New information about raccoons and other animals

Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 6 May 2015: There are around 500 animals to see at Kleve Zoo. As well as the red panda, the zoo’s star attraction, visitors can also spot an Arctic fox, seals, raccoons, horses and the African porcupine. As part of a project led by Axel Hinnemann and Ramona Kirsch, research assistants at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, and Marie-Christine Kuypers, animal manager at Kleve Zoo, and Dietmar Cornelissen, director of the zoo, seven students on the ‘Bio Science and Health’ programme at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences developed new signs for the park’s animal residents.

As a first step, the students reviewed the existing animal signs and decided which enclosures required new ones. To ensure consistency in the content, the key points were defined in advance, such as information on the habitat or lifestyle of the various animal species. Pairs of students each focused on a specific animal species and, as part of various academic projects, compiled the individual facts and figures about the golden pheasant, the Bennett’s wallaby and the raccoon.

During meetings with the project leaders, each group presented their comprehensive findings, which were checked for accuracy and the suitability of the sources used. The team then selected the relevant facts and, where necessary, carried out further research on certain points.

In addition, the students developed initial ideas for a layout and presented these. The layout of the animal signs was designed in accordance with the specifications of the zoo’s new corporate identity, which was developed in a design competition by design students from the Faculty of Communication and Environment at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in 2013.

To ensure the new animal signs are in line with current technology, Sebastian Wessels, an employee of KLE-Point, added a QR code to each sign. This code can be scanned using a mobile phone and links to a separate zoo website where further information about the various animals and their habitats can be found. With the help of Lukas Baumann, a presenter at Campus F.M. – the Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences’ radio station on Antenne Niederrhein – an audio version of the sign has also been produced for children and blind people, which can be found on the website. Lisa Hanke, a renowned wildlife photographer, was commissioned to take the photographs of the animals.

The new animal information boards are now on display at the zoo.