Evolution News

When Basel zoo opened its gates to the public, on 18 July 1874, there were 94 mammals (of 35 species) and 416 birds (of 83 species) to see on 4.3 hectares. Only animals native to the local geographical region at display, such as waders and waterfowls, owls, wild boar, deer, wolf, lynx, badger, marten, fox and wildcat. Especially the predator species got a lot of attention. But, because of the high mortality of the animals and the request of visitors to enjoy more exotic animals, they soon had to reconsider the set-up of the zoological garden.

In 1884 a first enlargement was achieved and exotic people together with their exotic animals were exhibited. These kind of exhibitions were popular with the public until the first part of the 20th century. Several donations made it possible to acquire the first exotic animals. And in 1886 a young Asian elephant, miss Kumbuk, was imported, which soon became well-known in Basel. The first pair of lions arrived in 1890, and already in 1891 the first lion cubs were born.

In 1901 a generous gift of Basel citizen Johannes Beck initiated the establishment of the Johannes Beck foundation, and provided a solid financial basis for the zoo. Until today this is celebrated with a special day during which visitors are admitted free of charge.

In 1910 the antelope house was erected and still exist to date. And in 1912 two male giraffes were bought. Unfortunately, in 1917 miss Kumbuk the Asian elephant died. Due to WWI elephants had become a rarity in Europe, so in 1919 it was decided that a new elephant, miss Jenny, was purchased from circus Krone.

Shortly after the end of World War I the association for the promotion of the zoological garden, today the Friends of the Zoo of Basel, was founded to financially support the zoo.

In the meantime a new standard on zoo design was created by Carl Hagenbeck. And it was time to implement his ideas by showing animals in open enclosures without fences. This commenced in 1921 with the construction of the marmot rock and the popular sea lion basin by the well-known sculptor Urs Eggenschwyler. Several changes were made in this period, while modernising the zoo. Additionally there was a steady increase of animal species until two catastrophes hit the zoo. The first was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, and the second was WWII. Both were a severe setback to the number of animals in the garden. Nevertheless, the gap that still existed in the zoo's livestock situation was filled when in 1942 at christmas a small aquarium was opened.

Immediately after the war ended the zoo acquired new animals and extended the park with a second entrance and a large meadow for the giraffes. In 1951 the first rhinoceros arrived, a male, who was provided female companionship only a year later. These two animals, Gadadhar and Joymothi, were the ancestors of the famous Basel rhinoceros breeding successes, with the world's first zoo-born in 1956. Basel was also the first zoo with a breeding pair of gorillas, which delivered Goma - Europe's first zoo-born gorilla on 23 September 1959 (see also History of Goma).

Had Heini Hediger introduced modern husbandry based on a biological way of thinking when he became Zoo director in 1944, his successor, the veterinarian Ernst Lang revolutionised the animal nourishment based on state of the art scientific knowledge. Together with the establishment of species specific group composition Basel Zoo became renowned worldwide for its breeding successes.

An important role in the zoo's modern animal husbandry played the new predator house. After its opening in 1956, people saw tigers, for the first time, behind a thin mesh screen and a lion in an outside enclosure without a roof. The big cat house has been a role model for many other zoos and brought impressive breeding successes, right from the start.

Further changes were made to the zoo design and plan, continuously. Like the long-awaited Vivarium opened its doors in Easter 1972. Its architectural design brought a new feature, for the 350 meter long corridor leads the visitor beneath the surface of the pond from water to land while following the path of evolution. Even today, the Basel vivarium excites visitors and professionals from around the world. The next revival in zoo design, like in a lot of reputable zoos, was the establishment of extended enclosures. Designing it according the idea of a nature reserve. Trying to lose the feeling the animals are kept in captivity such as in the African savannah mixed-species exhibit where ostriches are kept together with zebra and hippopotamuses. Next phase was to group fauna and flora following a continental focus.

In March 2001 the Etosha house was opened. This unique facility resembles and illustrates the food chain in the African savannah. The house is also built to be energy friendly. The two feet thick mud walls, mashed by hand, contribute greatly to the energy behaviour of the building. A 30 cm thick layer of foam beads made of recycled glass prevents heat loss to the soil. The energy of the warm exhaust air is passed through heat exchangers to the injected fresh air, and thus the precious heat stays in the house.

