Neunkirchen Zoological Garden
| Neunkirchen Zoological Garden | ||
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| Full name | Neunkircher Zoological Garden | |
| motto | ... something has been going on here since 1926 | |
| place | Zoostraße 25 66538 Neunkirchen |
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| surface | 20 hectares | |
| opening | 1926 | |
| Animal species | 78 species (2014) | |
| Individuals | 531 animals (2014) | |
| Species focus | Asian animals | |
| Visitor numbers | 200,940 (2014) | |
| organization | ||
| management | Norbert Fritsch | |
| Sponsorship | Neunkircher Zoologischer Garten gGmbH | |
| Funding organizations | Association for the promotion of the Neunkircher Zoo - Zooverein eV | |
| Member of | EAZA , VdZ , Foundation for Species Protection | |
 Entrance to the Neunkirchen Zoo |
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| www.neunkircherzoo.de | ||
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Coordinates: 49 ° 20 ′ 43 ″ N , 7 ° 12 ′ 21 ″ E
The Neunkirchen Zoological Garden or Neunkirchen Zoo is the older and larger of the two zoos in the Saarland . According to their own information, around 500 animals from 140 species live here on an area of 20 hectares. The focus of the zoo is on Asian species. It was opened in 1926.
history
The foundation of the Neunkirchen Zoo was laid on October 22nd, 1926 by the "Aquarien- und Terrariumfreunde Neunkirchen 1922 eV", when the association leased an area of 50 ares at Jedermannsbrunnen from the city of Neunkirchen in order to create several fish ponds and build a clubhouse. In 1927 the first cages for polecats , ferrets and buzzards were built.
In 1934 the association acquired the previously leased area, in the same year it set up a zoo restaurant there and the first lion moved into the zoo. Just two years later, the zoo was transferred back to the city of Neunkirchen because the association could not finance the maintenance costs.
At the beginning of the Second World War , the then zoo keeper and later zoo administrator Philipp Muthweiler was called up for military service. There was no longer a competent nurse available. In the further course of the war, the number of animals was reduced further and the facilities were badly damaged by vandalism and theft.
After the end of the war, the rebuilding of the zoo began in 1946 under the direction of Neunkirchen's mayor Friedrich Brokmeier and Philipp Muthweiler. In April 1949 it was reopened as the “Städtischer Tiergarten”.
In 1964 the zoo was privatized and converted into a GmbH with the managing director Berthold Günther .
As a result, the Neunkirchen Zoo was greatly expanded, including the construction of an elephant house, the sea lion pool and the giraffe house. In 1968 the animal population was taken over by the privately run Mainz zoo. In 1970 a new administration building was built as well as a zoo restaurant and a new entrance. In 1987, the Neunkirchen-born GDR head of state, Erich Honecker, donated the Asian lioness Honey, bred by Tierpark Berlin. In 1999 a new monkey house was built and in 2004 a new elephant house.
The city of Neunkirchen , which had supported the zoo with three million euros since 1994, invested a further 1.5 million euros in the modernization and natural design of the enclosures from 2012 to 2016.
A quarantine and rescue station for confiscated exotic animals has been set up on the edge of the zoo. Most of the costs for this were borne by the Saarland Ministry for the Environment. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated in December 2017 and the opening was on August 23, 2018.
The so-called striped hyena reserve was opened on March 22, 2018 .
Investments
Predatory systems
The predator facilities opened in 2014 offer space for three larger predator species on an area of over 6000 m² . The Snow Leopard Gorge is home to Luisa and Sagar , the first two snow leopards in Saarland, and their offspring Anusha and Aksar, who were born in May 2016 . The bear park with the brown bear Lars and the red dog forest with a pack of Asian wild dogs, also called red dogs , are located in the upper part of the facility. The upper bear enclosure is currently (2020) inhabited by the two white Transvaal lions Tajo and Amari . With the animal species kept, the Neunkircher Zoo participates in the European conservation programs and European stud books.
Elephant temple
The elephant enclosure, completed in 2004, is one of the largest in Germany with its 5000 m² and was home to the two Asian elephants Kirsty and Rani in 2018 . After one of the two animals ( Rani) had to be euthanized in April 2020, the population was supplemented in July 2020 by the two Asian elephant cows Trinh and Hoa from Leipzig Zoo. The elephant facility is to be expanded to several hectares in the next few years.
Usually there is an elephant feeding every day, which can be observed from the "Elefantenturm", a 12 m high observation tower built in 1997 . The elephant house was built in the style of an Asian temple. Every day visitors have the opportunity to feed the elephants under the supervision of the animal keepers . Inside the temple elephants other Asian species such as the endangered live in a large terrarium and several small terrariums crocodile tail lizards , Blue Yemen tarantula, Vietnam moss frogs and insects such as stick insects , and Philippine Stick Insect .
Seal Bay
In the seal bay, which was newly opened in 2002, with an adjoining rock stand and rock garden, the Maritimum , a small group of East Atlantic seals can be seen. Visitors can learn more about this species of predator during a guided show feeding.
Monkey house with a small tropical hall
A family group of Sumatran orangutans from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and a small group of ring -tailed lemurs live in their natural home, the tropical rainforest, in the newly opened monkey house . In the small tropical hall of the monkey house also various live frog species as representatives of amphibians: in addition to from South America coming poison dart frogs in several species and the little fiddler frogs from the island of Borneo , the very rare in zoos Vietnamese long-nosed Snakes , the first time in 2012 in a German zoo Neunkirchen were bred . The Neunkirchen Zoo is also coordinating the breeding efforts for this snake species in European zoos in a monitoring system. Fijian iguanas , green tree pythons , Borneo deaf monitors and Mangshan vipers are further representatives of the reptiles. A group of the endangered crested macaques , which are kept as part of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) , has been living in the adjacent Tangkoko Reserve adventure area since October 2015 . Furthermore, since 2017 two saltwater aquariums , u. a. with seahorses and anemonefish as well as a colony of leaf cutter ants .
