European Animal Exhibits

jbnbsn99

jbnbsn99

Well-Known Member
A thought has occurred to me over the last week or so. I have never seen, or really even heard of an exhibit devoted entirely to European animals. Surely one must exist somewhere (probably in Europe). I made a list today of the animals that could go into an exhibit like this and was actually surprised at the number of species that could be worked into such a theme. So where are these exhibit, if they exist?
 
I'd say wisent, European elk (moose as they call them) species, roe and red deer and some suids would work. As far as predators there are bears and wolves. European animals are so similar to North American ones minus the tropical Floridian species and desert dwellers.
 
Many European zoos have a handful of European species, often brown bears, wolves, wild boar etc but the best places to see them and often the most extensive collections are in the specialised wildlife parks which can be found in many European countries

Britain:New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park

British Wildlife Centre

Highland Wildlife Park

Wildwood Trust

Sweden:Skåne Wildlife Park

Skansen

Nordens Ark

Denmark:Scandinavian Animal Park

Germany: Many, have a look in the gallery here and anything with the word 'wildpark' in its title will probably be of interest.

Switzerland:Dählhölzli Zoo, Bern

Austria:Alpenzoo Innsbruck

France:Pyrenees Animal Park

Finland: Ranua Wildlife Park

Ranua winter map

Ranua summer map

I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I know of. Check out the gallery on here too, I'm sure there are plenty of pictures.

Also there is a thread on here about Whipsnade's plans for a new European themed area and you might be interested in this 2008 EAZA European Carnivore Campaign.
 
Last edited:
That's kind of what I came up with plus Chamois, Alpine Ibex, Mouflon, and if you want to get adventurous Saiga and Asiatic Lion.
 
Shirokuma said:
Many European zoos have a handful of European species, often brown bears, wolves, wild boar etc but the best places to see them and often the most extensive collections are in the specialised wildlife parks which can be found in many European countries

Britain:New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park

British Wildlife Centre

Highland Wildlife Park

Wildwood Trust

Sweden:Skåne Wildlife Park

Skansen

Nordens Ark

Denmark:Scandinavian Animal Park

Germany: Many, have a look in the gallery here and anything with the word 'wildpark' in its title will probably be of interest.

Switzerland:Dählhölzli Zoo, Bern

Austria:Alpenzoo Innsbruck

France:Pyrenees Animal Park

I'm sure there are more but these are the ones I know of. Check out the gallery on here too, I'm sure there are plenty of pictures.

Also there is a thread on here about Whipsnade's plans for a new European themed area and you might be interested in this 2008 EAZA European Carnivore Campaign.
Click to expand...

Looked through most of these zoo's galleries on the sight. Have to say I really like Innsbruck's. Wish I had visited there when I was in Innsbruck back in the late 90's.
 
Germany is stacked full of zoo devoted entirely (or mostly) to European wildlife - to the point of having a specific name for them - Wildparks. There are perhaps a little variable in quality but often superb, and are generally on very pleasant wooded sites.
 
@Jbnbsn99, asiatic lions in a europe themed zoo, India is not in Europe.

there is also the Chomutov zoo park in the Czech Republic, they only have europeand and non-tropic asian species.
 
Often European species are displayed alongside temperate and cold climate Asian species such as red pandas, amur tigers and various goat antelopes.

This is the case with the Highland Wildlife Park and Nordens Ark for example.

The zoo in Helsinki also specialises in animals from these regions and Tallinn Zoo, Estonia also has many as well as tropical species.
 
jbnbsn99 said:
But historically were found in Europe.
Click to expand...

In such a distant past that no one connects lions with Europe.

Of course there could be a theme like Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo which exhibited only animals mentioned in the Bible and others currently or once living in the Middle East, including lions (even if they have changed policy in recent years, surely there is no mention of their Australian animals anywhere in the Bible). Yes, lions COULD be featured in a Europe-themed exhibit, but no one in his right mind would then ever put that zoo on par with Innsbruck for instance.
 
Baldur said:
In such a distant past that no one connects lions with Europe.

Of course there could be a theme like Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo which exhibited only animals mentioned in the Bible and others currently or once living in the Middle East, including lions (even if they have changed policy in recent years, surely there is no mention of their Australian animals anywhere in the Bible). Yes, lions COULD be featured in a Europe-themed exhibit, but no one in his right mind would then ever put that zoo on par with Innsbruck for instance.
Click to expand...

Which makes the interpretation of Asian lions in a European context all the more intriguing in my opinion.
 
Then we could also display, elephants, rhino's and hyena's in a european themed zoo, wow what an european zoo do we have then! you would get a kind of Elephant Odyssey.
 
I fear that no one would listen to the argument that lions were centuries ago also found in Europe and would only see them as a cash magnet by a nervous zoo management. People love bears and Ibexes and such but none of them is on par with lions to the public.

Just look at what some specialised zoos in Europe have done in the past 10-15 years, like Loro Parque. Fearing their specialised parrot collection could not continue to draw people, they brought in dolphins, chimpanzees, gorillas, tigers; and recently killer whales. Some years ago there was a rumour that Walsrode Bird Park would bring in Orangutans. But before anyone points it out to me, I realise it is the general public that pays the zoo's bills, not us eccentrics and zoo-enthusiasts.
 
Well the interpretation would have to be extremely well done. Just to be clear we're not talking about European cave lions which lived in Europe thousands and thousands of years ago, we are talking Asian lions (Panthera leo persica) whose range likely extended into Greece.
 
...and Bulgaria and perhaps S Russia.

Lions actually disappeared from Greece (AFAIK) about AD. 1000, that is later than wisent, moose and lynx from Britain.

For chamois, ibex etc, Alpenzoo Innsbuck in Austria comes to mind. I think they show only animals from the Alps.
 
Fair enough... but I still think it would be a very interesting display to show Asian lions in the context of Europe.
 
Jurek7 said:
For chamois, ibex etc, Alpenzoo Innsbuck in Austria comes to mind. I think they show only animals from the Alps.
Click to expand...

The Alpenzoo is one of my very favourite places - I love the little Aquarium (the only place you can see every species of fish recorded in the Alps!), the little Dipper aviary with the tiny underwater viewing window, two species of hare (Lepus europaeus and L. timidus), the walkthrough aviary with a row of dainty finch aviaries inside, and some very nice exhibits for the larger animals as well (it was where I saw my first Moose and Chamois - so bonus points for that!).
 
Looks like I opened quite a discussion when I mentioned Asian Lions. I for one would have no problem having species, now eradicated from a region, represented in a zoo exhibit. I makes us remember that which we humans have destroyed. And if that isn't a powerful message to convey to the zoo public I don't know what is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top