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Welt der Gifte (Salzburg) Welt der Gifte Salzburg - News and Discussion

Discussion in 'Austria' started by Jobovc, 7 Jul 2019.

  1. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Successful reopening. Non-stop tours from 9 am till almost 6 pm.
     
  2. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Another busy day. I think I should offer an externship...
     
  3. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Holiday Special:
    Right on time for the local Salzburg holidays, WdG is going to be open from 10 am till 4 pm during next week. This will give our new extern, an animal keeper trainee from the local private Paracelsus Medical University, enough time to learn more about venomous & poisonous animal husbandry firsthand.
    So if you, dear ZooChatter, happen to be in the neighbourhood (or in a closeby alpine country like @zoomaniac ;) ), then feel free to visit.
     
  4. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    So the first and final week of our very first animal keeper externship is over, with the conclusion: so far, so good. The extern, a young local woman, really enjoyed her time at WdG and wants to help out whenever she can.
     
  5. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  6. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    Very nice indeed - a pity I shall miss it when next in Austria, but it just gives me an extra thing to look forward to in future :D
     
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  7. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I hope our blue krait will present itself well during your next visit.
     
  8. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    For the first time, we participated in this year's Museum Weekend, organized by the local museum association. So this sunday (which happened to be Mother's Day, cloudy & rainy), we opened WdG from 10 am till 5 pm, free of charge. The result was way better than expected: we got hundreds of guests, up to the point that visitors had to queque and we had to encourage people (as politely as possible) to leave to make room for the next wave.
    In the end, the museum association officially confirmed that among the particapting institutions that day, we had achieved the highest attendance number.
    While the business owner in me is crying when thinking about all the potential money we could have earned, the opportunistic optimist hopes that at least a few of those visitors will come back and pay for a guided tour...:D
     
  9. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Sadly, I fear not. American research shows that the higher the discount offered by a museum, the less likely the user of that discount will make a paying visit later, and that visitors who come in for free are the least likely of all. Hopefully for you, Germans are different from Americans. :(
     
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  10. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    @MRJ: That's what I'm afraid of - and that’s why I charmingly insisted on not offering guided tours during the event (despite people firing questions at my staff and me non-stop).
    I just hope that this event at least helped to booster our public visibility.
    We had quite a bunch of foreign visitors as well on that day - including folks from Australia, Bulgaria, Bavaria:p, China, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Russia, Slowakia, South Africa, the UK, the Ukraine...I somehow doubt that those'll be back any time soon.:D
     
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  11. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Yes of course Austrians. I must admit that I have been to Saltsburg only once, a couple of hours one evening to change trains. The difference was not altogether noticeable to this Aussie. The number of foreign visitors is a good sign though, shows you may well have a good market amongst international tourists.
     
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  12. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    So - like the difference between Aussies and Kiwis? :D:D

    The general popularity of Salzburg among international tourists (thanks to Mozart & the Alps) does help; and maybe also the temporary closure of HdN's reptile zoo due renovations.
     
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  13. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Actually similar in many ways, not only language.
    • Up until 1841, New Zealand was part of the British colony of New South Wales.
    • New Zealand was a party to early negotiations for Federation in Australia, but withdrew.
    • A clause in the Australian constitution gives New Zealand the right to join the Federation as a state.
    I would think most casual visitors to Australia and New Zealand would be struck more by the similarities than the differences.
     
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  14. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Wheras the Austrians and Germans tend to accentuate their differences. Even more so depending on the federal states, with Upper Baviarians often being considered the most "acceptable" by Austrians due to certain similarities.
     
    Last edited: 20 May 2023
  15. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Current species list (June 2023)

    Snakes:

    Agkistrodon contortix
    Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus
    Bitis gabonica
    Bothriechis schlegelii
    Bothrops erythromelas
    Bungarus candidus
    Cerastes cerastes
    Crotalus adamanteus
    Crotalus ornatus
    Crotalus pyrrhus
    Crotalus vegrandis
    Echis coloratus
    Heterodon nasicus
    Naja annulifera
    Naja nivea
    Naja siamensis
    Naja sumatrana
    Oxyuranus microlepidotus
    Vipera ammodytes ammodytes
    Vipera aspis
    Vipera seoanei
    Trimerusurus insularis
    Trimerusurus purpureomaculatus
    Xenodon pulcher

    Euprepiophis mandarinus
    Lampropeltis knoblochi
    Lampropeltis ruthveni
    Lampropeltis mexicanus x ruthveni
    Pantherophis obsoletus "lindheimeri"

    Lizards:

    Heloderma suspectum
    Heloderma exasperatum

    Amphibians:

    Dendrobates tinctorius "azureus"
    Incilius alvarius
    Phyllobates terribilis
    Pleurodeles waltl
    Rhinella marina
    Taricha granulosa

    Fish:

    Corydoras aeneus
    Corydoras sterbai
    Platydoras armatulus
    Tetraodon schouteni

    Spiders:

    Ceratogyrus cornuatus
    Cupiennius salei
    Latrodectus elegans, menavodi & tredecimguttatus
    Lasiodora parahybana
    Loxosceles laeta
    Monocentropus balfouri
    Sicarius terrosus

    Scorpions:

    Androctonus australis
    Alpiscorpius germanus
    Hadogenes bicolor
    Hottentotta hottentotta
    Hottentotta jayakari
    Hottentotta judaicus
    Hottentotta tamulus
    Parabuthus villosus

    Myriapoda:

    Archispirostreptus gigas
    Scolopendra subspinipes

    Insects:

    Archimandrita tesselata
    Peruphasma schultei

    Planned for 2023/2024

    Amphiprion ocellaris
    Dendroaspis angusticeps
    Entacmaea quadricolor
    Meiacanthus grammistes / smithi
    Nephila sp.
    (Ampulex compressa)
    (Neoponera apicalis)
     
    Last edited: 26 Jun 2023
  16. Tim Brown

    Tim Brown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Would just like to say how much Linda and myself enjoyed our visit to Welt Der Gifte a few weeks ago - in 910 zoos it was one of the most different and unique experiences I have had. And I would further say that Salzburg in general is not only rather lovely but a very decent zoological destination.
     
    Last edited: 8 Jul 2023
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  17. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    It was a pleasure to show you WdG @Tim - and an honour to be Zoo Nr. 910. :)
     
  18. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Six years ago, we opened WdG for the first time to the public, back then in a room in Greifswald, Germany. Thank you for your ongoing support and visits.
     
    Last edited: 22 Jul 2023
  19. pachyderm pro

    pachyderm pro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    You would know better than me, but wasn't it six years ago? Regardless, congratulations on an amazing achievement. :)
     
  20. Batto

    Batto Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Five if you calculate in the hiatus due to relocation and the pandemic. ;)
     
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