or may not still have access to the upper aviaries.

Wouldn't surprise me if they *did* still have access, mind you.

 

Part XI: Wolf Exhibits

Soon after starting to make our way uphill, we came to a curious-looking exhibit; a stone tower had been constructed into the hillside and exhibit above, with the base of the tower visible and accessible at footpath level. A small doorway took us to the interior of a circular pit, at the centre of which was a tall wooden pole several metres tall; as the pole left the mouth of the pit, it passed through a layer of fencing mesh. As it so happened, I recognised the structure within which we had found ourselves - it was a traditional pitfall trap, of the kind used to hunt wolves and other large animals.



On the walls surrounding us, there were numerous informational panels along with a pair of exhibit cases, with a wolf-motif running along the circumference of the pit above these panels. This educational display has to be among the very best - and certainly the most unique - I have seen in any zoo; as such, it strikes me as appropriate to detail the contents of each feature within the overall display in a clockwise fashion:

• Glass-fronted exhibit case containing the skull of a Eurasian Wolf, a book by the Swedish behavioural scientist Erik Zimen on the behaviour, ecology and folklore pertaining to the species, and a book by Barbara and Christoph Promberger also discussing these issues.

• An informational panel discussing the modern-day behavioural research taking place regarding the species.
  
• An informational panel discussing the issue of whether or not the species is a man-eater.

• An informational panel discussing the role of the wolf in fairy-tales and fables.
  
• An informational panel discussing folklore regarding werewolves and witches.

• An informational panel discussing the conflict between the increasing population of man and the native wolf population in centuries past.
  
• An informational panel discussing the legends of children reared by wolves.
  
• An informational panel discussing the reverence and respect which certain cultures have bestowed on the wolf.
  
• An informational panel explaining the design and function of the traditional pitfall trap used in the capture of wolves.

• Glass-fronted exhibit case containing items pertaining to the myths and legends surrounding wolves; for instance, a bronze statue of the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus.

As noted, I was extremely impressed with this display, having not seen anything like it in any other zoological collection; the amount of information and detail within the display as a whole was superb, and the design and layout of the display was, as noted, unique. This struck me as yet another indication that Alpenzoo was itself something of a unique collection, given that one would never see something like this in a mainstream collection; even one which claimed to aim for an immersive environment would be unlikely to put the visitor in a trap for the purposes of education! Judging by the position of the entrance to the pit in relation to the surrounding hillside, along with the mesh sealing the mouth of the pit off, it seemed likely that the mouth of the pit was actually within the next exhibit we reached, which extended across much of the hillside before us. This was, as one might have guessed, a massive enclosure for Eurasian Wolf (Canis lupus lupus).



The Eurasian Wolf exhibit was one of the best I have seen for the taxon; at a rough estimate it was a shade bigger than the exhibit previously discussed for European Brown Bear, and as such provided the inhabitants with more than enough space to move around. The exhibit was, as already noted, situated on a strongly-sloping hillside, with thick vegetation and mature trees covering intermittent portions of the enclosure along with open areas scattered with logs, boulders and branches. The front of the exhibit contained a reasonably-large pool, providing the inhabitants with a means of cooling off and a source of freshwater. As far as we could tell, the upper levels of the exhibit were visible from other footpath areas, further up the mountainside; as such, we knew that a complete impression of the exhibit would only be possible once our journey around Alpenzoo had continued awhile. However, our initial impressions were - as noted - very good; the exhibit was large enough for the needs of the inhabitants, provided a wide range of substrates and environmental cover and was pleasing to the eye.

A little further along, the footpath split; ahead of us, the main path continued to gently rise higher, whilst to the left of us a steeper and more narrow path hugged the border of the Eurasian Wolf exhibit as it led to an annexe devoted to open-air terrariums for native reptile species, something of a highlight of the collection which I had been looking forward to seeing. As such, we naturally elected to take the latter route.

 

Not at all sure, as the collection *has* bred the species over the years but has also taken in wild individuals; I don't know which applies to this final individual.

Lovely bird, however.

 

Part XII: Outdoor Terrarium Exhibits

The open-air terrarium complex comprised a series of exhibits which, for all intents and purposes, were areas of the surrounding mountainside which had been separated off from one another and adapted to suit the needs of the inhabitants of each exhibit; this applied to all of the exhibits within this area with the exception of the first two, which had obviously been added at a later point than the main complex and as such were built outwards from the surrounding rock walls. The bulk of these terrariums were located along one side of a small and pleasant courtyard of sorts, from which it was possible to look downhill over the zoo and across the valley to the surrounding city and alpine landscape; as with Alpenzoo Innsbruck as a whole, this courtyard was well-placed to receive sunlight throughout the day, and as a result there were many wild lizards running back and forth along the ground and surrounding walls.

The first enclosure we reached - which as already noted was seemingly a later addition to the exhibit complex as a whole - was a large and very pleasant-looking terrarium containing Western Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus). This comprised a lifetick taxon for both Helly and myself, and after a short period of time observing the exhibit we were able to locate one of the inhabitants; we found the Montpellier Snake to be a particularly interesting-looking species, and rather larger than expected. This taxon is notable as one of a handful of ophiophagic snake species native to Europe, along with the closely-related Smooth Snake, and is also mildly venomous - although due to the rear-fanged nature of the species, along with the small size of the fangs, human envenomations are rare.



The terrarium itself comprised a variety of small shrubs and bushes, of the sort one would find on the lower reaches of a mountainside, dotted with various rocks and boulders, and with a gravel substrate surrounding the main body of the display; the terrarium as a whole was lined with dry-stone walling, with further vegetation growing from the sides. As such, I felt this terrarium was very well-designed; the look and feel of the exhibit fit very well with the overall "feel" of Alpenzoo Innsbruck which I have already commented on, and closely replicated the appearance of the Mediterranean mountainside habitat in which the taxon in question can be found. This, along with the large size of the terrarium as a whole and the open-air location of the exhibit, perfectly positioned to receive a large amount of natural light, meant that this was an extremely good exhibit, and one well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants. It is worth mentioning here that the educational signage within this area was particularly good; each display contained a distribution map for the species at hand, along with information on their life-cycle, diet, habitat and more specific anatomical information such as average size and weight. Moreover, there were also copious amounts of more general educational signposting; for instance, alongside the sign discussing the Western Montpellier Snake there was also a sign discussing the particular anatomical adaptations within the skull and dentition differentiating vipers from rear-fanged colubrids, along with the difference between the dentition of venomous colubrids and that of their venom-less kin.