Trying to improve the life of animals living in captivity the construction of the "new worlds of experience for great apes" in the Basel Zoo commenced early summer 2010. It was a thorough renovation and expansion of the 1960s monkey house that brought stress upon the primates, especially the gorillas, because they had to leave their quarters for a year. During this period all the primates were taken care of by the Zoo's animal keepers outside the Zoo premises. When the monkey house was refurbished and complied with modern zoo standards new outside enclosures were created for the gorillas and other great apes (orangutans and chimpanzees). The enclosures for crab-eating macaque, ring-tailed lemur and bear had to be torn down to enable this improvement of the great ape outdoor enclosures.

A new elephant exhibit called 'Tembea' is currently [written in September 2016] under construction. It focuses on the latest findings for good elephant keeping and provides the animals with about 5,000 m², over twice the size as before. A new house and an outdoor area with enrichment features such as wallowing pools, various feeding sites, different soil substrates, rocks and patches of trees keep the elephants busy and on the move. The new animal keeping procedures will no longer involve any direct contact with humans so that the animals can live as naturally as possible in their own social structures. It will be a mixed-species exhibit as besides the elephants, guinea fowl and white stork will occupy the outdoor area. Indoors there are plans to house a community of harvester ants and brown rats. While on the top floor of the house and on the walls nesting opportunities will be created for swallows and swifts as well as roosting areas for bats. The work commenced in 2013 and the opening of the entire complex is scheduled for March 2017. During reconstruction, the female elephants stay on the plant but the bull has moved to Sweden.

Conservation and Science
Basel Zoo is and has been involved in several conservation programmes for many years, in-situ and ex-situ. With the Zoo's involvement in nature conservation projects worldwide, the zoo contributes to protecting and maintaining natural habitats, animals and plant species. To enhance their financial contribution possibilities the Zoo introduced nature conservation contributions on 01 July 2016. For every annual season ticket sold, a contribution of CHF 1.50 goes to nature conservation projects, and there will be a voluntary contribution of CHF 1.00 added to all admission tickets. The way Basel Zoo contributes to projects ranges from selling products of which the revenues support a project (Snow Leopard Trust); to support of individual researchers (African wild dogs in Botswana); to direct financial contribution (mountain gorillas in Cameroon); while the white stork migration project is perhaps the most close to home project, with the white stork that frequent the Zoo being part of the stork population that is provided with a transmitter to document their migratory behaviour.
Furthermore, Basel Zoo is actively involved in over 40 international conservation breeding programmes for endangered species and coordinates breeding programmes for fives species itself.

By appointing a biologist (Heini Hediger, 1944) and a veterinarian (Ernst Lang, 1953) as director science was introduced at Basel Zoo. Great improvements were achieved under their supervision regarding husbandry systems and breeding of endangered species. For instance, the greater flamingo colony at Basel has been subject of scientific study longer than almost any other species at the Zoo - with the first flamingo ever to hatch in an European zoo in 1958. Perhaps one of the most notable achievements was that clipping of the flamingo wings could be stopped because (a) plants are obstructing what would be their watery 'take-off strips' and (b) the birds have no reason to fly away; they have the sense of belonging together as a flock; they get their food all year round; and they are used to the winter shelter.

(Source: Basel Zoo website; Zoo Basel, 1999, Herausgeber Zoologischer Garten Basel, Bilder Jörg Hess)

Goma, the first gorilla born in an European zoo

The stages of Goma's life has been captured in the video below. Goma was born 23 September 1959 at Basel Zoo. She grew up during the first year of her life in the family of Basel Zoo director, veterinarian prof. dr. Ernst Michael Lang, who was director of Basel Zoo from 1953 until 1978. During this period he travelled to Africa several times to collect elephants, giraffes and Somali wild ass. Sourcing from the wild was something quite common in those days. Ernst Lang initiated the establishment of species breeding groups that became renowned worldwide. But he really became noticed in 1959 with rearing Goma.

After Goma (Swahili for 'dance of joy') was born her mother Achilla didn't know how to nurse her baby. To save the infant from a certain death the Lang family decided to take care of Goma themselves. And so the soon to become famous story of this gorilla began.

During her first year Goma's developments were not much different from a human baby and she even travelled with the Lang family by car to the Langensee for a vacation. Always ready for a good prank she was a delight. But as she grew stronger and stronger she needed to be separated from the family household. Therefore she was introduced to another gorilla youngster, Pepe, who was sourced from the wild in Cameroon and around the same age as Goma. They were first held together for a while and became good buddies, though never lovers. Together with him Goma was then - 1960 - introduced into the existing gorilla troop at the Zoo.

