Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

[Batto]

OK, I understand those "rules of the road", but what's the rule for the following situation: Suppose I'm moving down the Autobahn with my cruise control set at 145 kph and I encounter a slower vehicle going, say, 130 kph. I move over to the left passing lane to pass this slower car, when some obnoxious BMW suddenly emerges going 170 kph and dangerously gets on my tail, maybe a meter behind my bumper. What am I supposed to do?

The German Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO), which is the main official system of rules for travelling on German roads, is pretty clear on this: safety comes first. If you can safely swerve to the right, you should do so and let the tailgater pass. If not, calmly continue with the overtaking manoeuvre and then swerve to the right once it's safe to do so. If the aggressive tailgating and the obscene gestures are excessive, make sure to write down the tailgater's license plate and report this to the police; if you have a witness or more on board, even better. Aggressive tailgating and obscene gestures / insults can lead to fines up to more than 1000 € and even to the loss of one's driving license.
I'd add Audi (especially in black or white) to the German car brands often associated with aggressive tailgating.
Driving in Poland itself has indeed been rather pleasant, at least in regard to the other drivers' behavior. Maybe they have to release their stored up excessive racing lust once they leave Poland?

 

[Batto]

because I’m walking around 95 zoos in one summer without being able to read any of the cool signage that is on offer.

Then why not download and use a translation app?

Lowland Gorillas, Bornean Orangutans, Siamangs, White-cheeked Gibbons, White-naped Mangabeys, White-nosed Guenons, Roloway Monkeys, Lion-tailed Macaques, Black and White Colobus, Two-toed Sloths, Northern Tree Shrews

No king colobus?

are they Kodiak or Kamchatka or Grizzlie

Kamchatka.

As for phasing out zoo maps, just consider two aspects:
- less rubbish
- saving money
Given that Duisburg is one of the poorest cities in Germany, its zoo is also trying to cut costs wherever possible.


Belated add-on: melanistic springboks are not that "ultra-rare"; they pop up at commercial game farms in SA now and then.

 

[jwer]

Congratulations on completing the ultimate ZooNerd pilgrimage to Duisburg on time to see the Orinoco river dolphin! If it wasn’t for the heat, I could sit in Rio Negro all day.

The Duisburg Äquatorium or ape house is legendary for the species that it has held. Bit like the Grzimek house. With a decent guidebook, you might have enjoyed the history of it more than what it is at the moment; a cement block containing too many (but still fascinating) species in (mostly) terribly inadequate cages. But the stories it could tell...

Emmen’s Wildlands also started out without a map, even without signs near the exhibits, and people were told to download the app instead. It was one of the biggest complaints and one of the first things remedied (thankfully). Can’t believe Duisburg is trying to run into the same brick wall...

And Batto is right, I’ve seen an app where you would move your camera over a foreign tekst and your phone would translate it before your very eyes. Then again, you probably don’t have the time to read everything

 

[Dassie rat]

3. Wuppertal is the 4th German zoo with all four Great Ape species. Others are Berlin, Leipzig, and Stuttgart. The only other European zoo I know of with all 4 is the UK's Twycross. Over here in the USA, the last I heard Fort Worth was the only American zoo, but not sure if they still have all 4. Then again, two places I've never considered going to (Duke Primate Center and Appenhuel) may also have all 4.

Sorry, ANyhuis. There are three species of orang-utans and two species of gorillas.

 

[CGSwans]

Zoo/Aquarium # 54: Duisburg Zoo (Duisburg, DE)

I need to begin this review with a tragic message:

You’re a monster.

 

[lintworm]

(labeled as ursus arctos on at least one sign but are they Kodiak or Kamchatka or Grizzlies or what?)

Ursus arctos is just Brown bear, also European brown bears belong to that species (being the nominate subspecies). Gelsenkirchen is one of the few zoos in Europe to keep a non-European subspecies.

The pool itself is enormous, sculptured with mock-rock, and the guidebook (90 pages and free with your ticket!) states that the exhibit is “Europe’s largest sea lion facility”.

The enclosures in Beekse Bergen and Nuremberg are easily bigger. But zoos in general often overstate such things (I am looking at you Omaha)...

