Berlin Tierpark Tierpark 2020+

kiang

kiang

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I found this article which seems to me to lay out a masterplan for the next 15 or so years for the tierpark.
Highlights include:

A renovation for the polar bear enclosure
A Galapagos experience
New scientific facilities
An underwater world for manatees
A farm experience
A boat ride to the Rocky mountains
Electric taxis
A renovation for the bird of prey aviaries
A south east Asian house with orang utans.

Hohes Tier im Anmarsch - Berlin - Tagesspiegel
 
Masterplan and current Projects

Well, let me comment some of these highlights as well as some other projects:

The polar bear enclosure or rather the visitors area is currently being renovated. They mainly take away some sections of the wall so as to put in a large panorama window (probably similar to the large windows that have been incorporated into the other bear enclosures). Thus, it will be possible to watch them swim. Unfortunately it won't reach underneath the water level, so the diving cannot be watched. Also they plan a tunnel for disabled people and prams. Costs run about 140.000 Euro and it should be finished by the end of the year - it actually was a project for last year, but the plans got changed.

This year's small funding project is the eagle aviary near the main entrance of the park. It will become much larger and more attractive for the visitors. It will cost around 110.000 Euro and also should be completed before the end of the year.

At the same time the tropic hall in the Brehm-house is being renovated. It receives a board-walk and is to become a new old attraction for the park. The whole building receives an energetic renovation as well and if information is correct the cat cages will be enlarged and combined in the next couple of years. Costs so far amount up to 10 million Euro without the cages and the hall is to reopen at the end of the year. If the hole house receives a modern outlook and appropriate housing conditions for all animals it will be a major milestone for the Tierpark.

I don't believe they can raise sufficient funding for the Galapagos experience. But I don't really care that much about this particular project as it would not include any animals anyways (it's mainly about technical gimmicks which aren't a bad thing of course). The same goes for the electric taxis. The manatees already exist and can be watched from different perspectives. I don't know the plans as they have not been communicated yet. The farm experience has been planned so as to entertain families with their kids. I don't know any details about this project, though. I also don't know which bird of prey aviaries are concerned as there are many and most of them have just been renovated and massively extended.

The project titled boat ride to the Rocky mountains actually has been planned for quite a long time now. It is to complement the mountain areas for Asian and European animals and is to exhibit mountain lions, otter, beavers, prairie dogs among others as well as the usual deer, sheep etc. - we're talking of the Tierpark ;) The only new about the whole thing is the boat ride. It seems part of a new strategy which encludes fun elements along the mere exhibition of animals. This sudden change of approach kind of surprises me (not necessarily in a negative way) and it makes the project much more expensive - first estimates suggest around 10 million Euro. If the project can be funded it would finally complete the whole mountain zoo and hopefully include a second entrance to this area.

The south east Asian house is to feature orang utans as well as sun bears and perhaps binturongs. Again the presentation of the animals is to be a focus of the whole design. The zoo managers promise a special/ innovative perspective on these tree-living animals. It's one of my favourite projects as it would mean the final return of great apes to the Tierpark and be it but one species. Unfortunately the project is also estimated at about 10 million Euro.

So I believe the whole plan shows how the Tierpark can become more attractive and gain more visitors. At the same time it will be a major challenge to raise such large amounts for attractive projects. There also is a large potential for further development: Some of the African enclosures could be combined (e.g. giraffes, ostriches, zebras...) to form a savannah, some of the enclosures could receive more structure, the animals more enrichment... It will be rather thrilling to watch the coming years and decades.
 
Berlin Zoo and Tierpark

some of the enclosures could receive more structure, the animals more enrichment
Click to expand...

The Berlin Zoo and Tierpark, both under the same management, do not offer any enrichment.
 
