Reviews - Zoos in Europe

Today it is going to be hot and humid, with temperatures predicted as high as 32 °C, and a few showers in the morning. Hot and steamy rainforest conditions, so to speak. I am already looking forward to having a cold beer at the Bahnhof Zoo restaurant & café that is conveniently located between the Zoo and the railway station. The beer is scheduled for the end of the day, of course .

Although the Zoo entrance is rather nondescript, the first impressions right after the entrance are different. A small path with on the right hand side a large pond - holding waterfowl and gibbon islands - leads to a point where you can see how grand the premises is. Large meadows in an undulating landscape appear and the prospect of some steep footpaths. Besides a zoo it is a park as well, that is for sure. Hopefully, the foliage will provide shelter from the rain in the morning and from the sun in the afternoon.

Although there are no flamingos right after the entrance, because there is simply no room for them, after turning left past the Zoo cafeteria the first enclosure I see holds flamingos - in an old-fashioned dull environment. Just behind the flamingo enclosure and slightly uphill there's a nice small rose garden which adds to the first impression of the Zoo being a park and even a botanical garden too.

A few extra steps uphill you'll find the okapi outdoor paddock, newly built in 2011. The two specimens of okapi are kept separate in the grassy outdoor paddock, while one okapi shares the largest part of the paddock with a yellow-backed duiker. It's a nice enclosure - with trees, rocks at some spots where the ground is sloping down - that allows wandering around and exploratory behaviour. The new indoors enclosure is a stable that contains some African features (ornaments) to help visitors make the connection between the species they see and its geographical origin. The stable is large enough to give prolonged shelter from harsh winter conditions in western Germany.

Across the okapi and bordering the outer perimeter of the Zoo grounds an older enclosure contains cheetah. It has got a brick wall which is part of the Zoo's outer fence and on the public's side a wire mesh fence. It's a rectangular elongated enclosure full of trees, providing the animals good shelter. It is not a bad exhibit, but nowadays you see much larger enclosure for cheetah with feeding enrichment equipment.

Following the footpath the next exhibit is an aviary with European black vultures and harpy eagle. I would call these aviaries just very large cage. It is exactly what I do not like about many aviaries in zoos, too small for the bird to express its basic behaviour - flying!

A bit further there's a pool with black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus). The penguins have access to shelters which are hidden from the public. Which is the complete opposite of the close encounter possibilities at this exhibit. The windows around the pool are not very high. So, tall persons and children that are picked up can reach above the window at the penguins and touch them while they drift along on the water.

Heading for the polar bears I first come across the sea lion pool which is constructed for having shows, although there is no tribune or other kind of stand. The California sea lion pup, born on 08.06.2013 and less than two months old, is out in the pool and afraid of nobody (see video). The otter enclosure, situated in between the sea lion pool and the polar bear enclosure, is a small exhibit with nice enrichment features for the very loud and lively Asian small-clawed otters. There are only two otters, which is a shame because this species of otter is very social and lives often in large groups of up to fifteen individuals. Nevertheless, they do breed the otters. This means that the animals must be thriving because more often than not reproduction is impaired when animals are kept in conditions unfit for them.

The two polar bear outdoor enclosures are freely accessible for mother Vilma and her daughter Anori, born 03.01.2012. The polar landscape for seals and polar bears was the first outdoor exhibit built at Wuppertal Zoo in the beginning of the 20th century, already according the Hagenbeck bar-less principles. The large outdoor exhibit consists of various multilevel concrete platforms and a large pool, with plenty of viewing opportunities including a window for underwater viewing. The other outdoor exhibit is very small and would not be fit for purpose if there not had been an alternative. The polar bears are clearly enjoying the pool and the enrichment that is provided. And let's be honest, the pool is the best place on a hot summer's day!

Next door the facilities for king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) and gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) are situated. The first successful breeding of gentoo penguins in a German zoo took place in the Zoo's old penguin enclosure in 1975. The new indoor exhibit (2009), one of the largest and most modern in Europe, is rather special with its different viewing perspectives. From a 15-meter-long acrylic glass tunnel you can see the penguins speed by while swimming. Unfortunately, due to the temperature difference there is a lot of condensation on the glass which blocks the view. This will not be a problem in colder days I expect. When you get to ground level again you can walk around the enclosure and have sight on the penguins from various angles because there are glass panes all around.

From the modern and surprising penguin exhibit I walk to the vivarium building, which is merely a display of species. It is a big step back in time, when zoos just focussed on showing as much species as possible. This aquarium and vivarium house only provides the name of the species on display. No additional information is provided - none whatsoever - therefore it lacks to provide educational value. While in general the information panels are good sources of information here at Wuppertal Zoo.

