Cologne Round 2, Part 7: Kölner Zoo

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!  Literally.  Cologne's zoo is a about a mile outside of the city center, but it's well worth a taxi/tram ride for those exploring the city on foot.  They have a great selection of animals, and all of them seem happy and content in their environments.  One thing that really impressed me was that in the event that the animals couldn't be outside (during winter months, for example, or while their outdoor habitat underwent maintenance), the zoo opens indoor areas to visitors as well.  I imagine this makes Kölner Zoo a great destination year round.  Lucky for us, most of the animals were enjoying an unseasonably warm day outdoors while we visited.

We were also pleasantly surprised to find tons of baby animals frolicking in the Spring sunshine.

It is impossible to pick a favorite exhibit, but these little tiger cubs definitely stole my heart...

The elephants were among the few animals still inside.  The zoo's outdoor elephant park is enormous (one of the largest in Europe), but it was being cleaned when we visited.  It actually turned out pretty well for us, as we were able to spot this little guy without any trouble.

These sea lions were tons of fun to watch; they had so much energy!  Unfortunately, they weren't easy to catch on camera.  I was thrilled to even catch their noses out of the water.

The zoo also houses an aquarium.  It's rather small, but I got the impression that it was new and only beginning to grow.

I heartily recommend this zoo for any animal lovers out there, and especially to families with small children.  There were a great deal of wonderful exhibits not featured here, including a really neat alligator aquarium that provided underwater views, some very playful little otters, and a house with a complicated system of overhead wire tunnels that little monkeys could run through (watch out, they like to throw down their food at visitors).