Kölner Zoo

Choose an elephant, a giraffe and a meerkat. Compare which parts of the body they use to find or handle food, and draw one detail from each. Keep the exercise observational: visitors must not provide food.

Pick a tank and find an animal near the bottom, one in open water and one using cover. Ask what each position might offer. It is fine to leave the names for a second look at the label.

In sustained rain, choose the aquarium and one tropical house rather than crossing the zoo repeatedly. Give yourself time for a second look at a small display. Indoor visits still involve the outdoor links between buildings.

Watch how an elephant changes the shape of its trunk tip when picking something up. Compare that precise movement with the work of moving a much larger object; there is plenty to notice while an animal stays in one place.

Look through the viewing glass for the long tail and heavy limbs, then wait rather than expecting continuous movement. The house’s namesakes are living monitor lizards; the dinosaur figures elsewhere in the zoo are sculptures.

Search the bird displays for white plumage with dark wing and tail tips. Once you have found a bird, try a quiet sketch of its crest instead of following it constantly with the camera.

At the baboon rock, choose a small part of the group to watch. Notice who approaches whom, who sits nearby and how the scene changes. Avoid interpreting one quick movement as the whole story of the group.

See whether one animal is watching from an upright position while others investigate the ground. Roles can change, so staying for a little while gives you more to compare than a quick portrait.

Check the enclosure at different heights and take your time before deciding it is empty. If a panda is feeding, look at the way it handles its food. A resting animal is a reason to slow down, too.

Watch the water as well as the banks. If an otter swims, follow how its tail and hind feet help it turn. These European otters are different from the small-clawed otters associated with the Drachenhaus.

Look into the planted branches as well as overhead. Let a tamarin come into view at its own pace and leave it a clear route. Free movement inside this tropical house does not make the animals wild.

The Drachenhaus also has a behind-the-scenes breeding station for threatened Asian songbirds. In the Americas, the zoo supports work for golden lion tamarins that reconnects forest habitat. The visitor displays are one part of these wider projects.

Food outlets, picnic points, toilets and playgrounds appear on the zoo map. Baby-changing facilities are provided, and limited rental wagons are available. Choose your next pause while everybody is still comfortable.

There is no dedicated adult changing bed. An ASB room with a couch may be arranged in advance; ask visitor services whether it meets your needs before travelling.