Swedish Zoo Fan
Well-Known Member
In early October, i visited Poland for the first time. Of course, there was time for zoos; three completely new zoos. After flying in to Krakow and spending some time in the old town, I took the train ride to Wroclaw. Not the fastest ride in the universe (4 hours due to delays), but I finally arrived in the beautiful city of Breslau (the German name for Wroclaw) and went to bed knowing that some great zoo experiences was waiting the next day.
First off, Zoo Wroclaw:
This zoo is one of the fastest growing parks in Europe, having around 1.000 species as of October 2018. One of the ground breaking projects was the Afrykarium, giving the zoo over 2 milion visitors. And they are still getting better, new exhibits for Wolves and Otters are in the making and the Bird House is set to be renovated during the next years. In the future, new exhibits for Asian Elephants, Gorillas and Pygmy Hippos will also be added.
The first exhibit that you see after entering is a quite large savannah enclosure, housing Reticulated giraffes, zebras, ostriches and the only remaining Cape hartebeest in Europe.
The Afrykarium, as mentioned before is one of the best indoor tropical houses/aquariums in Europe. Housing everything from hippos, Nile crocodiles, manatees, aardvark, naked mole rats, many different free-flying bird species, sharks, rays, penguins and fur seals, this is a really great exhibition. The hippos could very well use an outdoor exhibit (I hope this is also in the future plans), but otherwise the enclosures in here were all very good. The underwater viewing for the seals and penguins was just stunning, lots of space for the animals to swim and also very nice water quality. The aquarium part is also excellent, except the sharks and rays there is also a beautiful Green sea turtle swimming around here. Stunning creature! If visiting Zoo Wroclaw, my tip is to start with the Afrykarium, it got crowded very fast after opening and later in the day it was almost unbearable.
The west side of the zoo is home to Angolan lions, African wild dogs, White-bearded wildebeest, different antelope species, Ankole cattle and also the small but nice Sahara house for dromedaries, Scimitar-horned oryxes, Fennec foxes and gundis to name a few.
The Madagascar House is also great, with the exception of the indoor exhibit for Narrow-striped mongoose. Free-flying in the house is a colony of Lyle's flying fox as well as different Malagasy birds. Other species include groups of Red and Black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Red-bellied lemurs and Alaotran gentle lemurs.
A small part of the zoo is also showing native European species, including a stunning exhibit for Brown bears, a shared exhibit for Barbary macaques and Mouflon, European bisons, Lynx and European wildcat. A new exhibit for Wolves is under construction here too. Some older exhibits for Meerkats and Indian porcupines can also be found nearby.
Next to the bisons, is a pair of very lush and nice exhibits for Okapis and Red river hogs, as well as a row of quite ordinary enclosures for Rheas, Guanacos, Alpacas, Agoutis and Crested screamers.
After passing the farm and the Children's Zoo there is also a very nice exhibit for Red pandas mixed with some Tufted deer.
The Odrarium, housing only native fishes, doesn't maybe sound that exciting but it's very well made and definitely one of the highlights of this zoo. Species include pike, roach, European pond turtle, carp, ide and European perch. Next to the Odrarium is currently a construction site for the new exhibit for European otters, which according to signage is set to open in late 2018..
The Terrarium nearby is without any doubt, the biggest and best collection of reptiles and amphibians I have ever seen. Spread on three floors! is a reptile lover's dream. Of course there are some fan favourites here mixed with more rare species. Some of the main species living here includes a Snapping turtle (in a tank big as a small bathtub), Green and Rhinoceros iguanas, Green and Yellow anacondas in the same enclosure, Galapagos giant tortoises, Panther chameleon, Komodo dragons, Nile monitor and Green basilisks. On the top floor is also a small room with free-flying butterflies. If you like reptiles or amphibians, you have to go here. More than 100 species can be found in this building.
Outside the terrarium is also an open and lush enclosure for a group of Ring-tailed lemurs.
The northeastern part of the zoo include some of the oldest enclosures, among others the former Bear castle, now home to a nice collection of different owl species. In some smaller aviaries is also Keas and as a nice surprise, an active pair of Yellow-throated martens.
In the old deer house lives now groups of Reindeer, Pere David's deer and Dybowski deer. Here is also a row of enclosures for mountain ungulates. All of these enclosures are starting to show their age, but they are still showing some rare species including Golden takin and Visayan spotted deer. Could also see a single Cretan wild goat here and one of the paddocks was supposed to have Siberian ibex but they were nowhere to be seen. A brand new enclosure here is also home to Pallas cats.
In the nearby lake, big groups of different waterfowl can be seen such as geese, ducks and pelicans. Two big islands in the lake are home to Squirrel monkeys and White-cheeked gibbons. Don't miss the enclosure for Balabac chevrotains next to the gibbon pagoda-style indoor exhibit.
