Germany edition

Zoo

The following articles have been tagged with "Zoo":

Arctic cold wreaks quirky havoc across Germany

National: 8 Feb 12
The bitter cold is wreaking havoc across Germany in unexpected ways, with the subzero temps freezing an ice cream factory, forcing gravediggers to use jackhammers and driving penguins indoors. But Hamburg is having a party. READ »

Bestiality brothels spur call for animal sex ban

Society: 3 Feb 12
Animal sex abuse is on the rise in Germany, with bestiality brothels being set up across the country, according to a state animal protection officer demanding stronger laws to protect mankind's furry and feathered friends. READ »

German engineer kidnapped in Nigeria

National: 27 Jan 12
Gunmen on Thursday abducted a German engineer working with a construction company on the outskirts of the violence-hit Nigerian city of Kano, police said. READ »

Munich baby elephant dies before operation

Society: 22 Jan 12
A three-month old elephant at a zoo in Munich died on Saturday of a pulmonary embolism, just before she was due to receive a heart surgery for a congenital defect. READ »

Munich baby elephant first to get heart surgery

Society: 20 Jan 12
A baby elephant in Munich will be the first in the world to undergo heart surgery, after vets at the zoo realised she had a congenital defect which will kill her within weeks if nothing is done. READ »

Pony kicks escaped cheetah in face

National: 18 Jan 12
A cheetah which escaped from its enclosure in a German zoo and attacked a pony is recovering in a cage after getting a hoof in the face. READ »

Search is on for baby rhino name

Society: 29 Dec 11
Although Germans name their own babies Mia or Ben, possible monikers for the latest arrival at Magdeburg zoo are all a little more exotic – Makini, Mali and Makena are among the suggestions for a baby rhino’s name. READ »

Half a million kilometres of traffic jams this year

National: 29 Dec 11
Far from effortlessly zooming down Autobahns at limitless speeds, German drivers are increasingly sitting in traffic– with nearly half a million kilometres of jams recorded this year. READ »

The Local's top five animal stories of 2011

Lifestyle: 28 Dec 11
Animals are always amusing, with their funny wet noses and their general gullibility, and no-one loves animal celebrities as much as the Germans, so we collected the year's big animal stories. What was that bear called again? READ »

What's on in Germany: December 22 – January 4

Lifestyle: 22 Dec 11
The highlights over the holidays: Shadow puppets in Hamburg, Bonnie and Clyde in Berlin, and Belarus ballerinas fluff their feathers in Munich. READ »

All-star jury lined up for Berlin Film Festival

Society: 19 Dec 11
The Berlin International Film Festival unveiled its first selections on Monday, including a 9/11 drama with Tom Hanks, and announced an all-star jury to help director Mike Leigh pick Berlinale winners. READ »

Bundesbank: ditching euro for mark 'absurd'

Business & Money: 14 Dec 11
The idea of abandoning the euro in the current eurozone debt crisis and returning to the Deutsche mark as called for by some people in Germany is "absurd," Bundesbank chief Jens Weidmann said. READ »

100 snakes found in Cologne hotel

Society: 10 Dec 11
Cologne police were faced with a slithery problem on Saturday, after 100 snakes, 70 tortoises and 20 brightly-coloured frogs were found in a hotel room. READ »

Merkel: 'We have our own debts to pay'

Politics: 28 Nov 11
Germany hit back at those calling for the country to dig deeper into its pockets to solve the eurozone debt crisis, saying on Monday it had its own debts to pay off. READ »

Girl sends lone Knut memorial entry

Society: 26 Nov 11
A seven-year-old girl has sent in the only design for a proposed memorial to Berlin's late celebrity polar bear Knut. READ »

Merkel and Cameron struggle to show unity

Politics: 18 Nov 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron were at pains on Friday to stress unity on tackling the debt crisis but differed sharply on strategic points. READ »

Scientists: Cave-painting horses existed

National: 8 Nov 11
An international team of researchers led by a German scientist believe they have found the first evidence that spotted horses, often depicted in cave paintings, actually existed tens of thousands of years ago. READ »

Bike revolution sparks clash with motorists

Society: 21 Oct 11
Germany might still be known for its high-speed autobahns, but in cities, bicycles are now so popular that a war of words has broken out between drivers and cyclists over who rules the road. READ »

