Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Zoo Magdeburg (Part 2 of 2):
The African geographical theme continues with another lemur enclosure, this time a pair of fairly standard, but decently tall, cages for Crowned Lemur and Black Lemur. Another nearby aviary held a species of pheasant, but sadly, I forget which one. The main draw in this area, however, is the excellent African Elephant enclosure. Very spacious, with excellent substrate, and hidden feeding stations, some of which embedded in logs right below the boardwalk viewing, encouraging the animals to come right to the front of the enclosure to feed - and being mere inches away from a bull African Elephant is easily one of the most disconcerting experiences that I have ever had. There is a bachelor group of two bulls and a single cow, who rotate between having a smaller outdoor enclosure, but both the larger stalls within the House, and the main outdoor paddock, but smaller stalls (I worry for how big they are, since they are off-display). I believe, however, when they are locked indoors overnight, the main two stalls are split in half.
The real highlight of the elephant enclosure, however, is the other species that they share with. Mixed-species elephant enclosures are a rarity, but Magdeburg has Grivets, Nile Lechwe and Bat-eared Fox! The latter was a particular surprise to me, and when I saw them on the map, I spent quite some time searching in and around the Elephant House for them, frustrated by their absence and fearing that, much like the jackals, I had missed them. It turned out, however, that my fears were misplaced, and they simply shared with the elephants (although they probably had a separation area somewhere, as both the grivets and lechwes did). Another highlight was the African Hunting Dogs, whose enclosure had a very well-disguised moat that did well to convey a predator-prey setup. Of course, they weren’t a threat to the elephants, but in that respect, the lechwes on the savannah made it even more convincing. Within the Elephant House, there were also Dark Cusimanse (more active and visible than the ones near the bush dogs, I found) and Black-throated Monitor. The latter was a real treat, a lifetick that I soon found out to be the second largest extant monitor (by mass, although I believe length changes things) after the famous Komodo, with Magdeburg’s individuals being far more active than most lizards, which was nice.
Nearby, Cape Porcupines made it three porcupine species at one zoo, something which I don’t believe I have seen anywhere else. But what really impressed me was how the zoo repurposed its elephant enclosure. Often labelled as the ‘worst elephant enclosure in Germany,’ looking at photos of this on the gallery, it seems as though, between the brutalist house with more space for the visitors than the animals, and the minute yard, that was a fair assessment. The zoo came to their senses and moved elephants to the excellent enclosure detailed above, and being left with an oversized and inadequate building, they decided to devote it to raptors. Netting it over surely transformed one of Europe’s smallest elephant enclosures into one of its biggest bird of prey aviaries, and to top it all off, it is even a walkthrough. Earlier I praised how impressive it was to have raptors in an open-fronted enclosure, but a genuine walkthrough with vultures is even better! As such, I was rather heartbroken to find it completely closed to visitors, although at the very least, I still got good views of the Secretary Birds, one of my favourite species, from the outside. Particularly entertaining were the zoo’s attempts at covering up the original house’s rather questionable architectural style with wooden logs, so as to give a better impression of an African theme.
Just beyond the aviary was a fairly average Warthog enclosure, and a view of the zoo’s mixed savannah, which held Eastern Black Rhino, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Scimitar-horned Oryx, and Marabou Stork (I could have sworn that there was another antelope species, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head). There wasn’t any viewpoint that allowed you to see the entirely savannah, and as it was raining and most of the animals were indoors, I spent far less time than I should have done actually looking at the enclosure, but it did leave me wondering what was stopping the rhinos from entering the giraffe house or vice versa. My best bet is that it is split in half, much like the one in Antwerp, in such a way that the two larger species are confined to just one half, while the smaller ones can access the entire thing. I thought that Marabou were an interesting addition, but as it required that they were pinioned, and better avian options, such as ostrich or ground hornbill (I am aware that the latter does sometimes fly, it does so scarcely enough that it is still a better option than a stork) exist. In the heavy rain, I saw nothing but a few zebras, and opted to visit the giraffe house, and then quickly travel to the rhino house, where I would shelter until the rain passes.
