We're going to the zoo.. oo..oo..

It was a stunning autumn day in Copenhagen today - a cloudless sky set against a great backdrop of rusty, red and gold autumn leaves. So what better day for Libby and me to make our first visit to Copenhagen Zoo, located in Frederiksberg, to the west of Copenhagen centre.

Copenhagen Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. It was founded by the ornithologist Niels Kjærbølling in 1859 when he was given the summer garden of "Princess Vilhelmines Have" (The garden of Princess Vilhelmine) by the chief directorate of Copenhagen to begin his collection. At that time the attractions apparently included eagles, chickens, ducks, owls, rabbits, a fox, a seal in a bathtub and a turtle in a bucket! It has come a long way since then and the range of animals and the addition of new facilities in recent years places it among the best in Europe.

We saw Giraffes, Elephants, a pair of sparring White Rhinos, a family of Amur Tigers, two Polar Bears, three Brown Bears, Otters, Common Seals, Leopards, Chimpanzees, a Red Panda, a Three-toed Sloth as well as a few less obvious animals including the secretive Mouse Deer (a sort of tiny version of our muntjack) and European Tortoises.

I couldn't help feeling very sorry for the Polar Bears. Whilst it was amazing to see these magnificent animals close up, it was very sad to see the size of the enclosure in which they are being kept. They need space and space is one thing these two do not have. It was heartbreaking to see one spending most of its time sitting next to the door from which it was fed and the other swimming in circles around its tiny pool.. I might start a petition to get them a new enclosure!

The three Brown Bears, despite not having a larger enclosure, seemed much happier and the source of their happiness was seemingly a set of blue plastic containers. Each bear had its own and was completely occupied trying to get inside... They genuinely seemed to be having a whale of a time..!

Overall a good day out but I still find myself torn over the ethics of zoos.. I can see the educational value but the quality of life for some of the animals, particularly the large mammals, concerns me deeply.