A small Wildpark - about 20 hectare ( with small fun-fair / playground, fairy tale-wood and dinosaur park ) in Germany's Sauerland has sofar not been mentioned on ZooChat exept the request for a Gallery by myself and the several photos I've uploaded already into this Gallery ( see Wild- und Freizeitpark Willingen - ZooChat ).
At the end of March I visited this park and spend a few nice hours at it. It surtainly isn't a good park and also the collection hasn't to offer much special but because the Sauerland is a well-visited touristic-area in Germany I guess a small review of the park is here on its place.
The park is located against a mountain ( hill ) slope and well-wooded. After entering the park you will find on your rightside a small "Jagtmuseum" ( = Hunting-sport museum ) in which a large collection of stuffed animals, skins, trophies, antlers and other hunting-sport related stuff can be found in a somewhat messy way.
Next to all this dead stuff also some enclosures with living animals can be found in the museum. An aquarium with 3 local threatened species is the first we will see. In it, Thick-shelled river mussel, European crayfish and European pond turtle should live but I only saw the mussels. This could be because it was still March and the other 2 species were still not active. Next are 2 aquariums with several European freshwater fishes ( species not signed ) but I could identify at least 1 Sterlet, some carps and roaches. The next 'enclosure' is for Green iguana which share this little terrarium with at least one small Hermann's tortoise and in the last terrarium Romain landsnails ( escargots ) are kept.
After leaving the museum and leaving the playground/fun-fair to our left side we see 2 decent aviaries in which European and American kestrels are kept. Now we went up-hill and find several enclosures for ferrets and American minks. Nothing very special but at least well-equipped and large enough for the animals. In between these animal-enclosures several displays with well-known fairy-tales are placed along the pathway but most of these are very primitive made and must have seen better-times ( long, long ago ). The same is true for the next enclosure we find on our way. The Barbary monkey indoor and holding-cages would have been Oke in a zoo in the 1960s but now-a-days we find such small and outdated structures only in bad roadside zoos. Later on our path we will see also the outside enclosure for this species and this is luckily better and much larger and all the animals I was able to see looked fine and healthy.
Going a little down with the pathway we come to a small walk-in aviary in which domisticated Japanese quails, Barbary doves, Budgies and Cockatiels are kept. Like in many of these smaller low-budget collections there's a feeding-machine to get food for the birds and as a result of this most birds were very tame.
Then we went to a building which is called Papageiendschungle ( = Parrot-jungle ) but it surtainly hasn't to do anything with a real jungle. A few small aviaries and a good number of old-fashioned 'living-room' parrot-cages are home to a small collection of parrots with which shows are preformed. In March however no shows are given and to be honest, I wasn't sorry about this !
The next enclosure we find after the parrots is a heavely-fenced area for ( at least ) 1 Brown bear and althrough the enclosure didn't looked very up-to-date the single Brown bear I saw looked fine and the area it was living in wasn't to small.
Near the Brown bear another Parrot-species is kept and the 2 Kea's I saw had a much better life as all their relatives is the Parrot-jungle. A decent-sized aviary is called their home. Next to this aviary we can also see the outdoor enclosure for the Barbary monkey's which is - as already said - not that bad. Along a large aviary with differnt fowl ( Guineafowl, Turkey, Peacock and Silver pheasant ) is located and althrough its large enough for the birds, its again very out-dated. Next we see is an enclosure for European wildcats and again out-dated but large enough for the 3 animals I was able to see.
Going further up-hills we now find a row of large enclosures for hoofstock at our rightside build against the steep slope of the hill/mountain. Here hoofstock can be found and esp. the Chamois looked very nice. The other enclosures housed a small group of European mouflon and some domestic goats and pot-bellied pigs.
In this same area a small enclosure is home to a small group of Nutria's. The enclosure is very small and the water ( if you can still call the fluid in the small pond water ) had a very unhealthy color and smell.