Africa: This loop is also of a very high quality, naturally because it’s still fairly new and was built to modern standards. Species included are African Lion, Spotted Hyena, Indian Crested Porcupine, Dwarf Mongoose, Rothschild Giraffe, Common Eland, Grant’s Zebra, a Kraal with Ankole Cattle and some goats, Ostrich, Greater Kudu, Springbok, Sable Antelope, Nyala, Impala, Blesbok, Meerkat and probably a dozen bird species including Lesser Flamingos and Pink-backed Pelicans. The big Savanna exhibit really is eye-catching, stretching on for several acres and with undulating hills, and the giraffe/antelope yard is equally impressive although smaller than the enormous Savanna. I was not inclined whatsoever to get on a slow-moving ‘African Queen’ boat ride, but I had a delightful lunch staring down at a trio of White Rhinos that were seemingly oblivious to the Springbok darting in and out of their enclosure. The antelope species from the Savanna can access the rhino yard but not the other way around. The Olive Baboon exhibit holds attention simply because of the sheer numbers of monkeys (maybe 50?) and their activity level is enormously high. Where do they get all of their energy from? Side yards for Common Hippos and Sitatunga round out a really excellent part of the zoo, although the Chimpanzee habitat didn’t quite work for me. Chimps often seem bored in zoos, and the space they have here is decent, but the glaring red mock-rock and the lack of enrichment is puzzling. Zoos really need to go above and beyond for Chimpanzees as providing them a large habitat is quite often never enough to keep the animals thoroughly engaged.

Do they still have vultures on the Savannah? Gelsenkirchen is one of the last European zoos to do such an outdated thing.

Asia: This is the newest (2010) and by far shortest loop of the zoo, and a bit disappointing due to the lack of animals. There are a handful of outdoor exhibits that are okay but underwhelming (Binturong, Amur Tiger, Red Panda, Bactrian Camel) and then the Pig-tailed Macaque enclosure works exceptionally well simply because there must be at least 30 macaques destroying the joint. There is nothing quite like a large number of primates, just about the most popular type of animal in a zoo, to create interest with visitors. I’m no different as I love primates as they are often active and engaging. The final outdoor section of the Asia loop is a pair of large exhibits for yet another mixed-species European delight: Sumatran Orangutans, Small-clawed Otters and Hanuman Langurs. The langurs are probably extinct in North American zoos and I’ve always loved seeing the species (I remember them well from Chattanooga Zoo in Tennessee almost a decade ago) and seeing the monkeys interact with the much larger apes was a delight. The outdoor exhibits clearly lack shade structures, although overall the dozen or so primates were all on the ground during my visit anyway.

Well the Tiger exhibit is too small and rather ugly imo. A lot of zoos seem to think that bamboo = immersion....

So, what to make of ZOOM Erlebniswelt in Gelsenkirchen? If you go back to the second paragraph in this review, I provided a brief summary on why this particular zoo isn’t a ‘zoo nerd paradise’. ZOOM lacks the rarities that bring out zoo nerds in droves, there isn’t a lot of character about the place, many of the animal species are predictable, with no surprises around corners due to the straight, one-way-only trails. Having said that, if one decides to peruse the ZooChat gallery they will see some really top-quality animal exhibits that have all been built during this century. There’s nowhere that is old and grimy, with rickety fencing or cramped quarters. Nothing needs to be bulldozed and if I was giving marks for overall exhibit quality then the zoo is probably an 8.5 or 9 out of 10. The Brown Bear/California Sea Lion/Polar Bear trio are fantastic, and the huge African Savanna and side yards for giraffes, rhinos and baboons are all very nice to see. The zoo could bring in some elephants to either Asia or Africa for its next act, or if there is space then a large South American complex would be the obvious next major addition. Some folks have pointed out that ZOOM has become a bit stagnant over the past decade and that’s because everything there is already new, and it will be decades before a revamp is needed. ZOOM is a very nice, half-day zoo and it sits in contrast to places like Wuppertal, Dortmund and Duisburg that possibly will appeal to zoo nerds more so than the facility in Gelsenkirchen. For me, ZOOM is like a larger, better version of Nashville Zoo, in that it’s all been constructed in recent memory and the exhibit quality is quite impressive.

I quite like ZOOM, many enclosures are pretty good and the setting is often attractive. It has however some of the lowest quality mock rock anywhere, which I often find really ugly and several enclosures put visitors before animals (Snowy owls, Rhino, Tiger, Chimpanzee). I cannot really like ZOOM however as it misses a soul completely. I understand that from a N-American perspective ZOOM might be a bit more like the zoos back home, but give me a Dortmund or a Belfast with its quirky charms.
.

One thing in my favour is that I can unfortunately not read any German and the lack of all-English signs in all of these zoos and aquariums is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the trip. This whole ‘zoo vacation’ has surpassed all expectations and been outstanding, but there is obviously a little frustration because I’m walking around 95 zoos in one summer without being able to read any of the cool signage that is on offer.

You have to be aware that most facilities do hardly get non-native visitors. Dutch-German signs are common enough in border areas or Dutch-French in Belgium. But apart from big touristy cities like Amsterdam English signage is just unnecessary. At least almost every zoo will have scientific and english names posted....

The German Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO), which is the main official system of rules for travelling on German roads, is pretty clear on this: safety comes first. If you can safely swerve to the right, you should do so and let the tailgater pass. If not, calmly continue with the overtaking manoeuvre and then swerve to the right once it's safe to do so. If the aggressive tailgating and the obscene gestures are excessive, make sure to write down the tailgater's license plate and report this to the police; if you have a witness or more on board, even better. Aggressive tailgating and obscene gestures / insults can lead to fines up to more than 1000 € and even to the loss of one's driving license.
I'd add Audi (especially in black or white) to the German car brands often associated with aggressive tailgating.

