Mulhouse Zoo, Parc zoologique & botanique de Mulhouse

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History

Mulhouse Zoo and Botanical Garden is one of the oldest zoos in France. It was founded in 1868 by a group of industrial philanthropists in the Mulhouse region, with Charles Thierry-Mieg, jr. the main driving force behind this. Textiles and fabrics was what made Mulhouse a great and important city in 19th century Europe. Thierry-Mieg made his money in the textile industry, and his aim was to create a place where workers could relax, be educated and listen to music. The Zoo became such a place, where visitors, for 10 cents, could enjoy a nice stroll around the park, admire animals, hear live music and do gymnastics, in a pleasant setting.

The 4 hectare garden that was shaped according the current romantic fashion of that period opened its gate to the public on 13 September 1868. On opening day already 6000 people came to explore the park and enjoy the entertainment for the grand opening: music and fireworks. While at the same time they could watch deer, kangaroos and birds - the first animals that were housed at the Zoo.

When the park facilities were barely completed, the Franco-German war of 1870-1871 broke out. Animals had to be sold and the park was closed down.

Between 1875 and 1893, the zoo changed hands twice: first it was run by a charitable organization, the Mulhouse Circle, it then passed into the hands of the Industrial Society of Mulhouse (SIM).

In the period between 1873 and 1882 the botanical garden was created and horticulturists were entrusted with the work on the vegetation, the footpaths and fences. By 1885, all the species of trees and shrubs had been labelled.

In 1893, additional investments were required to fulfil the ever expanding expectations of the visitors that crowded the place. Investments the SIM couldn't afford. Therefore the City of Mulhouse took over the Zoo and its management in exchange for the School of Chemistry, that came into the hands of the SIM. The Zoo has remained in municipal ownership ever since. With the means of the City the zoo grounds extended to about 12 hectares and many improvements were introduced. The bear pit could be built to accommodate three bears of which two were donated by the Princess Hohenlohe, wife of the "Statthalter" (governor) of Alsace-Lorraine. After the turn of the century a bandstand was built, a restaurant opened on zoo grounds and a pool for seals became a well-appreciated addition to the park. The botanical garden was extended with remarkable trees of which some are still present: western red cedar, Japanese cedar and Turkish hazel.

In 1908 public transport from the city centre to the Zoo premises on the hill became operational. The maiden voyage of the electric tram (without rail), though, linking the Republic Square to the new zoo entrance, became a memorable trip for the officials and notables present. On the final downhill stage the brakes failed and caused the tram to descend at full speed. Fortunately it all ended well, and nobody got injured.

After years when Mulhouse had adapted to the new German regime it became French once again at the end of World War I, in 1918. Both World Wars had a devastating effect on the Zoo. The first global conflict led to a distribution of animals to other zoological facilities in Europe, while other animals perished. Additionally, the Zoo had to close down again.

While still suffering from these effects WWII broke out. In 1939, artillery was installed in the Zoo, while in 1944, the site became a supply base for the French Army. At the end of the conflict, the zoo was demolished. The Allied bombings at the time of the Liberation caused considerable damage to the town centre and beyond. About 600 trees were felled on the Zoo grounds during the war and all paths had been destroyed. Renovation lasted until 1948 and among the workers were prisoners of war - to whom Mulhouse Zoo owes the enclosures and the typical log cabins for addax and deer. By 1950 the Zoo had been restored and was considered one of the most beautiful in France.

As of 1965 the Zoo's educational mission is taken more seriously by first the establishment of the 'petite école du zoo' (the small zoo school) that was run by volunteer teachers, followed by providing species information on panels at the enclosures. It marks the birth of the educational services, which for instance hosts 14,000 children yearly in their programmes nowadays.

