Snowleopard's 2022 Road Trip: Denmark, Sweden & Norway

snowleopard

snowleopard

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It's been 3 long years and more than 1,000 days since the last 'Snowleopard Road Trip', but here I am to start it up again. For some of you, I feel as if I'm writing to old friends as you've been with me through many journeys. For others, this might be a new experience. I'm venturing forth on my 10th major ZooChat road trip thread, and I've already reviewed and uploaded photos from hundreds of zoological facilities over the past 15 years. By the time I arrive back home in Canada, I'll move past 540 different zoos and aquariums in my lifetime. That's a ridiculous number. :p

In 2019, my 'thread of the year' saw me cross the pond to embark on a trek through the Netherlands, Belgium, western Germany and a day in France. This time around, I'm gone from home for 10 nights but it's actually only 8 full zoo days. The road trip will see me visit the Nordic nations and it will be without a doubt my shortest journey yet. Hopefully many zoo nerds will enjoy my reviews and photos of zoos in Denmark (5 days), Sweden (2 days) and Norway (1 long drive to see Kristiansand Zoo).

Here are some of my past road trip threads:

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip (95 zoos in 33 days - Europe):

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip (50 zoos in 16 days - mainly Michigan and Wisconsin):

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip (44 zoos in 17 days - California):

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days - Texas, Arizona and the south):

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days - Minnesota, Illinois and the north):

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days - all over the USA ):

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

There were road trips in 2011, 2010 and 2008 as well, although I didn't keep such exhaustive lists of species back in those days.

 
snowleopard said:
It's been 3 long years and more than 1,000 days since the last 'Snowleopard Road Trip', but here I am to start it up again. For some of you, I feel as if I'm writing to old friends as you've been with me through many journeys. For others, this might be a new experience. I'm venturing forth on my 10th major ZooChat road trip thread, and I've already reviewed and uploaded photos from hundreds of zoological facilities over the past 15 years. By the time I arrive back home in Canada, I'll move past 540 different zoos and aquariums in my lifetime. That's a ridiculous number. :p

In 2019, my 'thread of the year' saw me cross the pond to embark on a trek through the Netherlands, Belgium, western Germany and a day in France. This time around, I'm gone from home for 10 nights but it's actually only 8 full zoo days. The road trip will see me visit the Nordic nations and it will be without a doubt my shortest journey yet. Hopefully many zoo nerds will enjoy my reviews and photos of zoos in Denmark (5 days), Sweden (2 days) and Norway (1 long drive to see Kristiansand Zoo).

Here are some of my past road trip threads:

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip (95 zoos in 33 days - Europe):

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip (50 zoos in 16 days - mainly Michigan and Wisconsin):

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip (44 zoos in 17 days - California):

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days - Texas, Arizona and the south):

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days - Minnesota, Illinois and the north):

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days - all over the USA ):

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

There were road trips in 2011, 2010 and 2008 as well, although I didn't keep such exhaustive lists of species back in those days.
Click to expand...
What no road trips yet to oz :D
 
I’ve been looking forward to this! It’s been far too long since the last snowleopard road trip. I’m not all that familiar with just about any of the collections you’ll be visiting so I’m excited to see what these countries have in store zoo-wise. Safe travels. :)
 
snowleopard said:
It's been 3 long years and more than 1,000 days since the last 'Snowleopard Road Trip', but here I am to start it up again. For some of you, I feel as if I'm writing to old friends as you've been with me through many journeys. For others, this might be a new experience. I'm venturing forth on my 10th major ZooChat road trip thread, and I've already reviewed and uploaded photos from hundreds of zoological facilities over the past 15 years. By the time I arrive back home in Canada, I'll move past 540 different zoos and aquariums in my lifetime. That's a ridiculous number. :p

In 2019, my 'thread of the year' saw me cross the pond to embark on a trek through the Netherlands, Belgium, western Germany and a day in France. This time around, I'm gone from home for 10 nights but it's actually only 8 full zoo days. The road trip will see me visit the Nordic nations and it will be without a doubt my shortest journey yet. Hopefully many zoo nerds will enjoy my reviews and photos of zoos in Denmark (5 days), Sweden (2 days) and Norway (1 long drive to see Kristiansand Zoo).

