How is This “The Best Zoo in Europe”? | Rostock Zoo Review

How is This “The Best Zoo in Europe”? | Rostock Zoo Review

Zoo Rosto in northern Germany has a lot going for it. With a parkway of 56 hectares, it’s one of the biggest zoos in the country. And with around 500 animal species, there’s plenty to see here, including apes in the one-of-a-kind Darwin or polar bears living in the polarium, one of the most modern facilities of its kind, where we will even get to take a look behind the scenes. just like at the brand new seal enclosure which only recently opens. So, as the website claims, welcome to the best zoo in Europe. Wait, what? That’s an exaggeration, isn’t it? Well, there is actually a basis for this. Anthony Sheridan, a zoo expert who regularly compiles rankings, has repeatedly named Rosto Zoo the best zoo in Europe, at least in category B for those with fewer than 1 million visitors. But is it really that great? Well, let’s find out and head straight through the main entrance to start our tour. As you can already tell by just looking at the map, the zoo is separated into two main sections. We are starting off here in the expansion area that has been developed since the 1970s and then we head over to the historic part of the zoo. We were lucky enough to be greeted by Eurasian otter which are not necessarily the most reliable welcoming committee but when they are active you can observe them very well in their beautifully designed enclosure even if there is no underwater view. Next up, we already come to the new seal enclosure, which was officially opened just last July. Naturally, I wanted to take a really close look at it. So, it really helped that I also got a look behind the scenes and got to do an interview. That definitely changed my perspective a bit because to be honest, from the outside, I wasn’t immediately that impressed. Of course, the improvements over the old enclosures are immediately noticeable for animals and visitors alike. The old enclosures were by modern standards too small in terms of water and land space, lacked clearly separated shallow and deep water zones, had outdated filters and pumps, and visitors could only observe the animals from above, not underwater. All of these issues have now been addressed in the new construction. For 12.5 million euros, mostly funded by the state of Meccllinborg for Pomman. A modern seal enclosure was built on a total area of about 2,000 square m, providing the animals significantly more space both on land and in the water. The pool now holds 1,550 cub m of water and is up to 3.5 m deep. Additionally, contrary to the original plans, the harbor seals and the South African furs seals now live together instead of separately. That’s quite rare in Europe. And so I was particularly interested in this point. How does this cohabition work? This mixed housing is of course something special and it creates a kind of positive stress. Hey, there are others around. We haven’t seen them interact a lot yet, but there are some funny little moments. The furs seals like to lie at the front of the island and the seals in the front here. And when one happens to be lying in the other’s favorite spot, they sometimes interact in a really sweet way. Since Yaza is currently discussing whether seals should only be kept in salt water in the future, the planning was also adjusted accordingly, which actually has its advantages. The overall water quality is a bit better and we don’t have this extreme algae growth anymore. The main criticism of freshwater enclosures, however, is the eye problems that seals in human care often develop. But switching to salt water is not a cure all either. The seals at the marine science center are kept permanently in Baltic Sea water and even they develop eye problems. We really don’t have an explanation for this. They actually get these problems very quickly and severely even in their natural habitat. In my eyes, the new seal enclosure here in Rostock unfortunately doesn’t look very natural. Honestly, I find it visually a bit plain and quite concrete heavy. There is some natural ground which is also planned to be planted. Whether this really benefits the animals who might have preferred a proper sandbank is debatable, but at least visually it should significantly enhance the enclosure. The missing sun shades, which will protect the animals from direct sunlight, are thankfully also planned to be added and perhaps they will also find a way to further improve the visitor perspective. Visitors rightfully criticize that they can only look through glass panes, which doesn’t provide a full overview. A real drawback, especially during feeding shows. The best panorama with the large seabird aviary in the background is currently reserved for the keepers, and that’s a bit of a shame. Maybe that could have been taken into account during the planning. So, I wouldn’t say I’m completely impressed here, but many details like the well ststructured behind-the-scenes areas and the truly firstass educational elements have definitely improved my overall impression. And with that, I’d say let’s move into the