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Zürich Zoologischer Garten

Coordinates: 47°23′6″N 8°34′23″E / 47.38500°N 8.57306°E / 47.38500; 8.57306
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Zürich Zoologischer Garten
Entrance
Map
47°23′6″N 8°34′23″E / 47.38500°N 8.57306°E / 47.38500; 8.57306
Date opened1929
LocationZurich, Switzerland
Land area27 ha / 0.1 sq mi
No. of animals4673 (2016)
No. of species375 (2016)
Annual visitors1.2 Million (2016)
Websitewww.zoo.ch/en
Interior of the Masoala Hall

The Zoo Zurich is a zoo located in Zurich, Switzerland. It is considered one of the best zoos in Europe[citation needed]. Opened in 1929, it is the third oldest zoo in Switzerland (after Basel and Arth-Goldau) and it accumulated a collection of 2,200 specimens of 300 species by its seventy-fifth year. It is located on Zürichbergstrasse, on the lower reaches of the Zürichberg in the Fluntern quarter.

One of its popular events is the penguin parade, which is performed daily after noon if the outside temperature is below ten degrees Celsius.

The zoologist Heini Hediger was director of the Zurich Zoo from 1954 to 1973. The current director is Severin Dressen.[1] The zoo is member of WAZA and the EAZA.

The most famous attractions are the Asian elephant exhibit and Masoala Hall, which are inside of a large dome. Guests can even view elephants from underwater. They are also known as the only and first European institution to successfully breed Galápagos tortoises. Over the course of the years, the Zurich attraction has sent the baby tortoises to more than two dozen other zoos.[2] In 2005 the zoo discovered that the seven lemurs caught in Andasibe thought to be mouse lemurs were actually a new species later named Goodman mouse lemur.[3]

The zoo made international headlines in July 2020 when a Siberian tiger mauled a zookeeper to death in front of members of the public.[4]

Masterplan

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In 1992 a new plan for the development of the zoo was presented. The area of the zoo was to be doubled by 2020, while keeping the number of species the same and redoing most of the enclosures. The goal was to shift the focus away from displaying animals towards displaying ecosystems, allowing animals to retreat into spaces hidden from visitors. To house these ecosystems - Eurasia, South America and Africa/Madagascar - the zoo was geographically divided into distinct zones.

An updated master plan[5] serves as guideline even recently:

Already implemented and preexisting enclosures

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Kaeng Krachan elephant park from the inside
Interior of the Kaeng Krachan elephant park

Animals

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As of 2023:[6]

Masaola Rainforest
Exotarium
Aquarium
Pantanal
Sangay Cloud Forest
Australia
Great Ape House
Mongolian Steppe
Selenga Wetland
Semien Mountains
Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park
Zoolino
Lewa Savanna
Other animals

Further developments

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  • Zoo aerial cableway
  • New building for great apes
  • New coastal ecosystem for seals, otters and sea birds
  • Event location
  • Asian steppe ecosystem for banteng and Arabian oryx

References

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  1. ^ "Tiger kills Zurich zookeeper in front of visitors". BBC News. 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  2. ^ "80-Year-Old Tortoise Has Babies With Boy Toy". NBC News. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  3. ^ Hooper, Rowan. "Madagascar reveals two new species of lemur". New Scientist. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  4. ^ "Keeper killed by Siberian tiger in Zurich zoo". the Guardian. Associated Press. 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  5. ^ "Masterplan Zoo Zürich". Official Website of Zoo Zurich.
  6. ^ "Tier- & Pflanzenlexikon". Zoo Zürich (in German). An incomplete English-language version is also available.
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