The new ‘Feuerland’ is going to be so beautiful

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In what is surely their best-known hit (“Kling-Klang”), the band Keimzeit sing: “Good afternoon, twice all the way to Tierra del Fuego please, the ship’s gone a bit off course …” These words must surely have been a very prescient reference to Leipzig. For here at the zoo, the new ‘Tierra del Fuego’ themed area opens on 1 September. And the first thing future visitors will see is a ship that lost its bearings, apparently strayed onto the Parth River and thus ended up in the zoo.

But instead of clanging and clattering, what you’ll mainly hear in this very own Tierra del Fuego is a splash and a splash as the cute penguins waddle through their vast enclosure and dive into the pool in their aquatic area. The €49.5 million construction project isn’t quite finished yet, but it’s already clear just how vast the facility will be.

Set amongst rugged rock faces and stretches of beach lies a water basin with a capacity of five million litres. That’s roughly equivalent to the volume of 35,000 bathtubs. The underwater tunnel, which is over 100 metres long, plays a special role: from there, zoo visitors will in future be able to watch penguins and seals swimming and experience the animals from an underwater perspective that would otherwise remain hidden from view.

However, Tierra del Fuego aims to offer far more than just impressive views. The aim is to educate visitors about the various animal species and their habitats, whilst also raising awareness of the zoo’s commitment to species conservation. During public training sessions, guests can watch the work with the animals first-hand. A film experience also takes visitors on a journey to South America.

Life has already moved into the rear areas of the new aquatic world. Over the past few days, the first animals have been housed there to acclimatise. The sea lions come from the zoo’s own stock. The Humboldt penguins, on the other hand, mark the arrival of a new species in Leipzig; the birds come from various zoos, including Karlsruhe.

The zoo’s species conservation work in South America focuses particularly on critically endangered species that are closely linked to their habitats in various ways. These include, for example, the tiny Darwin’s snout frog with its extraordinary evolutionary history. The male’s vocal sac, which normally serves to amplify sound in frogs, has additionally evolved into a highly specialised brood chamber. This is virtually unique amongst amphibians living today.

Tierra del Fuego will therefore not only bring the thrilling beauty of a South American landscape to Leipzig, but also draw attention to its endangered wildlife. “We see ourselves as a nature and species conservation centre that bridges the gap to the natural habitat and invites our visitors to experience the fascination of Tierra del Fuego with all their senses,” says Prof. Jörg Junhold. For the zoo, this marks the start of the final, busy phase. During a press tour, LZ took a look around the construction site.

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