The old ape house is now home to a small group of chimpanzees, they looked quite old and so does their indoor housing. It will be interesting to see what they will do to this exhibit in the future.
After passing the Australian exhibits for Red kangaroos, Emu and Red-necked wallabies, the next stop is the Monkey house. Here, different species of smaller monkeys can be seen. Highlights include a breeding group of Black howler monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, Gabon talapoin, Angolan colobuses and Sulawesi crested macaques.
(A fun note is that some of the monkeys inside the zoo has often access to the nearby trees, this is also the case with Yellow-throated martens for example.)
Inside the house, there are some rarities hiding as well. In one of the indoor exhibits lives Short-beaked echidnas with Red and White giant flying squirrels (no one of them to be seen though). A couple of free-ranging sloths can also be seen here. One of the biggest rarities in the whole zoo, the Bear cuscus is also supposed to be here but they were neither signed nor to be seen. Lucky me that I saw one last year at Pairi Daiza, I assume they are kept off-show since they bred recently. The old monkey cliffs is now home to a group of Yellow baboons.
The last part of the zoo includes some old and new exhibits. The two remaining Asian elephants are sharing the old historical Elephant House with Pygmy hippos, Capybaras and Brazilian tapirs. The age of these enclosures are starting to show unfortunately. The nearby old Bird House from 1889 was closed for renovation at my visit so I can't tell much about the collection kept inside. The old carnivore exhibits is now home to Sumatran tigers, Grey wolves (waiting to be moved), a single Brown bear and two very active Asian Black bears. Next door is also a spacious bassin for Harbor seals. The new Leopard Territory (opened this summer) including top-notch exhibits for Snow and Clouded leopards are also in this part of the zoo. A mixed exhibit for Indian rhinos and Pileated gibbon will conclude this review from Zoo Wroclaw.
Don't forget to buy the newly updated English version of the guidebook in the souvenir shop before you leave.
Zoo Wroclaw is truly one of the best zoos in Central Europe, and I'm sure they will just getting better and better. Many rarities are kept here together with the main ABC species. The only thing they maybe miss out on are great apes (only keeping chimps and gibbons), but hopefully that will change in the future. This zoo is a must see for all zoochatters out there, not only for the Afrykarium.
Highlights: Afrykarium (including manatees, sharks, crocodiles, seals and penguins), Monkey House (including bear cuscus, echidna, flying squirrels etc), Odrarium, Terrarium (huge reptile collection), mixed enclosure for Barbary Macaque and Mouflon, Leopard Territory, Madagascar House, Cape Hartebeest, Golden Takin just to name a few.
To be continued/
Swedish Zoo Fan
First off, Zoo Wroclaw:
This zoo is one of the fastest growing parks in Europe, having around 1.000 species as of October 2018. One of the ground breaking projects was the Afrykarium, giving the zoo over 2 milion visitors. And they are still getting better, new exhibits for Wolves and Otters are in the making and the Bird House is set to be renovated during the next years. In the future, new exhibits for Asian Elephants, Gorillas and Pygmy Hippos will also be added.
The first exhibit that you see after entering is a quite large savannah enclosure, housing Reticulated giraffes, zebras, ostriches and the only remaining Cape hartebeest in Europe.
The Afrykarium, as mentioned before is one of the best indoor tropical houses/aquariums in Europe. Housing everything from hippos, Nile crocodiles, manatees, aardvark, naked mole rats, many different free-flying bird species, sharks, rays, penguins and fur seals, this is a really great exhibition. The hippos could very well use an outdoor exhibit (I hope this is also in the future plans), but otherwise the enclosures in here were all very good. The underwater viewing for the seals and penguins was just stunning, lots of space for the animals to swim and also very nice water quality. The aquarium part is also excellent, except the sharks and rays there is also a beautiful Green sea turtle swimming around here. Stunning creature! If visiting Zoo Wroclaw, my tip is to start with the Afrykarium, it got crowded very fast after opening and later in the day it was almost unbearable.
The west side of the zoo is home to Angolan lions, African wild dogs, White-bearded wildebeest, different antelope species, Ankole cattle and also the small but nice Sahara house for dromedaries, Scimitar-horned oryxes, Fennec foxes and gundis to name a few.
The Madagascar House is also great, with the exception of the indoor exhibit for Narrow-striped mongoose. Free-flying in the house is a colony of Lyle's flying fox as well as different Malagasy birds. Other species include groups of Red and Black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Red-bellied lemurs and Alaotran gentle lemurs.
A small part of the zoo is also showing native European species, including a stunning exhibit for Brown bears, a shared exhibit for Barbary macaques and Mouflon, European bisons, Lynx and European wildcat. A new exhibit for Wolves is under construction here too. Some older exhibits for Meerkats and Indian porcupines can also be found nearby.
