Nordens Ark

Over the weekend, we were invited to visit Nordens Ark. Located about an hour away from Tjärnö, Nordens Ark translates roughly to "Nordic Ark" and it is a nonprofit zoo that exhibits both exotic and native Swedish animals.

It's very similar to the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, in that it has a focus on conservation and tries to create exhibits that offer animals large, natural living spaces. It had a very different overall feel from the zoos in San Diego, though. As we walked through Nordens Ark, it felt like we were simply walking through a forest and there just happened to be animal enclosures around.

We forgot to tell Jeremy it was Puffer Jacket Day.

Often the path was a simple trail or paved pathway, sometimes it was a wooden walkway or bridge. All of the paths, enclosures, and structures blended in with the natural environment. Even the small buildings where we bought hot dogs and burgers for lunch were built of wood.

There were play areas throughout the park.

At the San Diego Zoo, there would be kiosks and gift shops throughout the park. We saw none of this. In San Diego, the Zoo is colorful and busy with signs and structures. Nordens Ark was simple and plain in comparison, and it felt like a relief. Just thinking about the San Diego Zoo makes me exhausted. Although Nordens Ark was large, it felt serene.

A friendly deer.

We started with the more exotic animals. Red pandas sat curled up high in the trees of their exhibit. It looked as though they could have climbed right out. The big cats were impressive: several varieties of leopards and large tigers.

That little speck way up in the tree is a red panda. Promise.

Toward the end, we visited the farm animals: horses, sheep, goats. This section also had a small play area, which included something labelled höhoppning, which I did not immediately understand, until Savannah yelled, "Mommy! You can jump into hay in here!" And yes, there was a kid-sized barn where you climb up to the top floor and jump down into a pile of hay. Probably the highlight of the trip.

Höhoppning in action!

Feeding the pony some grass. 

Spring time means baby animals!

Perhaps not surprisingly, the girls want to go back to Nordens Ark to spend more time in the farm animals area. Now that I'm looking at all of the animals on their website that we somehow missed, I also hope we get the chance to visit again.