Wildlife Park MV
| Wildlife Park MV | ||
|---|---|---|
| motto | The wild animal adventure | |
| place | Primerburg 18273 Güstrow |
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| surface | about 200 hectares | |
| opening | 1959 (as Güstrow Zoo) | |
| Species focus | Native animal species | |
| organization | ||
| management | Klaus Tuscher | |
| Sponsorship | Nature and Environment Park Güstrow gGmbH | |
| Funding organizations | Förderverein Wildpark-MV eV | |
| Member of | State Zoo Association MV | |
| www.wildpark-mv.de | ||
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Coordinates: 53 ° 47 ′ 20.1 ″ N , 12 ° 13 ′ 27 ″ E
The Wildpark-MV (until 2015 nature and environmental park Güstrow ) is the year-round open zoo of Güstrow in Mecklenburg with mostly native wild animals. Located in the east of the city and south of the Nebel , it is embedded in a 200 hectare park landscape. It was created in 1959 as one of the numerous small home gardens of the German Democratic Republic . After the German reunification, it was expanded considerably and redesigned according to a completely new concept. The wildlife park was the external location for the International Horticultural Exhibition 2003 (Rostock).
history
Güstrow received its first home zoo in 1936 on the Paradieswiese an der Nebel (today's Rosengarten). Initially, three fallow deer were placed in the enclosure established there. Young cranes, golden pheasants, peacocks, ornamental ducks, squirrels, heather sheep and deer followed later. During the Second World War, this zoo was closed again.
The idea of a renewed game park as a place of relaxation and the possibility of sightseeing was born in the mid-1950s between the then head of the forestry company, Mr March, and the owner of the Bölkow estate, Mr Müller. For the time being, the forestry company wanted to take over the sponsorship and provide the necessary terrain for the planned wildlife park. Ultimately, the area where the front economic area of the Wildlife Park MV is located was selected - in a quiet location, directly on a small lake, conveniently located and surrounded by hiking trails. The aim was to preserve the natural impression that the territory already offered with a few animals and spacious enclosures.
The construction and work plans drawn up were implemented in March / April 1959. This is how the swan house and the enclosures for wild boars and deer were first built. In order to realize the construction of this new recreation site as quickly as possible, the population was asked to cooperate. As a result of this appeal, the first voluntary work was carried out by the railway depot in 1959. This example was followed by others. Many working people and Güstrow residents were involved in the construction and expansion. Local government contracts with a wide variety of companies were a welcome support. School classes, working groups, young people from the camp for work and recreation also took part in this campaign.
1960-1988
When the first enclosures and animal shelters were ready, the first animals were able to move in: three young wild boars from Bossow and two mute swans . Furthermore, fallow deer , roe deer , pheasants , partridges and later also red deer were caught in Bossow and given to the wildlife park. In March 1960, volunteer work resulted in the former ticket booth, which at that time served as a caretaker's accommodation and feed store.
On July 3, 1960, the "Güstrow Zoo" was officially opened. 20 animals of 7 species found a home here. In the same year the zoo was handed over to the city council. In the fall of 1960, Heinz Hunger from the Rostock Zoo started working as the zoo manager. Already in the first year there was great interest and thus a high number of visitors.
In 1961 there were 189 animals in 51 species on an area of 8.5 hectares. From 1963 the further expansion of the zoo began. The aim was to keep mainly native game species and domestic animals from other parts of the world, such as zebus , yaks and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. In addition, attractions such as a lion , brown bear and rhesus monkey moved into the zoo.
The construction of the residence building for the zoo keepers, the creation of a flower border and the cultivation of the pond bank including a jetty rounded off the picture of the front part of the zoo to a beautiful complex. The rear part of the park was still a temporary solution at that time. Gradually, more enclosures and the aviaries were built along the main path. The pony enclosure followed, completed by VEB Landmaschinenbau Güstrow (LMB). A special event was the conclusion of a friendship contract with Rostock Zoo in 1965.
The approximately 25 m² large wolf enclosure was built in 1966. The bear enclosure was financed by donations and inaugurated in 1967. In 1972 the lynx enclosure was built. In the years to come, not only were new enclosures built, but the existing one was also gradually improved. The connection to the public water network and the laying of water and power lines in 1976 made the work of the animal keepers easier. The construction of a barn and a cold store allowed the storage of feed, in particular hay, meat and fish.
