Zürich Zoo Zürich Zoo News 2021

Anyone understand how they intend to contain/hold the orangutans without visual barrier with visitors and the platform?
I am a bit sceptical about throwing a net on top of Kaeng Krachan for just two hornbills and a couple of siamang but as it is one of the latest project mentionned it might as well be one of the less likely project.
I am also surprised by the seaside area with seals, and even more with Steller's !
At least, I am looking forward to see how the Congo area will look like ! From what I know it is now barren but the pictures are promising a very lush environnement.
 
antonmuster said:
Zoo Zurich Masterplan 2050 'Zoo of the Future'

teaser video:
detailed info (with links to brochures etc.): Medien-Apéro September: Entwicklungsplan 2050 | Zoo Zürich
40-page brochure with images and detailed sketches: https://www.zoo.ch/sites/default/files/media/file/ZooZ%C3%BCrich_IH_DS_low.pdf

Doesn't look bad at all!

A new conservation center at Masoala, Pantanal aviary, Kongo (as aviary, rotation exhibits), research station in the exotarium, Sumatra rainforest (as aviary), ocean coast, 'cat forest' (rotation exhibits interspersed with aviaries), 'slow island' on island endemics (as aviary), Kaeng Krachan as aviary (!), an endangered species breeding center focussed on birds, ...

New species include: giant otter, drills, guenons, mangabey, okapi, bongo, pygmy hippo, Malayan tapir, babirusa, sumatran deer, manati, false gharial, Steller's sea lion, Humboldt penguins (a colony of 100), pheasants, passerines, tree kangaroo, Komodo dragon, storks, hornbills, kakadu, Malayan deer, Malayan suiformes, Siamangs, Malayan birds, ...
Click to expand...

Just an American chiming in here to gush. This looks genuinely amazing. Zurich has always been the European zoo I have had the most desire to visit. The amount of detail and natural elements that are incorporated into their developments are always top notch. This master plan seems to continue that trend and everything here looks superb.

However, a lot of these exhibit concepts seem like nothing more then that, concepts. That penguin display for example looks spectacular but the odds of that being actually built are slim in my mind, at least at the caliber they are suggesting. I would say the same for Congo exhibit as well as while the renderings portray a swampy jungle, the current space they will be using is nothing but flat grasslands. It's going to take a titanic effort to create something on the scale of whats being proposed. Of course, I understand these exhibits will be spread out over the course of the next three decades and things could change. It's going to be very cool to see these plans come to fruition, even if I will be married with kids by the time some of these projects may become reality.

Also, are they demolishing the existing Pantanal exhibits for the new aviary? From my understanding they are relatively recent developments and look to be of very good quality. I would be surprised to see them replaced so soon, even if the proposed aviary looks like it has the potential to be one of the greatest zoo exhibits of all time.
 
Therabu said:
I am a bit sceptical about throwing a net on top of Kaeng Krachan for just two hornbills and a couple of siamang but as it is one of the latest project mentionned it might as well be one of the less likely project.
Click to expand...

...in times of DeeL (https://www.deepl.com/translator), why not just translate and read the detailed brochure, instead of engaging in wild speculation?

"
LIVING SPACE
Asian elephants have a long cultural-historical connection with us humans and also with Zurich Zoo. Since the zoo opened in 1929, elephants have been present at the zoo and since 2014, with the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park, also in one of the most modern enclosures in Europe. At the same time, our elephants are the godfathers of our commitment in Thailand. Kaeng Krachan National Park, the largest piece of contiguous rainforest in Thailand, is home to around 200 elephants, or about ten percent of the total wild elephant population in Thailand. At the same time, the national park is home to many endangered species and is the most biodiverse piece of rainforest in Thailand.
EXPERIENCE
Visitors enter the Kaeng Krachan habitat through a sluice. Dense vegetation surrounds them and in the distance they can hear the water rushing. Through small gaps in the vegetation they discover forest clearings where elephants forage. Above their heads, large, magnificent hornbills fly from tree to tree. The path winds down the mountain, the elephants always out of sight. Behind a ruined farmer's hut, a wide view of the forest clearing opens up. The clapping of water already gives it away: single elephants have climbed into the water and use the buoyancy for some water acrobatics. In the background a few deer are grazing. There is a rustling in the crowns above the elephants. It is the siamangs that shimmy from tree to tree. They mark their territory with their distinctive, impressive song. The path continues through the vegetation to the graceful house. The organically shaped and uniquely designed roof has been one of the zoo's architectural highlight of the zoo. In front of the house, another view opens onto the clearing. In the shallow water Pustel's pigs search for something to eat. While birds fly toward the waterfall, siamangs shimmy overhead toward the house. The guests also go into the house, where they meet more elephants. Under the vaulted roof, the double-horned birds fly from tree to tree with their impressive beaks. The experience of the airy structure, quite apart from the presence of the elephants, is always impressive. A younger elephant is splashing around in the water and the large glass pane provides unique underwater views. Guests take home impressive pictures of the elephants: how they swim, throw sand at each other, and use their trunks to skillfully pick food from the feeding stations. They also experience the elephants' distinctive social life in the elephant park. Here a little push, there a mutual touch with the trunk and where do these rumbling sounds suddenly come from? It is unbelievable how differentiated communication is in herd life!
ANIMALS
At Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park, the focus is on the animals of the Malay Peninsula. The focus is on the Asian elephants, with them deer, pigs and siamangs share the habitat. Thanks to the high aviary, innovative bird keeping is also possible. Diverse bird species - some as pairs, some in flocks - enliven the spacious airspace.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
"
from page 69 & 70 in https://www.zoo.ch/sites/default/files/media/file/ZooZ%C3%BCrich_IH_DS_low.pdf
 
Interesting and cool plans! As others said, I can only wonder what becomes in real life.

