A couple months ago my father offered me to join him on a trip on the Sorrento Peninsula. I accepted the offer and visited the peninsula in the last week of August. During the tour I decided to check out the two Neapolitan zoological establishments on my own. I can already imagine the Italian users here face-palming over the fact that I am walking an extra mile to see an ex-EAZA zoo and a really tiny aquarium in a country that is anything but a zoo paradise. Part of wanting to visit this place is a feeling of “carpe diem” and just adding two new additions to my life-list of zoos. Another reason is that I found myself asking “what if I grew up in Naples, which still has a standing zoo, unlike Ankara?”. Of course this question could be asked about cities with better zoos as well and the answer would likely be “a bit more different”. However the question was especially enticing for Naples because of what I perceive as the nature of the city based on what I saw on my trip. Not only did Naples feel chaotic, but there were some aspects of the city and the rest of the peninsula that reminded me of Turkey. I felt like I had to record and share what I saw and my thoughts about them. So I guess you could say this thread is about the Neapolitan facilities from a Turkish perspective.
I woke up at six on a Sunday morning and headed to the Sorento train station. The train, which was already there, started to move at seven and I hopped off at the Garibaldi station at around 8:30 before I found the L2 line and hopped on the train on my way to the Cavalleggeri Aosta station. Unlike most stations that are close to their local zoos, I could not spot anything that showed me the way to the zoo. I hope I am wrong and there was a sign somewhere out there, but I did not see anything that said “zoo” until I got near the complex that housed the zoo after crossing an overpass before seeing the walls said complex. I entered the complex and walked to the end of the road where the zoo was located. There I saw the gates to some amusement park named Edenland and signs to a bowing alley. For some reason, seeing the zoo sandwiched between two entertainment venues bothered me, and I say this as someone who doesn’t think that zoos should force themselves to be some sort of conservation hero, as long as the animals hopefully receive good care… hopefully…
I arrived around 9:30, the opening time. I went to the ticket kiosk and paid 15 Euros for an adult ticket. When I asked for a map they pointed me towards a QR code. “Darn” I thought to myself. Not only will I not have a new addition to my zoo map collection, I also didn’t have cellular connection so I needed to take the picture of a map inside the park, which I did, after entering the park.
Across the entrance were some gift stands shaped like safari trucks. One of the trucks had small bouquets of hay stacked on it. When I checked the stand a staff member told me that the hay is for the petting zoo animals and the price is donation based, so any amount goes. I decided to empty my coin purse and give one Euro and a few cents as a donation before leaving the area. When the staff member asked if I wouldn't be getting any hay, I asked myself “why not?” and grabbed a bouquet before heading towards the petting zoo.
The petting zoo was next to the elephant enclosure, which seemed empty, so I looked for some animals to feed. The problem was that the animals were already fed at the time so many of the animals didn’t show any interest in the handful of hay I had to offer. I finally found a couple of goat kids which took the hay from me while fighting each other for it, even after I separated the clump into two pieces.
The farm area is one that felt different from farm areas in other “western” zoos I have visited. The area was standing right next to the exhibits of wild animals such as the elephants, so it didn’t feel like an area of its own. The enclosures were very basic, with shelters, some of which might feel small for the number of individuals they hold. There was repetition of some species/breeds in multiple enclosures such as ponies, miniature pigs, and alpacas. The fowl, except for the flight-restricted mute swans, were kept in small domed aviaries. There was also a covered pond for sliders and common snapping turtles, the latter of which I unfortunately did not see. Next to the turtles was an educational sign about invasive species. There were also rabbits and guinea pigs in an ugly netter enclosure where they could at least dig and run around.
I woke up at six on a Sunday morning and headed to the Sorento train station. The train, which was already there, started to move at seven and I hopped off at the Garibaldi station at around 8:30 before I found the L2 line and hopped on the train on my way to the Cavalleggeri Aosta station. Unlike most stations that are close to their local zoos, I could not spot anything that showed me the way to the zoo. I hope I am wrong and there was a sign somewhere out there, but I did not see anything that said “zoo” until I got near the complex that housed the zoo after crossing an overpass before seeing the walls said complex. I entered the complex and walked to the end of the road where the zoo was located. There I saw the gates to some amusement park named Edenland and signs to a bowing alley. For some reason, seeing the zoo sandwiched between two entertainment venues bothered me, and I say this as someone who doesn’t think that zoos should force themselves to be some sort of conservation hero, as long as the animals hopefully receive good care… hopefully…
I arrived around 9:30, the opening time. I went to the ticket kiosk and paid 15 Euros for an adult ticket. When I asked for a map they pointed me towards a QR code. “Darn” I thought to myself. Not only will I not have a new addition to my zoo map collection, I also didn’t have cellular connection so I needed to take the picture of a map inside the park, which I did, after entering the park.
Across the entrance were some gift stands shaped like safari trucks. One of the trucks had small bouquets of hay stacked on it. When I checked the stand a staff member told me that the hay is for the petting zoo animals and the price is donation based, so any amount goes. I decided to empty my coin purse and give one Euro and a few cents as a donation before leaving the area. When the staff member asked if I wouldn't be getting any hay, I asked myself “why not?” and grabbed a bouquet before heading towards the petting zoo.
The petting zoo was next to the elephant enclosure, which seemed empty, so I looked for some animals to feed. The problem was that the animals were already fed at the time so many of the animals didn’t show any interest in the handful of hay I had to offer. I finally found a couple of goat kids which took the hay from me while fighting each other for it, even after I separated the clump into two pieces.
The farm area is one that felt different from farm areas in other “western” zoos I have visited. The area was standing right next to the exhibits of wild animals such as the elephants, so it didn’t feel like an area of its own. The enclosures were very basic, with shelters, some of which might feel small for the number of individuals they hold. There was repetition of some species/breeds in multiple enclosures such as ponies, miniature pigs, and alpacas. The fowl, except for the flight-restricted mute swans, were kept in small domed aviaries. There was also a covered pond for sliders and common snapping turtles, the latter of which I unfortunately did not see. Next to the turtles was an educational sign about invasive species. There were also rabbits and guinea pigs in an ugly netter enclosure where they could at least dig and run around.