Via the rocky environment for the Siberian ibex (Capra ibex sibirica) I walk to the Small Cats House, which holds the Zoo's flagship species - the black-footed cat. But not before I have a look at the meerkats, one of the children's favourite in many zoos. At Wuppertal the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), is housed in such a way that it really becomes redundant to have it on display in my opinion. First of all, I think that a zoo should focus on species that are endangered - which the meerkat is not. Nevertheless, I do understand the value of keeping this species. They are easy and cheap to keep in captivity, and when exhibit design is such that close encounters are realised it could make a visit to the zoo unforgettable for children. Well, this is where the Zoo's enclosure for the meerkats is too middle of the road I believe. It is an enclosure not even resembling the species' regular habitat, the southern Africa desert, and it lacks close encounter opportunities.

The Small Cats House (Kleinkatzenhaus) is another disappointment. Not only because it is an old-fashioned display of cats in a row of unattractive outdoor enclosures which all are connected with an indoor cage, but also because there are no black-footed cats to be seen. The Zoo has quite a reputation breeding the black-footed cats (see more info), and at Wuppertal both the global and European breeding programmes for this species are coordinated. The black-footed cats have been promoting the Zoo over the last decades. In 1975 the first pair of black-footed cats came to Wuppertal. None of the other animals at the Zoo have been so successfully bred as these small and very rare wild cats from the arid regions of southern Africa. Since 1975, over 145 kittens were born in 78 litters at Wuppertal Zoo. It could well be that they keep the black-footed cats off-exhibit. It seems to be a cat that is not very attractive for visitors because they do not show themselves often. Fortunately, the sand cat (Felis maragarita), Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and Arabian wildcat (Felis silvestris gordoni) do show themselves, and are obviously less shy.

Next door to the small cats the snow leopard and Siberian lynx (Lynx lynx wrangeli) can be found. These are not very large enclosures, but they are sufficiently enriched.

The last exhibit before I get to the Zoo's four hectares extension of 2007 is the Big Cats House (Grosskatzenhaus). It has old-fashioned feline enclosures which they tried to adjust to modern standards of zookeeping. This means that they combined several enclosures to enlarge the space available for the three feline species they keep here - Temminck's cat, Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) and clouded leopard (cub born on 05.06.2013). Although all enclosures have interconnected outdoor and indoor facilities, the exhibits remain small. Fortunately, there are plenty of enrichment features such as ropes, trunks, elevated platforms and scratching poles. Nevertheless the indoor enclosures do not look very attractive with their tiled walls, but they are easy to clean of course.

The contrast with the exhibits that follow couldn't be bigger. This newer part of the Zoo, the 2007 extension, is designed according state-of-the-art principles for keeping large predators in captivity. The Amur tigers are housed in two adjacent enclosures. One with a tigress and last year's cubs (4 cubs born February 2012). The other one has got one male tiger on display. I assume the male that sired the cubs. The enclosure with the male is really beautiful with a huge water-filled moat and many sheltered spots. It is situated uphill and seems to comprise the original forest features of this area (see video).

The African lions' exhibit is even more impressive. This is a huge savannah-like paddock of about 1 hectare comprising three male lions. Visitors are provided interesting and surprising views on the enclosure, for example through large observation windows, over watering holes from the watchtower, or from the observation cave in the middle of the lion enclosure. The size of the enclosure is such that even from the watchtower I couldn't capture the enclosure in one shot.

I have read that some people think it is a waste of space to keep three lions in such a large area, because they could keep more species in the same area when they reduce the space for each of them. But I believe those people are forgetting the mission zoos have committed themselves to regarding keeping animals in confinement. It is not about number of species on display but about the quality of the environment in which they are displayed. And the quality relates above all to education and conservation when you ask me, and less to entertainment.

For instance, educating people about animals is showing them in an environment that allows the animals to express their natural behaviour. For large predators this means large areas and suitable enrichment. Furthermore, it is about conservation. Although there are not many examples yet of large predators born in captivity that are returned in the wild, it is the ultimate conservation effort for all endangered species, even large felids. And to facilitate the necessary habituation from captivity to freedom in the wild you shouldn't start in a small enclosure, but think big. Even though, this could lead to enclosures that will look 'empty'. Which is unattractive because people are not coming to the zoo to look at an 'empty' enclosure. This could be solved to present one or two specimens in fit-for-purpose enclosures that provide enough viewing opportunities while at the same time the zoo has for instance off-exhibit large rehabilitation enclosures. Well, anyway I congratulate Wuppertal Zoo with their magnificent lion enclosure. By the way the lions are not shying away from the viewing areas.