I am sorry, but this statement is simply incorrect. Maybe your last visit has been ages ago or you havn't paid any serious attention to this issue or even done any recent research... They definitely do offer enrichment these days. Possibly less than other zoos and it could still be better of course, but I will name just some examples for the zoo to show your statement is misinformed:

-Apes: several trunks, loads of ropes, swings, loose play utensils of wood or textiles...
-carnivores (big cats): trunks, play-equipment (e.g. large wooden swing hold by four metal chains), water ditches...
It's similar for smaller monkeys and bears. Plus the keepers at times introduce small activities (e.g. throw a piece of wood into the water ditch so the curious cats go for it, or they throw large ice pieces with berries etc. into the enclosures so the bears etc. are actively working their way towards the food. For birds of prey and monkeys I know they are also rearranging the trunks etc. from time to time so the animals have to readapt each time.
 
Enrichment in Berlin Zoo and Tierpark

@Markmeier

In January 2011, after personal talks with the direktor and numerous letters from regular visitors to the zoo had failed, the board of the zoo received a petition with more than 1000 signatures (among them some wellknown experts from overseas who knew the zoo personally) urging to introduce behavioural enrichment for all animals.
Part of the response from the director:
Feeding several times a day is an very import aspect for the activation of the animals.
In addition feedings with foliage, branches and twigs are also given for reasons of enrichment.
Further enrichment of course is the keeping of the animals in groups of their own species.
Fences are an important enrichment of their environment.
For primates the fence is an adequate alternative to trees.
Some species of deer or antelopes regard the surrounding fence as surrogate for forests.

What we don`t want...
Follows a list of enrichment items used all over the world, including in orphanages in Africa and Asia, stating for example car tyres and canisters. But without mentioning that textiles have been on the index already for a long time.

If two ropes hanging down from the ceiling and a trunk that cannot be moved (tiger Berlin Zoo), or a stick thrown into the water, means enrichment for you, there will be nothing left to be discussed.
Loose play utensils of wood and textiles could have come only from a keeper who is brave enough to act against the rules.
I suggest to read the posts from Animal and Yassa 2008 or Tarsius and Sun Wukong 2011.
 
Taisha said:
@Markmeier

In January 2011, after personal talks with the direktor and numerous letters from regular visitors to the zoo had failed, the board of the zoo received a petition with more than 1000 signatures (among them some wellknown experts from overseas who knew the zoo personally) urging to introduce behavioural enrichment for all animals.
Click to expand...

I think that many of us, were we in a position where we were being told what to do by people of questionable expertise, would react by doing the opposite - or at least, by not letting those who were poking us to think they had had an influence.

Bernhard Blaszkiewitz has many critics. I think some of those critics may be basing their attacks on personal matters. However, there is no doubt at all that in order to survive and prosper in such a deeply political position for more than 20 years, he has needed to be stubborn and strong. How easy would it have been, after the unification of Berlin, for the Tierpark to fall by the wayside? That it has not, and that it has, rather, thrived, is I think, in very large part down to Blasziewitz.
 
Well, I never claimed there is no need for improvement. In fact I even expressed my hope for further improvements especially concerning the tierpark. Still, your statement simply is not correct and I wonder what it is based upon. I also never heard about this petition and I would like further information about it. It might be a good thing, after all (unless it also claims there is no environmental enrichment in either institution).

I have just been to the zoo a couple of days ago as well as several times in recent months just as I regularly visited the tierpark the year before and in recent years, though, and I have observed several means of activation. I also read about others in different publications such as the "Takin". I don't see a point in listing all of them, but I already mentioned swings and trunks for apes, monkeys, bears and big cats and there also are other climbing constructions which I cannot describe in English as well as there are actual trees(!). There is many ropes and nets and similar stuff for the apes. I already stated this and many more items and structures (e.g. water ditch for tigers) as well as activities. You are very welcome to visit the zoo and confirm this information.

Generally, I see no point in defending the zoo concerning this issue as I basically share (some of) your critique. At the same time, I think a debate should be based on actual facts and it just isn't fair to totally ignore what actually has been done in recent years. By the way, the monkeys and apes do use the fences a lot, but they also have and use trees and other structures. Both the zoo and the tierpark are filled with trees some of which are incorporated into the enclosures. Have you ever actually seen the vari forest or the islands for gibbons, varis or kattas in the tierpark or any monkey enclosure in either zoo?

