after years of planning to visit it ( i've been to cologne several times, mostly for concerts and social happenings like cologne carnival ), my parents and i finally made it to the cologne zoo. it's one of the oldest zoos in germany - it was opened in 1860 and you can still find some original structures and buildings from times past. of course the main attractions are the animals, though, and there are quite some jewels to be found. without further ado we should dive right in!
a southern screamer. punky little bird.
the malayan sun bear. we spent quite some time at their compound, these are really beautiful animals and i truly love the white fur piece on their breast. reminds me of the moon, actually.
cheetah roaming around.
passed out grizzly bear.
and another one eating delicious carrot snacks.
i loved finding these little statuettes. this one was so well hidden and looked serene inside the little rainforest bush, haha.
this building was built in a russian style and was home to south american animals. these days only a few birds and apes are left and it got a new function as a history exhibition about the zoo's past. its decrepit condition really had quite the charm!
i had the feeling that there were quite some strange trees growing in the zoo. i've never seen such leaves in the 'german wilderness', haha. i loved these.
various parakeets and aras shared a home inside the russian building.
the exhibition was really nice, with lots of old illustrations and photos!
the gangways on the ceiling were still used by various small apes! you could watch them grooming each other from underneath.
the zoo has capybaras in stock! i love me some capybaras.
tapir drawing! i don't know why i didn't get a real tapir in front of my lense, they are the cutest.
the green spaces inside the zoo were so bright and lush!
a huge mural about tigers, tiger hunting and tiger preserving.
it was delicately drawn and painted.
and then i found a real one. he was in relaxation mode.
i didn't know honey badgers were so cute ;O; i wish i could've taken better pictures, but this was actually all i was capable of.
lioness refreshing herself.
the snow leopards were by far my most favourite animals in this zoo. they are so breathtakingly beautiful!
they were quite lazy and observant.
these faces. they are the epitome of elegance.
i don't know the name of this bird, but i thought it was quite a beauty.
palm cockatoo silhouette.
this bird is the most goth bird i ever encountered. shiny black with red highlight around the eyes *I*
like, i don't know why i never take notes of what i've seen. again, i don't know the names of these birds. but they posed so nicely and i just had to shoot a picture.
friendly tortoise <3 p="">
inside the elephant house ( which was so aesthetically pleasing, by the way ), there was this beautiful ganesha statue.
i absolutely adored the architecture of this house.
elephants are always wonderful to watch. i could look at them for hours and still not get tired.
californian sea lion being the prettiest model.
i couldn't get enough photos of it. so photogenic.
it knew exactly that it was the star of the show, haha.
the most colourful bird in the house - the carmine bee-eater. that bitch face is to die for, to be perfectly honest.
lots of peruvian penguins making lots of loud screamish noises!
i just noticed i photographed quite a lot of birds again. have a toco toucan.
and a roseate spoonbill.
and a scarlet ibis.
okay, i admit it, i have a thing for birds. this was the bird sanctuary. it was built like the ruins of a monastery.
black storks were living inside.
and falcons.
the last picture of the zoo was this majestic stag statue.
we made a last stop by the rhine to bid cologne farewell again.
of course i'm going to return in the future, there is still so much to see in cologne.
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