Tierpark Neumünster spotlights the plight of zoos

Vitus

Tierpark Neumünster in the northwest part of Germany has been in the news lately, in the wake of an interview by the zoo director about the financial strain of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent shut down of all zoos in Europe.

Welcome

With the doors closed, just as the busy season is beginning, zoos still have to pay the keepers and medical staff, and buy food for the animals, all with no money coming in.

Today it was announced that the zoos in Germany will be allowed to reopen next week, although some may stay closed a while longer. Also, the City of Neumünster is now giving some financial help for the zoo. More about the controversy below.

Vitus in his pool

The most famous residents of the zoo are polar bears Vitus and Larissa, and they are the reason I visited the zoo three years ago. These photos are from that trip.

Vitus is said to be the largest polar bear in Germany, at almost 12 feet tall.

Larissa in Karlsruhe

As the bears had just arrived and were still separated during my visit in 2017,,
 I didn't get to see much of Larissa.  Here she is in the back enclosure, temporarily separated from Vitus

29 year old Larissa was born in Rotterdam in 1990,  and lived in Paris and Stuttgart before coming to Karlsruhe in 2003, where she met youngsters Vitus, Kap and Nika. Kap moved to Neumünster in 2004, which left Larissa, Vitus and Nika to share the large new enclosure in Karlsruhe. In the spring of 2017, Vitus and Larissa moved to Neumünster. 

Vitus in Karlsruhe. He is said to be the largest polar bear in Germany
 

19 year old Vitus is the third offspring of Vienna and Churchill, born in 2000 in Rostock. He is brother to Victoria, Victor, Vilma, Venus and Valeska. As a cub, he moved to Zoo Karlsruhe in 2001, and he and Larissa moved together to Neumünster in the spring of 2017.

Vitus in Tierpark Neumünster

Vitus swims his laps

I visited the pair in May of 2017, about a month after they moved from Zoo Karlsruhe. Tests had determined that Vitus was sterile, so Vitus' old childhood friend Kap, who had lived alone in Neumünster for years, swapped places with the pair and moved to Karlsruhe.

Vitus and his visitors

I was able to ride the city bus directly from the Neumünster train station to the entrance of the zoo. At the time of my visit, Vitus and Larissa were separated by a barrier, but that was just a short term situation, and the two bears have been sharing the habitat most of the time since then.

Vitus looks for Larissa. They had just moved and were still separated.

 On the day of my visit, Vitus spent a lot of his time swimming laps, but would go up and check on Larissa through the grid every once in awhile.

King Vitus

The polar bear keepers give the bears enrichment and clicker training, important so they can examine the bears' eyes, ears and other body parts on a regular basis. Vitus has to have his paws inspected and treated.

Vitus at the window

Vitus likes to interact with the visitors. On the day of my visit, he was showing off for school groups.

Hello to the visitors. Vitus probably wonders where everyone has gone.

At the time of my visit, there was an elderly brown bear named Puppi living next door, but she died last year at the age of 34.

A side view of the polar bear habitat.

So what is all this controversy about Tierpark Neumünster?

The zoo in Neumünster, which was founded in 1951, has relied solely on funds from admission and concession sales to maintain the animals. With no money coming in, of course in the interview with the director Verena Kaspari, the question was asked what would happen when the money runs out and and there was no way to buy food. The answer shocked many, because as a last resort, the director said, they would have to kill some animals to feed the others, for they couldn't let the animals starve, if all else failed and there was no supply of food. She had prepared a list of which animals would have to go first if the situation were to become desperate. Some have criticized her for sensationalizing the situation, but it seems to have drawn attention to the plight of zoos in the time of a major pandemic.   

No one knew how long the shut down would last. If the zoos were closed all summer, with no income, what would that scenario look like? Now it looks like some zoos will open on a limited basis, which should help, but the future is still unwritten.

There is a famous, sad and true story from World War II about the elephants in the zoo in Tokyo Japan, who were slowly starved to death because there was no food. Of course that is not a good way to deal with the problem either. The book is called "Faithful Elephants."