I would be interested in details of this Ornis breeding station, which should be practically finished by now. Even if visitors cannot see it in person, it can be very interesting what it does. What species are/will be there?

About the education space, I hope the zoo does not overuse display screens and such digital tools. In Lausanne Aquatis, they are overdone, make annoying noise and do not fit live displays. It is encouraging that in Zurich they seem to understand that the real animals, not digital ones, are the point of the zoo.

One thing I would love would be that the zoo rehomes gibbons to Kaeng Krachan as soon as possible, long before the full rebuilding of Kaeng Krachan and ape house. The current small cages are probably the worst enclosures in the zoo, and gibbons should not wait a decade or more in these exhibits. I can already imagine e.g. a small winter house, maybe in the place of that shed with Thai TV, and gibbons swinging over heads of elephants, like in Wroclaw, on fake lianas bought from the Zoo Doue company.
 
Ok what i wonder now is where will all the new exhibits in the old zoo part (where Exotarium, Australia House, Ape House etc are located) be located? Will the spectacleted bear & camel and water fowl exhibit be sacrificed for this? Because especially the spectaceled bear exhibit even tho almost 30 years old is still a fantastic exhibit

Also besides harbour seals and king penguins which animals will have to go? Probably wolves, european river otter, all the new world camelids, and im pretty sure all the asian ungulates like arabian oryx which i think would be a tremendous loss since they are already so rare in zoos
 
I do hope they retain their pileated gibbon breeding program. This has always been an excellent track record and integral to the EEP/EAZA breeding program.
 
Kludi said:
Ok what i wonder now is where will all the new exhibits in the old zoo part (where Exotarium, Australia House, Ape House etc are located) be located? Will the spectacleted bear & camel and water fowl exhibit be sacrificed for this? Because especially the spectaceled bear exhibit even tho almost 30 years old is still a fantastic exhibit

Also besides harbour seals and king penguins which animals will have to go? Probably wolves, european river otter, all the new world camelids, and im pretty sure all the asian ungulates like arabian oryx which i think would be a tremendous loss since they are already so rare in zoos
Click to expand...

upload_2021-9-16_12-58-31.png
from: Verrückte Pläne im Zoo – Spazieren Zürcher Zoobesucher bald mitten durchs Meer?, quoted source: Zoo Zürich

...since changes to the Exotarium and Australia House are part of the masterplan, I expect they will remain, the Ape House will go, as will the hillside aviaries, the South American camelids ('Sumatra' will occupy these spaces according to the above image), the 'Selenga' waterfowl exhibit (replaced by the coastal exhibit) and part of the asian hoofstock exhibits (replaced by the Pantanal aviary). It looks like the spectacled bears will remain (anything else would be travesty, imo) as well as also the Arabian oryx.

Note furthermore, that the lewa landing strip (ca. 5'000 m2 of basically unused land reserve) is not planned for any developement.
 

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Thanks a lot for the clarification

Glad to hear the oryx will probably remain...although they might be sacrificed later for the cat forest i assume...i wonder what all will be part of slow island besides the current Australia house, lorikeet exhibit and giant tortoise house

Also i wonder if the zoo is ever allowed to expand in the surrounding forest to build a new wolf exhibit or smthg similar
 
Did 2 Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) hatch this year? Recently I came across this video in which they were ringing 2 chicks.

In the last 2 months 4 King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) hatched.

Sadly on the 3rd of August 43-year old female Eastern Atlantic harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) Farah passed away. She was the second oldest Harbour seal in a zoo in the world!

For the first time in Europe Zürich zoo was able to breed Anchicayá poison dart frogs (Oophaga anchicayensis).

Source:
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (24/09/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUNJMB1q3Cz/
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (22/09/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUII7q8Kp20/
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (04/08/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSJ4x4_Lfv1/
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (29/07/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR6XjfcL72K/
 
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New plans of 'Pantanal' makeover have been published on the Zoo's website:
Spendenobjekte Pantanal Voliere | Zoo Zürich

uebersichtskarte-pantanal-voliere-0.png

source: Zoo Zurich, Spendenobjekte Pantanal Voliere | Zoo Zürich
 
In July a male Crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) arrived from the Czech Republic to accompany the two females.

In August a 1-year old male Nepalese red panda (Ailurus fulgens) arrived from Zoo Brno to accompany the already present female.

In October a male Ural owl (Strix uralensis) arrived from Tierpark Goldau to be paired with the already present female. Their future offspring will be released in Austria.

Sources:
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (19/07/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRg1TyqqBK7/
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (11/08/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSbxzj5KKGS/
Instagram of Zoo Zürich (20/10/2021) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQFlXyqhVF/
 
I don't see at all how this new area could be 2.5 hectars big. Is the plan still to build Kongo between the children's zoo and the Lewa Savanna ? Because the place overthere looks really small.
 
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