Tracing the capital’s history by canoe

Travel: 30 Sep 11
Crossing Berlin can be as simple as getting on a train or hopping on a bike. Shane Thomas McMillan and his friends decided to get a different view of the capital – taking its snaking waterways by canoe. READ »

Police nab boxer driving 230 kilometres per hour

Sport: 30 Sep 11
Former world boxing champion Arthur Abraham’s driving licence is at risk after he was pulled over by police in Berlin doing 230 kilometres per hour (142 miles per hour) in his Ferrari, a new speed record for the city. READ »

What's on in Germany: September 29 - October 5

Lifestyle: 29 Sep 11
This Week's Highlights: A reunification party in Berlin, Picasso portraits in Cologne, and film festivals in Munich and Hamburg. READ »

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum dead at three

Society: 28 Sep 11
Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum who became an internet and real-life sensation in Germany, winning three times more Facebook admirers than Chancellor Angela Merkel, died on Wednesday, Leipzig Zoo said. READ »

Battles erupt between Berlin's polar bears

Society: 18 Sep 11
Six months after the sudden death of its star polar bear Knut, a new drama is playing out at the Berlin Zoo. Bloody fights have broken out between polar bear females that are alarming visitors. READ »

Blackface Obama billboard sparks outrage

National: 15 Sep 11
German comedian Martin Sonneborn is well-known for jokes bordering on the tasteless. But a satirical political billboard of him posing in blackface makeup as US President Barack Obama is sparking outrage. READ »

Yvonne the cow forced to give up fugitive life

Society: 2 Sep 11
The Bavaria cow named Yvonne who escaped from a farm in May, went on the run and had a hefty bounty put on her head, has finally been caught. READ »

Media roundup: Diagnosing Britain's riot sickness

Analysis & Opinion: 11 Aug 11
Could Germany see riots like those hitting the UK this week? Many commentators in The Local’s media roundup don't think so. But they seem to agree with the assessment that parts of UK society are “sick.” READ »

Polar bear Knut's body on ice four months later

Society: 26 Jul 11
More than four months after his untimely death, the corpse of Berlin’s beloved polar bear Knut is still on ice, media reported this week. READ »

What's on in Germany: July 14 - July 20

Lifestyle: 14 Jul 11
This Week's Highlights: A Bollywood festival comes to Stuttgart, Hamburg hosts a triathlon, and the Alvin Ailey Company dances in Berlin. READ »

Spider shuts down Saarland supermarket

Society: 9 Jul 11
Experts in the western town of Bexbach are still searching a supermarket for a spider that jumped out of a Colombian fruit crate on Friday. The eight-legged escape artist is thought to be a highly venomous banana spider. READ »

The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany

Lifestyle: 6 Jul 11
Find movies playing in English in Germany with The Local's cinema guide. READ »

Leipzig Zoo unveils new home for Heidi the cross-eyed opossum

Society: 1 Jul 11
The jungle enclosure Gondwanaland at Leipzig Zoo opened Friday with crowds packing in to see its star attraction, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum. READ »

What's on in Germany: June 30 - July 6

Lifestyle: 30 Jun 11
This Week's Highlights: A castle festival in Frankfurt, Schlager fans descend on Hamburg and Munich throws an Oktoberfest party for Americans. READ »

Cross-eyed opossum gets new enclosure, prepares for big debut

Society: 10 Jun 11
Germany's latest animal sensation, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum, has made her media debut three weeks before her new tropical enclosure at Leipzig Zoo is revealed to the public. READ »

Herpes virus kills elephants in Berlin Zoo

Society: 28 May 11
It hasn’t been a good year for Berlin Zoo. First celebrity polar bear Knut died suddenly in March, now a baby elephant has succumbed to a virus. READ »

Pervy penguin falls in love with keeper's rubber boots

Society: 21 Apr 11
A persistently perky penguin in Konstanz who fell in love with his keeper's black and white boots has been forced to turn to his own kind for amorous attention after his keeper started wearing blue shoes. READ »

The best of Berlin in April

Lifestyle: 14 Apr 11
Exberliner, Berlin’s leading English-language magazine, spends April watching some skater girl action, discovers a hip Neukölln bar, finds new ways to get pampered plus gives a run-down of the best wholesome Easter weekend fun. READ »