Eco-educational falconry
In 2003 the new zoo falconry opened its doors. Commented demonstrations take place in favorable weather conditions. Outside of the air shows, the following birds of prey can be observed in the facility: Bald eagles , eagle owls , snowy owls , red kites , buzzards and various falcons .
Rudolf Didas House (African Savannah)
In addition to Chapman plains zebras , a bachelor group of giraffes , which consists of two different subspecies, lives on the African savannah . Nangila, born in 2007 from the Cologne Zoo, belongs to the subspecies " reticulated giraffe ", Gerry of the same age , born in the Opelzoo Kronberg, is a Rothschild giraffe. The giraffes can also be fed under the supervision of the animal keepers. In the Rudolf-Didas-House attached to the African savannah, named after the long-time chairman of the association for the promotion of the Neunkircher Zoo - Zooverein eV, there is, in addition to the indoor facilities of the giraffes and plains zebras, also a large terrarium with short-eared elephants and those from rocky and dry areas Common Gundis native to Northeast Africa . This rodent species has already been successfully bred several times in the context of the European Stud Book (ESB) in the Neunkirchen Zoo. In addition, a group of meerkats lives next door, socialized with leopard tortoises.
Pheasantry / fossa system
In the pheasantry, which was opened in 1988 as the first project of the association for the promotion of the Neunkircher Zoo - Zooverein eV, the focus in the past was on the pheasants from Asia, which gave this facility its name. In addition to diamond and gold pheasants , Australian birds - the Jägerliest , a brownish giant kingfisher, and the white-backed flute bird known as the Australian magpie - were kept there. Since 2009 the Neunkirchen Zoo has been one of the few keepers of this passerine species. In 2019 the pheasantry was redesigned to become a fossa complex. With this species the Neunkirchen Zoo participates in the European conservation breeding program .
Ungulates
In the lower part of the zoo there are several enclosures that are mainly inhabited by various ungulates. Partly thematically live here, for example, alpacas with Darwin's Rhea in South America enclosure, blackbuck and extinct in nature Vietnam sika deer in the Asian Valley , Bennett kangaroos and emus in the Outback and Bactrian camels , yaks and Karakul sheep on the steppe plant.
Planned projects
A Chinese garden with typical planting is planned as well as a Pater David aviary with various birds and Pater David rock squirrels in honor of the French naturalist and monk Armand David . A pond will be created with a wintering house for keeping the Chinese alligators , which are highly endangered outdoors , of which the Neunkirchen Zoo has been the EEP studbook coordinator since 2014.
The entrance area is currently being rebuilt and a zoo shop is being added.
Zoo education
The zoo offers a wide range of activities for children. In addition to the playground, petting zoo and zoo rally, the Neunkirchen Zoo has a zoo education department. There are special events such as B. Summer camps in Kyrgyz yurts, holiday programs, pumpkin carving on Halloween.
Body worlds of animals
The cow elephants Samba and Chiana, who died in the Neunkirchen Zoo in February 2005 and April 2006 respectively, were plastinated by Gunther von Hagens and were shown together with other exhibits in the premiere exhibition Body Worlds of Animals from March to June 2010 in a tent specially erected on the zoo grounds . Over 117,000 visitors came to the exhibition, which was extended due to the massive crowd. The income serves u. a. the new building of a predator house. Von Hagens largely refrained from participating in thanks for giving the elephant and other carcasses for plastination.
literature
- Dirk Backes: 90 years of Neunkirchen Zoo. 1926-2016 . Neunkircher Zoologischer Garten 2017, ISBN 978-3-00-055691-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Zoo inventory completed. An inventory is also carried out every year for the animal population at Neunkirchen Zoo. Announcement on the Neunkircher Zoo homepage from January 15, 2015.
- ↑ Werner Fried: From Wagwiesental to the zoo, part 2. In: es booklet. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
- ↑ Neunkircher Zoo - then and now. June 21, 2018, accessed July 30, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Information board at the Jedermannsbrunnen in Neunkirchen Zoo.
- ↑ a b Werner Fried: From Wagwiesental to the zoo, part 3. In: es booklet. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
- ↑ Jörg Aumann: ZOO-logical! Zoom magazine. Ed .: Zoo Neunkirchen. tape 01/2016 , p. 3 .
- ^ Saarländischer Rundfunk: A rescue station for exotic animals . In: SR.de . June 1, 2017 ( sr.de [accessed November 18, 2017]). A sanctuary for exotic animals ( Memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Inauguration of the quarantine and exotic sanctuary in Neunkircher Zoo. Retrieved on August 23, 2018 (German).
- ↑ Stripes with a bite. Retrieved July 3, 2018 .
- ↑ The elephants are moving into the zoo today. ( Memento from November 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Saarbrücker Zeitung. April 30, 2010.
- ↑ Mourning in Neunkirchen Zoo: The elephant Rani is dead. April 5, 2020, accessed on July 30, 2020 .
- ^ Society for our old lady. July 23, 2020, accessed July 30, 2020 .
- ^ Zoo Neunkirchen - elephant enclosure , outdoor area on EleWiki
- ↑ The Fossas are Coming! | Neunkirchen Zoo. Retrieved on August 10, 2020 (German).
- ↑ Furry growth in the Asia flat share. Retrieved July 3, 2018 .
- ↑ EAZA - EEPs . In: archive.is . May 16, 2016 ( archive.today [accessed July 3, 2018]).