At the other side of the large hoofstock-enclosure still bad-displayed fairy-tales can be found but also another enclosure with domestic chickens and rabbits which had a decent size but looked again quite out-dated. On the same side also a small porcelain museum is located but I found this quite simple. Again at the other side there is a small building devoted to the European lynx and some information about this species is given. The Lynxes themself I didn't find - the info-exibition yes, an enclosure, any animals or a sign, no.
If we should believe the zoo-plan, here also Raccoon dogs should be kept but here again, no enclosure, no animals and no sign.
Now we have reached the highest point of the park and go again down-hill by a stairway along some aviaries for birds of prey. Several of the aviaries were empty but a single Steppe eagle was nice to see and very vocal. A little further the Beech martens are kept in a reasonable enclosure but both animals which I could discover were sleeping deeply and hardly visuable.
We went further downhill and find ourselfs again at the fun-fair/ playing-ground and after crossing this area we see a large enclosure for European wild boar. The next area of the Wildpark is the Dinosaur-wood. Here a good number of some very good replica's as well as a number of less-well replica's of dinosaurs are place in the wood. When the pathway went further downhill we find a large wooded enclosure for Roe deer but I wasn't able to discover any of these.
At the bottom-side of the path we turn to the left and have a look at an enormous grass-enclosure for Aurochs and Deer ( Sika, Fallow and Red deer ). Also a large Walk-through aviary is located along this path and althrough quit barren it looked nice and in it several Pheasant species ( Ring-necked, Reeves's and Lady Amherst pheasants ), European jay, Blackbird and Yellowhammer can be found. Next to these also European hare is kept in this aviary.
A small side-way leads us to the Bird of Prey 'center'. The Eagles, Vultures and Falcons are housed partly in aviaries and partly on block perches. The collection includes some realy nice species and specimens. Then we are going back to the original path and next to this we find some large and well-done aviaries for several species of owls.
Now we are back at the entrance and will use it this time as exit.
Conclusion : a quite out-dated collection with some nice species but nothing special and surtainly not worth to make a longer trip to it. If you are close-by you can however pay a short visit.
Will later make a species-list with some remarks.
At the end of March I visited this park and spend a few nice hours at it. It surtainly isn't a good park and also the collection hasn't to offer much special but because the Sauerland is a well-visited touristic-area in Germany I guess a small review of the park is here on its place.
The park is located against a mountain ( hill ) slope and well-wooded. After entering the park you will find on your rightside a small "Jagtmuseum" ( = Hunting-sport museum ) in which a large collection of stuffed animals, skins, trophies, antlers and other hunting-sport related stuff can be found in a somewhat messy way.
Next to all this dead stuff also some enclosures with living animals can be found in the museum. An aquarium with 3 local threatened species is the first we will see. In it, Thick-shelled river mussel, European crayfish and European pond turtle should live but I only saw the mussels. This could be because it was still March and the other 2 species were still not active. Next are 2 aquariums with several European freshwater fishes ( species not signed ) but I could identify at least 1 Sterlet, some carps and roaches. The next 'enclosure' is for Green iguana which share this little terrarium with at least one small Hermann's tortoise and in the last terrarium Romain landsnails ( escargots ) are kept.
After leaving the museum and leaving the playground/fun-fair to our left side we see 2 decent aviaries in which European and American kestrels are kept. Now we went up-hill and find several enclosures for ferrets and American minks. Nothing very special but at least well-equipped and large enough for the animals. In between these animal-enclosures several displays with well-known fairy-tales are placed along the pathway but most of these are very primitive made and must have seen better-times ( long, long ago ). The same is true for the next enclosure we find on our way. The Barbary monkey indoor and holding-cages would have been Oke in a zoo in the 1960s but now-a-days we find such small and outdated structures only in bad roadside zoos. Later on our path we will see also the outside enclosure for this species and this is luckily better and much larger and all the animals I was able to see looked fine and healthy.
