A glimmer of hope in dark times

As with everything at the moment, Zoo and Tierpark Berlin’s look back at the facts and figures for 2021 is overshadowed by current developments in Eastern Europe and fears about what may lie ahead.

“Although the pandemic and its consequences are still very much on our minds, our thoughts these days are predominantly with the people of Ukraine,” says Zoo and Tierpark Director Dr Andreas Knieriem. “In times of crises such as war, people tend to focus on what really matters, and other worries suddenly seem rather small and insignificant. As part of the international zoo community, we are standing by our colleagues in Ukraine and trying to help them as best we can.” Berlin’s zoos have set up a donation account for Kyiv Zoo. Every cent that is donated will be passed on to where it is needed.

IBAN: DE84 1004 0000 0661 2345 00
BIC: COBADEFFXXX

Reference (Verwendungszweck): Zoo Kiew

 

Taking stock of 2021: The main events

The summary of the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic contrasts starkly with current political events, as it is relatively optimistic. There was a light at the end of the tunnel for Zoo and Tierpark Berlin, as 2021 saw a slight increase in visitor numbers. With a total of 3,609,805 visits compared to the previous year’s 3,487,564, things seemed to be looking up.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown us the devastating consequences that the destruction of nature can have. Berlin’s zoos have responded with an even greater commitment to protecting wild animals and their natural habitats. Highlights from the past year included the release into the wild of bearded vultures, eels, ibises and bison. A group of radiated tortoises that had been seized by customs officers in Hong Kong were given a new home at Tierpark Berlin. Hopefully, they will go on to have plenty of young and thus contribute to the survival of their critically endangered species. There is a similar hope for the Coquerel’s sifaka. In 2021, Tierpark Berlin was the first zoo to bring this critically endangered species to Europe. It is also the coordinator of the Coquerel’s sifaka conservation breeding programme. The educational programme offered by the Tierpark School is constantly being expanded in order to instil younger generations with the desire to protect animals and nature. In 2021, the Tierpark School’s efforts were recognised with an award from the UN Decade for Biological Diversity.

But Zoo and Tierpark Berlin are not only dedicated to species conservation – they also care passionately about the wellbeing of each and every animal under their protection. At the Zoo, the foundation stone was laid for the new Rhinoceros House. This represented an important milestone in the Zoo’s efforts to improve living conditions for the threatened pachyderms, who will move into the new building along with tapirs and Visayan warty pigs later this year. At the Tierpark, the designs for the new Himalayan habitat were presented during a tour of the construction site. The exciting new mountainous area will be open to visitors from early April 2022.


The numbers at a glance

Zoo & Aquarium Berlin

2,344,236 visits (2020: 2,267,398)

19,444 animals in total

1,074 different species

 

Tierpark Berlin

1,265,569 visits (2020: 1,220,166)

6,380 animals in total

645 different species

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