New Walk-Through Aviaries “Amazonia” and “Loriverse” at Leipzig Zoo
Blue-throated macaws in the Amazonia free-flight aviary.
© Zoo Leipzig
(eap) Within a period of 16 months, two new aviary worlds – “Amazonia” and “Loriverse” – each rising to a height of ten metres, have been created at Germany’s Zoo Leipzig and were recently inaugurated. Around 300 lorikeets and parakeets, more than 30 large parrots and approximately 150 additional birds now inhabit the spacious aviaries, which feature expansive flight areas and numerous trees.
The 830-square-metre Amazonia aviary, designed to reflect the South American rainforest, is led by blue-throated macaws as its flagship species. It is also home to green-winged macaws, blue-throated parakeets, blue-headed parrots, Jamaican amazons and sun conures. The 540-square-metre Loriverse showcases bird species from Southeast and East Asia. Here, Forsten’s lorikeets serve as the key species, accompanied by blue-crowned laughingthrushes, Seram eclectus parrots, pink-headed imperial pigeons and Victoria crowned pigeons.
The new aviary worlds were officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. © Zoo Leipzig
Both aviaries are walk-through attractions located in the central area of the zoo, replacing the former enclosures for parakeets, penguins and lion-tailed macaques. As part of the overall “Zoo of the Future” concept, they are intended to serve as a connecting element between the planned Asian island worlds and the South America themed area. Construction costs are reported at 5.4 million euros.
“I am absolutely confident that our guests will be delighted as they explore the Asian and South American aviaries and experience an immersive natural environment shaped by vivid sounds, impressive flight moments and close encounters. With this compelling animal experience, we aim to build a bridge to species conservation and raise awareness of the dramatic situation facing many bird species. In this context, it was a deliberate and symbolic decision to fulfil our responsibility by keeping endangered and highly threatened species,” explains Zoo Director Prof. Jörg Junhold. ■
