Hellabrunn Zoo

Hellabrunn Zoo
The elephant house was built in 1914
Date opened	1 August 1911^[1]
Location	Munich, Germany
Coordinates	48°5′50″N 11°33′15″E / 48.09722°N 11.55417°E / 48.09722; 11.55417Coordinates: 48°5′50″N 11°33′15″E / 48.09722°N 11.55417°E / 48.09722; 11.55417
Land area	36 ha (89 acres)^[2]
Number of animals	18,943 (2014)^[3]
Number of species	767 (2014)^[3]
Annual visitors	2,283,739 (2013)^[3]
Memberships	EAZA,^[4] WAZA^[5]
Website	www.hellabrunn.de

Hellabrunn Zoo (or Tierpark Hellabrunn in German) is a 36-hectare (89-acre) zoological garden in the Bavarian capital of Munich. The zoo is situated on the right bank of the river Isar, in the southern part of Munich near the quarter of Thalkirchen. As the groundwater level here is rather high and the water is of very good quality, the zoo can cover its needs for freshwater by using its own wells.

A high ratio of enclosures are cageless, relying upon moat features to keep the animals in place. The zoo was the first zoo in the world not organized by species, but also by geographical aspects. For example, the wood bisons share their enclosure with prairie dogs. In some places, the zoo has food dispensers where, for a small cost, the correct food for the species may be thrown by the public. This reduces the risk of animals being fed inappropriate foodstuffs.

In 2013, the zoo was ranked 4th best zoo in Europe (up from 12th).^[6]^[7] It focuses on conservation and captive breeding rare species such as the rare drill and silvery gibbons. Also gorillas, giraffes, elephants, wood bisons, elk and Arctic foxes were successfully bred in the zoo, which houses a large number of species. It is one of the very few zoos that allows visitors to bring dogs.

Tierpark Hellabrunn is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and participates in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

History

On 25 February 1905 the Verein Zoologischer Garten München e.V. (Engl. Society of the Zoological Garden of Munich) was founded and the Hellabrunn area was chosen as the location for the zoo. The zoo was designed by architect Emanuel von Seidl, and opened to the public on 1 August 1911.^[1]

A pair of siberian tigers walking

In 1922, the zoo was closed due to the inflation in Germany. It was re-opened on May 23, 1928. It became the first Geo-Zoo in the world (animals were shown and kept with other animals of the same geographic region). It also engaged in controversial back-breeding to "recreate" extinct animals like Heck cattle (to mimic the Aurochs) and the Tarpan.^[1]

During World War II, the zoo sustained extensive damage due to Allied air raids, but it was able to reopen in May 1945.

In 1970, a badly needed plan for the renovation of the zoo was drawn up.

Hellabrunn today

In 2014 it was home to 18,943 animals representing 767 species.^[8]

The Tierpark Hellabrunn is very active in breeding, reintroduction and conservation projects.

Over 2.2 million people visited Hellabrunn in 2014.

Attractions

The jungle house was finished in 2005

The old elephant house: Constructed in 1914
The new jungle house which houses gorillas, chimpanzees, Diana monkeys and Mississippi alligators
Rare but very acrobatic silvery gibbons, spider monkeys, rare drills and colorful mandrills
The new savannah house where visitors are separated only by a glass wall from the giraffes
The aquarium with the piranha feeding
"Dracula's villa" - bats fly around visitors
Many other buildings like the "Polarium"
Guided tours - especially when it's dark and there is no one else in the zoo
Children's birthday parties

Notes

1 2 3 "History of the Munich Zoo". tierpark-hellabrunn.de. Hellabrunn Zoo. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
↑ "Munich Zoo". zoo-infos.de. Zoo-Infos.de. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
1 2 3 "Geschäfts-Bericht 2012" [2012 Annual Report] (PDF). tierpark-hellabrunn.de (in German). Hellabrunn Zoo. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
↑ "EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums". eaza.net. EAZA. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
↑ "Zoos and Aquariums of the World". waza.org. WAZA. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
↑ Press announcement (German)
↑ Sheridan, Anthony (2011). Das A und O im Zoo Europas führende Zoologische Gärten 2010 - 2020. Münster, Westf: Schüling, K. ISBN 9783865231840.
↑ "2010 Annual Report" (PDF). tierpark-hellabrunn.de. Hellabrunn Zoo. Retrieved 27 November 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tierpark Hellabrunn.

Official website

Zoos of Germany

Zoos	Augsburg Zoo Bad Mergentheim Wildlife Park Berlin Tierpark Berlin Zoological Garden Betzenberg Wildlife Park Bremerhaven Zoo Cologne Zoo Cottbus Zoo Dortmund Zoo Dresden Zoo Duisburg Zoo Eekholt Wildlife Park Erlebnispark Tripsdrill Essehof Zoo Frankfurt Zoo Hamburg Hagenbeck Zoo Hanover Zoo Heidelberg Zoo Hellabrunn Zoo Hirschfeld Wildlife Park Hodenhagen Serengeti Park Karlsruhe Zoo Krefeld Zoo Landau Zoo Leipzig Zoo Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park Magdeburg Zoo Münster Zoo Nuremberg Zoo Olching Bird Park Opel Zoo Osnabrück Zoo Rostock Zoo Saarbrücken Zoo Sassnitz Wildlife Park Südliche Weinstraße Wildlife Park Stuttgart Wilhelma Zoo Walsrode Bird Park Wuppertal Zoo ZOOM Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen

Aquariums	AquaDom Aquarium Berlin German Maritime Museum Ozeaneum Sea Life Centres Germany

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