Next to the bisons, is a pair of very lush and nice exhibits for Okapis and Red river hogs, as well as a row of quite ordinary enclosures for Rheas, Guanacos, Alpacas, Agoutis and Crested screamers.
After passing the farm and the Children's Zoo there is also a very nice exhibit for Red pandas mixed with some Tufted deer.
The Odrarium, housing only native fishes, doesn't maybe sound that exciting but it's very well made and definitely one of the highlights of this zoo. Species include pike, roach, European pond turtle, carp, ide and European perch. Next to the Odrarium is currently a construction site for the new exhibit for European otters, which according to signage is set to open in late 2018..
The Terrarium nearby is without any doubt, the biggest and best collection of reptiles and amphibians I have ever seen. Spread on three floors! is a reptile lover's dream. Of course there are some fan favourites here mixed with more rare species. Some of the main species living here includes a Snapping turtle (in a tank big as a small bathtub), Green and Rhinoceros iguanas, Green and Yellow anacondas in the same enclosure, Galapagos giant tortoises, Panther chameleon, Komodo dragons, Nile monitor and Green basilisks. On the top floor is also a small room with free-flying butterflies. If you like reptiles or amphibians, you have to go here. More than 100 species can be found in this building.
Outside the terrarium is also an open and lush enclosure for a group of Ring-tailed lemurs.
The northeastern part of the zoo include some of the oldest enclosures, among others the former Bear castle, now home to a nice collection of different owl species. In some smaller aviaries is also Keas and as a nice surprise, an active pair of Yellow-throated martens.
In the old deer house lives now groups of Reindeer, Pere David's deer and Dybowski deer. Here is also a row of enclosures for mountain ungulates. All of these enclosures are starting to show their age, but they are still showing some rare species including Golden takin and Visayan spotted deer. Could also see a single Cretan wild goat here and one of the paddocks was supposed to have Siberian ibex but they were nowhere to be seen. A brand new enclosure here is also home to Pallas cats.
In the nearby lake, big groups of different waterfowl can be seen such as geese, ducks and pelicans. Two big islands in the lake are home to Squirrel monkeys and White-cheeked gibbons. Don't miss the enclosure for Balabac chevrotains next to the gibbon pagoda-style indoor exhibit.
The old ape house is now home to a small group of chimpanzees, they looked quite old and so does their indoor housing. It will be interesting to see what they will do to this exhibit in the future.
After passing the Australian exhibits for Red kangaroos, Emu and Red-necked wallabies, the next stop is the Monkey house. Here, different species of smaller monkeys can be seen. Highlights include a breeding group of Black howler monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, Gabon talapoin, Angolan colobuses and Sulawesi crested macaques.
(A fun note is that some of the monkeys inside the zoo has often access to the nearby trees, this is also the case with Yellow-throated martens for example.)
Inside the house, there are some rarities hiding as well. In one of the indoor exhibits lives Short-beaked echidnas with Red and White giant flying squirrels (no one of them to be seen though). A couple of free-ranging sloths can also be seen here. One of the biggest rarities in the whole zoo, the Bear cuscus is also supposed to be here but they were neither signed nor to be seen. Lucky me that I saw one last year at Pairi Daiza, I assume they are kept off-show since they bred recently. The old monkey cliffs is now home to a group of Yellow baboons.
The last part of the zoo includes some old and new exhibits. The two remaining Asian elephants are sharing the old historical Elephant House with Pygmy hippos, Capybaras and Brazilian tapirs. The age of these enclosures are starting to show unfortunately. The nearby old Bird House from 1889 was closed for renovation at my visit so I can't tell much about the collection kept inside. The old carnivore exhibits is now home to Sumatran tigers, Grey wolves (waiting to be moved), a single Brown bear and two very active Asian Black bears. Next door is also a spacious bassin for Harbor seals. The new Leopard Territory (opened this summer) including top-notch exhibits for Snow and Clouded leopards are also in this part of the zoo. A mixed exhibit for Indian rhinos and Pileated gibbon will conclude this review from Zoo Wroclaw.
Don't forget to buy the newly updated English version of the guidebook in the souvenir shop before you leave.
Zoo Wroclaw is truly one of the best zoos in Central Europe, and I'm sure they will just getting better and better. Many rarities are kept here together with the main ABC species. The only thing they maybe miss out on are great apes (only keeping chimps and gibbons), but hopefully that will change in the future. This zoo is a must see for all zoochatters out there, not only for the Afrykarium.
Highlights: Afrykarium (including manatees, sharks, crocodiles, seals and penguins), Monkey House (including bear cuscus, echidna, flying squirrels etc), Odrarium, Terrarium (huge reptile collection), mixed enclosure for Barbary Macaque and Mouflon, Leopard Territory, Madagascar House, Cape Hartebeest, Golden Takin just to name a few.
To be continued/
Swedish Zoo Fan