Here are some of my past road trip threads:

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip (95 zoos in 33 days - Europe):

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip (50 zoos in 16 days - mainly Michigan and Wisconsin):

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip (44 zoos in 17 days - California):

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days - Texas, Arizona and the south):

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days - Minnesota, Illinois and the north):

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days - all over the USA ):

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

There were road trips in 2011, 2010 and 2008 as well, although I didn't keep such exhaustive lists of species back in those days.
Click to expand...
Good show, mate! Can't wait to hear about your adventures in depth!
 
DAY 1: Tuesday, August 2nd

Why the Nordic nations? After spending years of traveling across Canada and the United States, visiting hundreds of different zoos and aquariums in North America, I made the plunge in 2019 for a 95 zoo, 33-day tour of the Netherlands (43 zoos), Germany (40 zoos), Belgium (10 zoos) and France (2 zoos). That trip whetted my appetite for more Euro adventures, and near the end of my 2019 road trip thread I wrote several long pieces of analysis that showcased the many differences between North American and European zoos. That was a major part of the attraction for me, as there are plenty of zoo nerds on each side of the Atlantic Ocean, but not many people who have visited 100+ zoos on both sides of the pond.

Since I had reached a nadir of visiting American zoos in the summer of 2018 in Wisconsin, Europe beckoned with its rich history of zoo buildings, plethora of walk-through primate exhibits, and impressive bounty of wonderful zoos. The Covid pandemic of the past few years has been a detriment to travel, but it seems that these days if you have not had Covid then you are clearly in the minority. Numerous reports have stated that approximately 60% of the planet has had the virus, and for me personally more than 50% of my coworkers at my job site (I'm a high school teacher) have been infected and in the vast majority of cases it's been a bad case of flu-like symptoms and then individuals have been back to normal. However, Covid has been a tragedy because millions have died, therefore it was interesting for me to see jam-packed airports during the initial part of this trip.

I had a small window of traveling time around other commitments with my wife and 4 children this summer, plus West Jet dollars that had accumulated and were going to expire, and so it seemed perfect for me to visit Scandinavia as I could feel secure knowing that 8 days was enough time to see all the attractions that I would like.

DAY 2: Wednesday, August 3rd

The 'jaunt' to Europe was long and arduous this time around. Here's a breakdown:

Left my house in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada and drove to the local airport. By the time I boarded the plane I'd been gone from home for 1.5 hours.

Flew to Calgary and spent 1.5 hours on the plane.

Had a 4-hour layover in Calgary.

Boarded a plane to fly to Paris, France. That was 9.5 hours and an overnight flight. At home, I usually am in bed by 10:15 every night of the week, but on the plane it was surprising how many passengers kept watching movies on their TV screens far into the next morning. Attempting to sleep with a crying baby nearby, screens on everywhere, people moving around, etc., was almost impossible but in the end I think I managed a fitful, 3-hour sleep.

Arrived in Paris and went through the whole customs procedure and I had a layover of approximately 3 hours.

Flew to Hamburg, Germany, which is a 1.5-hour flight.

Spent a full hour getting my luggage and signing out my pre-booked rental car at the Hamburg airport.

Drove 4 hours to northern Denmark and had a glorious shower after 3 flights and cruising through 4 nations.

So, a full 26 hours after leaving home in Abbotsford, Canada, I spent the night in Aarhus, Denmark. Whew!

Of note, it was interesting that at the Abbotsford and Calgary airports in Canada, 100% of all passengers wore facemasks. There were numerous announcements about wearing a mask covering both your nose and mouth, with crew members walking around on the plane and announcing that anyone not wearing a mask needed to promptly exit the aircraft. Other than eating dinner or having a drink of water, I wore my facemask for the entire 9.5 hours when I flew to Paris.

Upon arrival at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, imagine my surprise to find an intensely packed facility with less than 10% of passengers wearing facemasks. During my 3 hours in Paris, I was one of the 90%+ with no facemask, and during the flight to Hamburg, my best guess is that close to 0% of any passengers or crew wore facemasks. I literally didn't see anyone with masks on. The contrast between my time at two North American airports and two European airports was incredible in terms of facemask protocols.