Meanwhile, the Zoo further developed its attractions and was able to extend the parkland up to 25 hectares over the years. For its centennial, in 1968, an innovative primate enclosure was opened. Visitors could admire the monkeys expressing their natural behaviour while swinging from artificial liana to artificial liana or climbing a rock. In 1977, a nature trail was created. In this period the 'Friends of the Zoo' association that had been established played an important role with their financial support. In twenty years, it donated over 300,000 euro (2 million francs) to allow development of various exhibits, such as an aviary and enclosures for the llama, cheetah, cats, sitatunga and pond turtles.

Another step in modernising the Zoo's mission was achieved in the 1980s when the zoo became a centre for research, conservation and breeding of endangered species. The opening of the lemur building marked this turning point. The Mulhouse Zoo not only held several of these endangered primate species from Madagascar in captivity, but was entrusted with the coordination of the global conservation programme of some lemur subspecies as well.

Gradually, Mulhouse Zoo and Botanical Gardens became a model for the zoological as well as the botanical community. In 1982, it organised the first exhibition of bulbous plants with 38,000 tulip, hyacinths and daffodils. And in 1990, it was the only zoo outside Brazil to have on display yellow-breasted capuchin, for which the Zoo now coordinates the EEP (EAZA Ex situ Programme). More rare and endangered species followed and became part of the animal collection, such as rare primates from South America, Amur leopard, Amur tiger, Grevy's zebra and Asian lion.

When the living conditions of zoo animals finally received more and more attention globally, Mulhouse Zoo was one of the first to adopt new enclosure design features. Animal enclosures were developed according the species' natural habitat and the 'new generation' exhibit for felines set an example in Europe, in 1989. In the same period specific attention was paid to botanical conservation activities regarding indigenous plant species and developments such as the garden of senses (2000-2001), the avenue of hydrangeas and the creation of a collection of more than 450 varieties of rhododendrons.

Many of the animal species on display at Mulhouse Zoo are endangered. The Zoo participates in almost 100 European or international breeding programmes or other conservation activities. Already 30 years the Zoo is involved in the preservation of the remaining populations of lemurs, gibbons, monkeys, turtles and capuchins ex-situ and in-situ. To contribute to the latter the Zoo presents its resident species as ambassadors for their wild cousins to raise awareness for biodiversity protection among its many visitors. The Zoo has particularly specialised in the conservation of species less popular than the larger flagship species such as gorillas and elephants. Instead it shows tamarins, lemurs and capuchins, that are regarded equally important for the survival of the ecosystems.

Many new enclosures were realised since 2008, with the exhibits for the maned wolf, the Arctic fox, Bactrian deer and musk ox in 2013 as the latest additions. While the opening of the polar bear enclosure in 2014 finalised the Great North exhibit ( l'Espace Grand Nord).

Last but not least, the park is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.

(Source: website Mulhouse Zoo; website Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France; website Mulhouse tourism; Wikipedia)

Visit(s)

23.08.2014

Mulhouse Zoo is located almost on top of the hill overlooking the city of Mulhouse. So, some sweat needed to be wiped off when I arrived at the Zoo entrance where I placed my bicycle in the rack. Also I longed for a cool beverage, but the restaurant near the entrance was still closed. At 11.00 AM, can you imagine, on a Saturday in August. I needed to quench my thirst with a soda from one of the vending machines. Not very visitor-friendly, I would say. Later that afternoon things had improved, because the kitchen was open. But the self-service restaurant only provided fast food of the worst kind. Two highlights made it all a bit more acceptable, a nice bottle of Belgian beer and the two alpacas that roamed the large paddock in front of the restaurant terrace.

After I revitalised all my faculties my tour around the park could start. The first area on the right after the entrance is an garden with ornamental flowers that either bloom in May, the peonies, or in June/July, the daylilies. So, I missed both the occasions. Following the footpath an entrance to the garden of senses appears, which I ignore while moving on to the local tundra with musk ox and Arctic fox exhibits. The two musk oxen have an undulating paddock at their disposal, surrounded by several trees and real boulders. Across the footpath there's a large enclosure with at least eight Arctic foxes, which are all greyish black because it is the summer period. The fox exhibit looks like a fenced off part of forest on the hill where the Zoo is situated. The foxes share their exhibit with great grey owls, though these are temporarily not present.

