DAY 14: Saturday, July 27th (2 zoos)
Only two zoos today, but they were both larger than the itty-bitty places that I often tag onto my summer jaunts.
Enjoy 4,360 words on Frankfurt and Opel. Whew!
Zoo/Aquarium # 39: Frankfurt Zoo (Frankfurt, DE)
This historic zoo opened in 1858 and I think that other than Berlin it is the oldest zoo in all of Germany. Is that correct, fact-checking nerds? The zoo is set on 30 acres/12 hectares and has 900,000 annual visitors, right in the urban center of a city that is the 5th largest in the country (after Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Cologne). When I walked up extra early on a Saturday morning, I was surprised to find no one around. After a while a few people appeared in scattered groups, but where were the teeming hordes of German zoo fans? All I had were two cranky old ladies operating the ticket counter (which actually has mock-rock behind it as if it’s a zoo exhibit!) and they told all of us that at exactly 9:00 they would start selling tickets. Why can’t all zoos get with the times and be more modernized with tickets? San Diego has a great policy of selling tickets by the bucketload before the zoo opens, and then letting visitors into a plaza area where they wait for the magical opening time. When San Diego hits opening time then people just disperse into the zoo immediately. Done and dusted. At Frankfurt, these two old buzzards kept us waiting until 9:01 and then they slowly processed tickets and therefore people behind me who were a bit farther back in line probably didn’t actually enter the zoo until 9:12 or 9:15. What a joke! Am I being nitpicky? Another option is to have several ticket machines, where visitors just quickly purchase their tickets via touch screens and then when 9:00 hits the tickets are scanned and turnstiles allow people inside. It seems simplistic and far more effective than a couple of old ‘crankosaurs’ who probably still have posters of Gerd Muller on their bedroom walls.
Frankfurt got off to a shaky start because I naturally headed straight to the legendary Grzimek House…only to find that it doesn’t open until 9:30. Maybe I subconsciously knew that from reading it once on ZooChat many moons ago, but regardless of that fact, it is beyond ridiculous that the zoo’s star attraction doesn’t even open for a full 30 minutes after the zoo opens its gates. Seething, I made my way to the Exotarium, which by the way is a name that simply does not exist in North American zoos. Anyway, the Exotarium doesn’t open until 10:00, a full hour after the zoo opens! What the hell kind of Twilight Zone was I in? Maybe Dallas Zoo should do the same thing. “Uh, sorry dude, but the Giants of the Savanna exhibit doesn’t open for another hour, plus our Reptile House is also closed. Yeah, we’ll open it when we feel like it, man…go stare at some Maras, brother”. (That’s my Texas twang on a laptop screen) Seeing as I couldn’t find any Maras to kick across their yard, I calmed down and puttered around the zoo until the Grzimek House opened…at 9:37. What an absolute joke. The young keeper apologized to the 6 of us that were slapping our faces against the glass in a vain attempt to look like puppies in a window. There’s nothing quite like grownups patiently waiting outside of a house with a giant freaking bat statue directly above them. What would be really funny is if that fake bat deposited some fake guano on keepers who didn’t open animal buildings at the exact same time the zoo opens. How hard is it to have everything ready when people enter the zoo? If you can’t do it then perhaps change your opening times. I shake my head in disbelief. One thing that zoos need to remember, and this is something that John and I discussed on a couple of occasions, is that you have to imagine that each individual is seeing the zoo for the very first time. Having some old vultures not start selling tickets until 9:01, or the star attraction not opening until 9:37, or the second-star attraction not opening until 10:00…all of that is downright shoddy. Don’t worry, I really enjoyed Frankfurt Zoo, but these are important considerations. I vividly recall my wife complaining, justifiably, about Oakland Zoo back in 2011 because we had two very young kids and the first thing we saw was a couple of overflowing garbage cans and then the lavatories were just nasty. To this day, whenever my wife hears that city’s name, she’ll always say “Oakland Zoo was disgusting” even though she has no memory of any animal exhibits and perhaps it was a one-off, rough day for the zoo unlike any other. My point here is that a zoo should be clean, spotless in the lavatories, and have buildings open at the exact same time as when customers come through the gate. Otherwise, it is massively disappointing, and people will remember it forever.
