Dear Anke Thank you for the second part of this excellent report.
I see a fox in my part of Kidlington when it is dark.
I miss the golden days of the Zoo when I used to see Bao Bao on my way home from visiting Knut.
I am glad that the Orsa bears found a home in West Berlin the Wappentier

https://flic.kr/p/2rFCzHB

I have meanwhile learned that the lioness Amira died in spring. She was 24 years old, which is very old for a lion. Amira and Paule were an iconic couple at Berlin Zoo, and this news makes me not only sad but also angry, because she has simply disappeared without the zoo reporting it.
In many respects, I miss criticism and corrections from the supervisory board or shareholders…

When it was announced that Berlin Zoo would receive giant pandas from China in return for a hefty rental fee, I was strongly opposed to the idea – and I still am today.
Very few zoos can afford these high leasing fees out of their petty cash and have to make savings elsewhere. But I didn’t know that Ähtäri Zoo in Finland even had to close because it had overextended itself financially with the pandas. I find that unacceptable! In my opinion, NO zoo in the world should support this ‘business idea’! Species conservation? Absolutely, but not at that price!

Hugs and paw waves
Anke

Thank you so much for your reports from the Berlin Zoo!

I can only agree with what you wrote about keeping pandas and letting all other bears go. Luckily the Orsa bears found a home in Berlin but I miss all the others.

In Finland the Ähtäri Zoo had to close because the two pandas were too expensive to keep. Although the pandas were sent back to China the economics was too bad. The keepers are still taking care of the animals but the zoo is closed for visitors. I’m glad Ranua didn’t get the pandas …

Deine liebevoll beschriebenen und fotografierten Tiere haben dich und uns alle hier erfreut, dafür lieben Dank mit herzlichen Grüßen
Britta-Gudrun
PS. Diesen Erlebnisbericht solltest du auch an Zoo schicken, denn die hohe Fluktuation beim Zoo- Personal ist kein guter Leumund für einen Zoo nach dem Motto: Der Fisch stinkt zuerst am Kopf!