Animals

Schőnbrunn zoo reopens after day of ice

05 Feb, 2014

Bad weather in Austria closed the Schőnbrunn zoo for the first time in 260 years on 3 February. Dangerous black ice made it impossible to open the zoo grounds to visitors and although most of the seven-hectare site was cleared the following day, visitors were warned to be cautious.

Vienna zoo, also known as Tiergarten Schőnbrunn was built in 1752 and is the oldest zoo in the world. It is one of the few zoos to house giant pandas and is the only zoo to have been successful in mating them naturally.

The latest baby panda, Fu Bao, was born on 14 August 2013. He was conceived naturally and is just beginning to charm the visitors with his antics.

Tiergarten Schőnbrunn was constructed next to Schőnbrunn Palace for Emperor Francis I, husband of Maria Theresa. Today it cares for more than 500 species, is visited by two million people a year and has been voted Europe’s best zoo three times in recent years.