We have sunshine here in North Germany again! What felt like ages with only constant rain (three weeks or so) we have no a period of good weather once again so we took the kids to Hagenbeck Zoo. Last time we had been there was back in 2014 when Nathan was just two months old and we loved it. We planned each summer to go there but well, nothing happened as always got in the way. Sadly we could not take Haruki the Shiba with us as dogs are not allowed there. At first I was confused why it would be forbidden till I realized again that the entire park is filled with small animals running around. You got the basic chickens and peacocks everywhere but also other animals such as Maras and Capybaras. Dogs would be no good in such surrounding.
As I had mentioned back in 2014 there are barely any “cage bars” in the way as most enclosures are surrounded by a moat or something similar to prevent animals to escape. Especially nice was the Penguin Area as those little feathered bros can just jump out of their enclosure when they feel like it. Due to this I got some nice close-up picture of few of them just standing right next to the people. One guy who tried a selfie with one got his hairs searched for food by one penguin. So far the Hagenbeck Zoo is my favorite one as it is just such a nice place. Everything is clean; the whole park is really like a park full of old trees and fields. It just feels so relaxing to be there.
Wherever you are you have some animals nearby to watch / some maras or capybaras come to you to check out the situation for food. Of course you are not allowed to feed the animals there with some exceptions. At the entrance you can buy a bag full of fresh vegetables and fruits to feed for example the Asian Elephants. Those big ones are pretty much the stars in the zoo as they reach with their trunk over the moat to pick up the food from your hand. But there is also staff watching that you do not sneak in any wrong food. MIL had the idea to give the elephants some sweet bread but we were able to stop her.
In case you have some holidays planned in North Germany and enough time I really recommend visiting Hagenbeck Zoo. Additionally to the Zoo they have a Tropical Aquarium area, however it requires its own entrance ticket. We did not visit it so far as the Zoo itself was already plenty enough for us and we had to get home in time for Haruki, don’t want to leave him alone for the whole day either. The aquarium area has of course a lot of fishes and whatnot all but also other animals such as ring-tailed lemurs (King Julien) running around freely and many birds.
What is your favorite Zoo?
Be sure to follow me also on Facebook and on Twitter as I will post there occasionally pictures which do not find their way into my blog posts. Furthermore there is also my Instagram account in which from time to time some pictures and short videos might pop up.
https://www.facebook.com/CrazyChineseFamily
https://twitter.com/CraChineseFam
https://www.instagram.com/Crazychinesefamily
Crazy Chinese Family 
It does look very relaxed. Maybe because there are no big predators?
Oh there are, however they were boring for photos as the big cats were all sleeping. They also got brownbears and polar bears there
Glad you had a great day and wonderful to hear the animals are not in cages. I hate the thought of that.
Some animals are in somewhat caged enclosures such as the Mandrils as they would just escape however that is only for the part for the visitors, in the back they have a big house for getting rest which no visitor can access
Thank you for letting me know that. Makes me happy there is a big house out back.
Looks like a nice and clean zoo! The elephants are so pretty. I am sure the kids loved all those different animals and being able to interact with them 🙂
It was really a wonderful experience to be in that zoo again. The kids loved it and we hope to go back there next summer again
It looks like a fantastic zoo. I love the photo of the flamingos with their reflections in the pond, and also the tortoises on the bright green grass. I seem to have got really close to the alpaca.
The alpaca was just next to me. There is a little fence but you can easily reach over and fluff the animals. Most of them don’t really care and wait for some snacks or sunbath.
The whole zoo has such nice places with the trees and ponds that you can spend hours there just enjoying the surroundings
This looks like a wonderful zoo. I have not been to the zoo in decades. My son has been but his father and grandmother took him while I was working so I didn’t get to go along unfortunately.
I didnt visit really any zoo either since my childhood till Nathan was born. Ever since then we try to visit zoos few times a year so the kids can see the animals and ofcourse enjoy the big playgrounds there
Lol at the guy trying to selfie with the penguin and the penguin searched him for food. It is always nice to get up close to the animals, and I am guessing no one is stupid enough to try to take one away with them. I haven’t been to the zoo in a long time, probably in a few years 😀
Ha yeah I guess the animals would be also furious being taken away by some stranger. They do come close and allow the occasional head fluff but no more. Anyways there is always staff around to check that no one does anything stupid!
A penguin isn’t that massive so I can totally see people picking up one and carrying it out. And then they will get famous on the news 😀