The Grzimek House is named after the zoo’s former Director Bernhard Grzimek (Zoo Director from 1945-1974) and it is a splendid building that is in many ways a zoo nerd’s paradise. I counted exactly 39 exhibits, including several for Aye-ayes and Slow Lorises as some enclosures led into other ones while some enclosures were self-contained. I was inside the building for almost a full hour, and approximately the first 24 exhibits are in total darkness and then the final 15 exhibits are in a well-lit area. I could scarcely believe my luck as I went from exhibit to exhibit, seeing almost every single species that was there and enjoying myself immensely. I saw 4 Aye-ayes just inches away from the viewing window, in a series of dark exhibits, and I forgot just how large they are up close. I saw a Kowari buzzing around its enclosure, at least a half-dozen Slow Lorises puttering around their environment, two Echidnas snuffling for food, and at least 5 Australian Water Rats splashing around their barely-lit pool. The house is a zoological wonder, and with almost 40 exhibits and 45 species it seems to never end. It’s a facility that takes a long time to tour, because sometimes one has to look hard to locate the inhabitants and I would have probably taken even longer if I hadn’t hit a streak of good luck. In many cases, if the animal is motionless then the opportunity of seeing it is slim indeed. I had such a great time going through that when I got out…I immediately went through the whole thing again! Of course, on the second loop I went at a faster pace, but I stopped to pick up some of the previous no-shows and I counted off all of the exhibits and species for this post while I was feeling like a mole underground. All of the exhibits are very basic and old-fashioned in their presentation, but they are extremely well-furnished, and it scarcely matters as they are genuinely well-done and better than I had anticipated. Having said that, Omaha’s Kingdoms of the Night Nocturnal House is so much better than the Grzimek House that it’s scarcely worth discussing the differences. Omaha’s building is my all-time favourite zoo exhibit and going through it is an experience, plus there are just as many if not more exhibits, animals and rare species. However, setting Omaha aside, the Grzimek House is a phenomenal zoo-within-a-zoo and I highly recommend a visit for all zoo enthusiasts. Taking the building out of commission would knock off at least an hour or more from a typical visit, and the zoo is not that large to begin with. I think that the Nocturnal House doesn’t even need upgrading as it’s terrific just the way it is.
Grzimek House species list (45 species): In the order that the species appear: Golden Spiny Mouse, Tibesti Spiny Mouse, Golden Lion Tamarin/Two-toed Sloth/Three-banded Armadillo, Kowari, Coendou, Grey-bellied Night Monkey, Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat, Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur/Gray Lesser Mouse Lemur/Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec, Desert Dormouse, Pygmy Glider, Leaf-nosed Bat, Eastern Quoll, Springhare/Northern Lesser Galago/Aardvark, Aye-aye, Northern Ceylonese Sender Loris, Murine Mouse Opossum, Smooth-sided Toad, Australian Water Rat, Short-beaked Echidna/Tawny Frogmouth, Northern Tree Shrew, Black and Rufous Elephant Shrew, Small-clawed Otter, Veiled Chameleon, Short-eared Elephant Shrew, White-faced Saki, Javan Chevrotain, Goeldi’s Monkey/Green Acouchi, Komodo Dragon, Striped Grass Mouse, Common Gundi, Emperor Tamarin/Southern Tamandua, Sociable Weaver/Cape Ground Squirrel, Pygmy Marmoset and Dwarf Mongoose/Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax.
- I saw every species in the Nocturnal House except for the following 6: Three-banded Armadillo, Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec, Springhare, Murine Mouse Opossum, Smooth-sided Toad and Small-clawed Otter. That’s not too bad, with 39 out of 45 species sighted by me during my visit and that includes some real rarities. I think that the only exhibit that is relatively poor is the one for Small-clawed otters.