Berlin zooms in on Euro-Iranian bank

Business & Money: 8 Apr 11
The German government is tightening its monitoring of the Hamburg-based European-Iranian Trade Bank, which was at the centre of a controversy this week regarding Indian purchases of Iranian oil. READ »

No babies for cross-eyed opossum Heidi, zoo says

Society: 8 Apr 11
Germany’s beloved cross-eyed opossum Heidi will have to do without romance for the time being, the Leipzig Zoo said Friday. There are no plans to breed the furry marsupial just yet. READ »

After Knut, Berlin Zoo loses young elephant

Society: 6 Apr 11
Barely a fortnight since the death of beloved polar bear Knut, the Berlin Zoo has lost another young animal – six-year-old Indian elephant Shaina Pali, according to media reports. READ »

Knut fans protest his stuffing

National: 3 Apr 11
Around 50 fans of Berlin’s dead polar bear Knut protested outside the capital’s zoo on Saturday in an attempt to halt plans to stuff his body and put it on display. READ »

Knut drowned after brain inflammation

Society: 1 Apr 11
Berlin Zoo's superstar polar bear Knut died from drowning after swelling in the brain caused him to collapse and fall into the pool in his enclosure, preliminary autopsy results showed Friday. READ »

Knut to be skinned, plasticized by 'Dr Death'

Society: 1 Apr 11
The skinless body of Berlin's beloved polar bear Knut will be plasticized and put on display by the notorious German anatomist Gunther von Hagens known as “Dr Death” – zoo officials announced on Friday. READ »

Portly cross-eyed opossum Heidi slims down with strict diet

Society: 29 Mar 11
The strict diet for Germany’s beloved cross-eyed opossum Heidi is taking effect. The furry marsupial has lost almost half a kilo and is much healthier than when she was rescued, the Leipzig Zoo said Tuesday. READ »

Epilepsy killed Knut, says doctor

Society: 27 Mar 11
A German neurologist has attributed Knut's sudden death last Saturday to the consequences of an epileptic seizure, while recriminations about the demise of Berlin's famous polar bear refused to abate. READ »

Zoo defends decision to stuff Knut

Society: 23 Mar 11
The Berlin Zoo on Wednesday defended its decision to stuff their late polar bear Knut, saying they had received significant support from his many fans. READ »

Knut died of brain disorder

Society: 22 Mar 11
Berlin's celebrity polar bear Knut, who died suddenly over the weekend, likely fell victim to an undiagnosed brain disorder, his zoo said Tuesday. READ »

Autopsy searches for clues to Knut's untimely demise

Society: 21 Mar 11
Vets on Monday began an autopsy on Knut, the Berlin Zoo's beloved polar bear, as fans left flowers, candles and poignant messages to mark his untimely demise. READ »

Polar bear's death brings tears and criticism

Society: 20 Mar 11
The news of polar bear Knut's unexpected death in a Berlin zoo on Saturday has shocked and saddened people around the world, although other voices are criticizing the way he was raised. READ »

Polar bear star Knut dies

Society: 19 Mar 11
Knut the polar bear, who became a global media sensation as a cub after being rejected by his mother and reared by hand, died suddenly for unexplained reasons on Saturday, the Berlin Zoo said. READ »

Berlin's Kreuzberg decries tourist swarms

Society: 4 Mar 11
Berlin ranks just behind Paris and London when it comes to the number of overnight visitors. But not everyone in the German capital is happy about it, especially in the Kreuzberg district, traditionally a haven for alternative lifestyles. READ »

Cross-eyed opossum Heidi gets Oscar tips partly right

Society: 28 Feb 11
Heidi's Oscar predictions were proven (mostly) right at the Academy Awards show on Sunday night. While the famous cross-eyed opossum correctly tipped the winners for the Best Actor and Actress, she got the Best Film award wrong. READ »

Cross-eyed opossum Heidi makes Oscar picks

Society: 24 Feb 11
Heidi, a famous cross-eyed opossum at the Leipzig Zoo, has picked her favourites to win Oscars this year, predicting Colin Firth will take home the best-actor statuette for his role in “The King’s Speech.” READ »

Lame tiger cub learning to walk with water therapy

Society: 23 Feb 11
A partially paralyzed Malaysian tiger cub in Germany is showing signs that she may learn to walk thanks to special water therapy, zookeepers said Wednesday. READ »