Walking back from the marvellous lion exhibit towards the original zoo grounds I pass the farmstead with several fields for Asian species - kiang or Tibetan wild ass, Père David's deer, and Takin. These are not very interesting as such, but the open top forest enclosure on the other side is, with red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) en white-naped crane (Grus vipio). I don't like birds to be pinioned, like these cranes are and the flamingos near the entrance, but the sheer size of the crane enclosure is impressive. I do understand that the only way to keep birds inside an open top enclosure is by making it physically impossible for them to fly. But this way you make the bird fit for the enclosure, while you should make the enclosure fit for the bird. Unfortunately, most zoos still opt for pinioning.

Around the corner from the cranes there's an amazingly small enclosure for Canadian wolves. It's been built in 1973, and has got a very deep moat at the visitor's side including additional electrical wire to keep the animal from entering the moat. Much more fit-for-purpose is the enclosure for the two Kodiak bears (Ursus arctos middendorffi) which borders the wolves' enclosure. The bear exhibit looks just like a fenced off part of the original forested area, but it has been completely refurbished in 2004. During which the pool has been moved to ensure a better view for the visitors. Furthermore, they added a small waterfall.

From the bears I move on to the African elephants. Meanwhile I am totally lost regarding the grouping of the animal collection of the Zoo. It seems to me that they started with a certain grouping way back at the end of the 19th century, and just haphazardly and opportunistically extended and distributed their collection. As if they never had the time and possibility to rethink and revisit the total concept.
So, in 1995 the new enclosure for African elephants was opened near the forest café (Waldschänke) and the kids playground. At the time it was the Zoo's largest enclosure (3000 m² outdoors and 1340 m² indoors) and one of the world's most modern elephant enclosures. It is situated uphill with slightly sloping grounds. It provides the herd of nine African Elephants a comfortable home and the possibility of bathing in a large pool every day. Tusker the bull of the herd has sired all newborns in Wuppertal Zoo, the latest born on 13.05.2013.

Proof of the opportunistically approach of the animal collection's distribution on the site is the other cheetah enclosure I would say. It is situated near the forest café, therefore far from the other cheetah enclosure. This exhibit is more open and therefore more savannah-like, but small, while at the same time it also lacks feeding enrichment equipment.

This area of the Zoo also contains the primate section, with a Monkey House (Affenhaus) and an Ape House (Menschenaffenhaus). The building for the monkeys reflects the Zoo's past. Originally it stems from 1927 and it was refurbished in 1985. But another upgrade was done in 2006, together with the establishment of a nice outdoor enclosure for the drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus). The enrichment is mostly artificial (ropes, tree trunks), which does not look nice but could cover the need of the animals for sure. Inside the Monkey House all exhibits have the same interior design with tiled walls, coated concrete floors and enrichment features. All have rather low ceilings except for the Dusky leaf monkey. The breeding track record seems good with newborn lion-tailed macaques in 2012 and 2013, and newborn dusky leaf monkey (Presbytis obscurus) in June 2013.

Wuppertal Zoo keeps gorillas, bonobos, orangutans and chimpanzees as representatives of man's closest relative, the non-human primates or apes. A troop of five western lowland gorillas, three Bornean orangutans, six bonobos and unfortunately only two chimpanzees. Epulu and Kitoto the chimps live in a poor social environment, as these apes live in larger groups in the wild. But to enrich this environment the Zoo does some little experimenting, for instance they let Epulu explore its artistic competencies. There's an exposition of photographs of paintings made by Epulu inside the Ape House, which even are for sale. All indoor enclosures have the same construction and interior design with coated concrete walls and floors, an additional platform at the wall, trunks, ropes, ladders, and the inevitable straw and wood shavings on the floor. The outdoor exhibit for the apes has been built recently, in 2003. The one for the orangutans is impressive, with a stream, lots and lots of vegetation, hammocks, shelters and ropes. Moreover, works are ongoing for another outdoor exhibit. It is not explained, but it could be that for the moment the apes use the outdoor exhibit by rotation.

Before making my way to the exit I decide to pay another visit to one of the most extraordinary exhibit, the meadow with a mix of species from Patagonia - mara, guanaco and Darwin's rhea. This exhibit deserves to be mentioned, not because of the species (none of them are endangered at the moment), but because of the enormous size and that it is a mixed-species exhibit. As it turns out Wuppertal Zoo has not developed many mixed-species enclosures yet. Though not always easy to achieve, it greatly enriches the lives of the animals and therefore it is a pity the Zoo has not gone this avenue yet.