The next terrarium we reached - the only one in the overall complex which was not open-air, and as noted seemingly added to the complex at a later point - contained Ladder Snake (Rhinechis scalaris); this was, like the preceding species, a lifetick taxon for both Helly and myself, and was very attractive looking. The exhibit comprised a mass of dry branches, twigs and logs, interspersed with fresh vegetation towards the floor of the terrarium, with the walls lined by boulders and rocks. Although somewhat smaller than the preceding exhibit, and much more akin to the sort of exhibit one would see in a mainstream collection, it was still a rather good enclosure for the taxon in question in my opinion; the inhabitants had plenty of scope for movement and - due to how thick the branches and vegetation within were in places - could readily escape from view if they so wished.



We next reached the main body of the open-air terrarium complex; a row of six exhibits which, as already noted, were constructed into the side of the mountain slope. The first of these contained Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) ; we had seen this taxon at Wilhelma the previous day, of course, but it was quite satisfying to note how visible the inhabitants of this exhibit were as they basked in the direct sunlight, allowing us significantly better views of the species than we had previously achieved. The sunlight and close range at which we were able to view the inhabitants of the terrarium made it clear just how large and strikingly-coloured this taxon is when compared to related species; as chance would have it, whilst we were viewing this exhibit a wild Wall Lizard made itself visible on the ground next to us, allowing a direct comparison! The exhibit itself was thickly planted with scrubby vegetation of the sort that would be found in the Mediterranean foothills of the Alps - the area which comprises the northeastern limits of the range of this taxon - dotted with large rocks and boulders among a sandy gravel substrate towards the front of the exhibit, very much akin to the terrarium already discussed for Western Montpellier Snake; however, this exhibit was perhaps a little larger. As with the aforementioned exhibit, I felt that this terrarium was very well-designed, and excellent in terms of how well it met the needs of the inhabitants given the wide range of basking opportunities along with areas of vegetation where they could shelter from extremes of temperature and escape view if desired.



The next terrarium we reached was a mixed exhibit displaying Viperine Water Snake (Natrix maura) and Aesculapian Snake (Zamenis longissimus); in general design and layout it was quite close in appearance to the preceding exhibit for Ocellated Lizard, although the front of the terrarium was marked by a large and relatively deep pool, with rock shelves and branches allowing easy access in and out of the water. To our significant pleasure, we spotted several hatchlings of the Viperine Water Snake swimming around in the pool area at the front of the terrarium, along with a few within the land area of the exhibit, with perhaps a dozen individuals visible in total. Moreover, adults of both species present within the exhibit were visible, primarily in and around the thick vegetation at the rear of the terrarium.



Again, both of the species within this exhibit had been seen by ourselves at Wilhelma a day previously, but the view available at Alpenzoo Innsbruck was significantly better; I was particularly pleased to get a good view of the Aesculapian Snake given the fact that the majority of individuals I had seen up to this point had been wild individuals glimpsed from afar at London Zoo. Considering the semi-aquatic nature of the Viperine Water Snake, I felt that this exhibit was particularly well-suited to this taxon, and also served the needs of the Aesculapian Snake rather well; once again, I also was rather pleased with the appearance of the exhibit as a whole, and how well it fit with the "feel" of the collection as a whole.

Immediately next to this exhibit, there was another mixed-species terrarium; this one held both Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) and European Grass Snake (Natrix natrix natrix). Not only are these both very attractive-looking species - the former representing yet another taxon which I had first saw at Wilhelma the day previously, whilst the latter is a species I have seen on a handful of occasions in the wild, back in the United Kingdom - but it is worth noting here that a particular highlight of the open-air terrarium complex under discussion is that, between this exhibit and the preceding one, it displays all three undisputed members of the genus Natrix, the only absent taxon being the possibly-invalid Natrix megalocephala - which as a native of the Caucasus does not fall within the geographic remit of Alpenzoo in any case. In general design, this exhibit was not too dissimilar to its neighbours; like the preceding terrarium, the front of the exhibit was filled by a large and relatively deep pool, whilst the land area was split between scrubby areas of vegetation and piles of dead twigs, branches and logs. However, this exhibit contained far less vegetation as a whole than the preceding ones had, giving a bit more of an upland mountain-stream feel; this would not be strictly accurate for the optimum habitat of the taxa in question, but did fit well with the overall mountain habitat theme of the collection as a whole.



Nonetheless, the exhibit was large and well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants, given the semi-aquatic nature of members of this genus, and despite the less-extensive vegetation in this terrarium there was still plenty of scope for the inhabitants to escape view, both within the logpile to the right-hand side of the exhibit and into the vegetation towards the left-hand side.

 

Part XIII: Further Outdoor Terraria

The next terrarium we reached comprised a mixed-exhibit for Nose-horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes ammodytes) and Asp Viper (Vipera aspis, one which I had particularly looked forward to seeing prior to our visit to Alpenzoo Innsbruck; whilst I have been fortunate enough to see Nose-horned Viper on a number of occasions, including at Wilhelma a day previously, given how seldom I have the opportunity to view venomous snakes within the United Kingdom it is always worth appreciating those opportunities that do present themselves. Moreover, the Asp Viper represented a lifetick taxon for both Helly and myself, and a rather appealing one at that.



Within the exhibit, we could readily see at least three or four Nose-horned Viper, and perhaps a dozen Asp Viper - many of which were basking together en-masse, whilst one or two stragglers of both species were moving around the terrarium away from the main body of the inhabitants. Another highlight of this exhibit, it rather goes without saying, was the ability to directly compare the appearance of two members of the same genus; as was highlighted by the excellent informational signage at this exhibit, which also detailed the range, diet and habitat of each taxon, the Nose-horned Viper was significantly larger than the Asp Viper, and as the name would suggest possessed a prominent "horn" comprised of several fused scales which emerged just above the rostral scale whilst the Asp Viper merely possessed a distinct upturn at the tip of the snout.



As was made clear by further educational signage at this exhibit, this represented something of a midpoint between the "horn" of the Nose-horned Viper and the entirely flattened snout of the closely-related Northern Viper or European Adder.



The terrarium itself was extremely good, replicating a rocky Alpine mountainside very well; much of the exhibit comprised large rocks and boulders, dotted with scrubby vegetation and wildflowers, and distinctly sloping uphill. As such it closely resembled the natural habitat of both of the taxa found within, was very attractive to the eye and was very well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants.

