Praying Mantis with A Slide – New Themed Play Structure at Rostock Zoo
Testeten als erste das neue Spielgerät - Jaane (li./7), Lerke (10/oben) und Käthe (10) – hier mit Zoodirektorin Antje Angeli und Hansjörg Kunze, Marketingleiter von ScanHaus Marlow.
© Joachim Kloock
(eap) A giant praying mantis with an attached slide now invites young visitors to climb, balance and slide at Germany’s Rostock Zoo. The novelty can be found in the playground at the pygmy hippopotamus house, which is to be gradually developed into an insect-themed playground. Newly designed elements such as a frog course, a nest swing and “flower jumping plates” are already part of the zone.
The new play equipment made of steel and polyethylene, which was supplied to the zoo by eibe, is suitable for children aged five and over. Its design is suited to different weather conditions, e.g. it is slip-resistant in the rain. The construction of the new equipment was financially supported by ScanHaus Marlow, which has been a committed sponsor of Rostock Zoo for several years. Zoo Director Antje Angeli expressed her thanks: “We are very pleased with the generous support from ScanHaus Marlow, thanks to which we were able to purchase the praying mantis, the new highlight in the popular playground.”
© Joachim Kloock
Angeli adds: “Many people from Rostock spent their childhoods bobbing, digging or doing merry-go-rounds on a toadstool in the playground that opened almost 60 years ago. Today, many of them can watch their children or grandchildren play while enjoying a coffee or snack from the nearby snack bar or from one of the playground benches.” In addition to the new play equipment, around 100 tonnes of fresh sand were also brought into the area before the start of the season in order to optimise the fall protection areas and to further enhance the appearance of the entire playground.
The new play equipment is part of the zoo’s plans to further develop the area from an ecological point of view in the long term. Further small pieces of play equipment – some of which have been recycled from other playgrounds – are to follow. A separate sandpit area is also being planned to cater for different play needs. A major project will also be realised in the immediate vicinity of the playground in the future: The “Humboldteum”, a house of biodiversity dedicated to the scientific findings of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), is planned (c.f. EAP news of 9 June 2021). ■