The director of Tierpark Neumünster wanted to convey the dire financial straits of zoos during this time of crisis, with no money coming in and many hungry mouths to feed. Other businesses can shut their doors, and just leave everything to wait, but zoos must continue with medical care, food, enrichment, all things necessary for the well being of their animals.

As other news outlets picked up the story, it was sensationalized even further, with shocking headlines and sometimes even accompanied by a photo of Giant Pandas, just to grab attention.  

Until it can reopen, or government funding comes through, this zoo is depending upon donations, and the publicity has brought attention to the problem.

A nose bear, or Coati, in his playground.

The zoo has about 700 animals, many of which seemed to be hoof stock: goats, sheep, moose, bison, alpaca, reindeer.

There aren't many buildings at this zoo, mostly just shelters for the animals.  Some zoos have magnificent structures and lofty building plans for the future, but this zoos is rather basic, wonderful in its own humble way. 

Shaded paths meander through woody fenced in areas holding the animals, rather like a park, so it should be easy to socially distance at this zoo when it reopens. As I recall, the only building besides the entry is the monkey house.

Polar bears Vitus and Larissa are the only large predators at the zoo. There are no rhinos, elephants, hippos, giraffes, pandas, zebras or gorillas. 

A Maned Wolf pup

But the zoo does have many interesting and exotic animals: porcupines, maned wolves, arctic foxes, a monkey house with Macaques  and tamarins, Wildcat Lutzi and her kittens, a lynx named Kuder, nosebears, otters, Australian dingos, an eagle, capybaras, wild boars, raccoon dogs and raccoons.

The zoos also has Humboldt penguins and seals. The cost of buying fish for the penguins and seals has been a concern.

When the zoo reopens, there will not be any shows or talks or demonstrations. Social distancing will be required, with a limit on the number of people in the park, and people will probably have to wear masks. 

Pearl, the friendly little Arctic Fox from Denmark, at Neumünster

I did not take a lot of photos of the other animals, but I was charmed by the arctic foxes, who at Neumünster are friendly and approachable. I wondered if children sometimes fed little Pearl, for she seemed to be expecting me to pet her or give her a treat. As I walk along, she followed me on the other side of the fence, begging me for attention.

 

Pearl, the friendly Arctic Fox

Poldi, the arctic fox

Pearl and her mate Poldi had a roomy fenced in area, with many places to nap and hide. Pearl was bold, very outgoing. Rather like a little puppy.  She and Poldi had a litter of kits in 2018, I have heard.

The sign for Pearl, the Actic Fox from Denmark

Poldi was born in 2015. The sign talks about the seasonal change in color.

I also noticed that there were quite a few signs at the zoo, not just about the animal in general, but giving information about the individual animals, their names, and where they came from. This is a zoo with a staff who cares about their animals. 

Some zoos have financial support from sponsors, from the local government, from the state. Tierpark Neumünster has faced a greater challenge than other zoos, but all zoos are being impacted by this disaster.

Tierpark Neumünster is an accredited member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Update: Tierpark Neumünster has reopened with limitations on attendance, buildings closed, social distancing.

The Paw of Vitus

Farewell to Nika

Nika, such a beauty

We lost Nika today. She spent most of her life in Karlruhe, where she had a good life, with sand and grass in which to roll, and good friends with whom to play. 

Today was her 19th birthday.

Nika

Some time ago, she injured her right back leg, and the wound would not heal. She would lick and chew on it, and made it worse, even though the zoo veterinarians did everything they could to bring her back to health. Recently the infection became much worse, and she had to be euthanized. 

Nika watches over a sleeping Larissa

She  and her twin brother Lloyd were born in Vienna to Olinka and the late Eric on November 27, 2000. Nika came to Karlsruhe when she was a little over a year old, and had lived there ever since. Nika's twin brother Lloyd went to live in Bremerhaven in Zoo am Meer.

Olinka and Erik went on to have many other cubs. Olinka lives in Rotterdam, and Erik died a few years ago.

Nika and Larissa

Nika and Lloyd descended from an American family of bears. Olinka's father was Omaha, son of Olaf and Olga of the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska.

