Tuesday, 23. April 2024

The return of the large herbivores

New exhibition at Langenberg Wildlife Park

A new exhibition will open at Langenberg Wildlife Park on May 1st. "Wisent & Co. - the landscape gardeners" impressively shows how the large herbivores have reconquered Switzerland over the last 150 years and how they influence the landscape.

Tuesday, 23. April 2024

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 Wildlife Park 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.

A look at the "Wisent Thal" project

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

Family-friendly exhibition - free admission

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. It also dedicates a section to the "Wisent Thal" project. A special attraction is the skeleton of a bison cow that lived in the Langenberg Wildlife 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. Admission is free, donations are very welcome.

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