Weltvogelpark Walsrode news from Walsrode 2023

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In the food preparation room in the hummingbird house, they have a whiteboard with the species they keep listed, and I noticed during my visit yesterday that it seems to say "Chestnut-breasted coronet" under that piece of paper to the left! This species is not on show though.
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Also, I noticed that someone has reported several of the species that have not been on-show for years as "seen and signed" on Zootierliste - these observations do not seem to be correct, or the person got a tour behind the scenes or something. Some examples of these are Wreathed hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus), Luzon hornbill (Penelopides manillae manillae), Mindanao wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus leucocephalus) and Moluccan metallic pigeon (Columba vitiensis halmaheira) - They do have a Philippine metallic pigeon (Columba vitiensis griseogularis) on show though, so the last one could just be a mix up.
 
Information about "Chestnut-breasted coronet" in Hummingbirds house was already visible in October last year...
I checked my old photos as well now and yes, it seems to have been there for a while, I just never read it :rolleyes: Anyway, it's most likely written there for a reason ;)
 
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I know some people are curious about the new aviary by the entrance, during my latest visit they worked on it all day (after not working on it for a while).
They seemed to be building up brick walls, where I assume the aviary sections will be on top of. Still not close to finished, but it's slowly coming together.

Also, the horned screamers can be seen now again, in the "Blick hinter die Kulissen" area as before (far away from the path). I'm pretty sure I saw a baby as well :)
 
They now have 3 new species of whistling ducks in the Jungle Trail.
- Spotted whistling duck (Dendrocygna guttata)
- Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
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Plumed whistling duck (Dendrocygna eytoni)

So now you can see at least 4 species of whistling ducks in there, as they still have some white-faced whistling ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) there as well.
 
A mostly sad update today.
Walsrodes female Westermann's cassowary (Casuarius bennetti westermanni) recently passed away, leaving European zoos without dwarf cassowaries.
She arrived in WVP Walsrode back in 2010 and has been more or less kept on show since then.

The only other news during my latest visit is that they now have a Goldie's lorikeet (Glossoptilus goldiei) on show again in Pukara, and that the emus are back on show - now housed in the former dwarf cassowary enclosure.
 
No new species during my latest visit, but here is a short update.

The following species are no longer on show (they were on show during my visit before this one, but not anymore):
- Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
- Salmon-crested cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis)
- Iberian azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cooki)
Also, the red-necked Sulawesi ground-doves (Gallicolumba tristigmata bimaculata) used to be kept in one aviary in the Jungle trail, as well as free-ranging. But they are now only kept free-ranging in the Jungle trail.

Some good news is that I actually saw 8 black-headed lapwings (Vanellus tectus) during my last visit (they only had 4 on show before). Some of these looked young and are probably offsprings hatched in the park.
 
Some changes:
* The bearded vulture has been replaced with two palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis), which has not been on show for some years (could only be seen in the flight show).
* They now have two pairs of Crimson topaz (Topaz pella pella) on show (before they only had 1 pair), both in the hummingbird house.
* The Bianchi's pheasants (Phasianus colchicus bianchii) are now back on show (one pair), sadly replacing the capercaillie.
* The Eastern crested guineafowls (Guttera pucherani) are now in the freiflughalle again (after being kept behind the scenes all year), but I did see one of them "attack" children several times so they might soon be back behind the scenes again..
* The new entry aviary they have been working on all year is not really close to being finished, and I assume that they most likely will advertise it as something new for next year instead.
 
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Not too much new today, but the swallow tanagers in Pukara have been replaced by a pair of blue-faced honeyeaters (Entomyzon cyanotis). There are therefore no swallow tanagers currently on show anymore.