Then it is time for the beer I promised myself this morning. So, my final enclosure is the large pond, or small lake if you like, with the gibbon islands near the entrance/exit. In former days the lake was used for canoeing in summer and ice skating in winter. The islands for the white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) exist since 1981 and were already very modern in these days. The trees on the largest island allow the arboreal gibbons to swing from branch to branch. Unfortunately, their indoor enclosure is pathetically small with almost no possibilities to climb and swing. That will be no fun during a long and harsh winter.

Black-footed cats at Wuppertal Zoo

The black-footed cat is one of the smallest cat species, and the smallest African cat. It is endemic in the south west arid zone of the southern African subregion. Adult males weigh on average 1.9 kg (max 2.45 kg), while adult resident females weigh on average 1.3 kg (max 1.65 kg). Only the pads and underparts of its feet are black. It is this characteristic that gives the back-footed cat its name. The fur varies in colour from cinnamon-buff to tawny, and is patterned with black or brown spots that merge to form rings on the legs, neck, and tail. The skin, however, is unpigmented pink, unlike that of other spotted cats. The backs of the rounded ears are the same colour as the background coat colour. The eyes are very large. (Source: felineconservation.org)

Wuppertal Zoo received black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) already in 1957, and succeeded in breeding them for the first time in 1963. Since the first litter more than 145 kittens were born in 78 litters. This makes the Zoo's breeding track record one of the best worldwide.

The breeding successes led to Wuppertal Zoo taking over the coordination of the International Studbook (ISB) for black-footed cats in 1993. In the ISB births, deaths, transfers, and current status of captive black-footed cats world-wide, as well as genetic and statistical analyses and results of research are published in two languages. It is published every 1-2 years with the goal to provide all holders with comprehensive information about all black-footed cats in captivity.

As of 2015, 63 black-footed cats were registered worldwide, and there are detailed records for a total of 726 captive cats since 1964. Presently, less than 13 institutions in Arabia, USA, and South Africa keep black-footed cats. According to Zootierliste there are no zoos in Europe keeping black-footed cats since October 2014, when the last one died at Port Lympne Zoo in the UK.

Together with taking over the ISB in 1993 the EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP) for black-footed cat was formed and since then coordinated by Wuppertal Zoo. The aim of the EEP is to coordinate which animals are best suited for pairing in order to maintain genetic diversity and to avoid inbreeding in Europe.

Especially Wuppertal Zoo has gathered much information about the black-footed cat's reproduction, such as gestation period, number of kittens and sexual maturity, based on in-house research - mainly by observation. These data have proven to be useful in field research, while in return the husbandry of black-footed cats in the Zoo was enhanced through applying the information gathered in the wild such as feeding a large variety of prey animals to the cats.

A prime example of the contribution of Wuppertal Zoo to the increasing knowledge on black-footed cats is the PhD-study Barbara Hohage conducted from 2006 to 2012 when she studied black-footed and sand cats at the Zoo. Her thesis ' Activity rhythms and stress behaviour of small cats in captivity' focussed on which factors influences the cat's behaviour. The interest for black-footed cats , since the captive population in European zoos was decreasing substantially in the first decade of the 21st century: at the beginning of 2007 only six cats were left. This decline may be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, due to a high mortality rate caused by a long-standing disease called AA-Amyloidosis, which is not yet well researched but could be precipitated by stress. The second factor applies to small wild cats in captivity in general: they are rarely seen active, and thus are perceived as less attractive for the public and consequently for the zoos' animal collection. The findings of Hohage's study confirmed that the black-footed cats are predominantly nocturnal, also in captivity. Therefore the main activity of the cats during zoo opening hours stay relatively low. Interestingly though, in a 24 hours period, all cats were pacing along the enclosure boundaries and covered as much as 11-21 km per day - as much as their wild counterparts.

Therefore increasingly fewer zoos maintain small cat species in their collections, although the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA) still believes the black-footed cat will make. According to WAZA their small size is special and they make a good display, even with limited space available. Furthermore, their good looks, body form and conservation concern make an interesting story for the education of visitors.