Immediately next to this exhibit, there was a terrarium displaying Northern Viper (Vipera berus berus), a species which I have been fortunate enough to view on a number of occasions in the wild; however given the aforementioned rarity of seeing captive venomous snakes, along with the presence of congeneric taxa in the neighbouring exhibit, it was particularly interesting to see the species here. I was particularly pleased to note that at least one of the individuals held within was a melanistic-morph; although this is quite a common mutation within the species, it is one which I had previously never been fortunate enough to see. I was quite amused, and surprised, to note that this exhibit also seemed to contain a wild Common Toad (Bufo bufo), which had presumably entered the terrarium through a crack in the wall, or perhaps having climbed the exterior borders and fallen into the exhibit from above. Given the diet of the Northern Viper, I suspect that this individual was unlikely to remain in the exhibit for long, one way or another! This terrarium was, broadly speaking, akin to a hybrid between the one which had immediately preceded it and the exhibit for Aesculapian Snake and Viperine Water Snake; like the former it primarily contained large areas of rocks and boulders broken up by scrubby vegetation, whilst like the latter it also contained a pool towards the front of the exhibit, albeit rather more shallow than the one in aforesaid enclosure.



In general "feel" this exhibit very much gave the impression of a mountain stream flowing through an area of scrubby heathland, very much the ideal habitat for the taxon contained within as I know from personal experience. As such, I thought this terrarium was - as had been the case with every exhibit within this complex - excellent and very well-designed both for the purposes of animal welfare and creating an attractive display. Alongside this terrarium, there was a particularly interesting piece of informational signage discussing the differences in appearance between the superficially similar and non-venomous Smooth Snake, and the venomous Northern Viper.



The final terrarium within this area comprised a mixed exhibit for Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris alpestris) and Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara); these are two species with which I am reasonably familiar, have seen the latter taxon literally dozens of times in the wild within the United Kingdom, and having searched - without success - for the former taxon in known locations within the north of England which contain introduced populations. This exhibit, perhaps unsurprisingly given the taxa in question, was by far the one which contained the largest amount of water in comparison to land area; as a rough estimate only a quarter of the exhibit at the rear of the terrarium comprised dry land, with the remainder comprising a deep pool at the front. However, the land area - which primarily contained scrubby vegetation and dead wood - was supplemented by several outcroppings of rock which formed part of the drystone wall at the rear of the terrarium. The most interesting aspect of this particular exhibit, much like the previously-discussed terrarium containing Ocellated Lizard, was the ability to get a visual comparison between Viviparous Lizard and Wall Lizard, as a result of the numerous wild individuals of latter basking throughout the annexe on walls and bushes; although wild individuals of the former were also present, as they had been elsewhere in the collection, the latter was by far the most commonplace in the grounds of Alpenzoo Innsbruck.



Along with the terrariums which made up the main focus of this annexe, there was one final display which is worthy of particular discussion; a few metres from the row of terrariums, in a portion of the courtyard which stood in direct sunlight, there was a large exhibit showing the different temperatures of varying rock/vegetation/soil, comprising a stone and brick cylinder perhaps five feet tall, topped with several different kinds of rock and bushes, and studded with electronic thermometers. These displayed the temperature of each form of material present within the display, including a cave area which - according to the label on one of the thermometers - was a metre below the surface. This was supplemented by a poster behind, which discussed the way in which reptiles and amphibians will bask in sunlight to warm up, and move to cooler areas if they overheat, and as such are able to thermoregulate despite their endothermic nature. I felt that this was a truly excellent piece of educational material, one of the best I had ever seen at a zoological collection, a judgement which was very much supplemented by the fact that we observed several Wall Lizards and Sand Lizards actually making use of this display to bask!



Having viewed the entirety of the open-air terrarium area, we made our way back downhill in order to rejoin the main footpath through the collection; however, given the quality of these exhibits we resolved to revisit them later in the day, if time and weather permitted.

 

Part XIV: Waldrapp Aviary, Farmyard and Environs

Having reached the junction next to the European Wolf exhibit once more, we followed the public footpath uphill to a very large and well-designed walkthrough aviary; the signposting on the aviary indicated that it held Waldrapp (Geronticus eremita), Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops epops), Common Scops-owl (Otus scops) and Common Rock-thrush (Monticola saxatilis). As the latter of these taxa represented a lifetick for both Helly and myself, we rather hoped we would be able to spot it within the aviary; after some minutes careful observation we managed to obtain brief glimpses of a single individual, although we had significantly more luck in spotting the other inhabitants of the aviary without much trouble. The Waldrapp were making full use of the aviary, some being perched in trees or on the ground whilst others were roosting at the rear of the exhibit, whilst the Scops-owl was snoozing within one of the shrubs close to the public path and the pair of Hoopoe were foraging within the substrate on the floor of the aviary.



As already noted, the aviary was extremely well-designed; the rear wall of the exhibit comprised a sheer cliff-face which - although constructed from concrete - looked quite realistic due to the apparent inclusion of large amounts of gravel and other natural rock. In general appearance, this cliff-face was very obviously intended to resemble the natural nesting habitat of the Waldrapp Ibis, both in their current range and their historic Alpine and Mediterranean habitats within Europe, containing a pair of deep recesses in which the Waldrapp could nest. This effect was enhanced by the use of similar imitation rock outcroppings and buttresses through the main body of the aviary, along with the use of gravel and sand for the substrate of the aviary and a range of alpine shrubs and trees; as such, this walkthrough aviary looked very akin to a dry gorge cut into the surrounding cliff face by a river. One of the more subtle aspects of this aviary, which I perhaps would not have noticed were the weather not so fine and sunny when we visited Alpenzoo, was the fact that - given the fact this exhibit, as with the rest of the collection, was more or less south-facing - the cliffs and trees within received the full effect of the sun; when combined with the fact that approximately half of the roof of the aviary comprised glass panels, this meant that the aviary would be reasonably sheltered from the worst of the elements. The public path through the aviary was divided from the main body of the exhibit through the simple act of setting it perhaps five feet lower than the rest of the aviary; this meant that we were able to get very good views of the inhabitants without any barrier between us. The educational material within the exhibit, as had been the case throughout the collection, was also extremely good, giving details on the taxa displayed within along with the ongoing international breeding and reintroduction programme for Waldrapp Ibis.