Carnivore section
From the Arctic foxes the footpath that consists of broad concrete slabs leads to the brand new polar bear exhibit that recently opened in April 2014. It comprises two outdoor, one indoor enclosure and holds three polar bears. There are not many viewing options, because the fence on the public side is covered with timber. But the viewing deck at one of the outdoor enclosures provides excellent viewing opportunities not in the least because the enclosure contain barely any vegetation and has a large pool. The other outdoor enclosure provides underwater viewing via a large window.
During the feeding session there is a magic moment when it turns out that all polar bears are more or less waiting for their dessert, watermelons, to be thrown in the water. Each of the polar bears gets a watermelon, which is devoured as if they haven't had any food for weeks. In the final shot of the video the polar bears' taste for watermelon is shown.
There is another enclosure holding a fourth polar bear. But polar bear Gilberte doesn't show himself. He has been given the opportunity to enter and exit the indoor enclosure when he wants. Today he wants to stay inside.

When going left after the polar bears towards the cat section another 'new' enclosure appears, the open top Asian lion exhibit that was inaugurated June 2005. Again the outdoor enclosure is situated uphill with a rear wall that is overgrown by ivy, while a fence interrupted by a viewing window is separating the inmates from the visitors. The wire mesh fence is partly covered by vegetation which gives the very fat male and female lion some shelter from the inquisitive eye of the public. The rocks and fallen tree trunks provide shelter as well, but unfortunately the enclosure lacks an observation post. Not all cat enclosures are open top exhibits, but all are sloping upward to a wall which is part of their indoor enclosure. The exhibits are not very large but most have an environment that resembles the species' original habitat. For instance the oncilla, Persian leopard, Amur leopard exhibits contain lots of vegetation and tree trunks, while the sand cats have a sandy bottom and rocks at their disposal in a very exposed environment. The Amur tigers have a substantially larger enclosure than the leopards, more or less similar in size as the one for the lions. Although the tiger exhibit has various enrichment features - small boulders, small pool, some vegetation - it doesn't provide a decent high level observation post nor any shelter.

Other representatives in the carnivore section can be found at to the edge of the parkland. The Eurasian lynx has access to a beautiful fenced off part of the densely forested hill with unprotected trees that allow the lynx to climb into them. There's one shelter which doubles as observation post and that is exactly where I found the lynx sitting. Next door neighbour the Pallas' cat, has a small enclosure with a rocky appearance, and unfortunately for this lover of the higher altitudes the all around wire mesh fence and viewing windows show little mercy where it concerns seclusion. A bit further uphill there's the (too) small enclosure for northwestern wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis) without much vegetation. It has a pile of rocks that allows the seven wolves to observe their surroundings.

Ungulate section
Leaving the carnivore section a row of enclosures for hoofed animals appears. Several endangered ungulate species from different geographical origin are presented here, such as Prince Alfred's spotted deer, addax, Bactrian camel and Bactrian deer (Cervus elaphus bactrianus). The latter is a subspecies of red deer from Central Asia of which only 400 individuals were left in the wild by 1999. However, since then, nature conservation organisations took measures to try saving the species. In addition a reintroduction programme was implemented by WWF to return Bactrian deer to the wild places which it had once inhabited¹. In August 2014 at Mulhouse Zoo four adult deer together with two calves live in a large paddock with trees that are protected from the deer's destructive behaviour.

