Skånes Djurpark is a Swedish zoological park located in Höör Municipality

Höör Municipality

Höör Municipality is a municipality in the central part of Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Höör....

, Skåne County

Skåne County

Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...

. It specializes in animals of the Nordic

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

 fauna, although orphaned animals from elsewhere in the world are sometimes temporarily housed there until a new home can be found for them. The zoo has about 900 animals, representing almost 100 species. These animals are most often kept in large enclosures with natural environments. Some of the domestic animals displayed include: Skånegås (Scania goose

Scania Goose

The Scania Goose is a breed of domestic geese originating in Scania in Sweden.-Origin:Scania goose is a landrace around Vomb and Hunneberga city in Scania. It was standardised in 1920s. There are 172 registered animal in Sweden....

, a type of domestic goose), Gute sheep

Gute (sheep)

The Gute is a landrace breed of domestic sheep native to the Swedish island of Gotland. The Gute is the most primitive breed native to Sweden, and is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep. The modern Gotland breed is its direct descendant...

, Fjäll cattle

Fjäll cattle

Fjäll cattle , commonly known as the "Swedish Mountain breed", is a breed of cattle, established in the late 19th century.In 1998, there was estimated to be 1000 breeding cows in Sweden....

, and Jämtlandsget (Jämtland goat, a type of domestic goat).

History

Founded in 1953, Skånes Djurpark is operated as a foundation. It is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria

European Association of Zoos and Aquaria

-External links:*...

. Camilla Jönsson has been chief of the zoo since 2008. The Skånes Djurpark foundation is supported by the Skåne Regional Council

Skåne Regional Council

The Skåne Regional Council is the County Council of Skåne County in Sweden.Region Skåne was created on January 1, 1999, by the amalgamation of the County councils of Malmöhus County and Kristianstad County and some of the tasks handled by Malmö Municipality.Its county assembly is the highest...

 (Swedish: Region Skåne), which provides the zoo with one to two million kronor each year. The entrance cost at Skånes Djurpark is 200 kronor for an adult. The previous price of 160 kronor was increased in 2009 so that the zoo's budget could be met. The number of visitors at Skånes Djurpark has increased in the past few years. There were a total 211,000 visitors at the zoo in 2008, and slightly more in 2009.

Incidents

Skånes Djurpark became the subject of controversy in early 2010, when an entire pack of wolves escaped from their enclosure and were shot to death. These wolves were shot to prevent escape from the zoo, which led to criticism from animal rights activists. The security of the zoo's enclosures was also criticized, and a complaint

Complaint

In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties In...

was filed by Djurrättsalliansen (English: Animal Rights Alliance) against Skånes Djurpark.

External links

(in English)

• Skånes Djurpark on Skåne.com (in Swedish)