As such, I felt that this aviary was particularly excellent, and very well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants whilst also providing an attractive and interesting display for the public.

A little further along from this aviary, we reached a set of paddocks extending out from a large barn; according to the map which we were using to guide our way through the collection, this area comprised a display for a range of domestic animals native to the Alpine region, and more specifically the Tyrolean region local to Alpenzoo Innsbruck itself. In general design this area comprised a pretty standard domestic display; a pair of large and relatively plain paddocks surrounded a barn, within which were several pens providing interior housing for the various domestic breeds on display, with the roof of the barn covered in grass and solar panels. Moreover, one of the paddocks allowed access onto an area of the surrounding hillside; the domestic goats displayed within this exhibit were present within this area, and due to wooden walkways connecting the hillside to the roof of the barn were feeding on the grass present there. The breeds present within this area were as follows:

Alpine Stone Sheep (Ovis aries) and Carinthian Sheep
Altsteirerhühn (Gallus gallus domestica) and Sulmtalerhühn
Bavarian Landrace (Anser anser domestica)
Tyrol Grey (Bos primigenius taurus), Pustertaler Sprinzen and Tux Cattle
Peacock Goat (Capra aegagrus hircus), Pinzgau Goat and Tauernsheck
Turopolje Pig (Sus scrofa domestica)

Of these, the only breed which we had seen elsewhere was the Tauernsheck, with everything else displayed within this area representing a lifetick for ourselves; although many people disregard domestic animals in zoological collections, as one may have gathered from my previous writings I have quite a soft spot for the display of rare breeds, especially when they are region-appropriate to the collection within which they are viewed. Overall, then, I rather liked this area; I found it particularly interesting to note the fact that the goats were used to keep the grass turf on the roof of the barn complex in check!



As the footpath continued uphill past the domestics area, we reached something of a historical curiosity - the "Englishman's Grave". This comprised, unsurprisingly enough, the grave of an Englishman who passed away in the nearby Schloss Weiherburg in 1840 having fallen ill whilst travelling through Austria some months prior, along with a large memorial stone marking the site of his burial. For whatever reason, on his passing he was buried within the grounds of the Schloss rather than on consecrated ground; as such, when Alpenzoo Innsbruck was constructed within the grounds in 1962 his grave and memorial were left unmolested, and are visible to this day.



A little further uphill, we reached a large exhibit for Western Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus); for all intents and purposes this comprised a sizeable area of the hillside which had been enclosed by fencing and landscaped slightly, with the addition of a wooden shelter for the inhabitants, but otherwise had been left more or less as one would imagine it was prior to the collection being built, with numerous mature trees dotted throughout. Looking at the map, this exhibit was in fact the largest in the collection by some margin, perhaps two or three times the size of the European Brown Bear exhibit which I have already discussed. As such, given the relatively shy and retiring nature of the taxon displayed within, and the high level of scope for the Western Roe Deer to escape the view of the public, I thought this was a very good exhibit as regards the welfare of the inhabitants.



At this point, the footpath took a dogleg as it led above and behind the domestic animal complex and Waldrapp aviary; there were two features worthy of particular note in this area. The first of these was a comprehensive historical display comprising a series of ten informational panels reproducing dozens of news articles regarding Alpenzoo Innsbruck, dating back to the opening of the collection in 1962 through to the half-centennial of the zoo in 2012, and with two panels for each decade in question. Given the fact that so many zoological collections neglect their history, and do little to educate the visitor about how far they have come over the years, I always find such displays very informative and gratifying to see; the high quality of this particular display, and the sheer amount of information present within, only served to increase my satisfaction in this regard.



Also worthy of mention was the fact that above the Waldrapp aviary, between the public footpath and the glass roof which hung over the main body of the aviary, there was a large area of natural rocks, boulders and scrubby vegetation. It is, of course, possible that this was present due to the prior existence of an exhibit at this point, or maybe the intended presence of an exhibit in the future; however it seemed equally likely that this was intended to serve as an area for the wild lizards and reptiles within the grounds of Alpenzoo to bask openly in a secure area. Certainly we were fortunate enough to view a number of lizards basking amid the rockery, along with - to my significant satisfaction - a single Northern Viper.



As our journey through Alpenzoo Innsbruck was steadily taking us further and further up the mountainside, our view of the zoo, the surrounding Alpine landscape and the city nestling within the valley floor seemed to be improving every time we happened to pay attention to the scenery; to our significant satisfaction, the skies were still blessedly free of the stormclouds which the weather forecast had promised, with barely a cloud in the sky and the sun shining brightly. It occurred to me, not for the first time, that this was surely one of the greatest "zoo views" in the world.

 

Part XV: Assorted Aviaries, Wisent and Wild Boar

Going uphill a little further, we reached a pair of exhibits for Pine Marten (Martes martes); a species which I am quite fond of, given my taste for mustelids and the fact I have been fortunate enough to see the taxon in the wild on a few occasions. Both exhibits were designed along very similar lines, comprising woodchip flooring scattered with rocks and boulders, with several evergreen bushes and trees dotted throughout, connected by large logs and branches which provided further climbing opportunities. Furthermore, each exhibit contained nestboxes at the rear, whilst the front of each exhibit comprised extremely fine mesh. The right-hand exhibit extended rather further back than did the left-hand exhibit, and as such was somewhat larger in overall footplan. Given the fact that the collection had held Beech Marten until shortly before our visit, I found myself wondering whether one of these exhibits perhaps had originally held this taxon. Either way, both exhibits struck me as very well-suited to the needs of the inhabitants, providing plenty of scope for movement along with the ability to hide from the gaze of the public if need be; in point of fact, during the period of time we spent viewing this exhibit we were entirely unable to spot the inhabitants! Given the nocturnal nature of the Pine Marten it is quite probable they were asleep at the time of our visit.



To the left, a short series of steps took us up to another row of exhibits situated at a right-angle to the Pine Marten enclosures, and with their floor roughly level with the roof of the aforementioned enclosures. These exhibits comprised a pair of aviaries, the first of which contained Alpine Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus). Given I am rather partial to corvids, and have seen the closely related Red-billed Chough on many occasions, I was quite pleased to see this taxon at Alpenzoo. The aviary was large but relatively plain, being quite wide and open with a handful of trees and shrubs dotted throughout among a sandy substrate, with a pool at the front of the aviary and a number of perches hanging from the roof, along with a single nestbox. At the time of our visit, the aviary contained at least two individuals, both of which were extremely active.