At the time it was business as usual for apes to have contact with humans and other ape species, while being subjected to dressage. So, until 1964 this was part of Goma's zoo-experience. In 1969 the apes were moved from the Bird House to the new Ape House, which meant that there was no more wire mesh, but glass panes instead.

Jambo, Goma's brother, became infatuated with his sister a bit too firmly and at the age of twelve Goma gave birth to a son, Tamtam, who would remain her only offspring.

In the 1970s zookeeping experienced its first major changes. For gorillas this meant that zookeepers would not enter the male enclosure any more and would only have minimal physical contact with the females.

Goma had long been a kind of outsider in the gorilla troop, and it was only when she became an aunt to her sisters' offspring that she became more involved in the troop's family life. As of the 1990s she is 24/7 together with the other gorillas. Also at the end of the twentieth century zookeepers stopped having direct contact with the gorillas without some kind of fence in between them.

In 2009 Goma became 50 years of age and there was a lot of media attention for the grand old dame and her early days foster parent, Ernst Lang. 2010 brought some stress, because the gorillas (together with the other primates) had to leave the Monkey House for a year which was to be refurbished to comply with modern zoo standards. During this period all the primates were taken care of by the Zoo's animal keepers outside the Zoo premises.

Another year later a new outside enclosure was made available for the gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees. The enclosures for the crab-eating macaque, ring-tailed lemur and bear had to be torn down to create space for these outdoor exhibits. Goma showed leadership as she was the first to inspect their new outdoor environment. She also was the first female, together with Quarta, to meet the new silverback M' Tongé on 19 August 2014.

At 15 August 2016 when I visited Basel Zoo, with Goma nearly 57 years old she is still going strong. But after a long and healthy life, Goma died of old age on 7 June 2018.

(Source: Basel Zoo website; Basel Zoo YouTube channel; Online Reports, Eine Basler Gorilla-Diva mit Weltruhm wird 50 Jahre alt, 17.09.2009; Zoo Basel Aktuell news release, 08.06.2018)

Prof. Dr. Ernst Lang remembers Goma (in Swiss-German only)

Footage of some of the highlights since the opening of Basel Zoo.

Basel zoo opened its gates to the public, on 18 July 1874. At the time there were 94 mammals (of 35 species) and 416 birds (of 83 species) to be seen on a premises of 4.3 hectares.

Soon the Zoo management started to exhibit exotic people as well, an idea first introduced and made popular by Carl Hagenbeck, an animal trader who opened his own zoo in Hamburg in the beginning of the twentieth century. These 'Völkerschau' became successful in those days in Europe, when colonialism was still common practice. It increased the turnstile numbers significantly. From 1879 until 1935 exotic people were - voluntarily but against payment - exhibited in Basel Zoo.

In 1949 an aardvark was sourced from the wild in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), and transported to Basel by Dr. R. Geigy.

In 1952 a female Indian rhinoceros, called Joymothi, was caught in India and transported to the Zoo in Switzerland. When her first calf was born on 14 September 1956 she made the headlines, because Rudra was the first Indian rhinoceros born in captivity ever, globally. Since then Basel Zoo became very successful in breeding this rhino species, with over 30 Indian rhino births. And as of 1972 Basel Zoo has been coordinating the International Studbook (ISB) and the EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP) for Indian rhinos.

Then Goma was born 23 September 1959 at Basel Zoo, the first gorilla born in an European zoo. She grew up during the first year of her life in the family of Basel Zoo director, veterinarian prof. dr. Ernst Michael Lang, because her mother Achilla didn't know how to nurse her baby.

Heini Hediger must be mentioned as he introduced modern husbandry and science based zookeeping based on a biological way of thinking when he became Basel Zoo director in 1944. He also made the general public in Switzerland aware of typical traits of exotic animals with regular appearances in a television show around 1960.

Improving the life of animals living in captivity was ongoing business with the construction of the "new worlds of experience for great apes" as one of the examples. It was a thorough renovation and expansion of the 1960s monkey house opened in 2012 as the new great ape exhibit.

