Review 2022: Zoo Duisburg: farewells, new animals and what will change in 2023

Of the Duisburg Zoo has experienced an emotional year: In addition to special newcomers to the Tierpark am Kaiserberg and the birth of many young animals, there were also sad farewells to visitor favourites. A look back at the year 2022 and an outlook on upcoming changes in 2023.

It was the farewell of the year: In October, the Siberian tiger El-Roi died at the proud age of 18. The character animal had to be put down. El-Roi has lived in the city on the Rhine and Ruhr since 2006 and ended a 17-year dry spell without giving birth to a tiger on the Kaiserberg. His youngest children, Kasimir and Malinka, still live in Duisburg, although their future is predetermined.

Duisburg Zoo: Controversial birth in the dolphinarium

A controversial birth occurred in the dolphinarium: a dolphin was born in September. It is the first offspring for six-year-old Debbie. But the new member of the dolphin family differs from all bottlenose dolphins previously born on Kaiserberg: The parents of the young animal are close relatives – such a case of inbreeding is new for the Duisburg Dolphinarium. The animal protection association sees health risks for the young animal and the incident thwarts the species protection argument.

Just a few days before the birth, there was a scandal in the dolphinarium: animal welfare activists stormed the pool during a performance. Because the animals were in the pool at the time, the zoo spoke of a threat to animal welfare, since pathogens or environmental germs could have gotten into the water through the wetsuits they were wearing.

The new stars on the Kaiserberg: Pablo and Manfred

They are the newcomers of the year: Pablo (3 years old) and his older brother Manfred (5) have been living at Duisburg Zoo since June. The two manatees came to the Kaiserberg from Denmark. In Germany, only the zoological garden in Nuremberg keeps manatees, as manatees are also called. The gentle animals glide calmly through the 650,000 liter tank of the tropical hall, which has been extensively modernized for the newcomers. They have what it takes to be crowd pullers.

Baby boom in the koala house – and farewells

Koalas have been one of the figureheads of Duisburg Zoo for years. The rearing is extremely successful: with a total of eleven animals currently being kept, the largest group of koalas in Europe lives on the Kaiserberg. And it wasn’t until December that the zoo announced the next koala miracle: Well protected and previously almost invisible, two babies are growing up in the pouches of the females Gooni and Eora. Shortly before Christmas, a young animal blinked out of mother Gooni’s pouch for the first time. The gender is not yet known.

The curiosity of the year: For around six months, the female Koala Sydney from the Dresden Zoo belonged to the group on the Kaiserberg. Reason for the unusual visit: The animal park of the state capital of Saxony has finally wished for offspring. The flying visit was unsuccessful, and the return journey took place in May. There were also other farewells: Koala Eerin left the Kaiserberg for Dresden. The two-year-old female is to be mated there with male Mullaya. Switzerland is the new home for the two-year-old koala male Tarni.

Great Ape Controversy – Conflict of the Year

Visitors and keepers also had to say goodbye to the gorillas in February: The gorilla female Uzuri left the Kaiserberg. The farewell was on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) for western lowland gorillas. The animal’s new home is the Belgian zoo Pairi Daiza, about three hours away.

The dispute of the year broke out around the keeping of the great apes: the animal rights organization PETA filed a criminal complaint against the Duisburg Zoo in April. According to the activists, the reason is “massive violations” in the keeping of the orangutans. Videos should also show behavioral disorders. The public prosecutor’s office confirmed the preliminary investigation. The Duisburg Zoo announced changes in the equatorium, but a timetable is not yet known.

Lots of baby animals on the Kaiserberg

Duisburg Zoo was happy to have offspring several times in the past year. For example, there was a baby boom among kangaroos – five young animals were born in 2022. The meerkat family around father Elvis and mother Sophie has also grown by three heads. There were also rare offspring in the monkey house: a snow-white colobus monkey cub was born in January. The primate species is considered critically endangered in the wild.

Duisburg Zoo expanded its Australian focus in 2022. After more than three years of construction, the zoo has opened its outback aviary. Six conspicuous steel arches up to eight meters high span a large net, under which various bird species from Down Under and two agile wallabies live.

What will change at Duisburg Zoo in 2023? Spectacular renovation begins

Further structural changes will follow in 2023 – for which even old enclosures will have to give way. The entire seal territory is to be modernized for an investment of up to five million euros. The seal area includes, for example, the enclosure for the eared seals, which is home to the seven Californian sea lions around the bull Atze. This will be the heart of the new area.

The facility is to be expanded and will in future include the current facilities for sea lions, penguins, and the former arctic fox and polar bear facility. Scheduled for completion in late 2023, it is part of the master plan that summarizes the zoo’s development and strategic change over the next few decades.

In 2023, the starting signal for a spectacular change is also to be given: Duisburg Zoo is planning the new construction of the zoo terraces with upscale gastronomy and a view of a newly created savannah area with giraffes, zebras, antelopes and red river hogs for up to twelve million euros. However, the future of the elephants, whose area is also to be integrated, is uncertain. The award procedure has not yet been completed; completion is planned for the end of 2025.

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