News from Tallinn in September

17.9.2026 by Inari Leiman, Photos by Inari Leiman and Imbi Taniel

The arrival of autumn has brought a sense of liveliness and playfulness to the Tallinn zoo.

🐾 As is the case every year, the start of the school term has seen a sharp drop in the number of weekday visitors to the zoo. However, it’s still well worth popping along to the zoo whenever you can, as the changeable weather 🌦️ and the gently caressing autumn sun make our residents more active, vociferous and playful than on a hot summer’s day.

🎶 The Sudanese ground hornbills clatter away as if from the bottom of a barrel, the storks croak in their autumnal way, the jackals bark at one another, the red foxes sing in a shrill chorus, and the Amur tigers and Amur leopards take turns letting out their roars.

Lunch break for Alexei

Alexei having a nap

🐻‍❄️ The polar bears have started to eat a little less – they’ve already built up their winter fat reserves nicely – but they’re still active both on dry land and in the pool. Sometimes you don’t need much to play: a simple piece of pipe provides Imaq the polar bear with hours of fun.

☀️ On a sunny day, against a backdrop of lush green grass, the red foxes – whose colours stand out particularly vividly – scamper quietly around the enclosure, whimpering as they wait for their meal, or lie sprawled on the grass, having eaten their fill.

Amidst the turning birch leaves 🍂, the chimpanzees also enjoy the warmth of the autumn sun in the outdoor enclosure.

The young white stork, which hatched at the end of April, is also a female. Under her parents’ watchful eye, she stretches her wings and practises flying.