Needs more publicity!
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 12/2/07
This zoo has a fraction of the Zoo's publicity, and it deserves far, far more. Definitely take a whole day and make sure to arrive early in the morning. Forget the petting zoo for the kids, this one has a walk-in lemur enclosure (careful though, they are curious, may bite if provoked, and will try to get into your bags in search of treats...)! The indoor enclosures are absolutely magnificent; in many, you can walk along a path in a large hall where the animals can roam free, so you'll have birds crossing your path, fruit bats overhead, and no bars in between. The architecture is a bit drab compared to the older, showyer Zoologischer Garten, but it is obvious that constant improvements are being made to enclosures, and that the Tiergarten has a far bigger area to build on, which is reflected in the size of the enclosures. Animals seem lively and well-taken care of in general, although you don't see any toys lying around to occupy the animals. A native told me that this was a fairly new policy (by a new manager or something), for "aesthetic reasons". The enclosure where this "not enough toys" problem is most obvious is the one for the Manatees, who are bunched up in a basin without any visible toys or even plants. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable experience. Give the Tierpark a chance, you won't regret it.