11.10.2011 - Ausgabe: 5/2011

Dancing with Giraffes

Beastly good climbing fun at the Osnabrück zoo: Three adventure playgrounds offer variety and room to romp.

Examples are the hippopotamus house in Berlin, the tropical house "Gondwanaland" in Leipzig, the Masoala Rainforest at Zurich Zoo or the elephant park in Cologne.

However, "Captivity must be comfortable" - a good summary of the central findings in a study on visitor experiences in the zoo by R.L. Wolf and B. L. Tymitz (1981). If zoos follow too closely on the role model of recreation or theme parks and lose the vision of "near to nature", they are in danger of stereotyping this type of zoo architecture and making it banal. Zoo visitors will only involve themselves with the animals if their surroundings are right.

Environment Playground

The zoo in Osnabrück has accomplished a great deal since its opening on July 26, 1936. The previous native animal park, where all animals of the region were to be given a home - was transformed over time into a zoological garden. Today, the zoo covers 23.5 hectares and follows a consistent concept of a theme zoo with self-contained, identical to nature compounds, animal communities allowing a view of animal life with as few bars as possible. Around 2400 animals of 330 species live in the green forest zoo. With around 865,000 visitors (2010), this zoo is one of the most popular establishments in the region. The high number of visitors is not only due to the new animal themes such as the "underground" zoo (2009) or the African animal kingdom "Takamanda" (2010). Since 2000 the zoo has continually expanded its playground offer in a theme-specific way. There are now three adventure playgrounds which supplement the attractivity of the zoo, especially for families with children.

"There are many things I can do as manager, except to hide my head in the sand. This is only allowed for some feathered zoo inhabitants. Tapping new financial sources which can enable us to further develop the zoo is the focus of all our efforts," says managing director of the Osnabrück zoo, Andreas Busemann. The marketing aspect was the most important building brick in the conception of the Osnabrück model. Right from the start, marketing of the zoo was an active, breathing concept which must continually adjust to the changing market position of the zoo, which must be adapted accordingly and further developed in future. At the beginning the zoo was able to increase visitor figures with relatively simply means. Distinct event-marketing was the basis for success. With increasing income from visitors and sponsoring, the decisive step could then be taken and investments in previously unknown amounts invested in the "product" zoo. The ethics of marketing were however, the measure of all things here. Before money was invested in new adventure environments, necessary investments required for the good of the animals were first made. Following these primary investments sufficient financial leeway remained to build new and attractive compounds.
The improved attraction value was also intended to attract target potential outside the immediate region. This was achieved through comprehensive, interregional advertising campaigns with integrated discount coupons giving a varying discount depending on the target area of the recipient, which could be submitted to the zoo ticket office. Distance-dependent price reductions - a simple and successful marketing tool for the first positioning phase which was closely followed by the second phase: independent adventure worlds, realised successively, in order to further increase the inter-regional appeal of the zoo.

Together with the new giraffe enclosure "Samburu" the zoo first built a "giraffe playground" where a twelve-metre high wooden giraffe invites children from far away to come and climb it. The children can climb to the head of the giraffe through its body and neck and down again on two slides. If this is too high, play fun is also possible on a roundabout, climbing frames and an activity area with animal-like games: Jump as far as a kangaroo! The neighbouring kiosk provides seating so that parents can comfortably keep tabs on their children.

In 2006 managing director Andreas Busemann planned to renovate the area around the old entrance area where, "There was an old playground and a sad pond where ducks swam. My goal was a super playground with the pond integrated in a play world and the restaurant nearby would gain more business," says Busemann. During research he came on the timber artist Jürgen Bergmann who created a concept suggesting a jungle-like play area with leaning wooden bridges above the surface of the water, thick vegetation, mud huts with a tunnel system and a water play area. Busemann was thrilled. "Bergmann sees the world from the children's perspective and creates colourful, creative and unique play areas which take a theme and reflect this into the last detail," he enthuses.

The regional newspaper, "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" supported the renovation and let the children vote for a new logo of the "New OZ Children's World" The concept was a success: The water playground is so popular during the warm months that parents have to bring a second set of clothes for their children who paddle, splash and squirt while their parents relax in the neighbouring zoo restaurant. The huts, jungle path and tunnel labyrinth provide children with such a variety of action that the playground visit is usually not a short one.