The next aviary was broadly similar, albeit a little smaller, with a significantly lower roof and with the provision of several nestboxes at the rear of the exhibit; this aviary contained Alpine Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca saxatilis). As with the previous exhibit, these comprised a lifetick taxon, but one closely related to a species with which I am quite familiar; in this case the Red-legged Partridge. Once again, therefore, I found it particularly interesting to view this taxon with an eye to the differences and similarities between the taxa. As had been the case with the Pine Marten exhibit, I liked both of these aviaries and felt that they met the needs of the inhabitants rather well.



Beyond here, the path continued to steadily ascend the mountainside, taking us to a viewing point for a massive exhibit which spanned a large expanse of the hillside above us, with a large supplementary paddock in front of us; this enclosure complex was signposted for European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) and Wisent (Bison bonasus). The paddock area of this exhibit was large and relatively plain, comprising a wide sandy area with a series of massive tree-trunks and logs lining the left-hand side of the paddock, and an indoor sleeping-area for both taxa present at the rear of the paddock. The tree-trunks and logs partially concealed a gate which gave the inhabitants of the enclosure access to the larger portion of the exhibit as a whole, although at the time of our visit they seemed content to shelter from the heat of the day within their sleeping area, albeit still within view of the public.



The main body of this mixed exhibit, which as noted covered a large portion of the hillside above us, comprised dozens of mature trees dotted around a series of terraces and dry-stone dykes; these presumably both allowed the inhabitants of the exhibit to move throughout the hillside with greater ease, and helped to stabilise the hillside and ward against the risk of avalanche.



The latter concern was, I suspect, more relevant than one would initially believe given the fact that many of the surrounding peaks and mountains were lined with avalanche defences to an altitude not all that much higher than that we had reached. On the whole, I felt this exhibit was extremely good, allowing the inhabitants a great deal of space within which to move around - certainly more than enough to allow the two taxa present to avoid one another if the need arose - whilst also looking very appealing to the eye of the visitor.

Beyond here, the path took yet another dogleg as it continued to make its way uphill; as such, shortly after leaving the mixed exhibit for Wisent and European Wild Boar we were able to obtain a particularly good view of the aviaries and Pine Marten exhibit which we had viewed shortly beforehand, along with further excellent views of the surrounding countryside.



In the distance, we could see several birds wheeling around perhaps a thousand feet above Innsbruck itself; unfortunately, they were too far away and at the wrong angle for us to obtain a sufficiently good view to positively identify them. However, this served as a reminder to pay closer attention to the surrounding skies; given the fact that much of the Alpine avifauna differs from that of the British Isles, this simple action held the potential for reward.

 

Part XVI: Alpine Ibex, Lammergeier Aviary and European Elk

We continued to follow the public footpath as it gently made its way uphill, eventually reaching a gate; informational signage along with a list of rules and regulations made it clear that this was the entrance to a walkthrough exhibit for Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex ibex). Given my particular liking for caprines, I was rather interested to see how this exhibit compared to others I had seen for the taxon in question; particularly those which we had viewed at Tierpark Hellabrunn and Wilhelma over the past few days. However, there was another reason why I had been particularly looking forward to seeing this particular exhibit; this enclosure not only represented the highest point of Alpenzoo Innsbruck as a whole - the footpath through the exhibit being located approximately 750 metres above sea level, with the exhibit itself reaching rather further uphill - but also the highest zoological exhibit within any European collection. To my knowledge, it may well be the highest ever such exhibit within Europe. As such, this exhibit is significant on historical and cultural grounds, as well as the more personal significance it held for me as an enclosure for a species I particularly like.

The informational signage on the gate first explained that the walkthrough exhibit allowed the inhabitants to be viewed without a fence between them and the public, and that given the shy and herbivorous nature of the Alpine Ibex this presented no danger to the visitor. It then detailed the various rules regarding access to the exhibit; most importantly the requirement to remain on the footpath, not to feed or touch the Ibex, and not to smoke within the exhibit.



On entering the exhibit, the first thing we saw immediately to our right was a large wooden shed-structure which was open at the front, with a hollow central column containing large quantities of hay; this was quite obviously intended both as a covered shelter for the inhabitants of the exhibit during inclement weather, and as a feeding point for the Ibex. It was not entirely clear, but it struck me as likely that this also represented the interior sleeping area for the inhabitants of this exhibit. It appeared that the upper levels of this structure were accessible to the keeping staff, allowing them to drop hay into the central feeding area without entering the exhibit itself. I felt this was quite an interesting design decision, given that it meant the Alpine Ibex within the exhibit could be left to their own devices without the keeping staff having to enter their exhibit area.



Immediately beyond this structure, we reached the main body of the exhibit; the mountainside above us was covered with a vast number of large boulders and rocks, replicating rather well the bare rocky habitat within which Alpine Ibex can be found in the depths of the Alps. Perhaps thirty metres or so uphill, this gave way to a somewhat flatter area within which we could see several large mature trees and patches of bare earth, along with a second wooden shelter. Possibly the most interesting aspect of the overall exhibit design was the fact that the aforementioned hillside boulder field seemed to come right up to the footpath through the exhibit with only a small wire stand-off barrier at waist level separating the public from the boulders, and the large group of Alpine Ibex present throughout the enclosure. In point of fact, this comprised a very clever illusion; immediately beyond the stand-off barrier the "boulder field" actually comprised a wall of rocks and boulders, beyond which was a haha-ditch and then the Alpine Ibex exhibit itself. I felt that this was a simple and very effective way of giving an immersive feel whilst ensuring that the inhabitants of the exhibit are kept separate from the public; moreover, although I have previously seen exhibits which chose a similar solution to the problem at hand, this was a particularly good-looking example, with the join between the various elements almost seamless to the eye.



Overall, then, I was very impressed with this exhibit; both in design and size it was very well-suited to the inhabitants of the enclosure, which seemed to be making full use of the climbing opportunities and varying levels throughout, and which judging by the large group present - including several juveniles - were breeding freely at the time of our visit.

