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helping to protect endangered species when they visit Krokodille Zoo, as 1 DKK out of every entrance fee paid automatically goes towards preservation. As the owner points out, people are of course welcome to make further donations and the zoo also takes part in fundraising besides running the zoo. Although Krokodille Zoo, to the outside world at least, is mainly in the business of showcasing crocodiles on its premises, part of its strategy is also to put animals back into nature. “We do not put animals out into nature that have lived a long life here with us,” Hedegaard clarifies. “However, we nurture some of them from birth with the aim of releasing them into the wild if and when they are ready.” Like time travelling How did one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of crocodiles end up in the town of Eskildstrup on the island of Lolland, some 150 kilometres south of Copenhagen? This is down to the enthusiasm of Hedegaard. He has put in many hours to take Krokodille Zoo from a hobby project to a modern facility for wild animals. Within the last three years, the place has undergone major refurbishment and in June 2014 opens its doors to new facilities including two new tropical houses. “It began as a pioneer project. I spent nine years of my spare time building the zoo with help from some friends. Now it is a full-time occupation, and we are opening a totally renovated zoo, which is much closer to nature,” says Hedegaard. Part of the drive behind his ambition comes from a boyhood dream. “I have had this interest in dinosaurs since I was just a kid, and crocodiles are the perfect extension of these ancient creatures,” he explains. Being around crocodiles, he says, is almost like travelling millions of years back in time. “These are the last of the dominant reptiles, and they looked exactly the same all those years ago. It is like time travelling, and that is one of many reasons why we must protect them.”
All 23 living crocodilians – and other animals, too Krokodille Zoo is one of very few places in the world to gather all 23 of the world’s living crocodilian species in one place. The zoo is also home to monkeys, parrots, turtles, and – from 1 June 2014 – clouded leopards, the first ever to arrive in Denmark.
For more information, please visit: www.krokodillezoo.dk
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