Reviews - Zoos in Europe

Yesterday afternoon I focussed on the oldest part of the Zoo, so today I will explore the 'newer' parts. But first, I start where I left off yesterday, the ORANG.erie. These orangutan facilities comprises a nice outdoor enclosure, but an even nicer indoor section with a café in the northern wing. Originally, this was a greenhouse for exotic plants back in the 19^th century, and later in 1920 it became a film studio for the Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF, the Austrian broadcasting company) until adjustments were made to house the orangutans in 2009. Especially the indoor enclosure is marvellous. Not only because of its size (750 m²) and the enrichment features, but more so because the four orangutans have access to different platforms at various heights where they can hide from the curious visitors if they want. An excellent makeover of an old building I would say.

Then I head for the African elephant enclosure. But before I arrive there I am surprised to find the white-handed gibbons outside on their islands, making themselves as small as possible. It doesn't seem they like to be outside in the cold (is the door of their house locked?), and they look envious at the ring-tailed lemurs cuddling up in the warmth of their indoor enclosure. As you might expect during winter the trees that allow the gibbons to express their normal climbing behaviour are leafless, but unfortunately also rather small. Definitely not as big as in the gibbon enclosures of Emmen Zoo and Apenheul primate park (NL) or Paignton Zoo (UK).

Another surprise I experience before arriving at the elephants is the Birdhouse. Especially when you expect an old-fashioned row of aviaries inside the building you are in for a surprise. After entering the main part of the house it appears to be a walk-through aviary with a pond (including fish) and an excellent collection of savannah birds, such as hoopoe, Malachite sunbird, white-fronted bee-eaters, red-cheeked cordonbleu, Kikuyu white-eye, African jacana, blue-naped mousebird. All of them listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, but anyway....beautiful. Before entering the other walk-through aviary with tropical birds you pass a room with free-roaming Linné's two-toed sloth. The tropical birds walk-through is as nice as the other one with blue-backed manakin, white-fronted amazon, sunbittern, blue-grey tanager, ruby-topaz hummingbird, purple honeycreeper and others.

After these surprises I arrive at the Elephant Park at the foot of the hill that is part of the Zoo grounds. It is a relative new enclosure built in 1996. The exterior of the elephant house has been designed in the same style and colour as the historic buildings of the Zoo, though the interior is absolutely modern, with viewing options at ground level and from a balcony. But most impressive is the large elongated outdoor enclosure, located at the outer perimeter of the circle around the Kaiserpavillon. Nevertheless all the elephants are inside, perhaps the snow is not attractive for them. Of the six African elephants three are born in Africa - one in Rhodesia (1975) and two in South Africa, Kruger national park (1992).

From the Elephant Park it is just a few steps to the Monkey House (das Affenhaus). An historic building of the early twentieth century that has been refurbished in 2009 when the orangutans moved house to the ORANG.erie. It's still an old building but it has been made fit-for-purpose according current standards. Inside there's a gallery upstairs with an exhibition on human culture and evolution. Unlike other excellent educational exhibitions and information panels in the Zoo this one is only in German.

The next part I visit comprises the extensions of the Zoo grounds of 1936 to the east and of 1993 to the north (uphill). When I arrive at the spectacled bear enclosure it starts to snow. The exhibit has got an undulating landscape that is situated uphill. It contains several dens, a small waterfall, a stream and lots of vegetation that unfortunately isn't hardy, so, the enclosure is rather bare. Nevertheless it resembles the habitat of these bears in the Andean mountains.

Uphill in the forest, the tree top footpath provide some excellent views on the nearby enclosures, the zoo as a whole and even the city. While continuing my visit, passing the Tiroler farm close to the hill top, I see that a part of the forest is fenced off for two specimens of Eurasian lynx. Going downhill again another part of the forest is fenced off in a similar manner, and houses the Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) pack of at least 7 specimens. A litter of wolf cubs was born in May 2012.