Black-footed cat in South Africa, November 2011 - black-footed cat leaves den in the early morning:

Although European zoos seem to have abandoned the keeping of black-footed cats for commercial reasons, some U.S. zoos proceed with their conservation efforts and research. In a research project, with the McGregor Museum, Cincinnati Zoo, San Diego Zoo, University of Illinois and Wuppertal Zoo involved, blood of wild black-footed cats has been collected for disease and dietary analysis and semen for sperm banking. All cats have been released back into the wild of course. To date, a total of 12 cats (8 males and 4 females) have been captured and released, permitting the cryopreservation of 97 semen straws for subsequent importation to the U.S. In addition to this, semen samples collected from captive cats were used to assess different methods for cryopreservation as well as the development of in vitro fertilization procedures with frozen semen. This knowledge has led, on 13 February 2011, to the first birth of two male kittens to a female black-footed cat at the Audubon Nature Institute as a result of in vitro fertilization utilizing frozen and thawed sperm and frozen and thawed embryos

Endangered Cat Born at Audubon:

Status in the wild

The black-footed cat is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. The black-footed cat is generally uncommon throughout its range. In the wild the cats are threatened primarily by habitat degradation through overgrazing, agriculture and desertification, as well as by poison and other indiscriminate methods of pest control. Other threats include killing by dog packs used for jackal control.

(Source: black-footed cat on wild-cat.org; Wild-Cat Movies on Vimeo; WAZA; Zootierliste; Cincinnati Zoo; Audubon Nature Institute; black-footed cat on felineconservation.org; IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)

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

directions to Wuppertal Zoo

Address:
Hubertusallee 30
42117
Wuppertal
Germany

public transport

by train

It is fairly easy to get to the Zoo by train. Within the city of Wuppertal you can use the the all-in-one Zoo entrance ticket including the use of all public transport services that day (Kombi-Karte) which is on offer by the local transport authority (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr) in co-operation with the Zoo. Get out at station "Wuppertal Zoologischer Garten" on the regional train (S-Bahn) line no. 8 (Hagen-Mönchengladbach) and line no. 9 (Haltern/Bottrop-Wuppertal). It's only a short walk from there. The Zoo's entrance is in the Hubertusallee. Information on timetables, routes and a routeplanner can be found here.

by suspension railway (Schwebebahn)

A visit to the Wuppertal Zoo is easily combined with a trip on the famous Schwebebahn. This overhead suspension railway is Wuppertal's most famous landmark. As the entire train system lies within the city of Wuppertal you can use the all-in-one Zoo entrance ticket including the use of all public transport services that day (Kombi-Karten). It is only a few minutes walk from the Schwebebahn station "Zoo/Stadion". The Zoo's entrance is in the Hubertusallee. More information on timetables and the Schwebebahn history can be found here.

by bicycle

Like in most German cities cycling is one of the easiest way of moving around in the centre of town. There are special bike lanes next to all main roads for motorists. This makes using a bicycle even more secure. It is a bicycle-friendly town and most public transport stations have a bike rack. In Wuppertal there are over 600 kilometres of well-marked footpaths, very easily accessible by public transport, and some of them may be used by cyclists as well. You can obtain maps and other information from Wuppertal Tourism. But remember, Wuppertal lies in the valley of the river Wupper, and this has consequences when you want to ride your bike to the Zoo. Assuming that your place of departure will be one of the many hotels or B&B's you should prepare for a few kilometres going uphill. Together with the sloping footpaths in the Zoo it will keep you fit, and bring a good appetite. You will be looking forward for your downhill ride in the afternoon.

And for the fun of it: There's an attractive adventure path for cyclists that runs along a former railway line called the "Samba-Trasse" which was built in 1891 and closed down in 1988. Part of this path runs through the Zoo grounds! The elevated cycle- and footpath provides stunning views on for instance the tiger enclosures, for free.

Bring your own bike or hire one. An interesting online routeplanner is available here.

by car

The Zoo can be reached via the A46, L74 and B224 when you leave the motorway at Wuppertal-Sonnborn. Follow the signs "Zoo" and "Stadion" which are close together. If you come from the East take the A46 exit Wuppertal-Varresbeck and follow the signs to the Zoo. The larger parking areas are marked on the diagram. The entry to the Zoo is in Hubertusallee.

Parking
There is not one dedicated parking lot for the Zoo. You might try your luck close to the Zoo's entrance in one of the streets, but there are larger parking areas which are marked with a P on this little map.

For your information: The Wuppertal Zoo is located outside the environmental-friendly or 'low emission' zone. This means that you do not need a specific sticker for your car, and that your car not necessarily needs to meet the emission requirements that have been set for the low emission zone. And although the A46 runs through the low emission zone it is not part of it.

Download the zoo map here.