Beyond the Alpine Ibex exhibit, the path took a dog-leg as it started to make its way downhill once again; however, at the corner there was a small wooden shelter with benches, along with informational signage about the surrounding Tyrol region of the Alps. Given that our pace through the collection had been rather brisk thus far, and we had risen rather early that morning, it struck us that here would be a good place for us to sit awhile and rest; considering the magnificent view which we were able to enjoy whilst seated, and the fact that there was still no sign of the thunderstorms which had been forecast and which had been the primary reason for our rapid pace around the collection thus far, we felt that we could afford to spend a little time here. Moreover, I had a suspicion that this wooden shelter area was one which several individuals on Zoochat had told me about in the months preceding this trip; unless matters had changed since they had last visited Alpenzoo themselves, this area of the collection was quite reliable for wild Edible Dormouse, which apparently were easily visible - and even able to be touched - within the rafters of the shelter and in the recesses behind the wooden seating. As such, I decided to send a text to zoogiraffe - one of the Zoochatters who had told me about this area of the collection - in order to double-check this was indeed the shelter of which he had spoke; soon enough I received a reply in the affirmative. Unfortunately, my resulting search for Edible Dormouse was fruitless - something which was rather disappointing given that this would have represented a lifetick taxon for both Helly and myself; however, I contented myself with the knowledge that the animals in question were still present, having found fresh droppings along with tell-tale damage to the beams in the rafters.

After sitting awhile longer, we made our way downhill to a viewing area for a large mixed exhibit for Central European Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax erythroramphos), Alpine Marmot (Marmota marmota marmota), Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus barbatus) and Common Rock-thrush.



I was extremely pleased to see this combination of species; as noted already, until viewing one in the Waldrapp aviary elsewhere at Alpenzoo I had never been fortunate enough to see a Common Rock-thrush, and to my satisfaction I was able to enjoy significantly better views of this taxon within this aviary than I had managed earlier in the day. Moreover, as I have discussed elsewhere I had never seen an Alpine Marmot until this trip, having seen the species for the first time at Tierpark Hellabrunn a few days previously, and have a particular fondness for the Lammergeier and Red-billed Chough. The aviary was able to be viewed both from above, as we were doing, and from below at a point further along the footpath through the collection; I always rather like it when this is possible, as it allows an exhibit to be evaluated on a number of levels, and had noticed that this particular design choice seemed to be a commonplace one at Alpenzoo Innsbruck - no doubt due to the constraints of space inherent to a mountainside collection. The upper levels of the aviary were defined by a series of artificial rock cliff-faces, supplemented by genuine rockwork and boulders, with the ground level sloping downhill away from us, the scree and boulders giving way to areas of grass and alpine shrubs before the base of the aviary - next to the lower viewing area - was partially occupied by a large pond.



Throughout the exhibit, perching opportunities for the avian inhabitants of the enclosure were available due to the provision of several large logs and branches scattered on the ground, along with the aforementioned crags and boulders. As one would imagine, the Alpine Marmot restricted themselves to the lower levels of the aviary, where the ground allowed them to dig and burrow, whilst the Lammergeier - all of which seemed to be subadults, something which given the fact I knew the collection bred the species regularly suggested the adult breeding pair was held off-display elsewhere - seemed to remain at the highest points of the aviary. The Rock-thrush and Red-billed Chough, however, were making full use of all parts of the aviary.

Within the viewing area where we were standing, there were significant amounts of informational signage - as I had grown to expect of such material at Alpenzoo, this was excellent and covered not only the species present within the exhibit but wider issues relevant to some aspect of the display. In this case, due to the presence of Alpine Marmot within the exhibit, there was a series of displays discussing hibernation and winter torpor in a variety of Alpine taxa, including various invertebrates and amphibians along with more obvious choices such as Alpine Marmot and Brown Bear. Nearby, there was a bronze statue of an Alpine Marmot next to the footpath as it followed the border of the aviary downhill. Overall, then, I felt this was a very good exhibit, and one which was as well-suited for the inhabitants as it was for the viewing and educational needs of the visitor.

A little further down the hill, before we had quite reached the base of the preceding aviary, a dead-end path took us to the upper viewing area for a mid-size European Elk (Alces alces alces) exhibit; although we naturally did not have access to the interior housing for the inhabitants of the exhibit, the viewing point was situated above the large wooden shed which served this purpose. This exhibit struck me as perhaps the first we had viewed which struck me as not reaching the standards which the collection as a whole had set thus far; much of the floor of the exhibit was bare earth where the grass on the ground had died - presumably where the inhabitants had paced and churned up mud during the winter months - and as such, given the fact there was very little other vegetation present, the exhibit seemed rather stark and empty.



Moreover, given how large European Elk are I felt that, although by no means small per se, the exhibit was nowhere near large enough to adequately serve the needs of the inhabitants. On continuing downhill along the main footpath, and viewing the exhibit from another angle, this conclusion was strengthened in my mind; although the lower reaches of the exhibit were better-looking, with dry-stone terraces employed to stabilise the hillside and allow the inhabitants to move around with a little more ease, even here the exhibit looked quite bare.



Given the fact that the European Elk is a species which is naturally resident in boreal forest and thick deciduous woodland, this exhibit was far too stark and lacking in vegetation; something which could have been excused had the exhibit been larger, of course, given the fact that I have seen excellent exhibits for this taxon which are sparsely wooded - if at all - but which provide the inhabitants with vast tracts of land.

Having reached the bottom of the previously-discussed Lammergeier exhibit, we took a moment to view the aviary from the lower viewing point which we had spotted from above before continuing to follow the main path through the collection.

 

Glad to hear it hoping to keep my recent pace up as best I can.

 

Part XVII: Alpine Chamois, Grouse Aviaries and Carpathian Lynx

The next exhibit we reached was an enclosure for Alpine Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra); at this point we were looking down onto the exhibit from above, although it was apparent that the footpath further along would allow us to view the base of the exhibit. Given my interest in caprine mammals, I was very pleased to see this particular exhibit; having seen the closely related Apennine Chamois some days previously it was rather interesting to view Alpine Chamois once again, and therefore get something of a feel for the differences and similarities between the two taxa. In general design the exhibit was very much akin to the Alpine Ibex enclosure we had viewed shortly beforehand on a smaller scale, comprising hundreds of large rocks and boulders strewn across the hillside in an emulation of the native mountain habitat of the species in question, with a number of large logs and branches dotted throughout the exhibit. At the base of the hillside, a reasonably large wooden hut provided shelter and a feeding area for the inhabitants of the exhibit. Overall, I rather liked this exhibit and felt that it was very well-suited to the welfare needs of the species in question; it provided more than enough space for the inhabitants, along with a large amount of scope for climbing and movement around the enclosure on many levels, and judging by the wide age range visible within the inhabitants of the enclosure the Alpine Chamois were breeding profusely.



