Pakawi Park New Bear exhibit in 2008

Marc

Marc

Well-Known Member
The Brown bears of the Olmen Zoo are getting a new exhibit in 2008. Their former exhibit was very small, now they're enjoying a lot of space!
Some pictures of the new place:

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Here some more pictures of the new part for the zoo of Olmen. Also the little remark that the trail through this woods (on +/-2,5m above the ground) has a dead end, you will end at a beautiful vieuwpoint, in the middle of the woods.

Also, there are some artic wolves in the same exhebit :cool:


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Little bench...
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hello fellow!
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There is the other one!
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Pretty cool!
 
Wow, this looks like an awsome exhibit. I like it when zoos mix bears and wolfs in their exhibits.
 
But it is not a good combination. Some keepers told me, altough it seems to be fine and the wolfes are breeding, it is to stressful for the wolfes, because they always have to look for the bears all the time. I could see it in july in Schwerin zoo, they keeping three wolfes with two bears together, two wolfes slept far away from the bears, the third wolf was watching the bears. I don't like mixed exhibits, when it is not good for one of the species in such exhibits.
 
I have never believed in mixing species in zoos. One UK zoo has 4 different species of lemur in what I would call an enclosure which is far too small. Comment please??
 
Looks great, also very cost efective.
 
Chali said:
Are there european brownbears, or mixes?
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As far as I know they're no hybrids, but pure european brown bears.

regarding combined exhibits: especially wolves/bears. stressful to the wolves? I've witnessed quite the opposite a few times, where the bears were dominated by the wolves during feeding time.

In my opinion mixed exhibits can be a great asset to both visitors and the animals. BUT such an exhibit must be well planned and kept organised. things like available space, escape routes, feeding places, refuges and not to forget, the individual animals character.

mixed exhibits are far more demanding in setting up and maintaining (as a keeper, you have a lot more factors to look at) but if everything is running properly, your visitors will be happy (as there is more interaction and thus action) and the risk of your animals getting bored and stereotypical is almost zero.
 
Zebraduiker said:
But it is not a good combination. Some keepers told me, altough it seems to be fine and the wolfes are breeding, it is to stressful for the wolfes, because they always have to look for the bears all the time. I could see it in july in Schwerin zoo, they keeping three wolfes with two bears together, two wolfes slept far away from the bears, the third wolf was watching the bears. I don't like mixed exhibits, when it is not good for one of the species in such exhibits.
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I've to agree with that!

I'm in favour with mixed exibition for ungulates that share the same "natural habitat and areas". Not only make the exibition more pleasant for the visitor but - and most important - more confortable for the animals.

However I'm totally against exibitions combinating two predators. I've serious doubth about the welfare of Wolfs and Bears sharing the same enclosure. These are animals that in the wild will avoid themselfs, will not stay close to each other and that compete for food ...
For as good it may seen, it got to be stressfull for the animals, at all times or at least at some points.

As someone asked, does somebody knows if wolfs are breeding (and bears) in these combinations?

Best regards
 
wolves certainly breed in mixed exhibits.
bears, I cannot say. I don't have an example.
but seeing as wolves breed more readily than bears, I don't know if that's a reference.

I've to agree with that!

I'm in favour with mixed exibition for ungulates that share the same "natural habitat and areas". Not only make the exibition more pleasant for the visitor but - and most important - more confortable for the animals.
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are you implying that mixed exhibits with hoofstock are not problematic?
please!!!! zebras killing antilope. fights between antilope species, ...
dominance problems between males (of different species)
that's your idea of a good mix?
 
forumbully said:
wolves certainly breed in mixed exhibits.
bears, I cannot say. I don't have an example.
but seeing as wolves breed more readily than bears, I don't know if that's a reference.
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Ree Park - Ebeltoft Safari keeps arctic white wolves with american black bears and both species are doing fine. The bears have bred, but while there are cubs, there mother bear will live with her young in another enclosure shared with plains bison and prairie dogs.
 
forumbully said:
are you implying that mixed exhibits with hoofstock are not problematic?
please!!!! zebras killing antilope. fights between antilope species, ...
dominance problems between males (of different species)
that's your idea of a good mix?
Click to expand...

I'm not implying anything ... I'm just say - and as every post, in my personall opinion - it's quite nonsense to mix top-predators together (being mammals and carnivores).

We all know of problem between diferent species of hoofstock .. Zebras bulling everyone, Elands going after Oryx and so on ...

But my point is that in natura it's normal to see diferente species of hoofstock together: eating and sleeping 10 20 30 meters from each other, all the time.
On the other hand you dont see bears and wolves together in the nature all the time, do you?
 
actually: when you look at NGC or Discovery or animalplanet, you see hoofstock together all the time in a half hour episode.

I've visited 3 countries in southern afrika, went on safaris on foot, by boat and by jeep and have yet to see my first mixed troop of hoofstock.

So excuse me if I don't really consider that a valid point.

I also don't really consider a brown bear a top predator when you compare their diet to that of a wolf. which is probably why they do use the same territories, allthough they don't mingle. the latter logically because bears are solitary and wolves aren't.

based on that, I think a large forest like exhibit with bears and wolves, where there's ample space for the bears to avoid the wolves and vice versa is actually more naturalistic than any mixed savannah exhibit.
 
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