Cologne Zoo - Sitatunga exhibit

The outdoor exhibit for sitatungas by the Moorish House in Cologne Zoo, Germany. This exhibit is decent in size, lush and allows the sitatungas a lot of privacy.

The Moorish House opened in 1863 and is, as far as I have understood, the oldest still functioning animal house in Germany. Inside are stalls for black rhinos, hippos and sitatungas as well as some exhibitions, the most prominent being the 2006 EAZA Rhino Campaign exhibition. The Moorish House has always functioned as a pachyderm house but the Asian elephants moved to the new Elefantenpark in 2004, the hippos will move to the new Hippodom in 2010 and the last black rhino will also leave soon. After that the Moorish House will be used as a zoo-museum.

July 2009

The Sitatunga exhibit is quit to small, the water pool is to small and there are too less hiding places. The stall is to small and its very hard for the keepers to work in it. Fortunately, the sitatungas will move to their new home in the new hippo house. The black rhinos will defintely stay in the old house, after the hippos left, the zoo will rebuild it for the rhinos and get a new female, that's what told to me, changes are possible, of course.

@Charly
You are right, the exhibit is to small, not really decent in size or lush.

The rhinos will left the old house in the future. The Moorish House is going to become a kind of zoo museum in the future.

BjoernN said:

@Charly
You are right, the exhibit is to small, not really decent in size or lush

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I suppose that is a matter of opinion? I will agree that they could really use a bigger pool and some more plants certainly woulden't hurt. But for a herd this size I would say that this exhibit has a perfectly adequate size

Sorry, the former plan to build a zoomuseum out of the old elephant house was changed a long time ago. Now, the rhinos will stay in the old house. Its not sure, if they will get a new female or a new pair, but I sure you, the black rhinos will stay at the zoo.

I've worked with many diffrent species of antelopes, and this isn't a good exhibit for sitatungas, not only because it is too small.

Charly said:

Sorry, the former plan to build a zoomuseum out of the old elephant house was changed a long time ago. Now, the rhinos will stay in the old house. Its not sure, if they will get a new female or a new pair, but I sure you, the black rhinos will stay at the zoo.

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Well, fair enough. That is just not what I heard when I was at the zoo this summer.

Charly said:

I've worked with many diffrent species of antelopes, and this isn't a good exhibit for sitatungas, not only because it is too small.

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I'm sorry but you cannot just state such things as a fact. Since I don't know you I have no way to be sure that your opinion is worth anything. No offence intented, as this is an international forum and the far majority of the members here are people I don't know. You just need to make some better arguments for your case than "because I say so".

I have excellent connections to so many zoos, also in germany, so you can belive me. Sure, I can state such things as a fact, because it is a fact. I've worked more than 10 years with antelopes, so with Bongo,Nyala,Roan,Giant Eland,Gerenuk, Klippspringers,Greater and Lesser Kudus, Sitaungas to name just a few, so I know what I do and what I say, okay ?

Charly said:

I have excellent connections to so many zoos, also in germany, so you can belive me. Sure, I can state such things as a fact, because it is a fact. I've worked more than 10 years with antelopes, so with Bongo,Nyala,Roan,Giant Eland,Gerenuk, Klippspringers,Greater and Lesser Kudus, Sitaungas to name just a few, so I know what I do and what I say, okay ?

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that was abit harsh man, it is his own opinion

Charly said:

I have excellent connections to so many zoos, also in germany, so you can belive me. Sure, I can state such things as a fact, because it is a fact. I've worked more than 10 years with antelopes, so with Bongo,Nyala,Roan,Giant Eland,Gerenuk, Klippspringers,Greater and Lesser Kudus, Sitaungas to name just a few, so I know what I do and what I say, okay ?

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I am affraid that you still don't understand what I mean. For all I know what you say is complete crap. Again, please don't take any offence. I just mean that anybody can say what you say and thereby debate like a six-year old. "Your ugly because your are" or "I'm right because I am".

Instead of just saying "this exhibit is bad" you need to say "this exhibit is bad BECAUSE..." and then use backing arguments to get your points through: "Recent studies by Dr. Whatshisname have shown that sitatungas won't breed unless they are provided with pink balloons and boxes of chocolate" or "mud is benificial for the sitatungas' hoves" etc.

It is not that I don't believe that you have experience with antelopes. But you still need to make some better arguments. Also because I am eager to learn from experienced people myself

A beautifully landscaped area , well-planned in its time and very carefully maintained today. I often enjoy zoos almost as much for their landscaping as for their stock.Cologne is a visually charming and relaxing zoo.The layout has a calming effect on visitors and in turn I think this is transmitted to the animals.