A little further along, the footpath took a dogleg as it continued downhill; opposite a lower viewing area for the European Elk exhibit we saw a small portion of the upper levels of an exhibit for Carpathian Lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus). I have always had a fondness for small cats, as is well-known, and I rather suspect that the Carpathian Lynx is perhaps my favourite subspecies of the Eurasian Lynx; I find them much more active and visible than other subspecies present within European collections, and moreover very appealing to the eye given how richly-marked their pelage tends to be when compared with the somewhat more plain and sandy coat of the Northern Lynx or Siberian Lynx. Due to the gradient of the hillside at this point, we could not view much of the exhibit - however, we could see from the map we were following that we would be able to view this exhibit properly a little further along the footpath, once it took us to the base of the enclosure. This said, from what little we could see of the exhibit it seemed reasonably good - well-vegetated with several large mature trees present within, along with a number of large logs and fallen trees; a pair of Carpathian Lynx lay basking in the sunlight not far from the public footpath at this point, one of which was sprawled along one of the fallen trees in a somewhat elevated position.



Beyond here, we reached the lower viewing area for the Alpine Chamois exhibit which I have already discussed; although there was some degree of a foreshortening effect as a result of the hillside gradient, it was apparent that the enclosure was indeed as large and spacious as I had initially judged. As many of the inhabitants of this exhibit were present at this end of the enclosure, I was able to view them with a little more ease and at closer range; something which I found quite gratifying. Immediately opposite the Alpine Chamois exhibit, there was a small hut containing a pair of mid-size aviaries for Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) and Eurasian Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), along with an educational exhibit discussing the development of bird eggs from initial formation, being fertilised and laid, and ultimately the development of the embryo within to the point of hatching. This display was rather well-designed, containing as it did not only models and diagrams discussing the development of eggs but also a range of eggs belonging to several native passerines of the Alps, including redstart, Blackbird, European Cuckoo and Lammergeier, along with an Ostrich egg for scale. As had been the case throughout the collection, I was very pleased with the quality of this educational display.

Regarding the inhabitants of the aviaries within this area, I have been fortunate enough to see both of these species in the wild on a number of occasions, although never from such a close range; at the time of our visit the Ptarmigan had only just started to lose their white winter plumage, with flecks of gold and black visible throughout the white plumage of the hen whilst the cock had larger black patches with only subtle golden highlights. In a curious way, I felt that this made the individuals on-display look even more attractive than they would have in their pure winter or summer plumage. Similarly, I found the opportunity to view the very-attractive plumage of the hen Black Grouse particularly satisfying; unfortunately the cock held within the exhibit was not visible at the time. Each of the two aviaries was broadly-speaking similar in general design, comprising a collection of boulders and concrete slabs dotted with small evergreen bushes and trees; this was obviously intended to replicate the mountainside habitat of the taxa displayed within, an aim which I felt was met quite effectively.



Both aviaries were relatively large considering the size of the inhabitants, and gave them plenty of scope to move around and hide from the view of the public when they so desired, due to the large amount of boulders, ledges and overhangs present throughout. Overall, then, I rather liked this area of Innsbruck Alpenzoo, given the quality both of the exhibit design and the education displays within.



A little further downhill, on the corner formed by yet another dog-leg in the footpath, there was a relatively large area fenced off and signposted as the site for a future exterior aviary for Black Grouse; judging by the information and diagrams displayed here, the intention is to ultimately replicate the look and feel of those areas where cocks of the species perform their lekking activities. Immediately next to here, there were windows into a set of empty interior exhibits positioned underneath portions of the Carpathian Lynx enclosure; these were presumably the interior areas for whichever species had previously been displayed within the preceding exhibit before it was demolished for redevelopment as a Black Grouse aviary. Given how empty and old they appeared, my inclination is to suspect they had been vacant for some time; given the fact I know the species was held at Alpenzoo in recent years - recently enough to be featured within the current edition of the guidebook, in point of fact - it is possible they were formerly the sleeping areas for Stoat.



We next reached the lower viewing area for the Carpathian Lynx exhibit discussed previously; as already discussed, this exhibit was well-vegetated with mature trees and bushes, and now we were at the foot of the exhibit and could see the entirety of the enclosure without the steep slope presenting problems we could tell this was supplemented by many logs and branches dotted around the ground, along with a number of sleeping areas built into the hillside itself. It also appeared that some level of reinforcement work had taken place within this enclosure in order to shore up the hillside, with wooden logs and poles lining some of the steepest portions of ground.



The educational signposting at the exhibit was pretty good, if a little dated in parts; it appeared from the condition and appearance of the signposting that this was perhaps some of the oldest such material within the collection, indicating that this exhibit may well have held the species in question for a long time. It certainly struck me as a rather good exhibit for the taxon concerned, providing plenty of space and scope for the inhabitants to hide from the view of the public, and with the south-facing position of the enclosure ensuring they had plenty of sunlight in which to bask. As such I rather liked this exhibit; although it was not as attractive as some of the other enclosures we had seen thus far, it did a very good job of making the most of the space available given the steep gradient of the land, whilst also ensuring the welfare needs of the inhabitants were met.



Before continuing along the footpath downhill, we continued past the Carpathian Lynx exhibit to view a small cul-de-sac, at the end of which was an access gate for keepers to enter the European Wolf exhibit which we had viewed an hour or so previously. As such, this allowed us to view the upper reaches of aforementioned exhibit somewhat more readily than we had been able to beforehand; this area was well-vegetated and with several tree stumps and logs providing some level of climbing opportunity for the inhabitants of the exhibit - several of whom were watching us with some interest!

Having viewed this area, the footpath took us to a large aviary complex, with doors leading into upper and lower viewing areas for these aviaries; however, before entering we took a moment to view a very well-designed and attractive "insect hotel" comprising a wooden framework containing bundles of sticks, larger logs with holes drilled into them, bamboo canes and rows of bricks, all of which were intended to provide nesting areas for bees, beetles and other such microfauna. As was obvious from the Sand Lizards and Wall Lizards basking on the top of the framework, it also provided both a home and hunting ground for more of the herpetofauna present at Alpenzoo! Given how often invertebrate diversity is ignored at more mainstream collections, I am always pleased when I see a display such as this, which is intended much more for the inhabitants than it is the visiting public.