seabird aviary I just mentioned. Originally opened in 1989, this 2,000 square meter walkthrough aviary is still amazing. Just a truly great place to experience incturnetses and other waiting birds and various wildfles. Behind the aviary we find two large outdoor enclosures for monkeys surrounding the oldworld monkey house. On one side live palace monkeys from Africa and on the other side lion tailed macaks from India. I really like this area as well. And the house itself, after its recent renovation, is once again a little eyecatcher, even if nothing spectacular. And that actually applies to much of the rest of the expansion area. Here, most of the residents are hooed animals in fairly spacious enclosures, some of them with truly beautiful panoramas that really characterize this part of the zoo. Just like the trees which create a very pleasant forest atmosphere. Even if there isn’t all that much exciting to be found here. In other places you might find walkthrough kangaroo enclosures with Australian theme. Here it’s just this. Also worth mentioning is the enclosure for African wild dogs where two sections are connected underneath the visitor pathway. But nothing here is really a showstopper except of course the Darwin, the absolute jewel of this zoo. For 30 million, an absolute unique complex was created here on 20,000 square meters where visitors can go on a journey through over 50 million years of evolutionary history all the way to our closest relatives ever since it opened in 2012. A one-of-a-kind experience that begins at the entrance with the Galapagos giant tortoises. Quite fitting for a house named after Darwin since the oldest known giant tortoise, Harriet, is said to have been brought back personally by Charles Darwin from his research voyage in 1835. She only passed away in 2006 at around 175 years of age. Inside the building, you immediately feel like you’re in a very modern museum. The path leads into a large circular room from which different areas branch out in a fan-shaped arrangement, each explaining a different era of evolutionary history from the beginnings in the sea, the first steps on land, the age of the dinosaurs, all the way to the ongoing era of mammals. And since we are still in a zoo here, everything is of course also represented by living animals. Mudskippers, for example, wonderfully illustrate the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life. There are also several interactive elements that make evolution and earth history especially tangible for children, which is one more reason why the Darwin is probably one of the best places to explore these topics. Other zoos could really take a leaf out of their book when it comes to fulfilling their educational mission. On all my zoo trips, this building remains unmatched in that respect. But we are far from done here. Through an area that also illustrates human evolution, we enter the large tropical hall. Here we come across our closest relatives like I mentioned earlier. Although that’s not strictly accurate because you will find orangutans and gorillas here. Honestly, that is a bit weird because chimps or bonobos would have been an even better fit. But the tropical hall feels more like its own thing anyway rather than a continuation of the evolution exhibition. And that is perfectly fine because here we find one of the best great ape facilities in the country. The tropical hall itself is 4,000 m in size and houses spacious indoor areas for the gorillas and orangutans. Both are divided into two groups, so each species has a larger and a smaller enclosure. One of the orangutan groups even shares its space with white-handed gibbons, while the gorillas live together with the Braz. The visitor path leads over bridges above the two larger enclosures and then between the great ape enclosures which can also be viewed through glass panels with the orangutans even on two different levels. This way you can watch them even better on their recently renovated climbing structures which cost a whooping €240,000. Oh my god. These are now supposed to be much more robust and durable, but visually the old setup definitely looked much more natural and stylish. The house also houses free-flying birds such as the fond decken horn bills, but the suspended ropes are not just for them. They are also for sloths, which really make for a great experience, which I can tell firsthand, although this happened like 10 years ago. There are also several other enclosures, for example, for pygmy mama sets. In one section of the building, there are some terrariums with amphibians and insects, and there are also nocturnal enclosures where you can observe, for example, senagel galagos. On my last visit, I was really thrilled to see a honey bear again. They are rather rare, found in only seven facilities in Germany, and it was playing so adorably with a rope. That was really, really cute. An even greater rarity, however, is the rising US tree monitor, which is kept in only 13 zoos across all of Europe. Still, the main attraction are, of course, the great apes, who, unlike the other animals here, also have