By the way, this statement ignores what I have written about:
"If two ropes hanging down from the ceiling and a trunk that cannot be moved (tiger Berlin Zoo), or a stick thrown into the water, means enrichment for you, there will be nothing left to be discussed."
I never mentioned "two ropes hanging from the ceiling" and I never reduced my arguments to the throwing of a stick. Sorry, but the way you deal with my arguments resembles the way you deal with the zoos you may never have visited (in recent years) for as far as I can tell. This way we actually don't need to drive the discussion any further - though I actually think this issue deserves serious debate.
 
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In my thinking, I think the renovation project of tierpark's manatee enclosure is unnecessary, because manatees in tierpark zoo lives in a huge water tank that is suitable for them and we can easy to see them.
How about doing another project, like renovating some old tierpark-styled cages, creating an antartic penguin house or large African savana safari tour enclosure?
 
Thank you for trying to understand.
You are right, you never mentioned the ropes, it was an image of what I had seen, popping up, an image I thoroughly detest...
Maybe you could specify, what you would like to know about the petition? Although this attempt has definitely failed.
I believe, speaking about behavioural enrichment may well invite some misunderstanding.
For instance, things can look quite alright in summer, when the animals have the opportunity to be outside with ropes and water-ditches, as you mention, but it may be a horror in winter (as for the primates in Berlin Zoo and in Friedrichsfelde.) I also think of the inside enclosures of birds like parrots, bare except for a branch to sit on.
You may not know, that the animals get enrichment items, when a new docu-soap is filmed, that will be taken right away afterwards. But this was earlier on, maybe it has been changed to be given nothing at all.
Before the new director arrived, enrichment had just been started at Berlin Zoo. Now about everything that was introduced in those times is banned.
For instance: Before- visitors were allowed to bring colourful bedsheets, which the Orangs love. The first order was- only white sheets. Now you will not find any...
Or you just have to compare the new world monkey inside enclosures, earlier on- a pleasure for visitors and animals alike, now a desert.
Speaking about enrichment also requires to ask what are other zoos doing about it.
I don`t know if you have looked deeper into this topic. Apart from what the lack means for the animals, in comparison it is a shame for Berlin.
How about taking as an indicator for sufficient enrichment the number of times you see an animal joyfully moving around with an item especially designed for this species offered by its keeper during your visits to Zoo and Tierpark?
 
I was hoping to discuss Tierpark 2020+ here.

Now it seems to have deranged into a discussion on behavioral enrichment at both institutions in Berlin and the director's position in that and other more or less explosive issues.

Can we get back on topic here?

What at this time seems the most immediate prospect for renovation or realization under the Tierpark 2020+ banner? Sued Ost Asien Haus oder Afrikanischer Savannah or .... (else).

Edit: I am surely not talking Alfred Brehm Haus as this is currently being renovated interior.
 
There is absolutely no money, neigher for the South-East-Asia House, the Galapagos House nor the African savannah - only dreams of the director.
 
I think it was a shame when the Rodent House was removed from the children's zoo of the Tierpark. It had an interesting collection in what was a glorified garden shed. I doubt if it cost a lot to build, but the last time I visited it, there were quite a few visitors looking at the different animals. Sometimes an interesting exhibit doesn't have to cost millions of pounds.
 
@Taisha: I think we basically share the same view on enrichment and the potential/ need for improvement. I just didn't like your radical statement. It made it sound like the animals sit on bare cement...

Yes, money will be the main issue. In recent times all big projects (e.g. Africanum, Mountain Zoo...) as well as the renovation of the Brehm-Haus) as well as most of the medium to smaller ones (e.g. renovation and expansion of old enclosures for bears, birds of prey etc., new enclosures) have been realized thanks to outside contributions. In the past two decades this probably amounted to some 20-40 million. Why shouldn't some of the projects be realized the same way throughout the decades to come... Probably the emphasis will rather lie on "PLUS" not "2020", I guess ;) At the same time, I believe it will be crucial to simultaneously further improve existing enclosures. Some presently don't attract many visitors. The restaurants also may need a shape up, small additional playing grounds could entertain families... In my opinion this is far more crucial than electric taxis, even though the site is rather huge.

