Zoo Leipzig Gondwanaland
- Thread starter BjoernN
- Start date
Swedish Zoo Fan
Well-Known Member
So, I'm coming to Gondwanaland next week, and I have a question:
1: Will I be able to see all animals, or are some of them still off-show?
1: Will I be able to see all animals, or are some of them still off-show?
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Bjoern - what sort of reaction is Gondwanaland getting from visitors? Is it proving to be popular, so far? And what is your opinion of it? Does it move the game forward from the big American tropical houses? I'd be interested to hear your opinion!
My first impression was: absolutely fantastic, awesome, breathtaking. The reaction of the visitors is almost the same.
Some visitors are complaining about the high temperatures (28° C), high humidity (70%) and the absence of different animals from time to time. The enclosures are very lush and offer several hiding places. Ocelots, servals, DikDiks and the female Malayan tapir (the male is still off show) are pretty shy yet.
The enclosures of giant otters, white faced sakis (they share one enclosure), small clawed otters, komodo dragon(s) and false gharials are inimitably in europe, no doubt, simply fantastic. The assortment of tropical plants is breathtaking (thousand of blossoms and fruits, a large papyrus swamp).
I never visited the big American tropical houses, so I am not able to make a comparison.
Some visitors are complaining about the high temperatures (28° C), high humidity (70%) and the absence of different animals from time to time. The enclosures are very lush and offer several hiding places. Ocelots, servals, DikDiks and the female Malayan tapir (the male is still off show) are pretty shy yet.
The enclosures of giant otters, white faced sakis (they share one enclosure), small clawed otters, komodo dragon(s) and false gharials are inimitably in europe, no doubt, simply fantastic. The assortment of tropical plants is breathtaking (thousand of blossoms and fruits, a large papyrus swamp).
I never visited the big American tropical houses, so I am not able to make a comparison.
elephantking
Well-Known Member
I found these photos of the new malayan tapir enclousure. From the pictures it is grassy and spacious which is a contrast to exhibits for this species in omaha and bronx. It can be viewed form above as well as the boat ride. This exhibit is evidence that large animals can be kept indoors in large enclousures.
This is the right side of the enclousure.
Impression Gondwanaland Zoo Leipzig | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wollepb/6019289301/in/photostream"]Zoo Leipzig - Gondwanaland | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
This is the right side of the enclousure.
Impression Gondwanaland Zoo Leipzig | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wollepb/6019289301/in/photostream"]Zoo Leipzig - Gondwanaland | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
That set of photos on Flickr is great - the one of the crowds waiting to get to the entrance gate is a bit frightening for anyone contemplating a visit to the zoo, though! The success of Leipzig Zoo is indicative of the fact that, when a large investment is wisely made, visitors will come in their droves. But it needs more than just a penguin enclosure here, a tiger enclosure there. Something that really does but a flag in the ground, as some fo the previous Leipzig developments, and now Gondwanaland, have done.
@elephant king. So, this exhibit is the "evidence" large mammals can be kept only indoors ? Hmm,so from this logical point of view, the large indoor exhibit for asian elephants at cologne zoo is also an evidence, that elephants can be kept only indoors.
The size of an indoor exhibit has nothing to do, if an large mammal can be kept only indoors, the question is, what is missing in an only indoor keeping of large mammals ? So think about it.....
The size of an indoor exhibit has nothing to do, if an large mammal can be kept only indoors, the question is, what is missing in an only indoor keeping of large mammals ? So think about it.....
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Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
It looks fantastic.
And for a newly opened exhibit, it is especially worthy of praise. Looks as though they got the landscaping right.
I look forward to seeing more of Animal's photos and some reviews by ZooChatters, but Gondwanaland appears to be every bit as good as any indoor tropical exhibit and far better than 90% of them, IMO
In ten years when the trees have grown......!
Very exciting
And for a newly opened exhibit, it is especially worthy of praise. Looks as though they got the landscaping right.
I look forward to seeing more of Animal's photos and some reviews by ZooChatters, but Gondwanaland appears to be every bit as good as any indoor tropical exhibit and far better than 90% of them, IMO
In ten years when the trees have grown......!
Very excitingelephantking
Well-Known Member
Tarsius, i didnt mean that elephants can be kept fully indoors. If a indoor exhibit can be the same size as an outdoor exhibit in a colder climate where they cannot got out year round i believe that it can house large animals indoors, as long as natural light is provided.
elephantking
Well-Known Member
What are the advantages of an outdoor exhibit Tarsius?
- Elephants cannot be kept fully indoors because the would need sevaral acres indoors and the cost of that is not possible as it is much higher compared to the cost of an outdoor exhibit.
- an indoor exhbit must have a large size, have natural light, contain grass, sand or any natural ground material and be enriching to the animals it contains.
- Elephants cannot be kept fully indoors because the would need sevaral acres indoors and the cost of that is not possible as it is much higher compared to the cost of an outdoor exhibit.
- an indoor exhbit must have a large size, have natural light, contain grass, sand or any natural ground material and be enriching to the animals it contains.
I think you've answered your own question. Even if there were no outdoor exhibit at Cologne, elephants from many other zoos would be better off there. Cologne's impressive interior exhibit offers the space, natural light, substrate and enrichment that are more important than an ambient outdoor environment.
Zooplantman
Well-Known Member
I am speaking of the exhibit design/experience. I cannot speak of curatorial issues... nor can I get all worked up over whether or not an animal feels the wind in its face
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
@elephantking, reduakari: how can there be "natural light" in an indoor exhibit? Given that most materials that are pellucid for us humans (such as glass) absorb quite a range of the spectrum of the sunlight aka "natural light", the light you observe in an indoor exhibit is not really "natural light" anymore, but rather a fraction of it. This isn't noticeable by the human eye, but it most certainly is for many tetrachromatic animals. And do not forget the importance of UV-B radiation on the metabolism of cholecalciferol...
The combinations of sunlight, temperature, wind, smells, humidity, sounds and many, many more various ingredients that form "the big outdoor", as we knowingly and unknowingly perceive it, cannot be completely imitated by any indoor facility. We can try to mimic as much as we can measure and might feel satisfied, but the animals, with sensory perceptions so different from ours that we will probably never fully comprehend them, can't be tricked that easily. It might sound, smell and look like "the real deal" to you, but the animal knows better. What it does, however, is try to compensate with it. Some better, some worse.
Having the opportunity to offer animals access to outdoor facilities is (unless the climatic conditions are too adverse for the animal in question or other reasons prohibit the outdoor husbandry) preferrable to having them indoors all the time.
The combinations of sunlight, temperature, wind, smells, humidity, sounds and many, many more various ingredients that form "the big outdoor", as we knowingly and unknowingly perceive it, cannot be completely imitated by any indoor facility. We can try to mimic as much as we can measure and might feel satisfied, but the animals, with sensory perceptions so different from ours that we will probably never fully comprehend them, can't be tricked that easily. It might sound, smell and look like "the real deal" to you, but the animal knows better. What it does, however, is try to compensate with it. Some better, some worse.
Having the opportunity to offer animals access to outdoor facilities is (unless the climatic conditions are too adverse for the animal in question or other reasons prohibit the outdoor husbandry) preferrable to having them indoors all the time.