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Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park
Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park
	53°14′12″N 10°02′39″E / 53.236699°N 10.044293°E
Date opened	1970
Location	Nindorf, Hanstedt, Germany
Land area	61 hectares (150 acres)
No. of animals	1,000
No. of species	120
Website	www.wild-park.de

The Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park (German: Wildpark Lüneburger Heide) is a wildlife park near Nindorf in the municipality of Hanstedt in the north German state of Lower Saxony. The park is home to around 1,000 animals of over 120 species in an area of 61 hectares (150 acres). The park is open all year.

Attractions

The park specializes in animal species from the northern hemisphere, such as the grey wolf, Arctic wolf, brown bear, Kodiak bear, lynx, elk, red deer, reindeer, moose, sika deer, ibex, chamois and wild boar.

Siberian tigers

Two Siberian tigers, Alex and Ronja, live in a 3,400-square-metre (37,000 sq ft) naturalistic exhibit that opened in June 2010. The exhibit includes a rocky outcrop for the tigers to climb on, and ponds to swim in. Visitors can view the tigers through a 26-metre (85 ft) security fence that includes sections of bulletproof glass for better viewing.^[3]

Petting zoo

The petting zoo includes goats and deer, and children of all ages can pet and feed the animals.^[1]

Conservation

The park participates in international wildlife conservation programmes for otters, red-crowned cranes, white-tailed eagles, snow leopards, muskoxen, mink and European bison.^[4]

Education

From April to October, the park has educational presentations including "The animal my friend", which highlights the ability of birds of prey and other animals to learn, "Hunters of the air", in which falconers show the speed and agility of eagles, falcons, and vultures in the air, and "Faszination Wolf", a lecture about the forefathers of our domesticated dogs at the wolf enclosure, and otter feedings.^[5]

The Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park hosted the zoo documentary series, Weiches Fell und scharfe Krallen ("Soft fur, sharp claws"), produced by the German TV company NDR. On 10 April 2007 it started its own series: Wolf, Bär & Co ("Wolf, Bear and Co.").^[6]

Guided tours are offered to school classes free of charge.^[7]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Welcome to the Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park". wild-park.de. Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Lüneburger Heide Game Park". niedersachsen-tourism.de. Niedersachsen Tourism. Archived from the original on 28 July 2004. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Siberian Tigers in the heath". wild-park.de. Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Wildlife Nindorf". lueneburger-heide-attraktionen.de. Travel Guide Germany. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Show Program & animal presentations". wild-park.de. Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Wolf, Bear and Co". wild-park.de. Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ "Wildlife Nindorf". freizeitparks.de. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2010.

References

Eckard Gehm: Schneeleopard (Uncia uncia). Geist der Berge. Publishing house Wildpark Lüneburger Heide, Hanstedt-Nindorf 1. edition 2002. ISBN 3-00-009603-5 (German/English)
Wildpark Lüneburger Heide (Hrsg.): Wildparkführer. Wildlife Park Guide. 40 Jahre Wildpark. Zooführer. Nindorf o.J. (2010/2011). (German)