As exhibits, I have a soft spot for giraffe houses. Often open-fronted, allowing you to smell the animals, something which is increasingly rare in zoos, and, by placing you in the comfort of a clearly man-made indoor space, puts into perspective just how ridiculously tall these animals are. Magdeburg may actually be my favourite giraffe house, with its peculiar grass-covered roof with hidden skylights to create a light and airy feel, a glass-fronted feeder, allowing you to see the animal’s strangely long, blue tongue feeding, and, the real highlight, an aviary in the corner. This aviary had glass walls and a roof, so it was naturally lit very well, and was filled with interesting species, including one of my targets of the day, the Double-spurred Francolin, which no other European zoo has. As such, you can imagine my frustration after I chose not to read the English translation of the signage, and, as I was looking back through my photos that evening, saw that this was where the francolins were held. None were visible, but had I read the signs, I would have certainly made a point of looking for them. All the more reason to return to Magdeburg, I suppose! Another highlight of this aviary was the pool in the middle. Water features can transform any average aviary into an even more pleasant and delightful one, especially when said water feature is decently deep, filled with cichlids and has underwater viewing, confusingly placed in the middle of the aviary in a way that reminded me of Hagenbeck’s Giant Otter enclosure.
The Rhino House was another excellent Magdeburg exhibit. Of course, the centre of attention are the Black Rhinos. The collection is one of the leading European zoos in breeding the Critically Endangered species over the years, a large family tree does well to put this into perspective, and the rhinos themselves are very impressive. Much like Magdeburg’s other great houses, this one is filled with other lovely species aside from the main attraction, however, which manages to ensure that there is always something active, allows for more species to be held in a smaller area, and sets the theme well when species are geographically accurate. It is something that I really wish more zoos did, and no zoo does it as well as Magdeburg. The rhino house is no exception, with three reptile enclosures housing four or five species between them, a lovely mixed-species enclosure with Cape Ground Squirrel (one of many squirrels at the zoo, which, coupled with the aforementioned number of porcupines, gives this zoo one of the very best rodent collections that I had ever seen) and Dwarf Mongoose, and a former colobus enclosure which now holds Bateleur Eagle, a stunning raptor, which although common in zoos, served as a lifetick. I did wonder why, near the entrance to the rhino house, the path takes you to an island in the moat, with gates on either end as though it were meant to be a walkthrough, but no animals in sight.
On that note, we had finished the Rhino House, and were very close to finishing Magdeburg. But, because this is Magdeburg, there was time for two more lifeticks as we left. The first was the Brown-breasted Barbet, which was lovely to see, having been just over a year too late for Hagenbeck’s individuals, housed in an aviary near the warthogs, which they share with Purple Glossy Starling. The barbets colouring was far bolder and more striking in person than I had anticipated from photos, and they were lovely to see. And the second, near the rhinos, was Tanzanian Black-and-white Colobus, a new subspecies of one of my favourite primate species, which was very nice to see.
