Animal Therapy: Why a Day at the Zoo Is Sometimes Exactly What You Need
I don’t know about you, but in times of crisis, I find spending time with animals incredibly relaxing. Sababurg Zoo had been on our bucket list for quite a while. As a big falcon fan, I always enjoy bird shows — and that’s exactly what the zoo in the Reinhardswald offers. Here’s a little tip right away: try to attend the shows in the morning, because in the afternoon the birds are usually far less motivated to fly 🙂
Off to Sababurg Zoo
On the beautiful morning of May 1st, we head towards the Weserbergland. Luckily, the A7 motorway is clear today, so after just an hour and a half, we arrive at the zoo. I’m surprised when I pull into the parking lot. It’s still fairly early, but many spaces are already taken. I check the time and realize we’ve arrived just in time for the first feeding session at 10:30 a.m. First up: the penguins. At 11:00 a.m., it’s time for the meerkats, followed by the birds of prey show at 11:30. Sounds like a perfect plan and definitely builds excitement. Only later, when leaving the park, would we realize just how smart it had been to start early.
Penguins in Mating Mode
First stop: the Humboldt penguins. Why Humboldt? Because unlike their Antarctic cousins, these penguins actually enjoy warmer temperatures and cool off by jumping into the water. As we enter their area, though, we’re immediately confused by some rather strange-sounding cries. It doesn’t take long to figure out that romance is in the air and someone is calling out for company. Judging by the sounds of it, the attempts are only moderately successful. Some male penguins sit in front of the cave entrances, trying their luck with the ladies, while others are already splashing around in the water, waiting for feeding time. When feeding finally begins, we’re amazed by how polite these adorable little creatures are — hardly any pushing or fighting. Watching their figure, perhaps? Either way, we’re thoroughly entertained while listening to the zookeeper’s explanations.
Keeping an Eye on the Meerkats
From the penguin enclosure, we move on to the meerkats. We arrive just in time to grab a good spot — after all, these little guys are pretty small. The cute meerkats (there are currently only two at the zoo) are quite shy. One of them is constantly on guard, scanning for enemies. When feeding time starts and the first worms are tossed into the enclosure, the meerkats stay surprisingly calm. Well, they’re not stupid. They know food comes twice a day anyway 🙂 And as we learn, in meerkat society the females are in charge. Fair enough!
Masters of the Sky
Next up: the birds of prey show. Unsurprisingly, this is the busiest attraction, but we still manage to find a good spot. I’m already scanning for the falcons. Right on time at 11:30, the show begins. First, two buzzards enter the arena. The zookeeper explaining the show tells us that today’s weather conditions are making things difficult for the birds. Why? Well, the warmth and the headwind when flying uphill toward the trees or landing spots make it physically demanding. To make sure they still have enough motivation to fly later in the day, the morning flights are kept shorter. Smart animals, really: don’t waste more energy than necessary — food delivery is guaranteed anyway 🙂
One after another, falcons, a tawny owl, and finally the mighty sea eagle impress us with their skills. You can hear plenty of “aaahs” and “ooohs” from the audience. Phones are out everywhere — naturally. After half an hour, the show is over. We walk up the small hill to take a closer look at the birds. And as funny as it sounds, the birds seem either used to the attention or professionally trained for social media. Especially the sea eagle keeps striking perfect photo poses.
The Lynx Isn’t Having Much Luck
Since we plan to continue on to Tillyschanze in Hannoversch Münden later in the afternoon, we keep moving. The wolves are next on our list, but unfortunately none of them show up today. Then it’s on to the lynxes, where we have better luck. One lynx, looking slightly depressed, wanders around the enclosure. It soon becomes obvious why. There are also two female lynxes in the same area, and every time the male walks past one of them, he’s greeted with an angry hiss. Looks like someone has made himself unpopular 🙂
On our way back to the exit, we pass the wolverine enclosure. The bear-like creature seems rather lazy — probably because it knows feeding time is coming up soon. Back at the parking lot, we finally realize how many visitors have arrived. Cars are now circling for every free parking space. Getting up early was definitely worth it. Before heading to Hannoversch Münden, we make a quick stop at Sababurg Castle — also known as Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Unfortunately, it’s currently under heavy renovation and is being turned into a hotel. Because of all the scaffolding, there isn’t much to see, even though the sign says the inner courtyard is open again from May onward. Just not on Labor Day.
Up to Tillyschanze
After our short stop at Sababurg Castle, we continue to Hannoversch Münden. We find a convenient parking spot on the main road, not far from the trail leading up to Tillyschanze. Even though we’ve already done quite a bit of walking at the zoo (the size of the park is impressive), we decide to stretch our legs even more on hiking trail number 3. After the fairly exhausting climb up to the tower, we first stop to enjoy the wonderful view over Hannoversch Münden — followed by a well-deserved beer at the forest restaurant Tillyschanze.
With a bit of music playing in the background, there’s a real holiday atmosphere here. People are enjoying the beautiful weather and the great food and drink selection.
Asparagus Makes Everything Better
After our break, we continue deeper into the forest. There’s another steep climb ahead, but once we reach the plateau, the trail levels out. Unfortunately, the rest of the route is a bit disappointing. The path is wide and gravelly, and apart from trees, there isn’t much to see. By the time we have to “hike” back along the Fulda cycling path and the main road into Hannoversch Münden, we’re feeling slightly underwhelmed. We had expected more.
But our spirits quickly lift again when we manage to get a table on the lovely terrace of the “Zur Linde” restaurant (aka Fritz Willers) in Bilderlahe. Now nothing stands in the way of our traditional asparagus dinner. We honestly couldn’t have imagined a better ending to this almost perfect day.