outdoor enclosures. We reach them, of course, leaving the tropical hall, passing the gift shop, restaurant, and another exhibition on cultural evolution, which is also well worth seeing. As you can see here, the outer enclosures for the apes are also separated into four so that every group has its own enclosure. The orangutans have a total of 3,500 square meters at their disposal, while the gorillas even have 4,500. Separated by a water mode, the habitats beautifully blend in with the environment. Though, as you may already know, I’m not a fan of modes when it comes to apes since they do pose a risk to the animals. When you go between the habitats, there are additional viewing opportunities through glass panels as well as an observation point by the orangutans. But you still might need to look up because the orangutans here can climb right up into the treetops. And that’s exactly what makes this habitat so special to me. Sadly, there aren’t many zoo enclosures that give such highly aboral apes access to tall natural climbing opportunities. It would be even better though if ropes were strung up there as well, connecting the treetops. Alongside the great ape habitats, there’s also an enclosure for ring-tailed lemurs. It’s fairly spacious, but here the climbing structures are somewhat lacking, which I really can’t quite understand. From a visitor’s perspective, it’s also a pity that unlike in many other parks, you can only enter the exhibit as part of a booked animal encounter. Still, the Darwin as a whole offers a truly outstanding experience. Much like the tropical hall at Leipzig Zoo, it’s a complex that could easily stand on its own and would be worth the admission price by itself. But here, it’s just one part of the entire zoo. And so far, we’ve only seen about half of it. So now, through an underpass, we move on into the historical part of the zoo. Originally, the zoo was opened in 1899 as just a small animal park. It wasn’t until after its reopening following World War II that it was officially established as the Rosto Zoological Garden and expanded to the area that today forms the historic part of the zoo. The oldest still existing part of the zoo is the historic hoofed animal enclosure, which like several other areas here is also listed as a heritage site. In 1899, deer were kept here in separated enclosures. Today, the enclosure serves as a shared habitat for various antelope species such as nialas or kafulet trees. It’s a really beautiful enclosure that shows how historic facilities can be modernized and used in a contemporary way. At least from what you see as a visitor, I can’t really judge the stables here. Next door is a beautiful Dalia garden established here in 1931 and therefore it’s also listed as a heritage site. Behind it, you enter the South America House which opened in 1998. It’s unfortunately quite cramped inside. But what I really like though is the walkth through outdoor enclosure for goldenhanded tamarind and the adjacent enclosure for capuchians. If you take the stairs inside the building, you can also reach an elevated walkway from which you can overlook both enclosures from above. And aside from the lack of accessibility, I think this is really cleverly designed. From the historic hoofed animal enclosure, you can also follow the so-called northland trail, which begins with the step lemmings, a species you don’t often see in Europe. Across the continent, only 18 zoos have them. Along the trail, there are also moose and reindeers. There are also aviaries for great gray owls and snowy owls. And you can see arctic foxes, while the musk oxen are represented only by a statue. Beyond the trail lies the so-called rainforest pavilion, where the rhinoceros horn bills really steal the show, although I guess that’s not saying much because it’s not a big house. These are stunning birds that are once again rarely exhibited. In Germany, for example, they are only found in four facilities. That made it all the more special to watch the male feeding the female, just as he would in the wild to earn her favor and trust. After all, she has to seclude herself in a tree cave to nest and place complete trust in her partner. Bird enthusiasts can also enjoy a walk-in ibis aviary. A little further along, this beautiful 650 square meter habitat opened in 2020 and is home to species such as the scarlet ibis and rosette spoon bill. Opposite the aviary is the crocodile hall, a name that might sound more impressive than it really is. It’s actually a relatively small building and it doesn’t house large crocodiles, but rather caymans. And this is another place where you can see a sloth. From there, we follow the path to the big cats. Specifically, this area is home to lions, snow leopards, and jaguars. And in front of the predator house, there are also mere cats. The three big cat enclosures aren’t that pess, especially in terms of size. The habitats are nicely designed visually, and visitors have good viewing opportunities. However, in my opinion, the jaguar and snow leopard enclosures lack climbing structures, and the fact that there is only one large outer