Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna has been voted Europe's best zoo for the fifth time. Each year, more than two million visitors come to see panda babies, newborn elephants and many other rare animals in the world's oldest zoo still in existence.
In the summer of 1752, Emperor Franz I. Stephan von Lothringen, Maria Theresia's husband, took his royal guests to the newly constructed menagerie in the park at Schönbrunn Palace for the first time. Ever since then, the world's oldest zoo has been operating in Vienna.
In 1906, Schönbrunn was the site of a sensational event: This zoo in Vienna was the first place worldwide to see the birth of an African elephant conceived in human care. The next world premiere followed in 2007: For the first time ever, a panda baby that was naturally conceived in a zoo by the name of Fu Long was born in Schönbrunn. In August 2010 the second bear cub was born, in August 2013 the third. The twins Fu Feng and Fu Ban were finally born in 2016.
Modern enclosures
Today the Zoo at Schönbrunn is considered one of the best and most modern zoos in the world. In autumn 2018, it was voted Europe's best zoo for the fifth time: Schönbrunn Zoo therefore beat 126 scientifically managed zoos in 29 European countries to take first place. The animal compounds have a particularly generous and natural design. More than 700 kinds of animal live here - from the Siberian tiger to koalas and rhinoceros. Highlights are the giant rainforest house, the large South American enclosure and the ORANG.erie, home to Vienna's orangutans. The Nature Experience Trail was opened in spring 2010. May 2014 witnessed the return of polar bears to the zoo: The enclosure, called "Franz Josef Land", covers 1,700 m² and provides the white giants with enough space to romp around in. The bears can also be watched diving for the first time.
The new giraffe park was opened in May 2017: A gallery in the winter enclosure means that visitors can now meet the giraffes face to face. In the new East Africa Building next door, dwarf mongoose, Von der Decken’s hornbills and ground hornbills can be found bustling about. The latter share the 1,770 m² outdoor area with the giraffes. And the new, spacious hippopotamus bathing pond, which opened in summer 2018, makes it possible to watch the animals splashing around outdoors. New and extensive enclosures and animal houses are added each year. But the zoo's historic charm is always preserved. The zoo is part of the Schönbrunn UNESCO world heritage site.
Special tours and workshops provide information about the animal kingdom. And the zoo is directly adjacent to the Desert House, where the flora and fauna of the driest regions on earth can be explored.
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