A New Arctic Sea for Hamburg

The ground-breaking ceremony for the new Arctic Sea facility at Hagenbecks Zoo in Hamburg took place in autumn last year. The over 8,000-square meter large facility will be equipped with innovative water technology and refrigeration engineering. Walruses, polar bears, penguins and sea bears will be able to cavort in the facility having a water surface of 1,200 square meters and more than five million liters of water in different tanks. Guests can discover the new area on a 700-meter long circuit trail and enjoy the view from a visitor platform. The 20 million Euro project will also feature a seven-meter deep tank that serves as a breeding facility for walruses, plus a large seabird aviary. Financing comes with 12.5 million Euros from the foundation Tierpark Hagenbeck and with 7.5 million Euros from public subventions. The opening is scheduled for spring 2011. (eap)