Zoo Basel

Zoo Basel
Zoo Basel logo
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47°32′50″N 7°34′44″E / 47.547336°N 7.578764°E / 47.547336; 7.578764
Date openedJuly 3, 1874
LocationBasel, Switzerland
Land area32.12 acres (13.00 ha)
No. of animals6,894 (2008)[1] / about 5,000 in the aquarium
No. of species645 (2008)[1]
Annual visitors1,812,438 (2012)[2]
Memberships20 organizations, including EAZA,[3] WAZA,[4] and Swiss Zoos
Major exhibitsAfrica, Antilope House, Aquarium, Australis, Birdhouse, Elephant House, Etoscha, Gamgoas, Kinderzoo, Monkey House, and Rhino Exhibit in the Sautergarden
Websitewww.zoobasel.ch
Share of the AG des zoologischen Gartens in Basel, issued 20. February 1872

Zoo Basel is a non-profit zoo in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Its official name is Zoologischer Garten Basel — or in English: Basel Zoological Garden. Basel residents affectionately call it Zolli.[5] Its main entrance is just outside Basel's downtown strip of Steinen-Vorstadt and extends in the Birsig stream valley to Basel's city border with Binningen, Basel-Country. The zoo has over 500 animal species from all seven continents.

Zoo Basel is Switzerland's oldest (1874) and largest zoo by number of animals. With over 1.8 million visitors per year,[2] it is the most visited tourist attraction in Switzerland with an entrance fee.[5]

Zoo Basel was ranked as one of the fifteen best zoos in the world by Forbes Traveler in 2008[6] and in 2009 as the seventh best in Europe by Anthony Sheridan from the Zoological Society of London.[7]

The zoo had the first Indian rhinoceros birth in a zoo,[8] as well as the first greater flamingo hatch.[9] It has had repeated breeding success with animals including cheetahs (18 births),[10] okapi (22),[11] pygmy hippopotamuses (53),[12] and flamingos (over 400 hatches).[13] Every Somali wild ass (a donkey) in zoos worldwide is related to the population in Basel, where this species' zoological breeding program was started.[14] The zoo is currently engaged in more than 40 conservation breeding programs for endangered species.[15]

Zoo Basel is undergoing the most expensive expansion in its history. These include the indoor and outdoor renovation of the monkeyhouse (2011–2012 / Fr. 30 millions), the zoo restaurant renovation/expansion (2015 / Fr. 16 millions) [16] and a new elephant house and outdoor exhibit (2016 / Fr. 28 millions).[17] In the near future, further expansions into the current parking lot and to the south are planned. [18]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference stats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference visitors was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference eaza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference waza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Zoo Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Basel Tourismus, retrieved 2010-5-29
  6. ^ Minh Tu Nguyen & Rachel Slaff, "The world's best zoos", Forbes Traveler, November 2007; Forbes Travel . GetListy, retrieved 2010-3-26
  7. ^ Anthony D. Sheridan, "Europe's Leading Zoological Gardens, 2008", International Zoo News, Vol.56/5 (No.374), July/August 2009, pp.260-268; (in German) Zolli gehört zu den zehn besten Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. Basler Zeitung, published 2009-5-14
  8. ^ (in German) Eröffnung des Panzernashornhauses Archived February 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Zoo Basel, written 2006-09-26, retrieved 2009-12-3
  9. ^ "Zoo celebrates 50 years of flamingo breeding". Basler Zeitung (in German). 2008-08-13. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  10. ^ (in German) NACHZUCHT VON FÜNF JUNGEN GEPARDEN Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. Zoo Basel, published 2007-11-14
  11. ^ (in German) Das längste Okapi. webjournal.ch, retrieved 2010-05-31
  12. ^ (in German) Zwergflusspferd zurück Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. Zoo Basel, published 2008-06-11
  13. ^ (in German) 50 Jahre Flamingozucht Archived 2009-03-22 at the Wayback Machine. Basler Zeitung, written 2008-08-13, retrieved 2010-05-31
  14. ^ (in German) Somali-Wildesel Verband Deutscher Zoodirektoren, retrieved 2010-06-02
  15. ^ Basel, Zoo. "150 Years Urban Oasis Basel Zoo". Zoo Basel. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  16. ^ "Start der Bauarbeiten Elefantenanlage und Restaurant".
  17. ^ "Zolli erhält Baubewilligung für Elefantenanlage". Basler Zeitung.
  18. ^ "Test planning begins: our zoo is growing".