NRW: Zoos are allowed to reopen, with lots of offspring

Cologne –

The two bonobos in Cologne Zoo are raderdolls when Ms. Müller approaches her enclosure, because they recognize their regular guest again. The senior citizen has a season ticket and went to visit her darlings every day – until the lockdown thwarted her. Now the zoos have reopened.

• Zoos in NRW are allowed to reopen
• Lots of new baby animals to see
• This is what you can expect the next time you visit the zoo

And even though the weather didn’t play along, many visitors quickly reserved tickets and time slots. Finally another interesting family outing, it was about time.

Opening of the zoos: “All zoos have tried and tested hygiene concepts”

You don’t have to be afraid of ending up in the middle of a hotspot. Prof. Dr. Jörg Junhold, President of the Association of Zoological Gardens, confirms: “All zoos have tried and tested hygiene concepts. The gradual opening of the outdoor area and the closed animal houses as well as the control of capacities can be adapted to the infection process at any time. “

Important for the zoos: money is finally coming back to the coffers. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone – here there is the highest zoo density in the world – the zoos missed millions of income due to the closings and visitor restrictions last year.
And what happened in the lockdown? Which sweet “newcomers” can we admire, which stories are dear to the heart? Sonntag-EXPRESS asked around …

Cologne Zoo

The great apes look forward to their regular guests, even the giraffes, who otherwise stoically ignore the zoo bustle, have twisted their necks in lockdown after every gardener or zoo keeper. The California seals came sliding on their stomachs when they saw the first visitors on Friday.

They will be especially happy about the two-month-old Sitatunga offspring “Landje”. Of particular interest to bird lovers: two rare Brahmin harriers have hatched – this is the first time that air show birds have bred them.

Tickets under www.koelnerzoo.de, Adults: 19.50 euros, children (4 to 12 years): 9 euros.

Aquazoo Düsseldorf

The Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum heralds the anniversary year of Theodor Löbbecke, who would have been 200 years old in March, with the special exhibition “Mussels, Snails, Pill Boxes”.

The museum’s founder is just as much a topic of the exhibition as is the collection of mussels and snails today. Tickets under www.west-ticket.de/aquazoo-loebbecke-museum. Adults: 10 euros, reduced 6 euros. Up to 6 years: free admission.

All-weather zoo Münster

Well, the sloth cub, who saw the light of day just before Christmas, was unlikely to win a miss election. But it still looks lovely, as it clings to the belly of mom, who is lazily hanging on the tree. The zoo is also proud of the rare Cape Hyrax that moved in shortly before the lockdown – a type of badger from South Africa.

Hairy and pretty good, these rodents. The advantage of this zoo in the current crap weather: All large animal houses are connected with covered paths.
Tickets under www.allwetterzoo.de, Adults: 18.90 euros, children (from 3 to 14 years): 10.90 euros.

Eckenhagen Monkey & Bird Park

The monkey and bird park in Bergisches opened again yesterday. Veterinarian Ludger Schmidt hopes that he will not have to close again soon “because bird flu is spreading through Germany”. Because there is so much to see: the new squirrel monkeys, the cute seremas (smallest breed of chicken in the world) and dwarf kid “Ann-Helene”, who has to be raised by hand after a triplet is born.

Tickets are currently still at the box office, soon under www.affen-und-vogelpark.de, Adults: 15.70 euros, children: 13.70 euros (up to a size of 90 centimeters free).

Wuppertal Green Zoo

As if the animals had suspected that they would soon be used as visitor magnets: on Monday a healthy okapi was born in the Green Zoo in Wuppertal. The small forest giraffes are rarely kept in zoological gardens and are considered to be extremely threatened.

The Wuppertal Zoo is also proud of the little stag boar, because only 40 specimens of this endangered species are kept throughout Europe. Whether male or female? Still unclear …

Tickets under www.wuppertal-live.de, Adults (from 15 years): 18.50 euros, children (6 to 14 years): 1.70 euros.

Zoom world of experience

In this spacious enclosure in Gelsenkirchen, you can hardly get in each other’s way, even with the 2500 admitted guests per day. The penguin enclosure, which was created shortly before the lockdown, is guaranteed to meet with particular interest. Because now the first couples have found each other.

The “lovebirds” can even be observed under water. Other newcomers: three nyalas (antelope species), a sitatunga (water kudu), a Watussi cattle, a moor snail, two peacock goats and two kalongs (flying foxes). Tickets under www.zoom-erlebniswelt.de, Adults: 21.50 euros, children (4 to 12 years): 14 euros.

Duisburg Zoo

“Sophie”, the boss of the Duisburg meerkat family, has been living on the Kaiserberg for almost a year. With her dashing partner “Elvis” she has now again provided for offspring. Four mini meerkats are currently scurrying through the enclosure – and delight amateur photographers after the lockdown.

However, if you have the popular zoo as a destination in your sights, you should know: The doors of the aquarium are open to visitors, the other animal houses as well as the dolphinarium and the accessible animal facilities cannot currently be visited for reasons of caution. Tickets under www.zoo-duisburg.de, Adults: 17.50 euros, children: (3 to 17 years) 10 euros.

Zoo Kleve

It is a tremor and fear: When the zoo in Kleve wanted to reopen on Monday, the incidence number of the city was suddenly over 100. Now, thank God, it is below again.

Zoo boss Martin Polotzec takes it with humor, has christened the new Jacob’s sheep “Lock” and “Down” – and is happy that the new blue-necked ostriches “Harry” and “Hermine” will soon have offspring. “Hermione” has at least just laid her first egg. Tickets under www.tiergarten-kleve.de or Tuesdays by phone from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on 02821/26785, adults: 5 euros, children: 3 euros.

Krefeld Zoo

The Krefeld Zoo is happy about the successful offspring of 16 wedge-headed smooth-forehead caimans, which were born shortly before the lockdown. In 2005 a small zoological sensation was achieved in the rainforest house with the first European breeding of smooth-fronted caimans.

It has now been repeated. However, there is also a problem child who has only gained a few grams so far. It is given special care. And the beautiful Japanese cranes have also moved into their quarters in Krefeld during the lockdown.
Tickets under www.zookrefeld.de; Adults: 13 euros, children (from three years of age): 7 euros.

Aachen zoo

The small zoo has just 800 animals, but 130 species. The declared favorite is currently not a big camel, but the kid “Elsa” (photo). When she was born in early March, mother “Emma” died, but “Elsa” is a little fighter.

Your carer Denise has taken on the role of mother and raises the goat child by hand with a lot of love. A nice excursion tip for the family, also inexpensive compared to the large zoos. Tickets under www.euregiozoo.de, Adults: 6.40 euros, children from 3 years: 3.20 euros.

Eifelzoo

Not in North Rhine-Westphalia, but a popular destination for people from the Rhineland – especially with small children who like to stroke and feed: the badly battered Eifel Zoo in Lünebach. The zoo, founded by the Cologne businessman Hans Wallpott, was completely flooded in 2018 – and lost many animals.

Now it’s an idyll again. In the large outdoor enclosure, the bison are just making the ranking clear, the kangaroos dare their first glances out of their pouch – and at Easter, the trampling animals also move in. Tickets under www.eifel-tiergarten.de, Adults: 10 euros, children from 3 years: 7 euros.

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