To be perfectly honest, being a schoolteacher for a career, being married to a fellow schoolteacher, and having 4 kids, means that our lives have plowed ahead like 'normal' for the past few years. In our family of 6 people, we go to 3 different schools, the kids are in various sports, we go to the movie theater once per month, and I just spent hours with thousands of people in airports with little to no protection. So, I clearly have zero issues venturing forth into the world of zoos and aquariums on this trip.

There's the first two days done, with 8 full zoo days coming up. Stay tuned.
 
DAY 3: Thursday, August 4th

I visited 4 facilities today and first up was an aquarium. I uploaded approximately 40 new photos of this aquarium into the gallery.

Zoo/Aquarium # 1: Kattegatcentret Center (Grenaa, DK)

The Kattegat Sea divides the east coast of Denmark from Sweden, and the Kattegatcentret Center is an aquarium that opened in 1993 and has averaged just over 200,000 visitors per year for its almost 30-year existence. It is located in Grenaa, a seaside town of only 14,000 citizens.

If I had to summarize this facility in a single sentence, I would say that there are 4 really impressive exhibits and the rest of the building is filled with standard, aging tanks. There is a 1.5-million-liter (400,000 gallon) Oceanarium tank with native species such as various gar, dogfish, assorted smaller species, and Beluga Sturgeon. It’s a nice tank, but unfortunately the viewing angles (it’s situated at the bottom of some steep tiers of seats) is a bit awkward.

Oceanarium Tank:

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There’s a big Shark Tank with the following species: Blacktip Reef Shark, Sandbar Shark, Sand Tiger Shark, Nurse Shark, Brownbanded Bambooshark, Spotted Wobbegong, Southern Stingray, Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse and Emperor Red Snapper. There is an underwater tunnel for this exhibit, but it’s set on a squeaky, annoyingly fast-paced conveyor belt and so I went through twice just to be able to slow down and see all the animals. One of the highlights of the whole aquarium is the upper view of the Shark Tank, as I petted a pair of 5-foot-long Blacktip Reef Sharks who were doing laps. There was a father who was holding his kids over the glass, and they were petting the sharks as well, with a staff member pointing to a sign that said: “the sharks bite!” but while shrugging his shoulders and walking away. A couple of younger guys were leaning over and putting their hands in the water where the Sandbar Sharks and Sand Tiger Sharks were swimming, but that seems incredibly risky behaviour. Welcome to the low barrier European zoos!

Shark Tank photos:

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Besides the Oceanarium and Shark exhibits, there are two other notable animal habitats here. A Tropical Lagoon exhibit is seen from several vantage points, with Cownose Rays and a variety of colourful fish. There’s also the brand-new Gentoo Penguin exhibit, which isn’t large but was freezing cold during my visit. It’s an enclosure that is very similar to what can be found at the Saint Louis and Calgary zoos, in that there is low glass and therefore the sights and smells of the penguins are all around as visitors are immersed into the world of the birds. It’s a very engaging and popular addition to the facility, which should help boost visitor numbers.

Gentoo Penguin exhibit (new in 2022):

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Elsewhere, there is a pool for Harbour Seals and Grey Seals that is outdoors and adjacent to the seawater. There’s a small room in a basement area for “Dangerous Fish” that contains 9 tanks and the following 11 species: Electric Eel, Red Piranha, Cockatoo Waspfish, Lionfish, Dwarf Lionfish, Zebra Turkeyfish, Stonefish, Sterba’s Corydoras, Foxface, Balloonfish and Spotted Congo Puffer. There are some native species tanks, with Common Octopus, Clownfish and various other smaller exhibits scattered throughout the two levels.

Harbour Seal/Grey Seal Exhibit:

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Octopus Play Area:

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Aquarium Map:

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Did wonder when we were getting another road trip,waspmeasantly surprised to see you've made time to do one, especially after already trekking across Canada with Mrs Snowleopard and the brood in tow! :D

Looking forward to reviews on the big names and the obscure as usual.