I have to add that if you could see the car coming in the distance, you should not have started taking over, as you are officially obstructing another vehicle as he has to brake because of you. That said they often come really fast and cannot always be seen far ahead and their behaviour of pushing you back to the/your right lane is bad.

 

[HOMIN96]

some obnoxious BMW

It's always a BMW

 

[littleRedPanda]

Cheers @snowleopard for the Wuppertal review in particular and @Philipine eagle for the heads up on parking.

 

[vogelcommando]

I wonder how many zoos have the director's house on zoo grounds? I don't recall seeing that at any of the hundred plus zoos I have visited (USA and Europe) with the notable exception of two non-accredited specialty facilities: Cat Haven (California) and Out Of Africa (Arizona). Also maybe at some exotic rescue facilities.

Strange that it seem to be so rare in your opinion. Actualy all 3 zoos were I worked had next to the animals also a director ( with his family ) to inhabit the zoo ( Walsrode Gettorf - both Germany and Pairi Daiza - Belgium ).

 

[vogelcommando]

The Duisburg Äquatorium or ape house is legendary for the species that it has held. Bit like the Grzimek house. With a decent guidebook, you might have enjoyed the history of it more than what it is at the moment; a cement block containing too many (but still fascinating) species in (mostly) terribly inadequate cages. But the stories it could tell...

A thread about the history and species-list of this building, see :

Review of the Äquatorium - Zoo Duisburg [Zoo Duisburg]

 

[Arek]

I enjoy seeing high-quality, naturalistic zoo habitats and so ZOOM is right up my alley. The layout is similar to Planckendael, with a central path leading to a tall, totem pole-like structure, and at ZOOM all three trails begin and end at the exact same meeting spot. The things that can be accomplished when building an entirely new zoo! Much like GaiaZOO in the Netherlands, ZOOM Erlebniswelt is divided into biomes and here it is Alaska, Africa and Asia.

You compare Gelsenkirchen to Planckendael and Kerkrade but the loops in Gaia Zoo are much smaller and in Planckendał are many shorcuts. In Zoom loops are without shorcuts and huge (especially African) and if you would like to go back, for example from baboons to hyenas, a very long way is waiting for you.
For zoo nerds the most interesting species at Gelsenkirchen is Red-tailed moustached monkey (keeping in only three european zoos) but also collection of antilopes is worth the visit.
I agree that Asia is poorer part of zoo. Fortunately, I visited it at the beginning of my tour, so I've kept better parts of zoo in my mind.

 

[Arek]

I need to begin this review with a tragic message: Duisburg Zoo no longer produces maps

Cha cha, I know some guys who spend more time in zooshop looking for zoo guides, zoo maps and postcards than visiting whole zoo.
There were times that Duisburg Zoo regularly published guides (over thirty since 1970, the last time in 2012).

 

[Arek]

As for phasing out zoo maps, just consider two aspects:
- less rubbish
- saving money
Given that Duisburg is one of the poorest cities in Germany, its zoo is also trying to cut costs wherever possible.

But zoo could sell it for 25-50 cents and earn some money. In zooshop they have nice collection of postcards so they could add maps.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I have quite a few other points to make when I have more time, but for now:

the whole facility did not reopen until late in 2017 and that is why I don’t know of any zoo nerds that have been back since then.

I’d be interested to learn of any other zoo enthusiasts that have made the trek to Dusseldorf since the reopening of the establishment to see if they concur with my thoughts.

Ask and ye shall receive I visited in April 2018 and really enjoyed the place. Got rather more detailed thoughts on your opinions, but for now I will note that I did take copious tank-by-tank notes (intended for my Last Saloon thread) and as I won't get to that point in proceedings for a while I shall share the resulting walkthrough list now for comparative purposes:

This collection, being based on the lines of a museum exhibition, is subdivided into various exhibit categories, not all of which contain live exhibits. I have made note of where the division between categories is located wherever possible.

A1 - Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica)

B – EXHIBITION ON SINGLE-CELLED LIFE

C1 – Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp.)
C2 – Fireworm (Eurythoe complanata)
C3 - Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis)
C4 - Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni), Tiger Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus bellulus), Large Polyp Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sinuosa), Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) and Elegant Hermit Crab (Calcinus elegans)
C5 - Small Red Scorpionfish (Scorpaena notata), Small-spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) and Cardinalfish (Apogon imberbis)
C6 - Lake Pátzcuaro Salamander (Ambystoma dumerilii)
C7 – Giant Asian Mantis (Hierodula membranacea)
C8 - Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)
C9 - Harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) and Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
C10 - Afghan Mouse-like Hamster (Calomyscus mystax)

