Zoo Rating: Zoo Duisburg

Zoo Duisburg

Duisburg, Germany

 

 

About the zoo

The Duisburg Zoo, founded on May 12, 1934, is one of the largest zoological gardens in Germany. It is especially well known for its dolphinarium and, since 1994, for breeding koalas. It houses a whole variety of species, including wombats and the only Amazon river dolphin outside of South America.

1. Species

Duisburg houses a whole variety of species ranging from common zoo animals such as giraffes and lions to lesser seen animals such as giant otters and echidnas. The highlight animal of Duisburg Zoo, in my opinion, is Butu. Butu is the only Amazon River Dolphin kept outside South America.

Score: 9

2. Animal welfare

The enclosures at Duisburg are not the biggest and to be quite honest I have seen quite some rats and mice on my visit, however with the zoo being in area of a huge industrial city, I can’t really blame that on them. All the animals seemed healthy.

Score: 7.5

3. Construction

Duisburg uses a lot of dry moats and glass walls, so the animals are often visible without bars. The only exception is the primate house, which is simply outdated. There is also a whole lot of foliage at the zoo, which gives it a lush and natural feeling.

Score: 8,5

4. Accommodations

At the back of the zoo there is a decent sized children’s zoo and playground where the children can play while there parents have a drink. There are also several other facilities where you can get a snack or something to drink.
There are also several restrooms across the parks and there are enough benches for the visitors to rest on.

Score: 7.5

5. Education

Each animal has a nice sign explaining what animal lives in the enclosure. The zoo also hosts a dolphin show, which to my surprise gave a huge amount of information about dolphins in the wild.
Besides that I have noticed that the zookeepers are very friendly and helpful and so may answer all your questions.

Score: 8

6. Interaction

There is a bird walkthrough and a lemur walkthrough. The zoo also involves it’s visitors in the dolphin show.

Score: 7

7. Total Score: 7.9

Zoo Duisburg definitely is a nice day out for both zoo fanatics and for the average family, because it houses both rare species and visitor favourites such as dolphins and giraffes. Duisburg Zoo is a really nice and green place to be in a rather urban area. If you are near it, I most certainly recommend you to pay it a visit.

Jasper, 05/05/2014.