Enjoy mate, hope it lives up to previous trips despite being significantly smaller! :)
 
Be interesting to see how Jutland pans out as ive never really been there ,although i did Aalborg in 1971 on a holiday...my first foreign zoo. First time i saw big cats behind a water barrier...London,Bristol, Paignton had them behind bars - Chester,Belle Vue and Flamingo Park(as it was then) had them on grass behind mesh. Good luck with it all anyway.
 
DAY 3: Thursday, August 4th

Here is the 2nd of 4 zoological attractions that I visited on this day. I uploaded approximately 70 photos into the gallery, showcasing the large exhibits at this park.

Zoo/Aquarium # 2: Skandinavisk Dyrepark (Kolind, DK)

Only 30 minutes west of the aquarium is the Skandinavisk Dyrepark (Scandinavian Wildlife Park) in Kolind. It is set in a rambling, gorgeous tract of land that is 47 hectares (116 acres) and it was opened in 1994 by Frank Vigh-Larsen. This facility only has 18 species in the park, an amazingly low total, but also some of the best exhibits I’ve seen in my life. It has an interesting location, way out in the countryside and surrounded by farms in all directions. There are tiny villages nearby, but I felt as if I was driving through the American Midwest with the tall crops by the side of the narrow road.

According to the zoo’s website, the Polar Bear exhibit is 2.6 hectares (6.4 acres) in size, and it is magnificent. There is a long, 220-meter boardwalk that traverses the huge habitat, which includes a lake that is around an acre in size. There are some proud Danes at the zoo that like to say they work at an establishment that has the best Polar Bear exhibit on the planet. This enclosure even made the illustrious ‘Europe’s must-see exhibits’ list by @lintworm. I saw three large, likely male, bears in that habitat. Nearby is a second Polar Bear exhibit, where I saw a mother and two young cubs. Interestingly, the youngsters had snuck beneath the hotwired fence (still inside the exhibit though) and some visitors were trying to pet them through the wire.

Polar Bear photos:

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There is a sleeping Polar Bear on the lake's edge in this photo:

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The nearby Brown Bear exhibit is just as amazing. It has a 250-meter-long boardwalk, and the animal space is 2.5 hectares (6.1 acres) and stunning. I saw 7 Brown Bears, although all of them were very active and the constant movement makes me think that there might even be more bears in the exhibit. Nothing is blocked off and therefore the large group of Brown Bears all share the same space.

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There is also a ‘Wolf Park’ exhibit with a 200-meter-long boardwalk, and the animal space is 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) and fantastic. During my visit, the smell was awful and apparently the European Grey Wolves had recently disposed of some kind of carcass. There’s also a spectacular Moose exhibit that features a 100-meter-long boardwalk, and the 1-hectare (2.5 acre) exhibit is a lot of space for what appears to be a trio of Moose at the park. There is also an enormous Steller’s Sea Eagle aviary that is 12 meters in height, 60 x 60 meters in size, and it is the largest of its kind in the world.

Steller's Sea Eagle aviary (one bird is a speck on top of a perch with no leaves):

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Moose exhibit:

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Besides the Polar Bears, Brown Bears, Moose, European Grey Wolves and Steller’s Sea Eagles, all in world-class habitats, the park has many big ungulate paddocks. There’s a herd of approximately 75 Fallow Deer, which I petted but didn’t feed like the many Danish visitors. There’s also a big walk-through for Red Deer, plus enclosures for Roe Deer, Sika Deer, Reindeer and Muskox. I felt that the park was missing Wisent, as they are absent from the collection. But there are other species such as European Wild Boar, Przewalski’s Horse, some domestic goats and a few smaller animals such as Red Fox, Polecat, Grass Snake and European Viper.

Fallow Deer exhibit (my best guess is that the park has 75 in the herd):

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You should come for a walk around where i live...it looks just like that -minus the animals of course!;) Bigger equals better equals the end of traditional zoos I suppose.
 
This thread came as a complete surprise to me and I'm excited to follow it:). One reason for me for following this thread is because some friends of mine have visited some zoos in that region, and thought they were worth visiting, which is precisely why I am curious what someone who has visited so many zoos thinks about these parks.
 
DAY 3: Thursday, August 4th

Here is the 3rd of 4 zoological attractions that I visited on this day. I uploaded approximately 30 photos into the gallery.

