A Walk on the Wild Side at Zoo Berlin
A visit to the zoo is one of those things we never really grow out of, like Christmas or ice cream. Luckily for us, the Berlin zoo is just around the corner and, even luckier, it has the most diverse range of species of any city zoo in the world. It also has more than its fair share of furry residents, both past and present, with celebrity status.
Knut, the baby polar bear who was rejected by his mother, for example, was something of a media sensation. The “Knutmania” even survived his untimely death in 2011, and a bronze statue in his memory is due to be unveiled at the zoo next week. Baby animals are always the biggest attraction at any zoo, and there are plenty of new arrivals in Berlin right now, like the baby jaguar pictured above, or the baby elephant and zebra below.
For me, the best time is feeding time. Visit Zoo Berlin’s website to find out when you can catch your favourite animals tucking into a meal. Watching a lion devouring a hunk of raw meat, or a monkey dexterously picking at his fruit always fills me with a sense of awe for nature. Animals really are fascinating, and having the chance to observe them – from a safe distance, of course – never gets dull. I spend the longest time beside the ape and monkey enclosures, watching our cousins play, eat, socialise. The similarity between us and them is sometimes a bit freaky.
Before I know it, it’s time to leave. A grown woman I may be, but I thoroughly enjoyed my day out at the zoo. It’s not the only place you will find wildlife in Berlin though. Once you start looking, you’ll realise it’s all around you – from wild boar in Grünewald to camels in Hasenheide park.
