The return of the large herbivores

Today it is almost impossible to imagine: 150 years ago, ibex, red deer, roe deer and wild boar were completely or almost extinct in Switzerland.

A new exhibition at Langenberg Zoo impressively shows how the large herbivores were able to recapture Switzerland and what role they play in the native ecosystem. For example, they spread seeds or create forest clearings through their feeding behavior, which provide habitats for light-loving animal, fungi and plant species.

Family-friendly exhibition - free admission

Elk and bison, which used to be native to this country, have not yet returned. The Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation, to which the Langenberg Zoo also belongs, is currently supporting a pilot project in the canton of Solothurn to reintroduce the bison to Switzerland: the "Wisent Thal" project. The fenced-in test herd in the municipality of Welschenrohr comes from the Langenberg Animal Park.

The family-friendly exhibition is located in the elk house in Langenberg West, between the elk and bison enclosures near the entrance at Albisstrasse 4, and also devotes a section to the "Wisent Thal" project. A special attraction is the skeleton of a bison cow that lived in the Langenberg animal park for 18 years and had to be put out of its old age. What child wouldn't want to compare themselves with the body size of Europe's largest land mammal? The taxidermy was made possible by the Lions Club Sihltal.

The exhibition is open 365 days a year, currently from 9 am to 7 pm.
Admission is free, donations are very welcome.

Further information:

Mirella Wepf, Project Manager Communications,
Phone 044 722 55 22, mirella.wepf@wildnispark.ch

Media event

A non-public event will be held on April 30, 2024 at 5.30 pm to mark the inauguration of the new exhibition. We would like to invite interested members of the media to attend. Biologist Dr. Linda Frey, who designed the exhibition, will give a brief tour of the exhibition on this evening, and Martin Kilchenmann, Head of Animals and member of the management of the Zurich Wilderness Park, will report on the conservation breeding of bison at Langenberg Zoo and on the "Wisent Thal" project. Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Managing Director of the Zurich Wilderness Park, will also be available to answer questions.
Please register by 29.4.2024 at barbara.felix@wildnispark.ch

Tuesday, April 30, 5.30 pm at the Elchhaus
Location: Albisstrasse 4, 8135 Langnau am Albis.

Please use the parking facilities near the pedestrian bridge. A few steps after entering the western part is the moose enclosure with the moose house.

Pictures

All images are available for download in high resolution in the ZIP folder below.

Captions

• The large herbivores are returning to Switzerland. This is the theme of the new exhibition "Wisent & Co. - the landscape gardeners", which opens on May 1st at Langenberg Zoo. (Image: Zurich Wilderness Park/Fredy Tschui)
• From 1 May, the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation will be showing the new exhibition "Wisent & Co. - the landscape gardeners" in the popular elk house at Langenberg Zoo (Image: Zurich Wilderness Park/Abigél Schnellmann).