Twilighter already mentioned the newly arrived European sousliks/ ground squirrels. They are kept in the carnivore cages between Brehm building and domesticated animals. Now the Tierpark informed the public about their plans: They received 6 animals and plan to breed with them, as they take part in a programme for resettling the species into the wild.
Something else: I came across a quite recent video analysis of the Tierpark and even though it's in German I would like to share it with you. I think, the pictures mostly speak for themselves and I can give you a rough outline of what is said.
Video:
Outline:
0:00' - 1:15' (intro): Far more than you may expect
People may consider Tierpark Berlin irrelevant due to the more popular Zoo in the western centre of the city. However, it actually is far bigger than Zoo Berlin. Further, the park offers quite a lot, even though there aren't (m)any historical buildings apart from the old castle.
1:15' - 3:52': About old structures and first attempts to modernise the park
Having said that, most buildings and structures in Tierpark Berlin aren't really modern either, often still clearly showing its GDR (German Democratic Republic) era heritage.
While some areas seem quite outdated, there have been recent developments to successfully giving old structures a new look/ appearance.
-> Some newly developed areas:
1:45' - 2:22' North America
2:23' - 2:43' Africa: monkey building
2:44' - 3:20': Africa: penguin enclosure
3:21' - 3:29': Africa: cheetah enclosure
3:30' - 3:52': Africa: vulture aviary
3:53' - 5:15': The new old Brehm building (Asia/ South East Asian islands)
Unfortunately, the building still was under construction. Nevertheless, it looks very promising and brings huge progress, particularly for the sun bears.
5:16' - 8:07' (conclusion and outlook): Much potential but much left to be done/ next projects
While most of the other enclosures seem adequate for the animals, many still look a bit boringly functional and bleak. As the park by itself is strikingly beautiful with some very attractive old and modernised enclosures, however, there actually is much potential.
The next projects are very important, as they eliminate both some of the last remaining disgraceful enclosures (pachydermy building) as well as some adequate yet unimpressive ones (mountain region).
Even now the Tierpark is worthwhile visiting, particularly with the new Brehm building, the park's very nice spots and its many interesting species.
While, at present, the more complete and round Zoo Berlin is the far better choice for tourists, the trend with the nicely embedded landscapes may actually push the Tierpark ahead in the near future. Having said that, both zoos still have a huge potential to become (even) better and more attractive.
-> Some plans for the near future:
5:40' - 5:54' Africa: elephant building
5:55' - 6:32' Asia: Himalaya mountains area
My thoughts on this:
I can actually appreciate most of what is being said about the Tierpark (and both of the zoos). Personally, I already like Tierpark Berlin (even) better than Zoo Berlin and I actually did so for as far back as I can remember. Still, there is a lot which can and needs to be improved in this park. And as stated in the video, I like what has been achieved and what is planned (which also goes for the zoo). Exciting times for zoo enthusiasts living in Berlin.
I've fixed the spelling error in edit.
. I went there last year with friends and the connection might not have been direct from the city centre, it only took around 30 minutes (not sure) to get to tierpark. For me 30 minutes isn't such a long commute for a zoo of that size and magnitude! Hopefully more people will learn and go to tierpark, it's totally worth it! I ended up spending almost an entire day there, so it was a day well spent!