Returning from my tour along the forested slope I briefly visit the Polarium, with northern rockhopper penguin, king penguin and South American sea lion, just across the path of the Humboldt penguin pool. Then, again, I follow the footpath along the spectacled bear enclosure with on the other side major works ongoing for the new polar bear exhibit, 'Franz Josef Land', of 1,700 m². This means that polar bears will return in Vienna Zoo, scheduled for spring 2014, and hopefully the Zoo will continue its remarkable good track record on breeding with this endangered species. Adjacent to the future polar bear exhibit I enter the Rainforest House. It takes ages to get rid of the fog on my camera lens, because of the enormous temperature difference and the very moist environment inside the building. This walk-through house is built against the hill, and the height is used ingeniously to create various levels from where you can enjoy the many different plant and bird species, as well as the two large species of flying foxes. In the small bat grotto you can experience the smell of bat excrements (guano) and the near collisions when they fly around your head. The Asian small-clawed otters that also enjoy the jungle-like features of the Rainforest House should feel at home, because the small creek along the wall resembles their native habitat. Strangely, there are only two specimens, which is rather odd for such a social species that live in small groups. In summertime the otters have access to an outdoor environment with plenty of water to express their exploratory behaviour.

My final destination is the Rhinoceros Park where the endangered Indian rhinos are kept. But before I reach them I walk past the raptors aviaries. Unfortunately only the bearded vulture can use it wings for some free-flight experience. The other birds of prey, snake eagle, Ural owl and Egyptian vulture have less space available, which is the main objection I have against most aviaries in zoo - they are too small.

A little further down the path the Rhino Park is situated near the Neptun exit of the Zoo. These facilities are rather impressive and comprises a mixed species outdoor exhibit with rhino, axis deer, blackbuck and nilgai, and two large indoor enclosures where the two rhinos are kept separate. The size of the indoor enclosures is quite large compared to what I have seen in other zoos. Visitors that go inside can watch the rhinos as if they are on a theatre stage covered with straw. Unless the pachyderms walk down the concrete steps towards the public. Because if they do, they come very close and you look down on them while they walk around in the moat. The outdoor enclosure is huge considering this to be a historic city zoo. The fact that they created a mixed species exhibit with the rhinos as the main attraction proves, in my opinion, that Vienna Zoo is constantly improving and modernising its facilities to meet current zoo standards. Although the exhibit is large it is not easy for the smaller ungulates to avoid a confrontation with the strong and destructive pachyderms. Therefore, escape routes are created with poles that have a space between them that allow the small and agile deer to pass but blocks the big rhinos. To give the public the opportunity to see more of the enclosure from a single position there's a viewing platform that intrudes somewhat into the enclosure.

I had been looking forward visiting the world's oldest zoo for some time, and now that I did I have to say that I am absolutely not disappointed. On the contrary, I like it very much. Most importantly, because the zoo shows that it tries to meet the ever improving standards for modern zoos, while respecting its historic values. Which is an enormous challenge, and costly as well.

Due to some other business I had to attend to during my visit to Vienna I spread my zoo visit over two consecutive half days. In fact, I spent at least eight hours in the Zoo - and needed it.

Since 2001 koalas are housed in the former rhinoceros building. It had a makeover and they created an Australian feel, at least they tried, in the indoor enclosure, with red artificial rock face walls and aboriginal signs. As in many koala exhibits in zoos the floor has no bottom covering material and this floor has been designed as if it is sun-dried soil with cracks in it. There are two separate enclosures with walls of bare concrete, several plant containers with vegetation and tree trunks that provide climbing enrichment. Visitors and koalas are separated by window panes all around.

The two outdoor facilities for the giant pandas are not very large but contain lots of enrichment. There are high level resting platforms, trunks to climb and hollow trees that can be used a shelter. The public has excellent viewing opportunities along the full length of the enclosure via viewing windows - actually the fence consists of window panes. The best position for watching one of the pandas in its outdoor enclosure is near the little pond (see video).

The indoor facilities comprises two separate enclosures that are interconnected via two small doors. Although the exhibits lack bottom covering material, which makes it far more easy to clean of course, it does contain a multi level floor and some very large tree trunks. Bamboo is provided as additional enrichment. Mainly as food I suppose, because giant pandas have to eat enormous quantities of this low-energy food, their sole food source. Besides this, the information provided on giant panda biology and conservation is really excellent. Vienna Zoo is the only one of the few zoos in Europe that keep giant pandas, where this endangered species has reproduced in a natural way, so without artificial insemination (see video).

