Neunkircher Zoo

For roughly two hours, choose either the elephants, baboons and snow leopards, or the Affenhaus, fossas and neighbouring playground. Add the penguins if your timing and energy allow. Choosing a cluster gives you time to watch rather than hurry.

Begin with penguins and a falconry session if the programme fits. Continue to elephants and the predator areas, then the savanna. Finish with orangutans, fossas, food and play near the Affenhaus. Reverse or shorten this suggested order to suit the day.

Choose an elephant, an orangutan and a penguin. Watch how each uses its body, then let everyone sketch one movement. Save any energetic imitations for the playground, away from the animals.

At the fossas, ask why this animal looks a little cat-like without being a cat. Its family, the Eupleridae, is native to Madagascar. Use the information by the viewing windows to explore the island connection.

Make a small observation game of finding a reptile’s outline or watching one orangutan movement. Fanalokas add a Madagascar connection here too. Take the day enclosure by enclosure and leave yourself an outdoor break when the rain eases.

The orangutans here are Sumatran orangutans. Watch for a hand or foot gripping a support, then follow the animal’s next movement. Leave room for families to watch without crowding the glass.

Look along the raised logs as well as the ground. A fossa’s long tail is a useful shape to find among the climbing structures. Madagascar’s largest native predator belongs to its own island group of carnivores.

Start with the outdoor enclosure, then follow signs for any open viewing areas in the house. Try a close observation of the trunk and feet rather than waiting for a dramatic pose.

Scan the rock surfaces slowly before looking for movement. A resting animal can blend into the enclosure’s colours. Stay at the public viewing points and come back later if the first look draws a blank.

Pause at the woodland enclosure and let your eyes adjust between light and shade. Look across the whole visible area rather than following only the nearest animal; a quiet second visit may give a different view.

These are hamadryas baboons. Choose one individual on the rock and watch what it does for a few minutes: resting, moving or interacting. Keep fingers and food well away from the enclosure.

Watch the land as carefully as the pool. This bay includes a substantial land area behind the water, so a group resting ashore is part of the visit too. A keeper feeding offers a useful moment to return.

Look for the zebras alongside the giraffe area. Pick out one animal and trace where its stripes change direction, then compare with another if both are in view. Use your camera’s zoom without reaching across barriers.

Give the enclosure a slow look before settling on a photograph. Watch whichever individual is visible and notice changes in its posture. On Sundays and public holidays, check for the scheduled late-afternoon keeper feeding.

All the animal targets listed here are captive zoo animals. Visibility varies, and an empty-looking enclosure is a reason to try again later rather than attract an animal’s attention.

Neunkirchen has contributed zoo-bred little owls to Saarland release projects since 1991. In 2026, five young birds went to two such projects. Those releases take place away from the zoo; they do not turn the birds in the zoo’s collection into wild sightings.

The food counter by the Affenhaus makes a useful companion to the nearby rebuilt playground. For carrying coats or tired children, enquire about a handcart at the start; numbers are limited. Locker locks are hired from the ticket desk and require a deposit.