Hellabrunn Zoo
Hellabrunn Zoo (German: Tierpark Hellabrunn) is a 40 hectare (99 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.
| Hellabrunn Zoo | |
|---|---|
The elephant house was built in 1914. | |
| 48°5′50″N 11°33′15″E | |
| Date opened | 1 August 1911 |
| Location | Munich, Germany |
| Land area | 40 ha (99 acres) |
| No. of animals | 18,943 (2014) |
| No. of species | 767 (2014) |
| Annual visitors | 2,283,739 (2014) |
| Memberships | EAZA, WAZA |
| Website | www.hellabrunn.de |
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 bison share their enclosure with prairie dogs.
In 2013, the zoo was ranked the fourth best zoo in Europe (up from 12th). 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 many 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).