enclosure for each species is also far from ideal, especially for breeding because the cats usually have to be separated at the latest when a cup is born. Still, there was a female jaguar offspring here as recently as 2020. indoors. It’s not exactly a model of modern big head housing either. Of course, the areas visible to visitors for the jaguars and lions aren’t the entirety of the space available to the animals, but even from the outside, you can tell that there isn’t much room. All in all, these are by no means terrible conditions, but I do see a clear need for modernization here. A little further on past the large waiter meadow with flamingos among others, we also find cheetahs here in enclosures that are fine, but honestly rather unspectacular. Next door is the bird and reptile house, which despite its name, doesn’t just hold birds and reptiles, but also mammals like Hutia conga, but I guess calling it the bird reptile mammal house would be quite a mouthful. Among the birds here are green arakaris and village reavers. And among the reptiles, you’ll find species like ball python and dwarf monitor lizards. The letter according to listister are only kept in four zoos worldwide. It’s not a particularly large building and you can tell it’s got a few years under its belt, but that shows more in the surroundings than in the enclosures themselves, which are actually very nicely designed. You might already notice Zur Rosto has quite a few houses like this. Not entirely modern, but still quite charming. Another example is the small mammal house, home to spin effects hopping mice, Eurasian harvest mice, and barbar striped grass mice, ensuring that you definitely won’t find an elephant in here. But you won’t find them in the old elephant house anymore either. Of course, there used to be elephants here, but looking at this footage, you might already be able to tell that it’s a good thing they are no longer kept here. Instead, the indoor and outdoor area was redesigned in 2015 for PikMi hippos. a really nice, attractive new resident that fits in well. But according to future plans, this area has to make way for the so-called Humbaltium, which will put biological diversity and importance of ecosystems in the spotlight. While that’s a bit of a shame for the old elephant house, I probably won’t miss the old aquarium next door. Not because it’s terrible, but just nothing special. It’s quite small and only houses a limited number of freshwater tanks for species like basimmans and red rainbow fish. And perhaps the most exciting inhabitant is the orange spotted snake head which is kept in very few zoos worldwide and nowhere else in Germany. There are also a few terrariums, for example, with Madagascar day geckos, but all in all, like I said, it’s nothing too special. Still, if you want to see the aquarium or the old elephant house while they’re still here, you’d better hurry. Although, it’s not yet clear when construction is actually set to begin. Just like with the elephants, it’s hard to imagine that these old enclosures were once home to great apes. And that not even that long ago. Gorillas and orangutans still lived here until the Darwinium was completed. So, they lived like this up until the early 20110s. And if you think that can’t get any worse, this was a three species setup. Up until 2010, there used to be chimps here as well. Let that sink in for a moment. Today, the enclosures have much more suitable residence with the tree kangaroos for which the old cages were opened up. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but once again a successful and attractive repurposing of spaces that had become completely outdated for their original inhabitants. Unfortunately, the binongs next door can’t be observed quite as freely. And yes, this enclosure now home to tamarind was once much more concerning because it used to be the home of the ringtailed lemurs. And since we are already looking back, let’s first take a look at the old polar bear exhibit at Zurosto, the one I still got to see before today’s polarium was completed. Back then, this was not a pretty site, and you could also see clear stereotypic behaviors. But before I show you how they live today, let’s also check out the old penguin enclosure. This way you can see for yourself that the enclosure now has been significantly expanded into the hillside, giving the humbled penguins a much better space to live. The pool is still in the same place and honestly doesn’t look much bigger, which is a bit of a shame, but it’s nice to see that the penguins now have to waddle up a natural slope to reach their nesting boxes. Here too, I was able to go behind the scenes and see the nesting boxes from the other side, but that was more of a side note. My main reason for being here was my planned polar bear documentary to get behind the scenes at the Polarium and conduct an interview. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The new Polarium was opened in 2018 after 2 years of construction costing around 14 to 15 million. And you might say that the efforts already paid off with the breeding success in 2021. Although on the other hand, a total of 37 polar bear cubs have been already raised in Rosto. So perhaps it’s more accurate to say they are continuing a longunning success story. Today, the young polar bear siblings Skaya and Caya have moved on to Zutalin in Estonia, and their father has also moved on to France as part of the conservation breeding program. Currently, there is no breeding happening in Rosto as the enclosure is now home to an all female group. Right now, we have three females, Nuri, Sizzle, and Lily. Well, they do bicker with each other from time to time, but overall they get along quite well. They can use all the enclosures at the moment. Additionally, they can also use the boxes. So, basically, they’ve got a full circuit right now. That means in details, they have access to three outer enclosures, which together cover 4,352 m. The two larger enclosures, which of course can also be separated if needed, are the ones visitors can see. The third and smallest is behind the scenes and offers the bears a great retreat. Even back there, the animals have pretty much everything the main enclosures offers, including a pool or different substrates. And if you include the large boxes that provide shelter from heat, wind, and weather, plus the birthing, then the setup really creates good conditions for future breeding and overall animal management, including medical training, something I have seen firsthand at Hanova Zoo. Behind the scenes in the feeding kitchen, there are also monitors that allow staff to keep an eye on the entire facility and observe the bears. This also allows staff to respond more effectively to the animals behavior. We do have one female that shows a stereotyping, but we always try to intervene immediately so that it doesn’t come through so much. We engage her right away, whether through feeding, enrichment, or doing something else with her. From a visitor’s perspective, the polar bears can be observed wonderfully in their two main enclosures, just like in the past with an open view across this pool and otherwise through various glass panels. And as you’ve seen already, with a bit of luck, you can also watch them diving. The overall area of the polarium covers 12,500 square meters and is not only one of the best polar bear enclosures in Germany, but also another immersive museum dedicated to the two poles. There’s a wealth of beautiful presented information about polar bears and their habitat. And the marine worlds area adds a small but very nice aquarium section. This is meant to illustrate the link between the north and the south pole and rounds of the polarium as another true showpiece just like in the Darwinium. What really convinces me here is the educational focus and the way the whole place is staged as a modern museum. And I really hope that Rossto Zoo will continue along this path with the upcoming Homboldium and beyond because for me it’s precisely these two showcase areas that give the zoo its real appeal and make it stand out. Apart from that, the zoo certainly has plenty to offer, especially with its large natural and partly historic parkgrounds. But without the Darwinium and the Polarium, this would be a mid-range zoo, the kind you find quite a lot in Europe. A nice collection of animals with a few gaps like giraffes, elephants, or rhinos. No truly bad enclosures anymore, but also not much that really stands out in a positive way. A decent zoo, but not one of Europe’s best. Still, the Darwin Malone is reason enough for me to give a strong recommendation to visit. And if the zoo continues its clear educational focus, which is already visible in the new seal exhibit, then maybe one day it can rank among the very best zoos in Europe for me as well. Within Germany though, it’s already one of the top ones. Let me hear your thoughts on Rosto Zoo in the comments down below. I hoped you like the video. If so, give it a thumbs up. Hit that subscribe button to not miss out on any future zoo content because there will be a lot to come. And soon there will also be an English Patreon. So stay tuned for that. And with that being said, have a good one. See you soon. or as we say in Germany, Hosttoon.

Rostock Zoo in Northern Germany claims to be the best zoo in Europe. That might sound like an exaggeration, but there is actually a bases for this…

But does it really rank among the top zoos of Germany or even Germany?

With the so-called Darwineum, a combination of evolution museum and tropical hall for giant apes, Rostock Zoo does have a one of a kind complex going for it. And the Polarium definitely qualifies as one of the most modern facilities for polar bears – and we even get to see what it looks like behind the scenes! Just like with the new seal enclosure, that was only recently opened.

So let’s have a closer look of what Rostock Zoo has to offer and find out, if you should plan a visit here as well!

00:00 Introduction
01:40 The Brand New Seal Enclosure
05:40 Expansion Area
07:17 The Must-See Darwineum
14:07 The Old Part of the Zoo
22:27 The Polarium
27:00 Conclusion

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