Then, at the part farthest from the entrance - near a children's playground and a kiosk where I still cannot get a decent cup of coffee or a healthy sandwich, the first mixed-species exhibit appears. Three African species, sitatunga (swamp deer), African spurred tortoise and southern ground-hornbill share space on a large grassy paddock. Compared to what I have seen so far this is the least undulating enclosure yet. In the adjacent enclosure with rocks and a water-filled moat the bharal or Himalayan blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) is housed. At the other side of the children's playground and the kiosk the education centre is situated as well as the children's zoo, including the Poitou donkey - one of the largest donkey breeds, originating from the Poitou region of France. These cuddly looking ungulates are walked by their zookeepers on a daily basis to a large meadow about a hundred metres from the children's zoo. A kind of enrichment for these domesticated animals and entertainment for the young visitors at the same time.

The big pond
The big pond, or some may say lake, opposite the African mixed-species exhibit and the children's playground comprises the greater flamingo from the old world and several duck and geese species. But it also has two lemur islands located near the footpath in front of the playground. Although islands are a new way of holding and displaying primates, for lemurs it is less common nowadays. Many zoos create exhibits where visitors can have close encounters with these endangered primate species from Madagascar. Fortunately, here at Mulhouse Zoo they have made a wise decision and established islands for their white-collared brown lemurs (Eulemur cinereiceps) and white-belted ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata ssp. subcincta). The islands are very green due to the dense vegetation while the thatched roofs of the lemur night enclosures give it a touch of Africa. And no human beings can walk by and disturb the animals' environment.

More birds than just the flamingos, ducks and geese are on display close to the big pond. Several crane species - blue crane, black-crowned crane, sarus crane - Himalyan monal (Lophophorus impejanus), stork and black stork are held in large open top meadows. This means the birds are either clipped or pinioned. So, the birds experience a stressful procedure each year or they are mutilated for life. Other birds in this section are the Eurasian eagle-owl and northern hawk-owl, while a very special open top enclosure comprises Eurasian black vultures (Aegypius monachus) and Ouessant sheep. A combination I've never seen before.

On the other side of the pond Grevy's zebra live together with helmeted guinea fowl in a rather small enclosure that is situated just past the garden with wild Alsatian plants and flowers when following the footpath around the lake when coming from the children's zoo. It is also possible to cross the pond via the boardwalk from one side to the other. The small paddock cannot sustain a large herd of zebra but you may consider two adults with two foals a population size too small for this species to show normal social behaviour. Nevertheless, two foals means a recent and successful reproduction (unless artificial insemination has been involved in this success), one of the indications that welfare is not too much impaired. The paddock with its sandy substrate and several trees and bushes provides excellent viewing opportunities from the African style viewing platform which has a water-filled moat in front of it.

Primate section
Next, a large primate section follows. First the South American monkey house, which is a rather old-fashioned building, is paid a visit. It has many small enclosures on the inside and on the outside. All outdoor enclosures have plenty of natural vegetation. The squirrel monkeys however have additional artificial enrichment features as well, such as ropes and wooden branches. The indoor enclosures are bare and clean with coated concrete walls, while the floors are of a hard coated quality as well.

The bear pit-like enclosure for Tonkean macaques is an amazingly strange exhibit. It's a circular pit with many different concrete shapes connected by ropes, branches and a metal treadmill. There's a stand for the public. But this is absolutely a not-fit-for-purpose enclosure for primates. This is an ancient relic of the Zoo's former days I presume, with one of the few macaques that I see being bored enough to start playing with himself (see video).

The pileated gibbons have access to an enclosure of about 4-5 metres high, which is not much for such a primate that in the wild would brachiate in the canopy. Nevertheless, the gibbons are very lively and seem to have adapted to their captive environment that comprises plenty of artificial enrichment such as ropes and trunks. Or should I say 'they make the most of it'.

Just uphill from the South American monkey house there's a row of metal frame exhibits with l'Hoest's monkey, owl-faced monkey (Cercopithecus hamlyni) and Diana monkey. These enclosures with their woodchips bottom covering and ample enrichment features look new to me, but the small cage-like constructions send another message - displaying species rather than providing them with modern facilities that best suit their behavioural requirements. Could the latter be the reason that the Diana monkeys have access to three of these outdoor exhibits? Besides these old world monkeys two South American primate species, white-faced marmoset and pied tamarin, are kept in this section too.