Next up was the Exotarium, which blew hot and cold for me. I’m guessing that for some zoo nerds they are desperately in love with this building and hope that everything stays the same…but the two levels are dramatically different in my opinion. The bottom floor was a bit of a disaster during my visit, with two empty tanks not making a great first impression. There are a couple of Australian Freshwater Crocodiles temporarily living in the old penguin pool as the penguins have moved to their brand-new habitat outside and elsewhere in the zoo. There are 6 touch screens that are all in one section and none of them were working and so that left 6 tanks without proper labeling. Lastly, my best estimate is that 90% of all the tanks have rust peeling off the walls, or simply look badly outdated and borderline decrepit. The whole bottom floor of the Exotarium truly needs an overhaul of epic proportions. Others might differ with that opinion, but the bottom floor could use a good scrub.
The good news is that the upper level, which apparently was closed at some point this year but thankfully was fully open except for the crocs, is terrific. A significant reptile collection in above-average terrariums is spread throughout an area that looks in good condition and combines the historic element of the zoo with a modern touch. An excellent part of the zoo and I’m thankful that it was open as work is being done to the roof of the Exotarium.
Reptile House/Exotarium species list (81 species): Australian Freshwater Crocodile, Carpet Python, Bredl’s Python, Royal Python, Emerald Tree Boa, Baron’s Green Racer, Western Hognose Snake, Arizona Mountain Kingsnake, Red Spitting Cobra, Plumed Basilisk, Serrated Basilisk, Central Bearded Dragon, Australian Water Dragon, Glauert’s Goanna, Desert Iguana, Rhinoceros Iguana, Utila Spiny-tailed Iguana, Baja Blue Rock Lizard, MacDougall’s Spiny Lizard, Smith’s Tropical Night Lizard, Bamboo Phelsuma, Black Agama, Gila Monster, Chuckwalla, Gorongosa Girdled Lizard, Green Keel-bellied Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Shingleback Lizard, Eyed Skink, Emperor Flat Lizard, Sungazer, Western Bearded Anole, Large-headed Anole, Giant Malagasy Day Gecko, Eyelash Gecko, Turquoise Dwarf Gecko, Panther Chameleon, Angonoka Tortoise, Pancake Tortoise, Radiated Tortoise, Egyptian Tortoise, Matamata, Razor-backed Musk Turtle, Chicken Turtle, Pig-nosed Turtle, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Eastern Long-necked Turtle, River Cooter, Eastern Painted Turtle, Florida Red-bellied Turtle, Black-knobbed Sawback Turtle, European Pond Turtle, Alligator Snapping Turtle, Tomato Frog, Long-nosed Horned Frog, Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, Green and Black Poison Dart Frog, Yellow-headed Poison Dart Frog, Golden Poison Frog, Blue Poison Frog, Cuvier’s Foam Froglet, Yucatan Casqueheaded Tree Frog, Common Tree Frog, Red-eyed Tree Frog, White-lipped Tree Frog, Colorado River Toad, Smooth-sided Toad, Asian Common Toad, Axolotl, Brazilian White-knee Tarantula, Red-knee Tarantula, Giant Forest Scorpion, Rosy Beetle, Golden-eyed Stick Insect, Leaf Insect (medauroidea extradentata), Walking Violin, Giant Grasshopper, Leaf-cutting Ant, Giant Millipede, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and Terrestrial Hermit Crab.
Visiting the Grzimek House and Exotarium took up a full two hours, especially with me taking a photo of every single animal sign in order to compile the lists that I have included in this review. I didn’t bother with the Aquarium area as that was a hopeless case. Frankfurt is not a very big zoo, although I can see how some folks could camp out all day long in an attempt to locate a Kowari or find the last Anole in a terrarium…but I also can name two people that finished Frankfurt in less than the 5 hours that I spent in the zoo. I didn’t eat any lunch here and I was pretty much moving the whole time (when not pausing to take 400 photos and locate missing species) and it’s pretty cool that 2 hours of that time was spent in just a couple of buildings. The zoo also has two other notable indoor areas and so let’s take a look at those now.