In 1985 a new concept was launched: From then on, native animals were to be shown in larger enclosures and aviaries. In the same year the raccoon enclosure was built, and in 1986/87 the aviaries for owls and birds of prey followed .
Since 1991
On June 28, 1991, urban areas of 157 hectares were assigned to the zoo according to a resolution of the city council. One year later, the Mecklenburgische Tierpark Güstrow gGmbH was founded and a new concept was developed: The nature and environmental park Güstrow was intended as a landscape and wildlife park to present the local flora and fauna and to increasingly integrate environmental educational work. In 1995 a children's and youth environmental library was set up.
The first large outdoor enclosures for fallow deer (1992), wild boar (1993) and wolves (1994) were built in the extension area. In addition, other hiking trails, nature trails, teaching biotopes, aviaries were expanded and a petting zoo was created.
Since 2000, environmental education work has been further promoted by the newly established environmental education center (UBiZ) with AQUA tunnel, interactive exhibition, conference rooms, creative areas and much more. The UBiZ was funded by the German Federal Environment Foundation , the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Ministry of Economics, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Ministry of the Environment, the district and the city of Güstrow. Alternative energies also play an important role here. These are not only demonstrated, but also used for the park.
Regularly produced new attractions: 2007 - "SUBTERRA - The earth looked under the skin", a ground trail with bog body , soil and root maze tunnel. In 2006 the Bärenberg, a 3-hectare outdoor enclosure for the bears, was opened. In 2007 the " aurochs " ( Heck cattle ) return to Mecklenburg. Finally, in 2009, the carnivore shared apartment with bears, wolves , lynxes and wild cats was opened.
- 2011: NUP-Wiesen-Welten with an agenda center
- 2013: Expansion of the cycle path network in the extension area
- 2014: Opening of WaldWelten, opening of the information point of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) with a huge stainless steel catfish, expansion of public feedings, new homepage including mobile adaptation
- 2015: Opening "GIGANTUM - MV becomes wilder and more mobile" - smaller projects such as the glass fish ladder, a flight aviary for sea eagles, a wolf contact center, a game reserve for aurochs and the infrastructure
- 2015: new advertising strategy - nature and environmental park Güstrow now advertises with Wildpark-MV
Enclosures and facilities
In addition to extensive enclosures for wild boar and fallow deer , the outdoor area for the Güstrow wolf pack, which is spanned by a visitor bridge over 100 meters long, is particularly worth mentioning. Birds of prey , such as sea eagles and owls , are shown in partially accessible aviaries . A new walk-in enclosure for squirrels , pheasants , stone owls and pigeons. A wet meadow can be crossed on a stick embankment. In this area, a small herd of “ aurochs ” (correct: Heck cattle , a “back-breeding” attempt ) is shown - the aurochs are Güstrow's heraldic animal . Another stick dam leads over the wild boar enclosure and the floodplain forest and moorland habitats to a viewing platform on an oxbow lake renatured after 1990 . With diagrams and installations will be on these and related subjects informed ( peat and peat, bog bodies , etc.).
Predatory flat share
On June 25th, 2009, the five-hectare “predatory community ” was handed over as a further attraction. Via climbing paths and cave passages, the visitor reaches the individual animal enclosures , the wolf information center and the palisade village . The wolf open-air enclosure and the bear mountain are integrated into the shared apartment.
In 2006 two brown bears were resettled in an outdoor area. In the approximately two-hectare enclosure, visitors can watch the bears climbing or digging in caves, in the water and foraging for food. In the area of the brook and forest lake, separate viewing terraces were built for this purpose. In the bear cave you can experience bear voices up close. Three webcams were also installed so that you can follow what is happening in the forest, at the lake and in the bear box online.
The wolves live next door . With the arrival of two new wolves, a new pack should be built. The first offspring were finally born in May 2015 - after a ten-year break. The following year there were young animals again. With that the pack was complete. The wolf enclosure covers approx. 1.5 hectares, whereby the wolves can also use the bear enclosure.
The predatory flat share is connected to an area in which wild cats and lynxes are settled.