D1 - Splitfin Flashlightfish (Anomalops katoptron)
D2 – Cylinder Anemone (Cerianthus membranaceus)
D3 – Dead Man’s Fingers (Alcyonium digitatum)
D4 – Cow Bream (Sarpa salpa), European Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and Common Seastar (Asterias rubens)
D5 - Boarfish (Capros aper), Longspine Snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax) and
Common topknot (Zeugopterus punctatus)
D6 – European Lobster (Homarus gammarus) and Damselfish (Chromis chromis)
D7 – Common Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
D8 - Largescaled Scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa), Mediterranean Moray (Muraena helena) and Common Hermit Crab (Pagurus bernhardus)
D9 - Darkflank Pipefish (Syngnathus taenionotus), Long-snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), Short-snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus), Sand Goby (Pomatoschistus minutus), Tubular Sea Cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa) and Mediterranean Red Seastar (Echinaster sepositus)
D10 – Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita)
D11 - Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus), Laced Moray (Gymnothorax favagineus), Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus), Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens), Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus), Bluespine Unicornfish (Naso unicornis), Oman Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera jayakari), Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americana), Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), Bristle-tail File-fish (Acreichthys tomentosus), Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum), Azure Demoiselle (Chrysiptera hemicyanea), Bubble-tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) and Red Spine Star (Protoreaster linckii)

E1 - Desjardin's Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma desjardini), Canary Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus), Banded Pipefish (Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus), Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), Clown Anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris), Flame Hawkfish (Neocirrhites armatus), Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis), Bluespine Unicornfish (Naso unicornis), Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus), Sohal Surgeonfish (Acanthurus sohal), Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus), Powderblue Surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucosternon), Harlequin Filefish (Oxymonacanthus longirostris), Magnificent Rabbitfish (Siganus magnificus), Orange Dottyback (Pseudochromis aldabraensis), Pajama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera), Sixline Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia), Blue-green Damselfish (Chromis viridis) and Yellowtail Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)

F1 - Bristle-tail File-fish (Acreichthys tomentosus) and Orange Cup Coral (Tubastraea coccinea)
F2 - Barbour's Seahorse (Hippocampus barbouri), Longsnout Seahorse (Hippocampus reidi), Yellow-banded Pipefish (Dunckerocampus pessuliferus) and Episcopal Miter (Mitra mitra)
F3 - Tiger Snake Eel (Myrichthys maculosus), Radial Firefish (Pterois radiata), Leaf Scorpionfish (Taenianotus triacanthus), Twospot Turkeyfish (Dendrochirus biocellatus), Zebra Turkeyfish (Dendrochirus zebra) and Broadbarred Firefish (Pterois antennata)
F4 - Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum), Guineafowl Puffer (Arothron meleagris), Blackbar Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus), Yellow-spotted triggerfish (Blue triggerfish) (Rippled triggerfish) (Pseudobalistes fuscus), Yellow-spotted Triggerfish (Pseudobalistes fuscus) and Red-toothed Triggerfish (Odonus niger)
F5 - Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), Bullseye Jawfish (Opistognathus scops), Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis), Spotfin Hogfish (Bodianus pulchellus) and Canary Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
F6 - Purple Club-nosed Wrasse (Gomphosus varius), Black Long-spined Urchin (Diadema setosum), Canary Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus), Banded Sleeper Goby (Amblygobius phalaena), Spotted Sharpnose (Canthigaster solandri), Green Brittle Star (Ophiarachna incrassate) and Magnificent Urchin (Astropyga magnifica)
F7 – Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) and Bristle-tail File-fish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
F8 – Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) and Spotted Porcelain Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)
F9 – UNLABELLED CORAL
F10 – UNLABELLED CORAL
F11 – UNLABELLED CORAL
F12 – Open Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi) and Banded Boxer Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
F13 - Razorfish (Aeoliscus strigatus) and Black Long-spined Urchin (Diadema setosum)
F14 - Scribbled Pipefish (Corythoichthys intestinalis) and Bristle-tail File-fish (Acreichthys tomentosus)
F15 – Tiger Cowrie (Cypraea tigris) and Banded Pipefish (Dunckerocampus dactyliophorus)

G1 – Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
G2 - Tequila Splitfin (Zoogoneticus tequila)

H1 - Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi), Black Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi), Yellow Piranha (Serrasalmus maculatus) and Redhump Eartheater (Geophagus steindachneri)
H2 - Freshwater Puffer Fish (Tetraodon mbu)
H3 - Ameca Shiner (Notropis amecae)
H4 - Somphongs's Rasbora (Trigonostigma somphongsi), Cinnamon Loach (Pangio pangia) and Bamboo Shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis)
H5 - Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus), Reedfish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus, Spotted Climbing Perch (Ctenopoma acutirostre), Gray Bichir (Polypterus senegalus) and Large-spot Catfish (Synodontis ocellifer)
H6 - Celebes Halfbeak (Nomorhamphus liemi) and Celebes Rainbow (Marosatherina ladigesi)
H7 – Burmese Archerfish (Toxotes blythii)
H8 - Ornate Bichir (Polypterus ornatipinnis)
H9 - Malawi Golden Cichlid (Melanochromis auratus), Electric Yellow ( Labidochromis caeruleus), Nkhomo-benga Peacock (Aulonocara baenschi) and Venustus Cichlid (Nimbochromis venustus)

