The Berlin Zoological Garden is the oldest and best known zoo in Germany.
Opened in 1844 it covers 35 hectares and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten. With
about 1,500 different species and almost 20,500 animals the zoo presents the most
comprehensive collection of species in the world.
The zoo and its aquarium had more than 3 million visitors in 2013. It is
considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe and one of the most popular
worldwide. Regular animal feedings are among its most famous attractions.
Globally known animals like Knut, the polar bear, and Bao Bao, the giant panda
have contributed to the zoo's public image.
The zoo collaborates with many universities, research institutes, and
other zoos around the world. It maintains and promotes European breeding
programmes, helps safeguard several endangered species, and participates in
several species reintroduction programs. History
Opened on 1 August 1844, the Zoologischer Garten Berlin was the first
zoo in Germany. The aquarium opened in 1913. The first animals were donated by
Frederick William IV, King of Prussia, from the menagerie and pheasantry of the
Tiergarten. During World War II, the zoo area was
completely destroyed and only 91 of 3,715 animals survived, including two
lions, two hyenas, an Asian bull elephant, a hippo bull, ten hamadryas
baboons, a chimpanzee, and a black stork. By the end of the war, the zoo
was fortified with the Zoo Tower, a huge Flak tower that was one of the last
remaining areas of German resistance against the Red Army, with its bunkers
and anti-aircraft weapons defending against allied air forces. Following the
zoo's destruction, it and the associated Aquarium was reconstructed on the most
modern principles so as to display the animals in as close to their natural
environment as feasible. The success achieved in breeding animals, including
some rare species, demonstrates the efficacy of these new methods.
"In 1938, the Berlin Zoo got rid of Jewish board members and forced Jewish
shareholders to sell their stock at a loss, before re-selling the stock in an
effort to "Aryanize" the institution. The zoo has now commissioned a historian
to identify these past shareholders and track down their descendants, according
to a report by AFP." Source: ww.haaretz.comjewish-world-news/1.561521
Zoo The Berlin Zoo is the most visited zoo
in Europe, with about 3 million visitors per year from all over the world. It is
open all year long and can easily be reached by public transportation. The
Berlin Zoologischer Garten railway station is one of Berlin's most
important stations. Several modes of transport such as U-Bahn, S-Bahn and
buses are interlinked here. Visitors can either enter the zoo through the
exotically designed Elephant Gate beside the aquarium on Budapester Straße or
through the Lion Gate on Hardenbergplatz.
The zoo maintains studbooks for black and Indian rhinoceroses and gaurs. The
populations of rare deer and pigs are part of several captive breeding
projects. Berlin Zoo supports conservationists in other countries and
as a partner of the Stiftung Artenschutz.
Most of the animals are housed in enclosures designed to recreate their
natural habitat. The zoo houses four types of great ape;
orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos.
The carnivore house displays all big cats and many rare small predators, such
as ring-tailed mongooses and narrow-striped mongooses from
Madagascar. In the basement, visitors are invited to a view into the world of
nocturnal animals. The bird house presents a walk-through
aviary and offers a broad variety of forms, including several regularly
breeding species of hornbills and many parrots. Numerous big aviaries show
waders, herons and many other species. The Berlin Zoo is one of the few zoos to
exhibit tuatara and Luzon tarictic hornbills.
Aquarium The Aquarium, which was built in 1913 as
part of the Zoologischer Garten complex. Animals
The polar bear Knut was born in captivity at the zoo on 5 December 2006.
Rejected by his mother at birth, he was subsequently raised by zookeepers and
became the center of a mass media phenomenon that spanned the globe,
quickly spawning numerous toys, media specials, DVDs, and books. Because of
this, the cub was largely responsible for a significant increase in revenue,
estimated at about five million euros, at the Berlin Zoo in 2007. Zoo
attendance figures for the year increased by an estimated 30 percent
making it the most profitable year in its 165-year history. Knut died on 19
March 2011 after collapsing in his exhibit.
Bao Bao was the only giant panda in a German zoo and the eldest known giant
panda in a zoo worldwide. Like many of his kind, he was on a permanent loan
from China for breeding purposes. In spite of several artificial insemination
experiments with a female named Yan Yan, there were no offspring. Bao Bao died on
22 August 2012. Incidents
A woman was mauled by polar bears while swimming in the cage, she was rushed to
the hospital. See also
List of zoos in Germany Zoo flak tower, built in 1941,
demolished in 1947 References
External links Official website