Borgori-Wald (Great Ape House): This massive structure contains a trio of great ape species (4 Lowland Gorillas, 4 Sumatran Orangutans and 16 Bonobos that are split into two troops). I saw a sign for Binturongs in with the orangs, but I didn’t see any there. I do love the European theme of mixing apes with various species and I have no clue why that idea hasn’t caught on in North American zoos. The indoor ape accommodation is awesome, which is crucial as time and time again in zoos all over the world I’ve seen gorgeous outdoor habitats and the apes simply prefer to stay inside. Frankfurt Zoo’s indoor accommodation for great apes is amongst the best I’ve ever seen. The outdoor yards for gorillas and orangutans are also pretty good, but the Bonobos seemed a little starved for space. With such a huge group, 16 animals, they need an extension of their environment to keep them occupied and mentally enriched. Still, by today’s standards, a premier great ape house and it was a joy to see it.
Bird House: This historic structure has the old-fashioned approach of keeping birds in fairly small, diorama-like displays in the first room, and then the aviaries improve in size as one progresses through the house. Unlike the disaster of an Aquarium, this house is more in line with the reptile section in that it is clean, well-maintained and has some crazy old German tiles as a backdrop in some exhibits but also has a softening of the architecture with some natural substrate. The Marabou Stork all-indoor enclosure is a bit bizarre and I’m not sure about that one, but the other aviaries worked for me because the inhabitants are mainly all very tiny birds. Also, outside the Bird House are the ‘Biotope Aviaries’, which don’t really work very well because visitors are forced to proceed through a series of metal doors instead of viewing the birds in a single large vista. It’s cramped in there and the doors slam constantly.
Bird House species list (40 species): Marabou Stork, Straw-necked Ibis, Gouldian Finch, Red-headed Parrot Finch, Blue-black Grassquit, Cuban Grassquit, African Mountain White-eye, Blue-headed Waxbill, Purple Grenadier, Purple Honeycreeper, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Village Weaver, Montserrat Oriole, Ultramarine Grosbeak, Golden-breasted Starling, Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Island Canary, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Java Sparrow, Little Grebe, Budgerigar, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Black-naped Fruit Dove, Blue-naped Fruit Dove, Bartlett Bleeding-heart Dove, Socorro Dove, Blue-necked Tanager, Bearded Barbet, Grey-winged Trumpeter, Sunbittern, Mountain Quail and Visayan Tarictic Hornbill. There is then a small free-flight aviary with these 8 species: White-crowned Robin Chat, Crested Wood Partridge, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Bali Mynah, Nicobar Pigeon, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Fischer’s Turaco and Pheasant Pigeon.
When one looks at the Nocturnal House, the Exotarium (at least the stellar reptile section), the Great Apes complex and its amazing indoor accommodation, and the Bird House, Frankfurt Zoo has truly world-class sections and I found that I liked the zoo a lot more than I was expecting. The new Humboldt Penguin exhibit, which just opened after 2.5 years of delayed construction, is fantastic and it slots in seamlessly in the center of the zoo with the South African Fur Seal complex. In fact, it almost appears as if the two exhibits blend together into a cohesive area as there is similar mock-rock stylings. Up by the zoo’s entrance is an outstanding Spectacled Bear exhibit with at least 4 bears and they were extremely active during my visit. What a wonderful area, complete with a Giant Anteater enclosure…and are the Bush Dogs in with the bears? It certainly seemed that way, judging from the placement of the signs, although I couldn’t locate any Bush Dogs. Do they avoid the larger species as much as possible?
There are some hoofstock exhibits that are adequate but nothing exemplary, like the ones for species such as Eastern Bongo, Okapi, Addax, Bactrian Camel, Yellow-backed Duiker and Reticulated Giraffe, with a Kirk’s Dik-Dik the smallest ungulate in the zoo. There are a few other areas of note, like a nice gibbon habitat and a Cat House with Asian Lions, Sumatran Tigers, Fossas and Rusty-spotted Cats (although that particular exhibit was closed down as it is getting refurbished). There is a Kiwi House (good luck with spotting a bird there!) and a Bird of Prey section (including Bearded Vultures and Bateleur Eagles).