 

Part XVIII: Aviary Complex

Entering the aviary complex through the upper level, we were presented with a viewing window into the lower portions of a large aviary to the right-hand side of the complex, a balcony directly ahead of us looking down into a second aviary, and a viewing window into the upper portions of a third and final aviary.



The first of these, which as noted was viewed at ground level but which extended several metres above us, comprised a mixed aviary for Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) and Eurasian Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes caryocatactes). I rather liked this combination; although I have seen Western Capercaillie on several occasions this was the first time I had ever seen Eurasian Nutcracker, and given my liking for corvids it was interesting to see yet another lifetick taxon belonging to this group. The cock Capercaillie present within the exhibit was very active and visible, displaying and calling incessantly; I rather like the species in any case, but having never seen their display before I was even more pleased to view them within this exhibit. The aviary itself comprised a relatively bare and sandy pit at the front of the exhibit containing a handful of trees and shrubs at the margins, bordered by a dry-stone wall which marked an elevated area roughly level with the visitor's eyeline; this area was somewhat more well-vegetated and contained further trees, bushes and branches. The aviary as a whole extended perhaps a few metres above the viewing window; as a result the single Eurasian Nutcracker visible within the aviary was somewhat difficult to photograph, staying as it did close to the top of the aviary and constantly flying from perch to perch. The Western Capercaillie, on the other hand, was as already mentioned very active and visible, remaining just in front of the viewing window - this allowed me to record a video of its display.



Just to the left, there was a wooden balcony overlooking a massive outdoor aviary; this comprised the exhibit for European Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos), a species which I have been fortunate enough to see in the wild on a number of occasions and which moreover is one of the most impressive birds of prey native to Europe in my opinion. For all intents and purposes, this aviary comprised an entire section of steep hillside which had been enclosed within wire mesh and fencing, with several trees and logs scattered across the hillside providing a variety of perching opportunities for the inhabitants, along with scrubby vegetation and boulders which helped to maintain the impression that this exhibit portrayed the natural mountainside nesting habitat of the species in question. Having been fortunate enough to view the genuine kind of habitat which was intended to be portrayed on the Isle of Arran in Scotland several times, due to the fact that I have stayed in a holiday cottage on the island which is downhill from a hanging valley where a pair of wild Golden Eagle have nested and bred for many years and have spent time hiking in said valley, I felt that given the limitations of space this exhibit was a very good representation of said habitat. Moreover, despite how large the species in question is, the aviary was more than sufficiently-sized for the needs of the inhabitants; the vegetation, boulders and logs found within meant that they had plenty of scope to hide from view, and in point of fact we were entirely unable to spot the inhabitants despite several minutes of careful observation.



To the left hand side of the aviary complex, we saw a very large mixed aviary for Hazel Hen (Bonasa bonasia), Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) and Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes coccothraustes); this was a combination of species which I had been rather looking forward to seeing, given that the former two taxa represented lifetick species, whilst the latter species is one which I had previously seen only very briefly within the United Kingdom in the wild, and never very well. The front portion of this aviary, similarly to the first aviary discussed within this complex, comprised a deep pit; however, given our elevated position it was rather difficult to gain a decent view of this area. Beyond here, the bulk of the aviary comprised a large and rather plain sandy plateau, studded with around a dozen tree trunks which extended from the base of the plateau to the ceiling of the aviary; perhaps five or six metres tall. The trees were dead, with massive gashes and wounds scarring the vast majority of their lengths - these were very obviously inflicted by the Black Woodpecker, given the fact that the single individual we were able to spot was flying from tree-trunk to tree-trunk enlarging them as we watched, and even making preliminary progress in creating new ones! We were extremely impressed by the taxon in question; we knew prior to our visit that this species is rather large as woodpeckers go - beaten only by the extant Great Slaty Woodpecker and the extinct Imperial Woodpecker, and marginally larger than the again-extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker - but we had not quite appreciated just what this meant. At a rough estimate, the bird we viewed within this aviary was perhaps slightly larger than a Wood Pigeon, but had a significantly-larger head which added to the overall impression of size. However, the most impressive thing about this species was how *loud* it was - both in terms of the volume of it's drumming, and the calls it regularly produced, which were like no bird I had heard before. The Hawfinch was also very active, flying from perch to perch but generally-speaking remaining at a lower level than was the Woodpecker, whilst the Hazel Hen was not visible at this point in time.



After some minutes watching the inhabitants of the aviary from this viewing point, we left the upper level of the aviary complex and entered the lower level; here we were able to view this aviary from ground level, and moreover get a significantly-better view of the pit at the front of the exhibit, as this viewing area was located within the plateau I have already discussed. As such, we could now see that the base of this pit contained several more tree trunks marked by the attentions of the Black Woodpecker; however, here there were several mature living trees, along with a handful of smaller and rather more shrubby juvenile trees. The floor of this portion of the aviary was covered in a sandy substate, broken up by several large rocks and boulders scattered throughout. It appeared that this was the main area the Hawfinch and Hazel Hen spent their time within - however, a sign next to the viewing window indicated, to my disappointment, that the latter species was temporarily off-display for breeding purposes as the female held at the collection was currently incubating a clutch of eggs. Overall I felt this aviary - as had been the case for the other aviaries visible within this complex - was very well-designed and very much suited to the needs of the inhabitants.



Leaving the complex, we consulted the map and noted that the route downhill would take us past the aviary complex through a small wooden shelter and past a lower viewing point for the European Golden Eagle aviary, but that the path immediately ahead of the complex led to a small cul-de-sac within which was the Owl Roundhouse; at the point in the footpath where the various routes diverged, there was yet another excellent example of the statue work which we had viewed throughout Alpenzoo thus far - a rather endearing stylised statue of an owl.



Having discussed our options, we decided that we would quickly view the European Golden Eagle aviary again from the lower viewing point before doubling-back to enter the Roundhouse.Within the aforementioned shelter, there was a variety of - as ever - excellent educational material discussing the European Golden Eagle, including noticeboards relating the diet, range and habitat of the species, its role in heraldry, and other birds of prey native to the Alps such as the Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture and European Black Vulture.



Viewing the Golden Eagle aviary from the lower viewpoint - although very satisfying in terms of giving us a better view of certain aspects of the exhibit design - proved fruitless in terms of our hopes of spotting the inhabitants; however, as already noted we did not overly mind given the fact that this indicated the inhabitants of this aviary had plenty of space, and scope to escape the view of the public.