I1 - Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi), Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) and Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)
I2 - Four-eyed Fish (Anableps anableps)
I3 - Freshwater Butterflyfish (Pantodon buchholzi) and Striped Dwarf Cichlid (Pelvicachromis taeniatus)
I4 - Ulenger (Mormyrus rume)
I5 - Golden-lined Panaque (Panaque cf. armbrusteri), Gold-nugget Pleco (Baryancistrus xanthellus), Lyre-tail Pleco (Acanthicus hystrix) and Flash Pleco (Panaqolus albivermis)
I6 - Bumblebee Fish (Brachygobius xanthozonus), Honey Gourami (Trichogaster chuna) and Gold Ring Butterfly Sucker (Sewellia lineolata)
I7 - Red Hook Silver Dollar (Myloplus rubripinnis) and Argentine Pim Catfish (Pimelodus albicans)
I8 - Blind Cave Tetra (Astyanax jordani)
I9 - Long-snouted Pipefish (Doryichthys boaja) and Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)

J1 - Diamond Tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri), Amazon Puffer (Colomesus asellus), Spotted Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecus maculatus), Palito (Sturisomatichthys aureus), Purple Dwarf Pencilfish (Nannostomus rubrocaudatus), Sajica Cichlid (Amatitlania sajica), Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis), Jewel Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques) and Mountain Crystal Tetra (Protocheirodon pi)
J2 - Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi), Freshwater Puffer Fish (Tetraodon mbu) and West African Lungfish (Protopterus annectens)

K1 – European Crayfish (Astacus astacus)
K2 - Northern Pike (Esox lucius), European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) and European Eel (Anguilla anguilla)
K3 - Tench (Tinca tinca)
K4 - Barbel (Barbus barbus) and European Chub (Squalius cephalus)
K5 - Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) and Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
K6 - Eurasian Minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus)
K7 - Gudgeon (Gobio gobio)
K8 - Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
K9 - European Bitterling (Rhodeus amarus), Spined Loach (Cobitis taenia) and Swan Mussel (Anodonta cygnea)
K10 – EMPTY TANK
K11 – EMPTY TANK

L1 - Bali Mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi) and Atlantic Mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarous)
L2 - Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnsoni)

M1 - African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
M2 - Gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi)

N1 - Red-legged Golden Orb Spider (Nephila sumptuosa)
N2 – EMPTY TANK
N3 - Whip Scorpion (Damon variegatus)
N4 - Curlyhair Tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosum)
N5 – Tiger Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina grandidieri) and Giant African Olive Millipede (Telodeinopus aoutii)
N6 - Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus imperator)
N7 – Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)
N8 – Egyptian Predator Beetle (Anthia sexmaculata)
N9 - Filipino Walking Leaf (Phyllium philippinicum)
N10 - Macleay’s Spectre (Extatosoma tiaratum) and Malayan Jungle Nymph (Heteropteryx dilatata)
N11 – Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus)
N12 – African Stalk-eyed Fly (Diasemopsis meigenii)
N13 – African Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes sp.)
N14 – African Cave Cricket (Phaeophilacris bredoides)
N15 – Garden Fruit Chafer (Pachnoda sinuate)
N16 – Malaysian Leaf Katydid (Ancylecha fenestrate)
N17 – Peruvian Stick Insect (Oreophoetes peruana) and Ethiopian Cricket (Homeogryllus xanthographica)
N18 – African Death’s Head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos)
N19 – Red-spotted Assassin Bug (Platymeris rhadamanthus)
N20 – Jewel Wasp (Ampulex compressa)
N21 – Giant African Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis)
N22 – Leafcutter Ant (Acromyrmex sp.)

O – AQUAZOO-LÖBBECKE MUSEUM

P – AQUAZOO-LÖBBECKE MUSEUM

Q1 - Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
Q2 - Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnsoni)
Q3 - Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
Q4 - Black-bellied Slider (Trachemys callirostris), Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), Florida Cooter (Pseudemys concinna floridana), Texas Map Turtle (Graptemys versa) and Southern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys dorsalis)
Q5 - Greenish Acuchy (Myoprocta pratti) and Common Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

R1 - Baird's Ratsnake (Pantherophis bairdi)
R2 - Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)
R3 - Solomon Island Skink (Corucia zebrata) and Southern Brown Tortoise (Manouria emys emys)
R4 - Green Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus)