The newest play area in the zoo is probably also the most spectacular: The tree house village "Makatanda" is located in the "Takamanda" African animal world opened in 2010. "Takamanda" is not a thought-up name, but is the name of a national park in Cameroon which was taken as model for the African zoo landscape. Visitors here go on safari and discover along their way sacred baboons, chimpanzees, hyenas or warthogs. During the planning phase for "Takamanda", the name "Makatanda" was created as the result of a slip of the tongue which gave Busemann the idea of creating a unique adventure playground called "Makatanda". While researching he found information on African tree house villages and contacted Jürgen Bergmann again. Bergmann created a concept which was so unique that the zoo was able to give him the task of its implementation immediately without the usual EU-wide tendering process.
"In 'Makatanda' we want to give people the impression that they are in Africa. In the village we create the typical pictures which people have of Africa in their heads and in this way, provide surroundings which create Africa-Feelings," says Bergmann. A demon path with different rope swings protects the village of "Makatanda" from wild animals. In the centre of the Kraal a large, African-like village of tree houses dominates the scene where children can climb from one hut to the next through an over-ground system of pipes and paths. Between the huts hangs large net which the children can climb across 2 m above the ground. Beneath the tree huts thick ropes hang like liana. While the tree hut village is designed to be a physical challenge for older children, Jürgen Bergmann provided a separate play area for smaller children. A wooden ox cart, a village school, an oil barrel labyrinth, a sand play area and an abandoned jeep are met with enthusiasm by even the smallest children. Naturally, the village concept includes domestic animals. Goats, hens and donkeys live in "Makatanda" and can be stroked or watered. Bergmann puts great importance on teamwork and trial and error. The water pump can only be used when several children help together. While one group work the pump another group needs to direct the water into the containers.

The tree hut restaurant is also decorated in an African style. "You feel you are waiting for the village elders while you drink your coffee", describe Bergmann and zoo manager Andreas Busemann the scene.

"Makatanda" was manufactured nearly completely at the "Kulturinsel" near Görlitz in Germany by Jürgen Bergmann and his team. The whole tree house village was then transported to its zoo location - an enormous logistic effort for all involved. The transport took at least ten trucks with the four-metre high world swing and three African-looking barns providing a special challenge. Also transported was a traditional watering hole: approx. 20 tons of imitation clay, an original Landrover and a tree house lounge which was built on site from 35 tons of robinia wood and oak. Robinia is one of the most durable kinds of timber so that "Makatanda" should stay in the Osnabrück zoo for at least 30 years to come.

As can be seen at the Osnabrück zoo, investment in this kind of adventure play world, well adapted to suit the animal world, is well worthwhile. The new, fantastic play worlds have made the zoo much more attractive to families so that sales of annual season-tickets have increased sharply. While in 1998 only 1000 season tickets were sold, in 2010 this had increased to 22,000. At a price of 89 Euro (for two adults and several children below the age of 16), this is relatively inexpensive. For a family with two children the ticket is already paid off after two visits. This makes it worthwhile to spend an afternoon at the zoo, to watch the flamingos, greet the monkeys and then spend an hour romping on the playground. The Osnabrück Zoo offers families a variety of leisure-time attractions. Along with the exciting presentation of the animals, children can romp and run. This attractive family offer is also mirrored in a survey carried out by the University of Osnabrück in 2007 where children are mentioned as the main reason for visiting the zoo. Which closes the circle: With the new play and adventure areas the zoo continually attracts new visitors and families. Thanks to the higher visitor figures and corresponding income, the zoo can continue to realise new adventure worlds.

In order to attract target groups who live further away to the zoo, these are offered distance-dependent discounts in advertising mailings or via media partners. In this way a visit to the zoo is also worthwhile even if the journey is a little longer. New animal worlds with unique special features also attract new visitors each year. For this reason the zoo is continually renovating or creating new compounds with support from sponsors and foundations. In the "underground zoo" opened in 2009, visitors can observe how naked mole rat, field hamster & co. live under the ground; in "Takamanda" the enormous outdoor chimpanzee compound and the tree house village "Makatanda" amaze guests while in "Kajanaland", opened in 2011, visitors have a clear view without bars of northern animals from a tree path up to six metres high. In this way visitor figures have increased from 400,000 in 1999 to 865,000 in 2010. For 2011 the zoo is planning to hit the million mark. This increase in paying visitors also allows the zoo to plan its next animal and playground projects. In 2012 the opening of a walk-in monkey temple is planned followed by a North-American forest landscape with an apache climbing path. Wood artist Jürgen Bergmann will probably also be involved again.

TM / Lisa Josef (Zoo Osnabrück)
Photos: Zoo Osnabrück