 
The park closed for the season on November 5th. I don't have much exciting news, but here are some small news from my latest visits in October and November:

• The park now has a new curator, and I have heard that there most likely will be "big changes" - so let's hope for positive and interesting changes next year!
• One of the aviaries in the rosencafé now houses red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha), a new species for the park.
• I noticed on the 5th that the Verreaux's eagle-owl (Ketupa lactea) no longer is on show, and that a pair of snowy owls is kept in that aviary instead. Not sure if the K. lactea passed away or got moved behind the scenes.
• One aviary in Pukara is empty (Used to house Trichoglossus forsteni forsteni), but will be stocked again until next season - hopefully with something new or exciting.
• By the Uhu-Burg and Welli-Paradies you can look through a window into an indoor area for Vietnamese potbelly pigs (this has apparently been a thing all year, but I just totally missed it until now).

So to sum up all the new species this year:
• Northern festive Amazon (Amazona bodini)
• Grey-headed bushshrike (Malaconotus blanchoti)
• Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis)
• Iberian azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cooki)
• Eurasian long-eared owl (Asio otus otus)
• Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)
• Wildform Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
• Common emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
• Vietnamese potbelly (Sus scrofa f. domestica)
• Light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis)
• Great pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis)
• Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis)
• Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja)
• Malaysian great argus (Argusianus argus argus)
• Yellow-rumped caciques (Cacicus cela)
• Blue-faced honeyeaters (Entomyzon cyanotis)
• Fulvous whistling duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)
• Plumed whistling duck (Dendrocygna eytoni)
• Red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha)

And some species that got put on show again this year after being off show for some time:
• Blue-winged macaw (Primolius maracana)
• Blue-eared lory (Eos semilarvata)
• Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
• Eastern vasa parrot
• Greater upland goose
• Marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer)
• Maguari stork (Ciconia maguari)
• Bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius)
• Goldie's lorikeet (Glossoptilus goldiei)
• Palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis)
• Bianchi's pheasants (Phasianus colchicus bianchii)
• Eastern crested guineafowls (Guttera pucherani)
• Spotted whistling duck (Dendrocygna guttata)

Also, two major losses this year:
• Montezuma oropendola (Psarocolius montezuma)
• Westermann's cassowary (Casuarius bennetti westermanni)

I will keep updating if I get any new information during the period the park is closed, but otherwise, I will surely keep you all updated again next year when the park opens up again in March!
 
• The park now has a new curator, and I have heard that there most likely will be "big changes" - so let's hope for positive and interesting changes next year!
Call me a pessimist, but whenever a zoo announces 'exciting changes' or 'big changes', I can't help but feeel aa little worried as to what is to come...
 
Call me a pessimist, but whenever a zoo announces 'exciting changes' or 'big changes', I can't help but feeel aa little worried as to what is to come...

Well, I'm not sure if the identity of the new curator is on-the-record as yet, hence the fact I'm not explicitly naming them here.... but if it is indeed the individual whom I believe to have taken the job, it is definitely promising.

It's also worth noting that @Daniel Sörensen seems not to be referring to a PR piece or news story which (as you note) often use that kind of phrasing in a highly euphemistic fashion, but rather information passed on informally by contacts at the collection.
 
Okay! Pretty interesting news!
A bunch of nice species has arrived at Walsrode from Plzen Zoo according to information on zootierliste, some of these species are the following:
- Blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)
- Black-throated laughingthrush (Pterorhinus chinensis chinensis)
- Siberian rubythroat (Calliope calliope)
- Black-breasted thrush (Turdus dissimilis)
- Spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor)
- Maghreb magpie (Pica mauretanica)
- Taiwan ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus formosanus)
- Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus)
- Northern Carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicus)

This is a relatively small update, especially since I have more information that I cannot share at this time. I will just leave it at this: next year will most likely be a very, very good year to visit the park. If you have been thinking about visiting the park for some time, next year might be the time ;)
 
Daniel Sörensen said:
If you have been thinking about visiting the park for some time, next year might be the time ;)

Mhm... I'm planning a trip to Germany for april. The South of Germany. I don't think I'm gonna be able to take a quick detour to Walsrode.
 

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