Skandinavisk Dyrepark (Scandinavian Wildlife Park) is a Danish
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...
in
Djursland
Djursland () is a 1,417 km2 hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, which its ...
, located in
Syddjurs Municipality
Syddjurs Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland in Denmark just north of Aarhus and is a part of the Aarhus area. It covers an area of 696.7 km² and has a population of 44,101 (1. January 2025).
On ...
in
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.
Opened for public in 1994, by the name ''Hjortenes verden'' (''World of deer''), later changed to Skandinavisk Dyrepark (Scandinavian Wildlife Park). As suggested by its name, the focus of the park is wildlife native to
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
.
The exhibits for
polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
s,
brown bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...
s and
grey wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey ...
cover , and respectively, and are among the largest of their kind in the world.
[ The zoo got worldwide attention by the birth of the polar bear Siku in 2011.
]
Siku
Siku (born 22 November 2011 in Skandinavisk Dyrepark) is a male polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
cub. He has several siblings such as Sné. After his mother failed to produce enough milk to feed him, he was taken into care by the park staff."Baby Polar Bear "siku" Orphaned After Mother Fails To Produce Enough Milk"
. ''The Huffington Post''. (23 December 2011.) Accessed 24 December 2011.
In terms of popular appeal, Siku is by some considered to be a possible successor to the polar bear
Knut
Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur ( Icelandic) is a Scandinavian and German first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used which ...
, who attracted worldwide attention at
Berlin Zoo
The Berlin Zoological Garden (, ) is the oldest surviving and best-known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844, it covers and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten. With about 1,380 different species and over 20,200 animals, the zoo presents one of the ...
from 2006 until his death in 2011. A
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
video showing Siku at the age of one month attracted hundreds of thousands of hits in just twenty-four hours and he was hailed internationally as an
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
sensation, especially after appearing on the official
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
website.
References
External links
*
Zoos in Denmark
Buildings and structures in Syddjurs Municipality
{{zoo-stub