Schönbrunn Zoo

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Schönbrunn Zoo is in Vienna, Austria. It is the oldest zoo still running in the world. It began in 1752.

Today, the zoo has about 8,250 animals. These animals come from 707 different species. Many people visit the zoo every year. More than 2 million people come to see it.

One of the most popular parts is the giant panda exhibit. Only 27 zoos in the world have these pandas. You can also see polar bears in a place called Polar Bear World. There is a building called the Rainforest House. It stays warm and wet inside. It feels like a forest in Southeast Asia. It has birds, otters, and iguanas. Another special place is the ORANG.erie. This is a home for orangutans. An orangutan named Nonja even made art with brushes and paint!

The zoo also helps save animals. It works to protect species that are in danger. This is called conservation. Schönbrunn Zoo is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it is a very important place for the whole world.

Schönbrunn Zoo is a special place located in Vienna, Austria.

It covers 17 hectares of land within the Schönbrunn Palace gardens. This zoo is very important because it is the oldest zoo still running in the world. It is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Every year, more than 2 million people come to visit the animals. As of 2021, the zoo was home to 707 different species. There were around 8,250 individual animals living there.

The zoo works hard to care for many different kinds of animals. Some areas are built to look like specific parts of the world. The Rainforest House acts like a mountain slope in a Southeast Asian rainforest. Inside, the air stays very warm and wet all year long. It stays above 25 degrees Celsius with high humidity. This allows birds, otters, and iguanas to live there happily. Another area is called Polar Bear World. It has a large pool so visitors can watch bears swim underwater.

The history of the zoo began a very long time ago. Francis Stephen of Lorraine wanted to create a menagerie. A menagerie is a collection of wild animals kept in enclosures. He asked an architect named Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Issey to design it. Construction began in 1745, and the zoo opened in the summer of 1752. The center of the zoo is an old building called the Imperial Pavilion. This pavilion was finished in 1759 and used to be a social room.

Many interesting things happened at the zoo through the years. In 1828, the zoo got its first giraffe as a gift. This caused a huge craze in the city of Vienna. People even made new hairstyles and perfumes inspired by the giraffe. The zoo faced hard times during the World Wars. During World War I, only 400 animals survived due to shortages. Later, during World War II, bombings caused many enclosures to be destroyed. It took a lot of work to rebuild the zoo after that.

Today, the zoo is a leader in helping animals survive. This work is often called conservation. The zoo focuses on breeding species that are in danger of disappearing. For example, they have giant pandas, which are very rare. Only 27 zoos in the world have these pandas. They also have a large rhino enclosure. This area holds Indian rhinos that were gifted from Nepal. The zoo continues to grow and modernize for new visitors.

Schönbrunn Zoo is a massive 17-hectare wildlife park located in Vienna, Austria.

It is recognized as the oldest zoo in the world that is still in operation. Because it sits within the Schönbrunn Palace gardens, it is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The zoo is a major global destination for nature lovers. It generally attracts more than 2 million visitors every single year. As of 2021, the institution housed 707 different species. This included approximately 8,250 individual specimens.

The zoo's history began with the vision of Francis Stephen of Lorraine. He was the husband of Empress Maria Theresa of the Habsburg monarchy. In 1745, he commissioned the architect Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Issey to design a menagerie. A menagerie is a collection of wild animals kept in enclosures. The original design included twelve enclosures with equal-sized structures. It also featured an administration building and a front garden. A pond and two yards were added after the initial construction. The menagerie finally opened to guests in the summer of 1752.

The Imperial Pavilion serves as the historic center of the zoo. This octagonal building was finished in 1759. It was originally designed as a social room and a place for breakfast. Since 1949, this historic structure has functioned as a restaurant. Over the centuries, the animal collection has grown significantly. An Indian elephant arrived in 1770. Predators like wolves and bears arrived in 1781. By 1800, the zoo added polar bears, big cats, hyenas, and kangaroos. The arrival of a giraffe in 1828 from the Viceroy of Egypt caused a massive cultural sensation in Vienna.

During the 20th century, the zoo faced extreme challenges during the World Wars. World War I caused severe supply shortages and hygiene problems. Only 400 animals survived that conflict. During World War II, aerial bombings caused even more destruction. Many enclosures were destroyed or damaged during these attacks. More than 1,000 animals died during this period. Only 300 animals survived the end of the second war. The zoo required significant reconstruction efforts by occupation forces. It was during this era that the term "menagerie" was officially replaced by "zoo" in 1926. This change reflected a new focus on education and conservation.

Modern management focuses heavily on conservation, which is the protection of species. The zoo is one of only 27 facilities in the world to house giant pandas. They also manage large enclosures for endangered animals. For example, they house Indian rhinos that were gifted from Nepal's former royal family. The zoo's leadership has also prioritized specialized habitats. The Rainforest House was opened in 2002 to celebrate the zoo's 250th anniversary. It simulates a Southeast Asian mountain slope. Inside, the temperature stays above 25 °C with humidity over 80%.

The zoo features several specialized facilities to mimic natural environments. Polar Bear World, also called Franz Josef Land, allows visitors to see bears swimming underwater. The Polarium is a cold-water facility for animals like South American sea lions and penguins. It maintains specific temperatures, such as 8 °C for the water. The ORANG.erie is a revitalized historic Palm House that now houses orangutans.

This facility even features art made by a famous orangutan named Nonja. There is also an Insectarium that is currently being remodeled. By 2023, it began a transition to house reptiles rescued from illegal wildlife trade.

Looking toward the future, the zoo continues to expand its scientific mission. A new project called the Schönbrunn Conservation Aquarium is planned for the Hietzing site. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. This new building is necessary because the current aquarium has reached the end of its service life. The new facility is expected to open in 2028. It will be the largest aquarium in Austria. The goal of this new building is to provide insights into conservation breeding. This helps protect critically endangered species that live outside their natural habitats.