S1 - Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas)
S2 - Mission Golden-eyed Tree Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)
S3 - Riobamba Marsupial Frog (Gastrotheca riobambae) and Sabana Surinam Toad (Pipa parva)
S4 – Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans)
S5 - Kaiser's Spotted Newt (Neurergus kaiseri)
S6 - Little Rock Frog (Staurois parvus)

T1 - Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata)
T2 - Malagasy Ground Boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis)
T3 - Gunther's FIat-tail Gecko (Uroplatus guentheri)
T4 - Standing's Day Gecko (Phelsuma standingi)
T5 - Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle (Cuora trifasciata)
T6 - Knob-scaled Lizard (Xenosaurus grandis)
T7 - Ocellated Skink (Chalcides ocellatus)
T8 - European Legless Lizard (Pseudopus apodus)
T9 - Oman Spiny-tailed Lizard (Uromastyx thomasi) and Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)
T10 – Fiji Banded Iguana (Brachylophus fasciatus)
T11 - Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)

U1 - Rio Fuerte Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum exasperatum)
U2 - Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber)
U3 – Caribbean Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus)
U4 - Leopard Snake (Zamenis situla)
U5 - Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) and Oriental Fire-bellied Toad (Bombina orientalis)
U6 - William's Electric Blue Gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi)

V1 - Golden Spiny Mouse (Acomys russatus)
V2 - Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) and Australian Green Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea)
V3 – Borneo Walking Stick (Lonchodes haematomus)
V4 - Filipino Walking Leaf (Phyllium philippinicum)
V5 - Tonkin Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma corticale) and Chinese Warty Newt (Paramesotriton chinensis)
V6 - Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)
V7 – Honduran Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis)
V8 - Common Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)
V9 – Green-and-Black Poison Frog (Dendrobates auratus), Golden Poison Frog (Phyllobates terribilis) and Marañón Poison Frog (Excidobates mysteriosus)
V10 - Green Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) and Mata-Mata (Chelus fimbriatus)

W1 - Crocodile Monitor (Varanus salvadorii)
W2 - South African Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis)
W3 - East African Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula undulata)

X – INFORMATION ON “STIFTUNG ARTENSCHUTZ” – AFFILIATED ORGANISATION IN NRW FOCUSED ON IN-SITU WILDLIFE CONSERVATION.

Y1 - African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) – underwater viewing of exhibit seen previously

Z – GEOLOGY EXHIBIT

 

[Batto]

But zoo could sell it for 25-50 cents and earn some money. In zooshop they have nice collection of postcards so they could add maps

For one, (original) zoo postcards are another dying breed. Some zoos actually charge extra fees for their maps (and it's usually more than you've suggested). However, snowleopard would probably be the first to complain that he had to pay extra for a zoo map: "The audacity! What a rip-off! This would never happen in a North American zoo! Not even in Wisconsin!"

 

[Maguari]

You all knew that I’d really enjoy ZOOM, right?

Absolutely. This was one of the Ruhr zoos I was certain would float your boat!

I can totally understand why some zoo nerds don’t love ZOOM. There are three clear pathways that a visitor takes and then you’re basically on each of those paths until the very end as the whole zoo is purposefully laid out for visitors. That eliminates the desire to wander around on a whim, plus you sometimes end up in the vicinity of a loud family that you’re attempting to avoid, and you can’t always shake them off.

It's not my favourite style of zoo, but I do really enjoy Gelsenkirched - the only thing I really don't like about the layout (as has been noted elsewhere) is how hard it is to 'nip back' to certain animals.

Alaska has a large Reindeer paddock with a sizeable herd, plus a couple of immense Brown Bear exhibits (labeled as ursus arctos on at least one sign but are they Kodiak or Kamchatka or Grizzlies or what?) in stunning habitats.

The first enclosure holds European Brown Bears - it held Kodiak originally but these are all but gone from Europe now. The second enclosure holds Kamchatkan (the map does actually label them separately).

I need to begin this review with a tragic message: Duisburg Zoo no longer produces maps.

We were very surpised and saddened by this as well, but...

Restraining the desire to immediately leave the zoo

...never! That would be no way to treat a zoo with a large, unique-outside-range-countries mammal!

t’s extremely rare to go inside large mammal houses in American zoos

I never really thought about this before but now you mention it I can't remember a single enter-able elephant or giraffe house on any of my US zoo visits. How strange.

Clearly, the Rio Negro House & Aquarium complex is the premier attraction at Duisburg Zoo.

Rio Negro is superb. This and the Australian mammals justify the entrance fee on their own for me, which is good, because actually most of the rest of the zoo is actually, as you suggest, fairly unremarkable.

White-lipped Peccary

These are very new - their enclosure was still labelled for African Wild Dogs in June.

There is no one that I know of who has visited this establishment in the past couple of years, and therefore it was impossible for me to know what to truly expect.

Sorry - I was there in June! In terms of a visit it is actually very similar in scope to its earlier incarnation though.

One thing in my favour is that I can unfortunately not read any German and the lack of all-English signs in all of these zoos and aquariums is probably one of the biggest disappointments of the trip.