The Small Monkey House, with the zebra-striped plane on the roof, is an old-school house with ugly tiles and a softened visitor area with a woodchip floor. The Hamadryas Baboon outdoor ‘blob’ should be demolished as that rockwork becomes incredibly hot in the summer months. The 1962 building isn’t pretty indoors, but the outdoor exhibits for Variegated Spider Monkeys, Yellow-breasted Capuchins and Ring-tailed Lemurs are all pretty good. Inside the Small Monkey House are 6 smaller species, with the most notable being one for Short-eared Elephant Shrews. A great thing about all of these European animal houses is that there are little treasures to be found tucked away in corners. Some zoo visitors saw the monkeys and lemurs in their outside exhibits and thus didn’t bother going into the building, but then they missed 6 small exhibits! Egads! How can they go on living?
I think that the Tammar Wallaby and West Caucasian Tur area needs to be radically overhauled as it has seen better days, but I do have a major complaint about one section of the zoo. The Rhino/Hippo House is not really suited to those animals in terms of modern-day welfare for zoo inhabitants. I can recall being disgusted by Fort Worth Zoo’s small hippo pool in 2008 and eventually the zoo spent millions on a brand-new hippo exhibit with underwater viewing and all the bells and whistles. Also, in 2008, I saw the hippo pool at Memphis Zoo and once again millions were later spent on building a shiny new hippo ‘river’. Now I come to Frankfurt’s hippo pool, which surely is one of the smallest hippo pools on the continent. I saw the zoo’s only hippo lumber out of his pool in the antiquated house, and the water in there was black as night and filthy, and he went outside to the small sandy area and plunged into a very tiny pool that is probably only twice as long as he is. Honestly, unless the hippo is elderly, would it make any difference for the zoo to send the hippo (and the solitary Black Rhino) to other zoos? I think that it should be done ASAP.
Overall, Frankfurt is arguably still one of the great zoos of Europe and I’d be intrigued to read some responses. It’s got the Artis/Antwerp vibe in that it’s a very old zoo that still has relevance in the modern world. There are no longer elephants at Frankfurt, unlike the other two zoos, but the Nocturnal House, Reptile House (top floor of Exotarium), Great Ape House and Bird House all are joys to tour. Frankfurt is possibly an all-day zoo for some zoo nerds, especially with the many small exhibits in the various buildings, but close to 5 hours was enough for me as I had another reasonably large zoo on the near horizon. I kept moving and packed a lot into my memorable Frankfurt visit, including a copious number of photos in order to supply the animal lists for this review. It’s nice when a zoo exceeds one’s expectations.
I then drove 30 minutes west to a mid-sized zoo.
Zoo/Aquarium # 40: Opel Zoo (Kronberg, DE)
This was my 40th zoo of the trip and the facility opened in 1956 and apparently receives almost as many visitors as Frankfurt. There are approximately 800,000 annual visitors on the zoo’s 67 acres/27 hectares, and this is a very intriguing zoological establishment. First of all, I want to mention the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), which was signed into law in 1990. Now, I do not have any kind of disability and I’m not an American, but I’ve read of many zoos in the United States having to smooth out steep slopes to accommodate people in wheelchairs, or zoos having to add in ramps so that every single American can have full access to various amenities. Even major zoos like San Diego have had to add or remove cement pathways in their canyon zones so that specific requirements are met. Anyway, all of this leads me to Opel Zoo’s crazy steep slopes that are all over the park. This is just the first example of a zoo where one’s calf muscles burn after a visit. I’m curious to know if there is any sort of European Disabilities Act, because in the next few days (don’t forget I’m always ahead of this blog) there were more German zoos with unbelievable slopes. I guess that hills are allowed on zoo pathways but I’m curious nonetheless.
