Come to see! Feeding the pelicans at 10:30 a.m. June 2, 2017

At our Zoo we do not only introduce animals but also organise events that allow the public to witness the important and highly active parts of the animals’ lives. In the past, it was a matter of luck whether the feeding took place exactly when the visitors reach the enclosure of an animal or if the carer was looking after the animals at that time. Today we arrange the most interesting events for a preannounced time to avoid anybody missing them. The detailed schedule is available here.

The pelican feeding is one of the “Come to see” events; it takes place daily at 10:30 a.m. at the shore of the Great Lake, at the shore section next to the thatched roof Crocodile House. The animals’ carer feeds the impatiently stamping birds with pouches below their beaks with delicacies to their taste, though mainly with fish. Of course pelicans are far from being polite to each other and try to grab the best bites by pushing each other  out of the way. The carer obviously makes sure that all of them get enough and none of them gets a portion that is bigger than is healthy. And the menu is even sufficient for the cormorants, attracted by the feeding.

In the pelican feeding, it is not only the high level of activity that is interesting but also that even interested visitors can become involved in it. It would not be healthy to feed the birds with home-brought bites but the pelican feeding show offers the opportunity for visitors to feed the animals if they want, with the assistance of the carer. You do not even need to touch the fish; there is a small shovel for this purpose. And if you accidently touch the fish, you can wash your hands since the lavatories are next door to the pelicans’ feeding spot, so you don’t have to walk around the Zoo smelling of fish.