On that note, I departed Magdeburg through the Zoowelle, and had my dinner in the Vogelsang-Park as mentioned, and ensured to try to see the polecats indoors as I left, sadly with no success. I was fully convinced that what I had just seen was an incredible zoo. In terms of the ambition and beauty of its exhibits, the quality of its enclosures or the extent of its collection, Magdeburg can’t really compare to the other truly great zoos that I have visited, like Beauval, Chester, Burgers’ and Zurich. But when you're visiting, you don’t expect it to. The quality of the signage, the materials used in enclosures, and the small, park-like feel of the place doesn’t give the impression that this is a major zoo. Turning the corner and seeing an elephant or a chimpanzee almost feels like a slight shock - this zoo, in a way, reminded me of Exmoor or even Hemsley more than it did of Beauval or Chester. You can tell that this zoo does not have the same budget as any of Europe’s truly great zoos, and yet, while it cannot surpass them in any way, it comes fairly close. To demonstrate my point, compare Magdeburg to Beauval. I would say that the latter is the better zoo, and the one that I would rather visit right now, with three times as many species, far more impressive exhibits, and the presence of five major greenhouses, including a huge tropical dome, crystal-clear underwater viewing for hippos and the presence of pandas feeling like statements of its quality and wealth. Yet in the midst of its expansionist masterplan, many enclosures for primates and carnivores appear to have just been forgotten about. Far too small and outdated for such a big zoo. Magdeburg has a decently big collection, but nowhere near as big a budget, and yet, purely from an animal’s perspective, its exhibitry is arguably better, and there are only one or two subpar habitats in the entire zoo. While Beauval may be the ‘better’ zoo, there is a very strong argument that Magdeburg has been more successful at achieving what modern zoos should achieve - bringing exotic animals from around the world to a place where average citizens can observe them, while ensuring that the welfare of said animals is, at no point, compromised.
I used to be very fond of ranking zoos, but as I have visited more, and began to appreciate that they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, I have gone off the idea. I know approximately where a zoo would place in my list, but never precisely. I know that my top three are Burgers’ and Zurich for their incredibly high quality, and Whipsnade for the strong sentimental collection. Magdeburg can’t quite make the top three, but it is now one of six zoos that comfortably occupy spaces 4-9, but switch in order depending on my thoughts at the time. Right now, no doubt a result of having just written about it, and as such remembered many things that I would have otherwise forgotten, I think Magdeburg may just be my favourite of those six!
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Again, a massive apology for the lateness of this. Its been a busy week for me, and I have struggled to find the motivation. Across the course of the next week, I will attempt to get the Whipsnade and Exmoor reviews out, which won't be in near as great length as the Hagenbeck or Magdeburg ones (foreign zoos always excite me more, and I find it much more enjoyable to write a detailed account of them than an English one which I am more familiar with).
Thank you to all for reading a review of one of my favourite zoos!
The African geographical theme continues with another lemur enclosure, this time a pair of fairly standard, but decently tall, cages for Crowned Lemur and Black Lemur. Another nearby aviary held a species of pheasant, but sadly, I forget which one. The main draw in this area, however, is the excellent African Elephant enclosure. Very spacious, with excellent substrate, and hidden feeding stations, some of which embedded in logs right below the boardwalk viewing, encouraging the animals to come right to the front of the enclosure to feed - and being mere inches away from a bull African Elephant is easily one of the most disconcerting experiences that I have ever had. There is a bachelor group of two bulls and a single cow, who rotate between having a smaller outdoor enclosure, but both the larger stalls within the House, and the main outdoor paddock, but smaller stalls (I worry for how big they are, since they are off-display). I believe, however, when they are locked indoors overnight, the main two stalls are split in half.
The real highlight of the elephant enclosure, however, is the other species that they share with. Mixed-species elephant enclosures are a rarity, but Magdeburg has Grivets, Nile Lechwe and Bat-eared Fox! The latter was a particular surprise to me, and when I saw them on the map, I spent quite some time searching in and around the Elephant House for them, frustrated by their absence and fearing that, much like the jackals, I had missed them. It turned out, however, that my fears were misplaced, and they simply shared with the elephants (although they probably had a separation area somewhere, as both the grivets and lechwes did). Another highlight was the African Hunting Dogs, whose enclosure had a very well-disguised moat that did well to convey a predator-prey setup. Of course, they weren’t a threat to the elephants, but in that respect, the lechwes on the savannah made it even more convincing. Within the Elephant House, there were also Dark Cusimanse (more active and visible than the ones near the bush dogs, I found) and Black-throated Monitor. The latter was a real treat, a lifetick that I soon found out to be the second largest extant monitor (by mass, although I believe length changes things) after the famous Komodo, with Magdeburg’s individuals being far more active than most lizards, which was nice.