Well... it is in Germany..! Signage in German can hardly be a surprise.

I always think all zoos should have at least the animal species' names in multiple languages (and unfortunately British zoos are appalling at this), and where possible a short summary, but for more in-depth signs I think it's pretty reasonable for them to be in the local language(s) only.

I did a little German at school (though my primary foreign language at school was French) but even without this German animal names are generally decipherable to some degree because so many English words originate from Germanic languages. Scientific names are the 'silver bullet' here, of course!

I found Aquazoo Lobbecke Museum to be brilliant, engaging, informative and due to the renovation, that lasted for almost 4 years, everything inside seems new and shiny. It’s a wonderful establishment and an absolute must-visit for a zoo nerd.

Yep. A very fine establishment indeed.

 

[Maguari]

Do they still have vultures on the Savannah? Gelsenkirchen is one of the last European zoos to do such an outdated thing.

No sign of them in June, thankfully. Duisburg still has paddock vultures, though.

Well the Tiger exhibit is too small and rather ugly imo. A lot of zoos seem to think that bamboo = immersion....

The tiger enclosure is probably the worst thing there, but the rest of Asia was pretty good I thought.

It's always a BMW

Or an Audi. I have a friend who was given an Audi as a company car once, and said you can actually feel it happen to you when you drive one. The sheer (and generally pointless!) power of the engine makes you drive more aggressively, as every other vehicle becomes an obstruction. Scary stuff.

 

[Arizona Docent]

...Whether it is 40 degrees Celsius or bucketing down rain, this road trip has seen its ups and downs with varying temperatures...

I am sure you have been too busy to follow Le Tour De France. The riders were suffering in record setting heat during flat stages. Then a day or two later a mountain stage had to be stopped and cut short due to a heavy hailstorm and mud slides!

Great review btw and I think I would like ZOOM Erlebniswelt as well.

 

[Bib Fortuna]

@Bib Fortuna Thanks for all of your information as a lot of it is very interesting. After not being a part of this thread for 300+ posts, you then commented on 8 separate occasions and at no point in those 8 posts did you say anything like this:

"Hey, I'm really enjoying this cool thread."

"Thanks for posting such detailed reviews of zoos. Wow, you even have some complete lists of species in Reptile Houses. Great job man."

"I'm loving your reviews, but I just wanted to correct you on something."

"You wrote 3,000 words on a couple of zoos? Thanks for your contribution to ZooChat, but I disagree with some of your points."

Anything along those lines would have been satisfactory, just out of common courtesy if nothing else. Okay? I suppose it would be nice to feel appreciated, rather than post 47,000 words (that's a direct word count as of right now) and have some nerds point out some minor errors. Also, I stand by what I said about the Grzimek House's opening times. Whether it's beneficial for the zookeepers is one thing, but whatever the reason it is obviously not convenient for almost a million zoo visitors each year and that was my point. Wuppertal Zoo is even worse, because it's Aquarium/Terrarium doesn't open until an hour and a half after the zoo opens, and it's set on top of a hill and so first-time visitors have to hike all the way back up the hill again later in the day when the zoo is more congested. Totally bonkers.

A quote that I love:

Gerald Durrell, that legendary conservationist, author, founder of Jersey Zoo and hero of many zoo nerds once said "I think that having spent five minutes in a place you have every right to criticize. Whether your criticisms are valid or not is for the reader to decide. But at any rate, I can say one thing with all honesty - that it was a glorious trip and I enjoyed every moment of it."

You know who posted something great today? The ZooChat member @jwer , as he said that he's "having a lot of fun reading everything"..."I mostly agree"..."love this thread"...but that "Blijdorp and Cologne just don't do it for me". Now that's an honest and worthwhile post!

Criticism is valid in many forms, and a good example of something that sparked comments is the Madagascar House at Cologne Zoo. I would estimate that 90% of my review for Cologne Zoo was overwhelmingly positive and I said that the zoo will be one of the very best that I'll visit on this trip. No one mentioned anything about my positive comments on the elephant complex or several other areas, but 3 different zoo nerds all brought up my thoughts on the Madagascar House. It's like that parent who gets their kid's report card sent home from school, and the kid has 7 "A's" and a "C" in one other class. Well, the parent gets mad at the kid, or phones the school, or emails the teacher, and causes a huge commotion because of the "C" letter grade. I always tell parents to focus on the positives and the streak of "A" grades, not the darn "C". Again, totally bonkers.

Cologne Zoo is a wonderful zoo and I had two full days to think about what to type out in my review. As much as I love the facility, those lemur steel ball things are AWFUL. Some folks obviously like them and the Euro-nerds are standing up for that part of Cologne Zoo because heaven forbid I criticize anything about one of the great German zoos...but looking through all of my photos I see 95% cement floor, steel bars, metal pipes and only a little hay as natural substrate within the indoor quarters. Outside it is a mound of metal and almost nothing else. Some of these privately-run, roadside German zoos have better lemur accommodation! It's a brutal set of exhibits, absolutely substandard, especially compared to the plentiful walk-through enclosures or all-around top-notch primate exhibits that I've seen in many European zoos. I LOVE Cologne Zoo...but get the bulldozer ready!

