Salzburg Zoo Hellbrunn

Salzburg Zoo (formerly known as Tiergarten Salzburg or Tiergarten Hellbrunn ) is a zoo in the Austrian city of Salzburg.The 14-hectare park is part of Schloss Hellbrunn’s ancient palace grounds and borders the municipality of Anif to the south.The zoo houses over 1500 animals from 150 different species and employs approximately 50 workers.The annual visitor count is roughly 400,000.

The Salzburg Zoo, now known as the Geozoo, is an important educational facility.He seeks to satisfy the zoo animals’ habitat demands by enriching and modifying their surroundings.The harboring of multiple animal species at one facility is meant to encourage species interaction.

As part of research programs, the zoo has frequently collaborated with the Natural Sciences Faculty of the University of Salzburg.

The zoo is separated into the following continents:

Eurasia

The northern section of the zoo is dedicated to the fauna of Eurasia’s two continents.In 2012, the facility for alpine ibexes was rebuilt.It now allows for closer interaction with the animals.A terrarium was also built for the local smooth snake.The enclosures for wolverines, European brown bears, otters, and chamois are adjacent to the Hellbrunner Berg’s steep slope.The homes of the house mouse and house rat, which followed the culture, are portrayed as unwanted visitors under one roof with human co-inhabitants within the bear house.The European section of the park also has facilities for European Wolves and woodland reindeer, as well as a feeding area for free-flying griffon vultures.Gundula, a female griffon vulture reared at the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck and transported to Salzburg in 1979, was a fan favorite.In November 2018, she died at the age of 39.

East Asian animal representations include the red panda, Chinese muntjac, and white-handed gibbon.From December 2013 to May 2015, the facility for these three species was remodeled, and the gibbon house was replaced with a new structure.The cages housing the snow leopards and the tigress, both of which perished in November 2013, remain in the row of the previous outdoor predator enclosures.

The Arche petting zoo mostly houses rare animal varieties such as Mangalitza pigs, woodland sheep, peacock goats, and Appenzeller pointed bonnets.Outside the petting zoo, visitors may pet alpacas, African pygmy goats, and Cameroon sheep and feed them special food.

America

Several New World monkeys are on display in the (South) America section of the park, spread across three small animal houses, the gibbon, the tropical, and the South America house: cotton-top tamarin, emperor tamarin, golden-headed lion tamarin, pygmy marmoset, Bolivian squirrel monkey, and crested capuchin.Tamarins, which are related to green iguanas and, as of 2016, leafnosed bats, may walk freely in the tropical house.In addition to monkeys, typical representatives of South American fish and amphibians, as well as the southern globe armadillo, dwell in the South America home.Since July 2015, a two-toed sloth has been housed in the gibbon home.

On American rodents, black-tailed prairie dogs, great maras, and capybaras are housed.The maras are related with nandu and alpaca.Macaws and Chilean flamingos are also members of the South American bird world.Since 2011, the zoo has participated in the European Conservation Breeding Program with its flatland tapirs. Collared peccaries are shown as examples of New World pigs.The maned wolves are presently residing in the former tiger enclosure.

In 2013, the facilities for South American predators were updated.The new jaguar house also holds king boas and wedge-headed smooth-fronted caiman, in addition to jaguars and pumas.The internal amenities are decorated in the style of a rainforest scene with Mayan architecture.

Australia

The communal facility for emus and Bennett kangaroos in the zoo’s south-eastern section has been closed.The zoo now has Parma kangaroos and several common insects from the Australian continent.The previous lynx enclosure was transformed into a walk-in enclosure for budgerigars and diamond doves in 2016 after serving as temporary alternate lodgings for gibbons and capuchin monkeys throughout the remodeling phase. The emphasis here is on the direct interaction between humans and animals, as well as the issue of species-appropriate private keeping, rather than on species protection. The 180-square-meter aviary, which cost roughly 20,000 euros, was paid for by contributions and the zoo’s support organization.

Africa

In the African section, the savannah area housing white rhinoceroses, Grevy’s zebras, sable antelopes, and lychee waterbucks is the zoo’s largest enclosure at almost one hectare. Ring-tailed lemurs that are allowed to explore the zoo grounds frequently congregate around the rhino house.There are bank pelicans, paradise and crowned cranes, helmeted guinea fowl, and sitatungas to observe at the neighboring bird park, which is crisscrossed by watercourses.Not all of the species at the bird park are native to Africa, such as the red-crowned cranes and sun ducks kept since 2017.

The 60 km/h fast prey simulator at the Salzburg Zoo garnered popularity for its cheetah enclosure: a piece of fresh meat was conveyed across the vast enclosure using a modified drag lift.This provided an incentive for the cheetahs to wander around a lot and practice their hunting behavior like they would in the wild.However, the factory has been idle for a long period.

In 2010, the lion house was finished.The construction is purposefully kept low.On the one side, the roof provides views of the savannah facility, and on the other, the lion enclosure and a community facility for red river pigs and Diana monkeys.Inside the lion’s den, there are samples of species from the many vegetation zones of tropical Africa, such as jeweled tree frogs, day geckos, panther chameleons, harlequin quail, and short-eared elephant shrews.In the African region, there are additional facilities for banded mongooses and spurred tortoises. In 2016, an aviary for gray parrots that could no longer be upgraded was abandoned in favor of expanding the turtle enclosure.

A 300 m2 habitat for African penguins was developed north of the rhino facility for 1.3 million euros in 2019/2020.

The old Bactrian camel and Przewalski’s horse community facility, which was previously isolated from the Eurasia region, was changed into a “African village” when the three last Przewalski’s horses were transported to the Belgian animal park Domaine des grottes de Han in March 2017.In March 2018, a new facility with typical African domestic animals (Watussi cattle, donkeys, Boer goats, and porcupines) opened.

Salzburg, Austria