The red panda enclosure has a circular shape with a glass fence together with a metal bar fence on the visitor's side. About two-thirds of the circumference allows for viewing at the two specimens the exhibit houses. Red pandas are normally not very active, because with a similar diet as their zoo neighbours, the giant pandas, they eat and sleep to conserve as much energy as possible. But in this case they are very active and playful, which is shown in the footage you can watch here. Most of the dead trees in the enclosure are topped at about 4 metres, so the pandas cannot climb to great heights. Nevertheless there is enough climbing enrichment available.

The hippo outdoor exhibit, with the pool frozen over, at this time of the year is the perfect location to let your imagination play tricks on you, and have you smile. If the thought of ice and a big fat hippo on skates will make you smile of course. The real hippos are inside in this cold weather, where the three of them have access to pools that allow a complete submerge and some swimming. Which is better than it was before, because the Hippopotamus house has been refurbished and enlarged in 2001 according to the information provided. What is more disappointing is that the pool in the large outdoor exhibit is not much larger than the indoor tank. There are better examples of how to keep hippos in a zoo, such as the large outdoor pool at Emmen Zoo and the beautiful indoor basin at Cologne Zoo. But priorities have to be set of course when decisions must be made how and where to spend the always insufficient amount of money. And hippos were not on top of the list. It is worth mentioning that the hippos share their house with Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus).

Although it is cold, around 0 °C, the African lions may go outside, but the five of them decided it was better to cuddle up inside to stay warm. So much for the theory that all animals can acclimatise to northern hemisphere conditions (Gerald Durrell) . When going outside the lions will be cold, but they are very exposed as well. Too much exposed if you ask me. On one side there is a biergarten terrace which will be crowded with loud people, including children, during sunny days. And all around the enclosure the public can see the enclosure either via window panes or via steel fences, while the lions lack any hiding place whatsoever. Lucky for them they do have access to high level resting platforms to do some observing themselves.

Compared to the lions the jaguar and the Amur tiger have much more secluded outdoor exhibits, though the jaguar enclosure is pitifully small (about 10 by 15 m). Nevertheless the two jaguar sisters - one of them a melanistic (black) specimen - are much braver than the lions and are exploring their outdoor enclosure. What I don't understand is that the adjacent enclosure, obviously also dedicated for jaguars, is not in use. This is a much nicer and larger enclosure with a platform on at least 6 m height, lots of vegetation and a small pool. And above all (you know my preference for enclosures that primarily focus on animal's needs), only a small part with windows for the public to see what's going on inside. Well, zoo keepers must have had a good reason to keep these facilities closed.

Another great big cat enclosure is the one for Amur tiger. Of course, you can never make an enclosure large enough for a predator that has a home range size between 440 - 1000 km², depending on prey abundance. But the size of the enclosure for the two tiger sisters is considerable, with a large pool, three observation platforms, scratching poles, several trees and large rocks. None of the aforementioned big cat enclosures are open top exhibits by the way.

Opposite these outdoor enclosure a nice exhibit with an undulating grassy landscape and a large pond can be found. It is the home for South American species: nandu, red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), Brazilian tapir, vicuna, giant anteater and capybara. The latter will enjoy swimming in the pond, of course.

On the other side of these big cat buildings you can find the large cheetah outdoor enclosure opposite the Kaiserpavillon (Emperor pavilion). Cheetahs need a lot of space to reach the enormous speed they exercise while chasing prey animals. That will not be possible in this exhibit, though it is enriched by a system that let the cheetahs practice their hunting skills while chasing a lure (meat) like people do with racing dogs. Moreover, the enclosure contains a small pond, several small hills and a platform approximately 2 metres high, which allows the cheetahs to have an unblocked view on their personal territory.