What has the required confirmation that your posts are really great about, to do with the thing for yourself now? I think you also have fun with it, otherwise you would not do it. Everyone here would have to constantly thank each other for various comments, postings, reviews and so on. Well, you attach importance to publicity, and it is also absolutely correct, but are you calling the ladies at the box office in Frankfurt as cranky old ladies and old buzzards, just because they opened the cash register only one minute after 9 o'clock? That's your courtesy? You realize that they have a pretty tough job? Not physically, but they have to deal with a lot of idiots every day ... and that's really no fun.Well, calling the two ladies at the cash register cranky old ladies and old buzzards-that's not very polite, even if you did not call them that-hopefully-so. It's unfortunate that you did not get your ticket until one minute past 9 o'clock, but patience is a virtue ... I could understand your anger if the two ladies did not start selling tickets until 5 minutes past 9,of course, it also depends on the clock that you use,.. Incidentally, the San Diego Zoo has significantly more visitors than Frankfurt. Much more annoying is the fact that Frankfurt are open at the weekend only two ticket booths and the people have to wait 2-3 hours until they are in the zoo, and so far was the case in Frankfurt. Only since a few weeks, the Zoo offers the opportunity to buy of online tickets ....

Well, you stand by your statement regarding the opening hours of the Grzimekhaus. However, it is not beneficial for the keepers who need the time to clean up the enclosure and that is also beneficial to you. They have to clean 25 exhibits in the night section,in only 90 Minutes-this is not very much. And, as I mentioned earlier, the animals have a one-hour twilight period. If the animals already have to live in a night-animal-home-without otdoor exhibits-then one should not just turn off the light. Incidentally, the Grzimekahus is already 41 years old, and no one has complained so far about opening it until 9:30 am - and earlier, the zoo opened at 8:00 am …

Oh no-the aquarium in Wuppertal stands on a hill? That is unfortunate but the whole zoo is quite mountainous, but the peple in Wuppertal know that, that's it for a long time ... I hope you do not visit the Alpine Zoo in Innsbruck ... ?Well, you can make the suggestion to the Zoos of Frankfurt and Wuppertal that the zookeepers already start to work at 5 o'clock , so that the houses can finally be opened together with the zoo. Even Bakers start working already at 4 o'clock, so that the people have their rolls at 6 o'clock at the latest ... By the way, in many zoos in the USA the zoos do not open until 10 o'clock and close at 5 o'clock as advantage that no animal house must be opened later. Even more common is the situation in Japan, as many zoos and aquariums have a rest day in the week where they have completely closed .

And as with the example of the Otter-Exhibit in the Grzimekhaus you show me again with your opinion regarding the Lemurhouse in Cologne, you are not able to judge an animal facility realistically and fair-even though you already have watched how many zoos ?, you judge only by your visual perception, without any consideration of all other factors. Incidentally, I have no problem criticizing even the "big, great " German zoos-yes, even the Berliner! Without legitimate criticism, all zoos in the world would not be where they are today. And your harsh criticism of the lemur house is not justified - the almost 50-year-old house from today's point of view may no longer correspond to the present time, but for the remaining livestock it is okay and offers the animals there a significantly higher quality of life than the Grzimekhaus in Frankfurt. I guess, the Aye-Aye’s and aardvarks would be happy to get an outdoor exhibit…. The elephant exhibit in Cologne is indeed in parts improbable, especially the outdoor facilities.Incidentally, there is much worse animal husbandry in the Cologne Zoo than in the lemur house, such as the tree kangaroos, gibbons and dwarf otters in the Rainforest Building in their very small, weakly structured indoor enclosures without outodoor enclosures-or the black rhino...Of course, it's great that you go to so much trouble with your detailed reviews and descriptions of your zoo tours, but others do the same without insisting that they appreciate it. It should be up to anyone, whether he does that or not?

Now I have written 9 postings to give you some background information on the situation in Frankfurt - a thank you from you I would have been happy. ( Just a Joke-I really don’t care about it )

Have fun with the bulldozer!Unfortunately, that's not enough for Jungle Word in the Bronx-Zoo, or Tragedy World in the Brookfield Zoo-you've got to blow them up .....

 

[Batto]

The sheer (and generally pointless!) power of the engine makes you drive more aggressively, as every other vehicle becomes an obstruction. Scary stuff.

I've driven a few Audi models as rentals over the years. The smooth handling and acceleration can indeed be tempting, but I'll still stick to my reliable Toyota. Unlike Audi or BMW, Toyota can actually win you a war...
Toyota War - Wikipedia