@Kifaru Bwana: I believe there presently aren't any plans for an African savannah, although such an enclosure could quite easily be realized by combination of existing ones. Years ago huge Safari-enclosures like this were discussed but the zoo manager was released because Blaskiewitz didn't agree. I never heard of such plans ever after...

I believe the next large project will be either the South-East-Asian building (orangs, sun bears, binturongs?) or the North-America area for the mountain zoo. Both have been discussed and promoted for a long time. Unfortunately they hardly received any recognition in the past couple of years unto the presentation of the 2020+ plans.
 
This is a thread about the masterplan, NOT behavioural enrichment at the Tierpark, please feel free to start a new thread on the subject.
 
@Dassie rat: When was it actually closed? I can't remember it, but I heard it was well received even though the conditions weren't that great. By the way, I read they want to use an old but well-kept restaurant-building as a new rodent building. Apparently, it wouldn't take much money and the building is very well suited for such a display. Unfortunately, the contracts presently don't allow for such a use even though the building has been vacant for quite some time now (apparantly the former restaurant people still want to reactivate it).

@kiang: Full agreement. I think basically all has been said anyways and anything additional can be discussed elsewhere in more depth. But I think it wasn't entirely off topic, as improving existing enclosures will be an important aspect to accomplish the major aim of the 2020+ plan: doubling the unmber of yearly visitors (2 million rather than 1). This can only be achieved if more visitors return and refer the tierpark to others. So far many prefer the zoo as it is better established and rounded off. In my eyes, it was a very important signal when they started the actual implementation of the new plan by renovating and modernizing the Brehm-building. In the recent past it received increasingly severe criticism by visitors.

(Just one last point @BjoernN and concerning enrichment: the monkeys also have large outside enclosures with natural ground, in many zoos and some tierpark enclosures you don't even see the inside of boxes which often also have cement floors and might not even include as much equipment as the visible boxes in the tierpark.)
 
markmeier said:
@Dassie rat: When was it actually closed? I can't remember it, but I heard it was well received even though the conditions weren't that great. By the way, I read they want to use an old but well-kept restaurant-building as a new rodent building. Apparently, it wouldn't take much money and the building is very well suited for such a display. Unfortunately, the contracts presently don't allow for such a use even though the building has been vacant for quite some time now (apparantly the former restaurant people still want to reactivate it). /QUOTE]

Thanks Markmeier. The last time I visited the rodent house was in 2001. I have got a few zoo guides for the Tierpark and I think the rodent house closed about a year or two later. It wasn't there in 2007, although there were a few small enclosures for small mammals on the roof of the Alfred Brehm Haus. One of the keepers was keen on small mammals and kept a some, including mouse-like hamsters and short-tailed opossums in a room in the same building as the manatees. I was told that the keeper had to remove them. It would be good to have a new house for small mammals at the Tierpark. The zoo had a few species of fruit bats, including the swift bat (Thoopterus nigrescens). Zootierliste says it is still at the zoo (ZootierlisteHomepage).
Click to expand...
 
@Dassie Rat:
At the moment I'm not sure whether there weren't still any mice or something similar in the pachyderm-building. I almost think there were some of them, though I'm not sure. But it may just be a temporary stay for the rodents from the Brehm-building. There also is some (African) rodents in the giraffe building by the way. A new building would be neat. though. I'm just afraid it might take quite some time...

I also would like to have bees again in the tierpark. On the other hand, they have some at the zoo and they want to reduce doubles...
 
Thanks to Zoogiraffe and Markmeier for the information. I'm glad the swift fruit bat was still there. One of the books I've read says that only a few specimens of the species have been recorded and I think the swift bat at Berlin is the only one in the world, if I can remember the details from Isis, and it is the only one listed at zootierliste. The small mammal room in the Pachyderm building wasn't open to the public. It had lots of smallish containers and the keeper had to take them out individually to show the animals.

It would be nice to have a new rodent house, but I doubt if this is high on the list of the zoo's priorities. One of my friends said that the current economic climate means that it is difficult for Berlin to pay for 2 zoos and that one may close. Is there any truth in this rumour? Berlin has 2 of the best zoos in the world and it would be a great shame if one of them closed.
 
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