The education of Dr. Googleberg

Analysis & Opinion: 17 Feb 11
With Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg under suspicion of plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation, ZEIT ONLINE’s Dagny Lüdemann wonders whether it's a symptom of a broader malaise at German universities. READ »

Sandy the penguin finds love among her own kind

Society: 14 Feb 11
After living the romantic wild life by swooning for males of different ages and species, Sandy the penguin has found love again just in time for Valentine's Day. But is the bird with unusual taste in boyfriends finally ready to settle down? READ »

Heidi the cross-eyed opossum to tip Oscars

Society: 11 Feb 11
A cross-eyed opossum called Heidi, Germany's latest animal sensation after "Cute Knut" the polar bear cub and Paul the Octopus, has been hired as a tipster for the Oscars, her zoo said Friday. READ »

Cross-eyed opossum on diet to improve health and eye alignment

Society: 30 Jan 11
A cross-eyed opossum from Leipzig Zoo made famous on Facebook has been put on a diet which will not only make her slimmer and healthier – it may also help Heidi's eyes look in the same direction. READ »

Hip cat: Tiger gets landmark artificial joint operation

Society: 27 Jan 11
A tiger in Germany has become the world's first to be given an artificial hip after a three-hour-operation by a team of vets that she only barely survived, Leipzig University said on Thursday. READ »

Alternative city break destinations

Travel: 10 Jan 11
Swap tradition for adventure with cheap flights to Germany on cheapflug.de, and sample some of its lesser known cities. Free venues, year-round cultural festivals, and must-see sights are but a few of the numerous offerings that await the intrepid traveller. READ »

Cross-eyed opossum wins legions of fans

Society: 7 Jan 11
A cross-eyed opossum at Leipzig Zoo named Heidi has won worldwide adoration, with nearly 50,000 fans on her Facebook page. READ »

Leipzig Zoo named best in Germany, runner-up in Europe

Society: 15 Dec 10
The Leipzig Zoo has been named the best in Germany and the second-best facility in Europe, according to new rankings to be released this week. READ »

Osnabrück Zoo celebrates orangutan artist

Society: 10 Dec 10
A zoo in Lower Saxony has discovered an unexpected artistic talent: “Buschi” the orangutan is selling paintings for up to €200 to support environmental protection projects. READ »

Fire kills animals at Karlsruhe Zoo

National: 13 Nov 10
The elephants and hippos at Karlsruhe Zoo were rescued in dramatic circumstances on Friday night after a fire which had already killed a number of animals threatened to spread to their enclosure. READ »

Base-jumper critically injured in luxury hotel fall

Society: 27 Oct 10
A thrill-seeking man was in a critical condition Wednesday after trying to ''base-jump'' from the 118 metre-high roof of the half-finished Waldorf Astoria hotel building in Berlin. READ »

‘The street isn’t the nicest place but it’s better than home’

Society: 25 Oct 10
What’s it like living as a homeless youth in Germany? Melanie Sevcenko spoke with Maria Speth about her new documentary “9 Leben,” which lets street kids tell their own tales. READ »

What's on in Germany: October 21 - 27

Lifestyle: 21 Oct 10
This week's highlights: A night run in Berlin, Irish writers recite in Hamburg, and the BBC Scottish National Orchestra takes the bandstand in Munich. READ »

'Dr. Death' takes body parts online

Society: 21 Oct 10
Gunther von Hagens, the man behind the controversial anatomical Body Worlds exhibitions, announced this week he would be opening an online store selling his human and animal plastinations. But church leaders in Germany are outraged. READ »

'Festival of Lights' begins in Berlin

Society: 13 Oct 10
More than 60 of Berlin’s landmarks will be lit up on Wednesday night to kick off Berlin’s sixth annual “Festival of Lights.” The colourful event electrifies the city from October 13-24 and features one-off events alongside the illuminations. READ »

Mystery kangaroo put down after car collision

Society: 30 Sep 10
Veterinarians in Lower Saxony were forced to euthanise a kangaroo on Wednesday after the mystery animal bounced in front of a car and suffered a severe broken leg. READ »

Cologne zoo takes action to protect penguins from foxes

Society: 25 Sep 10
Zookeepers in Cologne have installed electric fences around their bird enclosures after foxes broke in and killed five penguins, as well as several flamingos and ducks. READ »

