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Zoos show off animal lovebirds for Valentine crowds

Zoos across Germany are trying to tempt visitors in this Valentine's weekend with information about the love life of animals – but there's plenty of interesting facts amid the marketing.

Published: 13 February 2016 10:00 CET
Zoos show off animal lovebirds for Valentine crowds
Two black swans swim side by side in the Munich zoo. Photo: DPA

Some zoos are even offering whole packages including champagne or mulled wine to complete the loved-up atmosphere.

Two Nyala antelopes 'kissing' in Munich zoo. Photo: DPA

“We want to show something about the biological background of behaviour,” Nuremberg Zoo educator Christian Dienemann said. “It shouldn't be a lot of hot air, nor deadly serious, but with a wink.”

Humboldt penguins cleaning one another in Bremerhaven zoo. Photo: DPA

Penguins are perhaps the best-known monogamous animals, sometimes even sticking with one partner for life. And they show much more courtship behaviour at the beginnings of relationships than when raising children later.

“Like an old married couple,” Dienemann said.

Two red flamingos in Munich Zoo. Photo: DPA

Meanwhile, flamingos use highly ritualized touching behaviours in their courtships. “One could say that they dance,” Dienemann explained, as individuals seek out a partner who can match their sense of rhythm.

A Pygmy marmoset carries its child on its back. Photo: DPA

And pygmy marmosets from South America – the world's smallest true apes – always have twins when they reproduce. The mothers don't do anything for their young but nurse them, with the men taking on the rest of the childrearing.

Two lions in Münster Zoo. Photo: DPA

Lions, meanwhile, are well-known for their ferocity in mating just as much as in the hunt.

Pairs get together for a few days while the females are in heat, mating up to 50 times a day – or every 15 minutes.

“As a human being, you can absolutely ask whether you would enjoy that too,” Dienemann acknowledged.

SEE ALSO: 7 songs to make your German lover swoon on Valentine's

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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