From this dedicated primate section I walk along the muntjac paddock to the maned wolf exhibit on the edge of the premises to see how they designed this enclosure. As always you can smell the enclosure before you even see it. Maned wolf usually hunt between sundown and midnight, but unlike other large canids it doesn't hunt in packs. Furthermore it is a rather elusive and shy animal. All of this contradicts with what I see here at Mulhouse, because the five individuals are very exposed, very active and relaxed (see video).

Birds
Then I return to the very centre of the Zoo where the large walk-through aviary is situated with bird species such as Bali starling, Edwards' pheasant, scarlet ibis, Waldrapp ibis and southern crowned pigeon (Goura scheepmakeri). In addition to this concentration of birds you will find the African or jackass penguin around the corner and a row of densely vegetated aviaries. The adjacent area is dedicated to a few species from the Australian continent, including red kangaroo, magpie goose, bush stone-curlew, yellow-footed rock wallaby and southern cassowary. Only the latter two species are not classified as Least Concern according the IUCN Red List.

A few steps from Australia the main collection of the Zoo's reptiles, which consists mostly of terrestrial turtles, is kept. At this very spot they have on display, radiated tortoise, Aldabra giant tortoise and Hermann's tortoise.

A bit of a disappointment is the special gibbon section opposite the walk-through aviary. Unfortunately, the northern white-cheeked gibbons are housed similarly as the pileated gibbons I've seen in the main primate section. Their enclosure's height is also about 4-5 metres, which is so very different from the rainforest canopy where they like to dwell. One of the gibbons probably remembers those canopies, because 'Old Hope' was sourced from the Laos jungle - born in 1968. It is the only gibbon at Mulhouse Zoo that is born in the wild. The adjacent enclosure for the yellow-cheeked gibbons is slightly higher and it has a very nice additional feature - a dense undergrowth of shrubs and grasses.

Probably the most extraordinary exhibit is the one for the seven bush dogs. It is the nicest bush dog enclosure I've seen yet except perhaps the large outdoor enclosure of Port Lympne Reserve Wild Animal Park. It has jungle-like features, including a large pool and nice waterfall, next to some original Alsatian design buildings.

Lemur section
The last area to be seen before the Zoo closes is the special lemur section. Besides a plethora of lemur species there's an education booth dedicated to the fauna of Madagascar. The lemur enclosures are metal constructions of which the load-bearing parts are covered with wood or bamboo. Although it seems to be one of the oldest parts of the zoo, the enclosures are rich in natural vegetation and behavioural enrichment features. There are several individuals of all lemur species on display, which suggest they try to breed all of them. To compensate for the small single enclosures some species such as the ring-tailed lemur and Alaotran gentle lemur, have access to more than just one these.

When I make my way to the exit I notice that the Zoo's merchandise is only available at the single small gift shop at the entrance/exit, which is remarkably little. For a zoo of this size that is.

Mulhouse Zoo is a great zoological and botanical park to spend a delightful day, if you don't mind the lack of decent eateries and perhaps the moderate amount of entertainment facilities for children. It is very spacious with large meadows of unused area and of course the nice gardens that create the atmosphere that was one of the goals from the onset in 1868. A place where workers (visitors) can relax an be educated. But nowadays it wouldn't hurt to make the exhibits more spacious if you ask me.

They have grouped their animal collection mostly according biological taxa, but sometimes take into account biogeographic origin for the species on display. Most of the animals are doing well, because they can be proud of the many newborns in 2014 and previous years. They will have a good breeding track record for several species I presume.

I would like to applaud the Zoo's decision to minimise the close encounters of visitors with animals. There's only the walk-through aviary that would allow for such encounters, and the children's zoo of course. In my humble opinion animals are better off without this kind of enrichment - people in their immediate vicinity and no bars in between.