The three bears playing in the grassy area. Nika is in the center

For most of her time in Karlsruhe, she lived with Vitus, who is the same age as Nika, and Larissa, who is a decade older. Nika and Larissa never did have cubs. It was discovered in recent years that Vitus is sterile. 

The three bears having a stand-off. Nika is at left, leading the way

The three bears got along very well, sometimes having little play fights for fun. The two girls took naps together.

The three bears

Vitus and Larissa moved to Neumunster a couple of years ago, and Kap moved in with Nika. Now Kap is all alone again.

Larissa and Nika

Nika

Nika

She was a lovely bear, and I know her keepers are heartbroken. 

We will miss you, Nika.

The three bears playing Ring around the Rosy in the sandpit,
in the glory days. Nika is at left.

Lale, the Princess of Zoo am Meer

Lale, die Prinzessin von Bremerhaven

Lale

New Year's Eve last year in the bustling German port of Bremerhaven was a quiet one, to provide peace and calm to new mother Valeska at Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven.

Silvester im letzten Jahr in dem geschäftigen deutschen Hafen von Bremerhaven war eine ruhiges Fest mit Frieden und Ruhe, für die neue Mutter Valeska im Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven.

The entrance to Zoo am Meer

Zoo am Mer is very small in size, and sits right on the sea.
 This is the view from across the little man made bay,
 with a sailing ship behind the zoo.

A request had gone out to forego the usual noisy fireworks that light up the sky on New Year's Eve over the water by the oceanside zoo, so Valeska and her two week old cub Lale would not be disturbed.

Eine Anforderung war ausgeschrieben, auf die üblichen lauten Feuerwerke, die den Himmel aufleuchten lassen für dieses Silvester über dem Wasser von der Meeresseite desZoos zu verzichten, so dass Valeska und ihr zwei Wochen altes Jungtier Lale nicht unnötig gestört werden würde.

Valeska and her daughter Lale

 This unique and tiny zoo is right on the ocean, with the blue waters of the sea visible behind the polar bears. Lale had been born on December 17, 2013, and everyone in the city wanted only the best for her, so New Year's Eve was a quiet one last year.

Dieses einzigartige und kleinen Zoo ist direkt am Meer, mit dem blauen Wasser des Meeres hinter den Eisbären zu sehen. Lale war am 17. Dezember 2013 geboren wurde, und jeder in der Stadt wollte nur das Beste für sie, somit war Silvester ein ruhiges im vergangenen Jahr 2013.

You can see the ships in the ocean behind Lale's window

Lale's mother is 10 year old Valeska, daughter of Vienna and the late Churchill. Valeska's twin sister Venus, the mother of 3 year old Ranzo, just gave birth to twins in Finland last week. Valeska and Venus are also sisters of Victoria of Aalborg Zoo (Lale is Milak's cousin), Victor (father of Huggie's cubs), Vilma (mother of Anori), and Vitus. And now we have learned that Vilma has just given birth December 3 at Rostock.

Lale Mutter ist die 10 Jahre alte Valeska, die Tochter von Vienna und dem verstorbenen Churchill. Valeska Zwillingsschwester Venus, die Mutter vom 3-jährigen Ranzo, gerade gebar Zwillinge in Ranua, Finnland in der vergangenen Woche. Valeska und Venus sind auch Schwestern von Victoria aus dem Zoo von Aalborg, Dänemark.(Lale ist Milaks Cousine), Victor (Vater von Huggies Jungtieren), Vilma (Mutter von Anori) and Vitus. Und jetzt haben wir gelernt, dass Vilma hat gerade entbunden 3. Dezember.

Lloyd is Lale's father

Lale's father is Lloyd, who is the grandson of Omaha, born at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. Thus, Lale is the great great granddaughter of the famous pair Olaf and Olga, and is a cousin to many American polar bears. Lloyd's mother Olinka gave birth to twins on December 2.

Lale Vater ist Lloyd, der Enkel von Omaha, welcher im Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska geboren ist. So ist Lale die Urenkelin des berühmten Paares Olaf und Olga, und ist ein Cousine von viele amerikanische Eisbären. Lloyd Mutter Olinka gebar Zwillinge am 2. Dezember.

