Late February news from Tallinn

26.2.2026 by Inari Leiman

The theme month, which begins with school break, will see both weather enthusiasts and those eagerly awaiting spring ☀️❄️ There is still a good month to go until spring, but the sun warms even on a frosty and snowy day and makes the hearts of many zoo visitors beat faster. ❤️

🐻‍❄️ Our polar bears continue to be active and playful, and they don’t spare their fur coats. They take turns dismantling large blue cans or playing with other toys, while the warm sunshine increasingly tempts them to bask in the sun.

Imaq

Skadi, the polar bear, who walks skillfully and without slipping on the icy shore, stops from time to time, raising her snout high toward the sky. Kaja, however, leans against a log and stands with her eyes closed, her nose toward the sun ☀️ She then plops down and continues to “sunbathe.” Both polar bears look like mothers in early spring at a bus stop, gathering warmth with their eyes closed and their cheeks turned towards the sun.

Kaja

Skadi and Kaja

Snowbirds look around with keen eyes and fluff up their feathers.

Gray seal 🦭 Lielu enjoys her daily portions of herring.

The musk ox’s thoughtful gaze seems to sense the approach of spring.

🌲 Next to Elevant Carli’s garden, a gray wagtail chirps spring-like, long and self-absorbed, from the top of a spruce tree.

Lynxes on Kullimägi have become active, moving around even during the day and affectionately sharing their tenderness. The striped titmouse already sits confidently on the nest box.

Dikuša ja Charik

Dikuša

🪶 Feathers fluffed up to keep out the cold, the silver pheasant hen stands on one leg, basking in the sun. The silver pheasant cock, meanwhile, is making his first preparations for the approaching mating season – his bright red face mask has already grown considerably. The crowned pheasant hen searches intently for bare ground under the snow and pecks at it with her beak, the sun glistening on her feathers. The king pheasant hen, however, gazes dreamily into the distance.

During the warmest part of the day, the outdoor enclosure is also visited by the mainly Indian origin, slow-growing and very cautious axis deer, which remain spotted even as adults.

Beautiful Makalu

Inuk and Imaq

🖋 Inari Leiman