Going a little down with the pathway we come to a small walk-in aviary in which domisticated Japanese quails, Barbary doves, Budgies and Cockatiels are kept. Like in many of these smaller low-budget collections there's a feeding-machine to get food for the birds and as a result of this most birds were very tame.
Then we went to a building which is called Papageiendschungle ( = Parrot-jungle ) but it surtainly hasn't to do anything with a real jungle. A few small aviaries and a good number of old-fashioned 'living-room' parrot-cages are home to a small collection of parrots with which shows are preformed. In March however no shows are given and to be honest, I wasn't sorry about this !
The next enclosure we find after the parrots is a heavely-fenced area for ( at least ) 1 Brown bear and althrough the enclosure didn't looked very up-to-date the single Brown bear I saw looked fine and the area it was living in wasn't to small.
Near the Brown bear another Parrot-species is kept and the 2 Kea's I saw had a much better life as all their relatives is the Parrot-jungle. A decent-sized aviary is called their home. Next to this aviary we can also see the outdoor enclosure for the Barbary monkey's which is - as already said - not that bad. Along a large aviary with differnt fowl ( Guineafowl, Turkey, Peacock and Silver pheasant ) is located and althrough its large enough for the birds, its again very out-dated. Next we see is an enclosure for European wildcats and again out-dated but large enough for the 3 animals I was able to see.
Going further up-hills we now find a row of large enclosures for hoofstock at our rightside build against the steep slope of the hill/mountain. Here hoofstock can be found and esp. the Chamois looked very nice. The other enclosures housed a small group of European mouflon and some domestic goats and pot-bellied pigs.
In this same area a small enclosure is home to a small group of Nutria's. The enclosure is very small and the water ( if you can still call the fluid in the small pond water ) had a very unhealthy color and smell.
At the other side of the large hoofstock-enclosure still bad-displayed fairy-tales can be found but also another enclosure with domestic chickens and rabbits which had a decent size but looked again quite out-dated. On the same side also a small porcelain museum is located but I found this quite simple. Again at the other side there is a small building devoted to the European lynx and some information about this species is given. The Lynxes themself I didn't find - the info-exibition yes, an enclosure, any animals or a sign, no.
If we should believe the zoo-plan, here also Raccoon dogs should be kept but here again, no enclosure, no animals and no sign.
Now we have reached the highest point of the park and go again down-hill by a stairway along some aviaries for birds of prey. Several of the aviaries were empty but a single Steppe eagle was nice to see and very vocal. A little further the Beech martens are kept in a reasonable enclosure but both animals which I could discover were sleeping deeply and hardly visuable.
We went further downhill and find ourselfs again at the fun-fair/ playing-ground and after crossing this area we see a large enclosure for European wild boar. The next area of the Wildpark is the Dinosaur-wood. Here a good number of some very good replica's as well as a number of less-well replica's of dinosaurs are place in the wood. When the pathway went further downhill we find a large wooded enclosure for Roe deer but I wasn't able to discover any of these.
At the bottom-side of the path we turn to the left and have a look at an enormous grass-enclosure for Aurochs and Deer ( Sika, Fallow and Red deer ). Also a large Walk-through aviary is located along this path and althrough quit barren it looked nice and in it several Pheasant species ( Ring-necked, Reeves's and Lady Amherst pheasants ), European jay, Blackbird and Yellowhammer can be found. Next to these also European hare is kept in this aviary.
A small side-way leads us to the Bird of Prey 'center'. The Eagles, Vultures and Falcons are housed partly in aviaries and partly on block perches. The collection includes some realy nice species and specimens. Then we are going back to the original path and next to this we find some large and well-done aviaries for several species of owls.
Now we are back at the entrance and will use it this time as exit.
Conclusion : a quite out-dated collection with some nice species but nothing special and surtainly not worth to make a longer trip to it. If you are close-by you can however pay a short visit.
Will later make a species-list with some remarks.
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