Frankfurt / Main (dpa / lhe) - Pet owners know: The bang of fireworks in the neighborhood is usually anything but a pleasure for dogs or cats. And how is it for zoo animals on New Year's Eve? "A no-fire zone around the zoo would be nice," said a spokeswoman for the Frankfurt Zoo, which is close to the city center.
The animals in the inner city zoo are used to a completely different noise level than their peers in the Opel Zoo in Kronberg: "In the past few months, track work has been carried out on the tram line right in front of the Zoo Wall - there was constant noise."
Due to corona requirements and bans on firecrackers, it was also much quieter in Frankfurt on New Year's Eve for two years. In this, the noise level from fireworks and rockets is likely to reach the levels of the years before the pandemic. "It should be stressful, especially for the young animals that were born in the last two years," said the zoo spokeswoman. "But even the older animals have to get used to it again."
However, all the animals are in their houses and not outdoors, and the presence of the rest of the group of animals helps to defuse stress. "It would be better without noise," said the zoo spokeswoman. Experience has shown that the animals quickly calmed down after the first few minutes of the nocturnal noise.