Opel Zoo is a real mixed-bag, but it does have some notable sections that I’m tempted to call world-class. The African Elephant exhibit is one of them, home to a trio of African Elephants and even though the barn looks like a greenhouse it is spacious inside for the small herd. The outdoor paddocks are grassy, expansive and on a slope so that the elephants have to work hard to move around their exhibit. There was a keeper talk and the staff member was holding a poster up and speaking in German. There was some discussion about the size of the exhibit. Does Opel Zoo have the largest elephant exhibit in Germany? Certainly, it must be one of the biggest and a fancy restaurant overlooks the habitat. My only complaint is that public feeding, which is rampant in Germany, is encouraged in the form of carrots. The great thing about that is the elephants come right over to the public and it keeps them occupied even though human hands cannot reach all the way in to touch a trunk. However, is it a positive thing overall?
Another fantastic area is the African Savanna that is the first thing visitors see when they walk in the gates. I counted 4 Rothschild’s Giraffes, 4 Blue Wildebeest, 4 Plains Zebra and several Impala on an expansive savanna that contains a fake baobab tree with enrichment feeders. The Giraffe Barn looks new, bright, airy and enormous in comparison to the outdated, rusty, dark Giraffe Barn 30 minutes down the road at Frankfurt Zoo. I really enjoyed Frankfurt, but it’s amazing how the welfare of the animals is dramatically improved in better surroundings…especially in a long, cold, bleak German winter. If I had some Giraffes, then I know which zoo I’d want them at! Next to the giraffes is another new-looking exhibit that is fantastic and it’s for African Penguins. Between the sprawling African savanna, the world-class elephant habitat and the penguins, Opel Zoo was initially looking great!
This good feeling continued as the trail wound down past Dwarf Mongooses, Nyala in a steeply-sloping paddock, Meerkats, Striped Hyenas (two exhibits), Marabou Storks, Griffon Vultures, Indian Crested Porcupines and Barbaby Macaques (in a bit of an ugly cage) to round out an African zone that is mainly all good. Then there are Bactrian Red Deer in a huge exhibit, White-handed Gibbons (with diabolical indoor quarters), Lesser Flamingos, various waterfowl, Red Pandas high up in a real tree, Persian Fallow Deer (a true subspecies?) in a couple of yards that are only accessed by sheer willpower as they are quite a hike. The view of the city from up there is splendid, even with the fog that I dealt with during my visit. I saw species such as Chinese/Reeves’ Muntjac being fed by visitors, Common Eland, Blackbuck, Visayan Spotted Deer, Sika Deer, Mouflon, European Mink, Eurasian Lynx, European Wildcat, Geoffrey’s Cat, Coati, Red Fox, Arctic Fox, Bat-eared Fox, Red Kangaroo, a mother Cheetah with 6 newborns only a month old, Babirusa, Bush Hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei), many aviaries for small birds, European Ground Squirrel and a whole host of caged enclosures in the bottom half of the zoo. Once you get through everything, one has to summon up all of their remaining strength (which is bloody difficult after a very long day of zoo-ing) and head straight up all the way through the zoo again until one reaches the top. Waiting there by the cafe is a machine selling cigarettes, perhaps the first time I’ve ever seen that in a zoo.
Opel Zoo has a magnificent elephant complex, a terrific giraffe exhibit and African Savanna, some other great bits and bobs (penguins, cheetahs, big walk-through waterfowl aviary), etc., but also a number of older sections that look a bit grotty and messy. There are easily half-a-dozen extremely steep slopes in all directions, making me reminisce of a couple of visits that I’ve had to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in the past. If one is content to see all of Frankfurt Zoo in 5 hours, then I highly recommend heading down the road to Opel Zoo as the facility has late-night hours all summer long and doesn’t close until 7:00 each evening and the zoo is good for a 3-hour visit. Perhaps I should have stayed there and had a beer and a burger as the elephants were fed carrots at dusk…although once I sat down, I’m not sure that my legs could face that steep climb back to civilization.
although to be quite honest I only visited because it was there and I was visiting Aachen anyway for history-and-culture nerd reasons.... and to have the excuse to walk to the nearby BE/NE/DE tripoint and stand in all three countries at once!
