Toddy
Well-Known Member
Ree Park is situated in the some of the most beautiful landscape in all of Denmark, near the city of Ebeltoft. Until 2006 it was known as Ebeltoft Zoo and Safari, but when it was bought by the extremely wealthy business man Carsten Ree, who renamed it after himself. Fortunately, with this name also came a LOT of money, and this is how Ree Park has financed several big projects since 2006:
2006 – North America theme
2006 – Wild dog enclosure
2007 – Madagascar Island
2007 – Sand cat exhibit
2008 – Giraffe house on the savannah
2009 – Lions
The park’s main focus is the breeding and conservation of endangered species. They currently hold 19 cheetahs of which 9 were born in 2007. They have imported both cheetahs and wild dogs from sanctuaries in South Africa as well as sand cats from Arabia. Other endangered species in the park include eastern bongos, blesboks, persian onagers and ruffed lemurs. The zoo-director Jesper Stagegaard is indeed a hands-on man, and, I would say, one of the finest zoo-directors in Denmark. The landscape in Ree Park is beautiful, and has some very nice enclosures. The zoo’s philosophy is to give all animals lots of space to move about. Since the zoo is also a safaripark visitors can buy tickets to Safari Jeep Rides all day. These jeeps will take you by and through enclosures while a talk on the animals is given in Danish. This is definitely recommended.
The zoo has a small terrarium in the entrance building where they focus in poisonous snakes. This is the only indoor exhibition in the park. The Monkey Islands located close to the entrance consists of a series of islands with various small and medium sized monkeys and lemurs. On walkthrough islands visitors can experience ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs and squirrel monkeys. Unfortunately, visitors get WAY to close to these wild monkeys, and especially on the Madagascar Island you feel like you are in a petting zoo. This is the only major critique I will raise of Ree Park. Other islands here houses white-fronted lemurs, goldie’s monkeys, white-fronted marmosets and brown capuchins.
The Asian theme consists of only two enclosures: the large gibbon island with lar gibbons (one of the best I have seen) and the open Asian steppe with bactrian camels and persian onagers. The South American theme also consists of two enclosures. One is the pampas with llama, rhea and mara. The other is an open enclosure with vicugnas, alpacas and donkeys. The European theme is made up of only one enclosure, with wisent (European bison), European moose and mufflon sheep.
The main geographical focus in Ree Park – Ebeltoft Safari is Africa. This is devided into sub-themes: the bush savannah, the forest savannah and the open grass savannah.
The bush savannah has the two huge, fantastic enclosures for cheetahs and wild dogs. These can be seen from a wooden bridge, going between the enclosures, on top of a hill with a splendid view of the park. During the feeding times visitors can enjoy the sight of cheetahs chasing a piece of meat going at 70 km/h (43,50 mph). Spectacular!
The forest savannah consists of one huge enclosure. This is a wooded area with a small lake. Here you can see eastern bongo, blesbok, crowned crane marabou and pelicans.
The open grass savannah is one big savannah enclosure. Here lives African hoofstock such as giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, watussi cows, blesboks and eland antelopes as well as octriches and blackbucks. This is also a drive-through enclosure for the Safari Jeep Rides.
Next to this enclosure the lions will live from 2009, and here is also a series of smaller desert enclosures for the sand cats.
The last theme is North America. The central element here is the pioneer fort called Fort Laramie. From here visitors can view the three enclosures that house the animals of this theme. The smallest enclosure is integrated in the fort’s structure. This is a small wood with striped skunks, North American porcupines and prairie dogs. The Bear Lake enclosure is centred around a small lake lying to the west of the fort. Here live arctic wolves and American black bears together in a semi-open enclosure. To the east of the fort lies the open prairie enclosure with prairie bison, prairie dog and American black bear. Ree Park pays a lot of attention to details. On the fort is a toilet building that is well integrated in the theme. From here you can view the prairie enclosure while using the toilet. This is a nice and original idea.
Ree Park is my favourite open-range zoo. Here visitors can enjoy endangered animals in huge natural surroundings.
2006 – North America theme
2006 – Wild dog enclosure
2007 – Madagascar Island
2007 – Sand cat exhibit
2008 – Giraffe house on the savannah
2009 – Lions
The park’s main focus is the breeding and conservation of endangered species. They currently hold 19 cheetahs of which 9 were born in 2007. They have imported both cheetahs and wild dogs from sanctuaries in South Africa as well as sand cats from Arabia. Other endangered species in the park include eastern bongos, blesboks, persian onagers and ruffed lemurs. The zoo-director Jesper Stagegaard is indeed a hands-on man, and, I would say, one of the finest zoo-directors in Denmark. The landscape in Ree Park is beautiful, and has some very nice enclosures. The zoo’s philosophy is to give all animals lots of space to move about. Since the zoo is also a safaripark visitors can buy tickets to Safari Jeep Rides all day. These jeeps will take you by and through enclosures while a talk on the animals is given in Danish. This is definitely recommended.
The zoo has a small terrarium in the entrance building where they focus in poisonous snakes. This is the only indoor exhibition in the park. The Monkey Islands located close to the entrance consists of a series of islands with various small and medium sized monkeys and lemurs. On walkthrough islands visitors can experience ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs and squirrel monkeys. Unfortunately, visitors get WAY to close to these wild monkeys, and especially on the Madagascar Island you feel like you are in a petting zoo. This is the only major critique I will raise of Ree Park. Other islands here houses white-fronted lemurs, goldie’s monkeys, white-fronted marmosets and brown capuchins.
The Asian theme consists of only two enclosures: the large gibbon island with lar gibbons (one of the best I have seen) and the open Asian steppe with bactrian camels and persian onagers. The South American theme also consists of two enclosures. One is the pampas with llama, rhea and mara. The other is an open enclosure with vicugnas, alpacas and donkeys. The European theme is made up of only one enclosure, with wisent (European bison), European moose and mufflon sheep.
The main geographical focus in Ree Park – Ebeltoft Safari is Africa. This is devided into sub-themes: the bush savannah, the forest savannah and the open grass savannah.
The bush savannah has the two huge, fantastic enclosures for cheetahs and wild dogs. These can be seen from a wooden bridge, going between the enclosures, on top of a hill with a splendid view of the park. During the feeding times visitors can enjoy the sight of cheetahs chasing a piece of meat going at 70 km/h (43,50 mph). Spectacular!
The forest savannah consists of one huge enclosure. This is a wooded area with a small lake. Here you can see eastern bongo, blesbok, crowned crane marabou and pelicans.
The open grass savannah is one big savannah enclosure. Here lives African hoofstock such as giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, watussi cows, blesboks and eland antelopes as well as octriches and blackbucks. This is also a drive-through enclosure for the Safari Jeep Rides.
Next to this enclosure the lions will live from 2009, and here is also a series of smaller desert enclosures for the sand cats.
The last theme is North America. The central element here is the pioneer fort called Fort Laramie. From here visitors can view the three enclosures that house the animals of this theme. The smallest enclosure is integrated in the fort’s structure. This is a small wood with striped skunks, North American porcupines and prairie dogs. The Bear Lake enclosure is centred around a small lake lying to the west of the fort. Here live arctic wolves and American black bears together in a semi-open enclosure. To the east of the fort lies the open prairie enclosure with prairie bison, prairie dog and American black bear. Ree Park pays a lot of attention to details. On the fort is a toilet building that is well integrated in the theme. From here you can view the prairie enclosure while using the toilet. This is a nice and original idea.
Ree Park is my favourite open-range zoo. Here visitors can enjoy endangered animals in huge natural surroundings.