Nearby, Cape Porcupines made it three porcupine species at one zoo, something which I don’t believe I have seen anywhere else. But what really impressed me was how the zoo repurposed its elephant enclosure. Often labelled as the ‘worst elephant enclosure in Germany,’ looking at photos of this on the gallery, it seems as though, between the brutalist house with more space for the visitors than the animals, and the minute yard, that was a fair assessment. The zoo came to their senses and moved elephants to the excellent enclosure detailed above, and being left with an oversized and inadequate building, they decided to devote it to raptors. Netting it over surely transformed one of Europe’s smallest elephant enclosures into one of its biggest bird of prey aviaries, and to top it all off, it is even a walkthrough. Earlier I praised how impressive it was to have raptors in an open-fronted enclosure, but a genuine walkthrough with vultures is even better! As such, I was rather heartbroken to find it completely closed to visitors, although at the very least, I still got good views of the Secretary Birds, one of my favourite species, from the outside. Particularly entertaining were the zoo’s attempts at covering up the original house’s rather questionable architectural style with wooden logs, so as to give a better impression of an African theme.
Just beyond the aviary was a fairly average Warthog enclosure, and a view of the zoo’s mixed savannah, which held Eastern Black Rhino, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Scimitar-horned Oryx, and Marabou Stork (I could have sworn that there was another antelope species, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head). There wasn’t any viewpoint that allowed you to see the entirely savannah, and as it was raining and most of the animals were indoors, I spent far less time than I should have done actually looking at the enclosure, but it did leave me wondering what was stopping the rhinos from entering the giraffe house or vice versa. My best bet is that it is split in half, much like the one in Antwerp, in such a way that the two larger species are confined to just one half, while the smaller ones can access the entire thing. I thought that Marabou were an interesting addition, but as it required that they were pinioned, and better avian options, such as ostrich or ground hornbill (I am aware that the latter does sometimes fly, it does so scarcely enough that it is still a better option than a stork) exist. In the heavy rain, I saw nothing but a few zebras, and opted to visit the giraffe house, and then quickly travel to the rhino house, where I would shelter until the rain passes.
As exhibits, I have a soft spot for giraffe houses. Often open-fronted, allowing you to smell the animals, something which is increasingly rare in zoos, and, by placing you in the comfort of a clearly man-made indoor space, puts into perspective just how ridiculously tall these animals are. Magdeburg may actually be my favourite giraffe house, with its peculiar grass-covered roof with hidden skylights to create a light and airy feel, a glass-fronted feeder, allowing you to see the animal’s strangely long, blue tongue feeding, and, the real highlight, an aviary in the corner. This aviary had glass walls and a roof, so it was naturally lit very well, and was filled with interesting species, including one of my targets of the day, the Double-spurred Francolin, which no other European zoo has. As such, you can imagine my frustration after I chose not to read the English translation of the signage, and, as I was looking back through my photos that evening, saw that this was where the francolins were held. None were visible, but had I read the signs, I would have certainly made a point of looking for them. All the more reason to return to Magdeburg, I suppose! Another highlight of this aviary was the pool in the middle. Water features can transform any average aviary into an even more pleasant and delightful one, especially when said water feature is decently deep, filled with cichlids and has underwater viewing, confusingly placed in the middle of the aviary in a way that reminded me of Hagenbeck’s Giant Otter enclosure.
The Rhino House was another excellent Magdeburg exhibit. Of course, the centre of attention are the Black Rhinos. The collection is one of the leading European zoos in breeding the Critically Endangered species over the years, a large family tree does well to put this into perspective, and the rhinos themselves are very impressive. Much like Magdeburg’s other great houses, this one is filled with other lovely species aside from the main attraction, however, which manages to ensure that there is always something active, allows for more species to be held in a smaller area, and sets the theme well when species are geographically accurate. It is something that I really wish more zoos did, and no zoo does it as well as Magdeburg. The rhino house is no exception, with three reptile enclosures housing four or five species between them, a lovely mixed-species enclosure with Cape Ground Squirrel (one of many squirrels at the zoo, which, coupled with the aforementioned number of porcupines, gives this zoo one of the very best rodent collections that I had ever seen) and Dwarf Mongoose, and a former colobus enclosure which now holds Bateleur Eagle, a stunning raptor, which although common in zoos, served as a lifetick. I did wonder why, near the entrance to the rhino house, the path takes you to an island in the moat, with gates on either end as though it were meant to be a walkthrough, but no animals in sight.