The Kaiserpavillon (More info) I mentioned above is the original centre of the imperial zoo as it was created in the 1750s. From the pavilion you could and still can watch the animals in their enclosures that are situated in a circle around this imperial centre, as pieces of a pie. Except from the giant pandas all enclosures around the pavilion house African species, including the hippo and cheetah which I already mentioned. Other African species you can find in this 'African exhibit' are: marabou stork and common eland, Damara zebra (Equus quagga antiquorum) - a plains zebra, crowned crane and flamingo, roan antelope, southern ostrich, nyala, and the giraffe. All the enclosures radiate from the pavilion and have the buildings located at the outer perimeter. It was only in 2000 that unblocked (bar-less) views were created for these enclosures. Regarding the giraffe enclosure it must be said that is just a straightforward empty paddock with no enrichment whatsoever, and that the giraffe house is well-maintained, but old-fashioned. [That's probably the reason why the giraffe facilities are under construction as of 2014].

Adjacent to the giraffe house is the excellent mixed species outdoor exhibit for Cuban hutia (Capromys piloroides), and two subspecies of coati - the coatimundi (Nasua narica) and red coati (Nasua nasua rufa). It is a large slightly undulating terrain with a pool, trees, felled logs and some rocks. Unfortunately for them they are kept indoors during my visit (due to the cold weather?). Although there's ample enrichment inside for all, it is nothing compared to the great outdoor facilities. Nevertheless, it is fun to spend some time watching the coatis play, explore and enjoy themselves with the indoor enrichment such as ropes, burlap sack, wood shavings and an old Christmas tree.

It was already getting dark when I arrived at the ORANG.erie - the orangutan enclosure, so I decided to postpone this one until the next day.

Right in the heart of the oldest part of Vienna Zoo, the former Menagerie of the Emperor, you will find an amazing building - the 'Kaiserpavillon', the Emperor Pavilion. In 1759, Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine needed a quiet place for him to get away at times from his family (wife Maria Theresa and their 16 children) and the splendour of the Baroque palace and the strict Spanish court ceremony. So, the Emperor had a breakfast pavilion constructed in the western part of the palace garden at the heart of his menagerie.

The octagonal building is an eyecatcher as it must have been over 250 years ago. Moreover, it is still in use as a café-lunchroom and offers a moment of rest for those who are tired from exploring the grounds. On sunny days it must be great to spend some time on the terrace with a drink or two and look at the animal enclosures around the pavilion. I had my lunch inside due to the weather, but as the pavilion is famous for its ceiling frescos, wall panellings and pictures of animals this was not a bad experience either .

Rare footage of giant pandas mating

At 23 March 2016 the giant pandas at Vienna Zoo (Yang Yang and Long Hui) got that special feeling that accompanies springtime, and mated several times that day. This is quite sensational for giant pandas in captivity. In no other of the few zoos in Europe that keep giant pandas, this endangered species reproduce in a natural way.

It shows that some giant pandas can still 'perform' while kept in captivity. Unfortunately, it also proves that - while for most captive pandas artificial insemination is the only solution to achieve reproduction - most environments in zoological or breeding facilities do not provide the right circumstances for natural reproductive behaviour. Which is not so strange of course, considering the way this forest dwelling species live in China: a solitary life in a huge territory of bamboo forests.

(Source: Zoovienna Tiergarten Schönbrunn YouTube channel)

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

directions to Vienna Zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn

Vienna Zoo is part of the grounds of Schönbrunn Castle. In order to reach the main entrance please use the park entrance gate „Hietzinger Tor“. The route to the Zoo is signposted.

Address:
Maxingstrasse 13b
A-1130
Vienna
Austria

public transport

If you are travelling by public transport, the zoo can be reached by the following routes:
U(nderground)4: Station Hietzing
Tram: 10, 58, 60
Bus: 10A, 51A, 56A, 56B, 58A

by bicycle

If you like to navigate a city by bike then finding your way to the Zoo should be no problem, although certain parts of town can be challenging. It depends on where your point of departure is, of course, but some streets are rather steep. There are no specific bicycle parking facilities near the Zoo entrance.

by car

There are two park & ride garages only a couple of underground stations away from the zoo, at Hütteldorf U4 and Siebenhirten U6. There is also a parking lot in the vicinity. If you are using car navigation the address for your destination should be: Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg, 1130 Wien.

In the street Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg there is a limited number of parking places. This can be reached via the Elisabeth-Allee. Here there are also parking places for disabled persons. The route from this parking lot to the zoo entrance “Tirolergarten” and the historical part of the zoo is very steep and is therefore not suitable for wheelchair users.

Download the zoo map here.