Nowhere is it as beautiful as in Schönbrunn: For the sixth time in a row, Schönbrunn Zoo was voted the best zoo in Europe by British zoo expert Anthony Sheridan. In category A, zoos with more than a million visitors a year, it takes first place ahead of Leipzig and Zurich. Since the beginning of the ranking in 2008, Schönbrunn Zoo has consistently been at the top.
A total of 126 scientifically managed zoos from 29 European countries were examined. They were evaluated according to 40 criteria. These include animal husbandry, species protection, animal stocks, biodiversity, zoo education, research, visitor numbers, signage, animal keepers, marketing and gastronomy.
Schönbrunn Zoo has long been more than just a popular recreation area, but also a place for research, education and conservation breeding. “We want to inspire visitors for the world of animals and their protection. We can look back on many highlights in recent years: successful breeding of the koalas, opening of the new Barbary macaque barbary sheep enclosure, quadruplets of the cheetahs and also the offspring of the polar bears. The nomination as the best zoo in Europe is a valuable recognition of our work,” says zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. There is close cooperation with other scientifically run zoos on a European and international level. “One of our top goals is to curb species extinction.”