On that note, we had finished the Rhino House, and were very close to finishing Magdeburg. But, because this is Magdeburg, there was time for two more lifeticks as we left. The first was the Brown-breasted Barbet, which was lovely to see, having been just over a year too late for Hagenbeck’s individuals, housed in an aviary near the warthogs, which they share with Purple Glossy Starling. The barbets colouring was far bolder and more striking in person than I had anticipated from photos, and they were lovely to see. And the second, near the rhinos, was Tanzanian Black-and-white Colobus, a new subspecies of one of my favourite primate species, which was very nice to see.
On that note, I departed Magdeburg through the Zoowelle, and had my dinner in the Vogelsang-Park as mentioned, and ensured to try to see the polecats indoors as I left, sadly with no success. I was fully convinced that what I had just seen was an incredible zoo. In terms of the ambition and beauty of its exhibits, the quality of its enclosures or the extent of its collection, Magdeburg can’t really compare to the other truly great zoos that I have visited, like Beauval, Chester, Burgers’ and Zurich. But when you're visiting, you don’t expect it to. The quality of the signage, the materials used in enclosures, and the small, park-like feel of the place doesn’t give the impression that this is a major zoo. Turning the corner and seeing an elephant or a chimpanzee almost feels like a slight shock - this zoo, in a way, reminded me of Exmoor or even Hemsley more than it did of Beauval or Chester. You can tell that this zoo does not have the same budget as any of Europe’s truly great zoos, and yet, while it cannot surpass them in any way, it comes fairly close. To demonstrate my point, compare Magdeburg to Beauval. I would say that the latter is the better zoo, and the one that I would rather visit right now, with three times as many species, far more impressive exhibits, and the presence of five major greenhouses, including a huge tropical dome, crystal-clear underwater viewing for hippos and the presence of pandas feeling like statements of its quality and wealth. Yet in the midst of its expansionist masterplan, many enclosures for primates and carnivores appear to have just been forgotten about. Far too small and outdated for such a big zoo. Magdeburg has a decently big collection, but nowhere near as big a budget, and yet, purely from an animal’s perspective, its exhibitry is arguably better, and there are only one or two subpar habitats in the entire zoo. While Beauval may be the ‘better’ zoo, there is a very strong argument that Magdeburg has been more successful at achieving what modern zoos should achieve - bringing exotic animals from around the world to a place where average citizens can observe them, while ensuring that the welfare of said animals is, at no point, compromised.
I used to be very fond of ranking zoos, but as I have visited more, and began to appreciate that they all have their own strengths and weaknesses, I have gone off the idea. I know approximately where a zoo would place in my list, but never precisely. I know that my top three are Burgers’ and Zurich for their incredibly high quality, and Whipsnade for the strong sentimental collection. Magdeburg can’t quite make the top three, but it is now one of six zoos that comfortably occupy spaces 4-9, but switch in order depending on my thoughts at the time. Right now, no doubt a result of having just written about it, and as such remembered many things that I would have otherwise forgotten, I think Magdeburg may just be my favourite of those six!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, a massive apology for the lateness of this. Its been a busy week for me, and I have struggled to find the motivation. Across the course of the next week, I will attempt to get the Whipsnade and Exmoor reviews out, which won't be in near as great length as the Hagenbeck or Magdeburg ones (foreign zoos always excite me more, and I find it much more enjoyable to write a detailed account of them than an English one which I am more familiar with).
Thank you to all for reading a review of one of my favourite zoos!