Owl forest
In the Owl Forest live tawny owls , long-eared owls and eagle owls . The facility can be entered by the visitors so that they can observe the animals well. There is also an interactive exhibition here, which reveals interesting facts about the birds of the night.
Game enclosure
The fallow deer live in the eight-hectare game enclosure that is accessible to visitors. The visitors can observe fallow deer with a brown, but also white color.
Natural aquarium
In the largest natural aquarium in the north, located in the environmental education center, only native fish species live. Among them there are predatory fish such as pike , trout and perch , but also non- predatory fish such as carp , rudd , crucian carp and chub . A sunken fishing boat is a habitat for one or the other inhabitant. The largest fish in the Wildlife Park MV is on dry land. It is a walk-in giant catfish made of stainless steel and forms the eye-catcher of an information point on the EU water framework directives .
Other plants
- Wild boars - a wooden walkway allows you to cross the elongated area.
- Walk-in squirrel enclosure with stone owls , hunting pheasants and pigeons
- Bird aviaries for sea eagles , cranes , storks , snow owls , budgies
- walk-in petting zoo with dwarf goats
- various breeds of domestic animals such as rabbits , guinea pigs , environmental education center ferrets , skudden , moorland snakes
- Paddling with Haflingers , Shetland ponies , donkeys
Worlds of experience
"Small animals, big" is the motto of the WiesenWelten in the Wildlife Park MV. The focus here is on the flora and fauna of a meadow biotope. Everything is embedded in a huge spider web that can be climbed in. The Spider House is the centerpiece and has an exciting interior. Various microscope and examination stations invite you to discover and research. Here flowers, seeds and insects are shown. In the “green classroom” (experiment area) project groups can implement their research results using the latest technology. In the outdoor area at the adventure stations, oversized meadow dwellers are waiting to be discovered - u. a. Spider, butterfly, caterpillar, dragonfly, grasshopper and earthworm. A small kiosk and toilets are also available. The Spider House was built using ecological methods. Electricity is provided by a photovoltaic system, heat pumps (geothermal energy) provide heat and the wastewater is cleaned using a plant-based sewage treatment system. In the WiesenWelten you can also see the aurochs and bog snouts.
In the forest worlds, visitors can follow in the footsteps of a young wolf and get to know the local forest better in a playful way at several stations.
“Look under the skin of the earth!” Is the motto on the ground adventure trail in the Wildlife Park MV, where you go on an adventurous journey into the ground. The path provides insights into the soil and shows, among other things, soil types and their formation, explains what peat is, shows mysterious creatures and witnesses of bygone times, including a bog body.
In addition to geothermal energy, the Wildpark-MV uses solar energy with various solar systems. They are demonstration systems and are therefore accessible to the general public. On a display board in the environmental education center, visitors can query, among other things, the electrical output and the daily energy yield.
Environmental education
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The entrance area has been the Environmental Education Center (UBiZ) since 2000. There are permanent exhibitions on various natural topics (mainly around water) with interactive learning and experimentation devices, as well as rooms for the supervision of school classes and groups. There is also a 30 meter long viewing wall and a twelve meter long glass tunnel, known as the aqua tunnel, through which you can observe native fish species in a pond-like area that is fed by the fog.
With the help of many publishers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, a unique environmental library for children and young people with picture books, non-fiction books and narrative literature on the subject of nature and the environment was set up. The library is located on the upper floor of the environmental education center and is open once a week.
A selection catalog appears regularly in which current picture books and books for reading aloud, children's and young people's books, non-fiction books as well as games and instructions are presented. The reviews in this catalog are written almost entirely by students. The environmental prize for children's and youth literature is also awarded every two years and is endowed with 5,000 euros.
Awards
- MarketingAward 2016 - Lighthouses of the tourism industry, presented by the East German Savings Bank Association
- Familienland MV - seal of quality until 2017, from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourism Association
- German Nature Conservation Award 2013 in the Citizen Award category, project: Diversity of life Hechtgraben, August 2013
- Environment award of the state parliament MV 2012/2013 in memory of Ernst Boll , project WiesenWelten in the nature and environmental park Güstrow
- Germany - Land of Ideas 2010, Raubtier-WG project
