Have been moving place over the last couple of days and could not get on here to post to save my life! Still back in one piece now and hopefully will have the internet at the house all sorted tonight - mind you at 3CH per hour I won't be loitering!
Had an animal weekend with the Zoo on Saturday and the Bear Pit in Bern on Sunday - both weren't the best places to see. A lot of the enclosures for the small animals were OK but the Elephants and Black Rhinos were in concrete jungles and all exhibiting signs of mental distress - not very good at all.
As for the bear pit in Bern - enough you Swiss - pack it up, close it down, this is 2008 and a concrete pit for brown bears is totally unacceptable.
From 12 or more bears they are now down to two 27 year-old females who have been there since they were two - what an existence.
Things could be looking up for the two females in their twilight years however with news that a new enclosure will be built in 2008 - to be finished, well that's anyone's guess, although 2009 is being muted.
At night, the bears are locked in their cages but at their new stomping ground in a 6,000 square-metre park they will be able to gambol outside to their heart's content - well as much as 27 year-olds can....... The new riverside reserve is costing CH9.7 million (Approx £4.7M) to build and will extend along the Aare.
"The money is there and construction work will continue throughout this year. The re-opening ceremony is planned for summer 2009," said Berne's head of tourism Markus Lergier.
"Nevertheless we are looking forward to next year," said Lergier.
So are the bears.
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