Here is Lloyd in the large enclosure.
You can climb to a high vantage point to watch the bears from above

Zoo am Meer devotes about a third of its space to the polar bear family. During the day, Lale and her mother play in the two large connected enclosures, and Father Lloyd is limited to a very small enclosure not seen by the public. Late in the day, Mother and Daughter go inside and Father Lloyd gets to play in the evening.

Der kleine Zoo am Meer widmet etwa ein Drittel der Anlage für die Eisbärenfamilie. Während des Tages, Lale und ihre Mutter spielen in den beiden großen angeschlossenen Gehegen und Vater Lloyd ist auf einem sehr kleinen Gehege nicht von der Öffentlichkeit einzusehen. Später am Tag, Mutter und Tochter gehen hinein und Vater Lloydbekommt am Abend seine Zeit zu spielen.

Lale plays catch with herself,
throwing the rawhide bone in the air and catching it

Lale is a true celebrity in Bremerhaven. The zoo gift shop is filled with Lale merchandise. All the children know her name and her story, and she is the star attraction. 

Lale ist eine wahre Berühmtheit in Bremerhaven. Der Zoo Geschenk-Shop ist mit Lale Waren gefüllt. Alle Kinder kennen ihren Namen und ihre Geschichte, und sie ist die Hauptattraktion.

She loves her rawhide bone

If you are lucky, you will see Lale swimming underwater.
 Here she is, a long ways from my camera.
You can see her rawhide bone in her mouth.

There's that bone again

Lale gives a very entertaining show with her funny antics. She has a very large pool, but if you want to view the underwater window, you have to walk down a long way, and hope she is still in the water when you get there.

Lale gibt eine sehr unterhaltsame Show mit ihrem lustigen Possen. Sie hat einen sehr großen Pool, aber wenn man die Unterwasserfenster anschauen möchte, müssen Sieeinen langen Weg hinunter steigen, und hoffen, dass sie noch im Wasser ist, wenn Sie dort ankommen.

Lale loves to roll in the dirt, and some days she is quite brown

She loves to play in the dirt and becomes a brown bear too, sometimes. Her favorite toy when I visited her was a rawhide bone to toss into the air. On other days she plays with a traffic cone, or a ball.

Sie liebt es, im Schmutz spielen und wird manchmal auch zu einem Braunbären. Ihr Lieblingsspielzeug, als ich sie besuchte, war ein Schlachttierknochen, in die Luft zu werfen machte ihr sehr viel Spaß. An anderen Tagen spielt sie mit einem Leitkegel oder einer Kugel.

Lale takes a break and naps with mom

  Lale will stay at Bremerhaven for at least another year, and then the EEP plans to move her to a new large polar bear facility in Emmen, Netherlands, now under construction. The plan is that she would move there with other little girl bear cubs until they grow up. 

Lale wird in Bremerhaven für mindestens ein weiteres Jahr bleiben und dann hat die EEP geplant, sie zu einer neuen großen Eisbärenanlage nach Emmen, Niederlande zu verlegen ,diese Anlage ist noch im Bau. Der Plan ist, dass sie dort mit anderen kleinen weiblichen Bärenjungen gemeinsam aufwächst, bis sie erwachsen sein werden.

She likes her rawhide bone today, but on other days she plays endlessly with a traffic cone or a ball or some other special game.

The children who come to the zoo know all about Lale.
 She is a local celebrity.

But this year there is a birthday party for Lale at Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven, with a special cake and lots of toys, and probably fireworks over the sea for the New Year.

Aber in diesem Jahr gibt es eine Geburtstagsparty für Lale am Zoo am Meer in Bremerhaven, mit einem speziellen Kuchen und jede Menge Spielzeug und Feuerwerk über dem Meer ist für das Neue Jahr wahrscheinlich.

Lale strikes a pose

Lale gives her mommy a kiss. Lale will stay with Valeska for one more year.

"I have my bone"

Bye By for now, says Lale

Thanks, Marga Andresen Gransow for the German translation.
Danke, Marga Andresen Gransow für die deutsche Übersetzung.