Zoo/Aquarium # 3: Skaerup Zoo (Borkop, DK)

Skaerup Zoo is a family-owned attraction that claims to have more than 100 animal species and that is perhaps true if one includes the various birds around the park. The land was purchased by a couple in 1993 and by 2001 Skaerup Mini Zoo had opened to the public. Gradually, more exotic animals were added, and the name of the facility was changed to Skaerup Zoo in 2007. This place reminded me strongly of Zie-ZOO in the Netherlands. It’s a small, homemade, very stinky little zoo that is packed full of rarities. The primate collection is great, the number of small mammals that are not always seen elsewhere is impressive, and yet every single exhibit is a bit on the tiny side. There’s nothing terrible or nearly as awful as one would find in the roadside American zoos, but all the enclosures are merely adequate at best. But that collection…

Before a visitor even pays for admission and walks into the zoo, there are a trio of free exhibits to be seen for Darwin’s Rhea/Capybara, Golden Takin and Lowland Anoa, quietly informing the zoo nerd that Skaerup has some choice selection of animals. There is a long row of primate cages (where there are minimal barriers and visitors can stick their hands inside) that reminded me strongly of Santa Ana Zoo in California. Petting a Silvery Marmoset on its tail was exciting because the monkey genuinely appeared to like the attention, but I resisted shoving my fingers into any of the other cages. This is a zoo that doesn’t worry about fancy immersion exhibits, instead content to have various rare wallabies and a list of mammals that would make many zoo nerds salivate with delight. There aren’t many rare birds (two notable ones would be Burrowing Owl and Southern Screamer) or reptiles (a nice-looking Savannah Monitor), but mammals are the core of this home-made zoo. I wouldn’t recommend the place for those looking for Scandinavian Wildlife Park size enclosures, but I was surprised at how enjoyable it was to turn a corner and come across several species that are very rare in zoological facilities.

A comprehensive species list of the zoo’s mammals:

Primates (19 species): White-handed Gibbon, Toque Macaque, Lion-tailed Macaque, De Brazza’s Monkey, Mantled Guereza (Colobus) Monkey, Black-capped Capuchin, White-faced Saki, Goeldi’s Monkey, White Tufted-ear (Common) Marmoset, Silvery Marmoset, Geoffrey’s Marmoset, Black Tufted-ear Marmoset, Pygmy Marmoset, Cotton-top Tamarin, Red-handed Tamarin, Red-bellied Tamarin, Ring-tailed Lemur, Red Ruffed Lemur and Senegal Galago.

Macropods (4 species): Parma Wallaby, Swamp Wallaby, Tammar Wallaby and Brown Dorcopsis (Brown Forest Wallaby).

Small Mammals (22 species): Visayan Warty Pig, Kirk’s Dik-Dik, Bush Dog, Fennec Fox, White-nosed Coati, Small-clawed Otter, Asian Palm Civet, Meerkat, Banded Mongoose, Common Cusimanse, Plains Viscacha, Rock Cavy, Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy, Azara’s Agouti, Brazilian Guinea Pig, Greater Guinea Pig, Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel, Prevost’s Squirrel, Chinese Hamster, Harvest Mouse, Barbary Striped Grass Mouse and Black Nile Spiny Mouse.

Felines (5 species): Jaguar, Altai Lynx, Bobcat, Fishing Cat and Ocelot. The first three all had kittens, which made the cats enjoyable to watch.

Golden Takin Exhibit (located before the zoo entrance):

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Jaguar Exhibit:

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Zoo Map:

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Brown Dorcopsis Viewing Window:

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Toque Macaque Exhibit:

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A typically small primate exhibit. I counted 10 Red-handed Tamarins in this enclosure:

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Asian Palm Civet Exhibit:

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Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel Exhibit (a bunch of kids were all poking their fingers inside):

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Assorted Primate Exhibits (the barrier on the left is only about a foot from the wire and so multiple visitors were feeding the monkeys or petting the animals):

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Strix said:
Skaerup seems very Hamerton-esque - but with less birds. It seems to me that these types of zoos with smaller, less attractive enclosures have very impressive breeding records compared to other zoos.
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Except that Hamerton usually have pretty good enclosures.
 
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