I have had two fairly close friends visit this zoo in the past couple of years and while they spoke kindly about the hoofstock collection there was sadness when discussing the situation for some of the zoo's carnivores. Does anyone know what era this polar bear cage is from?
Tallinn Zoo has been on its current site since 1983. When the zoo moved to this area they took over a former military instillation. Estonia was under occupation at this time and the Soviet authorities in Moscow had imposed a ban on construction projects following the 1980 Olympics (Tallinn hosted the sailing events) so they had to make do and mend with no significant building taking place until the end of the 1980s.
The zoo is fundraising for a new polar bear enclosure. Given the standard of recent developments I'm sure it will be impressive. Signs at the zoo invite visitors to donate via SMS and there are appeal collection boxes for the new enclosure in various locations around Tallinn including the Stockmann department store and the departures area of the airport. They are hoping to raise €4 million for the new project.