Berlin's Natural History museum celebrates 200th jubilee

Lifestyle: 13 Sep 10
The Berlin Museum of Natural History celebrates 200 years of scientific innovation this month with the inauguration of its restored east wing, destroyed by Allied bombs, and a special exhibition full of remarkable rarities. READ »

Cheap Berlin tourism sends luxury hotel prices into spiral

Travel: 6 Sep 10
Berlin tourism is booming, but increasing investment in the luxury hotel market is proving problematic as five-star hotels struggle to compete for new guests in one of Europe’s most affordable tourist destinations. READ »

Toddler attacked by bear after climbing zoo fence

Society: 19 Aug 10
A father saved his three-year-old daughter from a bear attack after the girl managed to climb a fence into the animal’s zoo enclosure, police in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said on Thursday. READ »

What's on in Germany: August 12 - 18

Lifestyle: 12 Aug 10
This Week's Highlights: Horse racing in the Rhineland, classical music at the Hamburg zoo and fireworks over the Bodensee. READ »

Berlin underground inspires beauty pageant

Society: 4 Aug 10
The grime and grit of Berlin’s metro may not seem very glamorous. But this month designers will take inspiration from their favourite underground stations for a fashion show in beauty pageant form. Who will become Miss U-Bahn 2010? READ »

Charity appeals for seasonal help for homeless in the heat

Society: 17 Jul 10
Homeless people are having difficulty coping in the heat, with organisations helping them appealing for donations of summer clothing, sandals and sun cream. READ »

Europe's oldest elephant dies at Stuttgart zoo

Society: 12 Jul 10
Stuttgart's Wilhelma zoo on Monday was mourning the death of Vilja, the oldest elephant in Europe, after the 61-year-old cow passed away this weekend. READ »

What's on in Germany: July 8 - 14

Lifestyle: 8 Jul 10
This Week's Highlights: An underground catwalk in Berlin, free theatre in Munich's English Garden, and Regensburg jazzes it up. READ »

Urban bats: Berlin's other nightlife

Science & Technology: 18 Jun 10
Bats are among Germany's most endangered animals, but Berlin is home to more of the furry flying mammals than any other central European city. The Local’s Kristen Allen gets face to fangs with the nocturnal beasts to investigate. READ »

Court convicts Magdeburg Zoo workers for killing tiger cubs

Society: 17 Jun 10
A court in Magdeburg handed the city’s zoo director and three of his employees a suspended sentence on Thursday for violating animal rights laws by euthanising three tiger cubs because they weren’t purebred. READ »

What's on in Germany: June 3 - 9

Lifestyle: 3 Jun 10
This Week's Highlights: Art studios open to the public in Cologne, it's culture night in Hamburg, and there's opera for all in Berlin. READ »

'Dr. Death' opens shop selling human cross sections

Society: 28 May 10
Gunther von Hagens, the man behind the controversial anatomical Body Worlds exhibitions, on Friday reopened his Brandenburg plastination plant. The facility comes compete with a shop selling human and animal cross sections. READ »

What's on in Germany: May 27 - June 2

Lifestyle: 27 May 10
This week's highlights: Film Festivals in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, zoo history in Cologne and Polaroids in Düsseldorf. READ »

Misha Aster: A cultural historian

Lifestyle: 25 May 10
The Local's series "Making it in Germany" presents Misha Aster, a Canadian cultural historian in Berlin. READ »

Lynxes clawing back a bit of German wilderness

Society: 26 Apr 10
Go for a walk in the wooded Harz region and you could end up face-to-face with a wild lynx. Hannah Cleaver reports on the efforts to reintroduce the tuft-eared cats to German forests. READ »

Knut grows up to become Berlin Zoo's 'stud' bear

Society: 22 Mar 10
Three years after Knut the polar bear become famous around the world, the Berlin Zoo announced on Monday he was grown-up enough to become its “stud” for breeding. READ »

Meet Germany's spring zoo babies

Society: 19 Mar 10
Spring is in the air, which means cuddly animal newborns are cropping up at zoos across Germany. Take a moment to meet the adorable new additions! READ »

Zoo opens Body Worlds anatomical exhibition for animals

Society: 18 Mar 10
The controversial creator of Body Worlds is bringing a new anatomical exhibition to the Neunkirchen Zoo. The show features some of the world’s largest animals preserved in various states of dissection using a plastination process. READ »