(Source: SRF DOK, Wir und der Zoo, 29.11.2012; rhino resource center website; Zoo Basel website; Zoo Basel YouTube channel)

The Basel Zoo - or the Zolli as it is called affectionately by Basel's residents - is considered to be one of the leading zoos in the world. Among many comparisons, Anthony Sheridan's (Fellow of the Zoological Society of London since 1976) study of 80 leading zoos published in 2011, ranked the Zoo in Basel as 5th best zoo in Europe together with Chester Zoo and Cologne Zoo. Therefore I travelled to Basel Zoo with quite some expectations as you might understand.

It is hot and humid when I visit the Zoo and like me the animals probably want to move as little as possible and hide in the shade. So, I am heading towards a lot of seemingly empty enclosures (). But the Zoo's philosophy is that people that enter the garden should first gear down from the hectic speed of life in the big city¹, which matches my idea of a relaxed start of my tour by having a cup of coffee at the café near the entrance.
The luscious vegetation right after the entrance obscures more or less the rest of the park. It allows the visitor to take in the new environment slowly and relaxed. This game of hide and show is continued throughout the park, which keeps visitors curious and makes the small zoo appear larger than it really is.

The first enclosure I encounter, not counting the vivarium which I will visit at the end of my tour around the park, is the pond with black cormorants and grey herons. The free-flying cormorants breed at this pond in the winter. Normally cormorants spend the summer on the Atlantic coast of Northern Europe and go south in autumn. But some of these cormorants winter in Switzerland and apparently a few of them love the Zoo so much they made it their permanent base. Unfortunately the pond is a bit filthy, but this seems of no concern to its inhabitants, which are free to go where they want, remember.

The two hippopotamuses in the African savannah enclosure on the other side of the footpath opposite the cormorant pond have a grand moat at their disposal, where they can swim and stay submerged to their heart's content. If they want, however, they can go ashore on a nice peninsula with a shade providing tree. In former days the hippos were allowed to go ashore also on the next door paddock of the savannah exhibit. In fact there was no separation at all between the peninsula and the main part of the exhibit. But territorial display between the zebra stallion and the bull hippo has led to the decision to make a brushwood separation in this mixed-species exhibit of Grant's zebra, ostriches and hippos (see African savannah territorial disputes). The Hagenbeck-style enclosure with the zebras and ostriches has a moat to separate the inhabitants from the public and a slightly uphill going paddock with sandy substrate and trees and shrubs that provide ample shade.
Although not many animal indoor headquarters can be visited, which is normal in zoos nowadays, the Africa House gives an opportunity to see the indoor facilities for the zebras and hippos, where they spend their time when it is too cold outside (or at night); the ostrich indoor enclosure can be visited as well, at the other end of the savannah area.

Basel Zoo is a big city zoo located near the central railway station and surrounded by apartment blocks and other buildings. But besides being a zoo it is a botanical garden for Basel citizens to relax in their bustling city.

The gorilla outdoor exhibit has got wire mesh all around and is rich of artificial features, including its construction of concrete poles with a sort of climbing holds. The interior with wooden poles, tree trunks, ropes, hammocks, the little stream and grassy undulating grounds provide ample enrichment for the great apes. According the information panel the enclosure is used by gorillas and orangutans on alternate turns. As there is no meaningful vegetation inside the enclosure there's an additional wire mesh netting on one side with vegetation that provides protection for the apes during hot Swiss summers. But there are other ways to stay cool, as you can see in this video.

When I walk around this great ape outdoors I arrive at a cage-like construction for spider monkeys. It is a large cage, but still a cage I would say. It is full of enrichment, and is has a remarkable palisade structure of small branches inside that creates a kind of fence or at least a barrier for the monkeys to travel quickly on ground level; they have to go to the top of the cage to get to the other side of the palisade fence.

Following the footpath behind the monkey cage an old-fashioned aviary at the rim of the premises appears with red ibis and little egrets. How refreshing therefore is the next door walk-through Bird House with free flying species besides several caged individuals (such as guira cuckoo and Swainson's Toucan). The small integrated aviaries along the walls are not too bad either, but the enormous tropical house and its vegetation is like a little jungle where you can sit and wait for some of the most beautiful bird species to appear at feeding spots or little ponds. But the building style of the Bird House reveals that the inside once comprised rows of aviaries and not free-flying birds as it does today. In fact, since the 1950s the numerous traditional aviaries have been gradually removed and the bird species added to the walk-through exhibit. Several of the larger bird species have access to an outdoor aviary as well, such as the kookaburra.

Red-tailed laughingthrush having a bath inside the Bird House:

The newly built Monkey House (Geigy Affenhaus) that opened to the public in 2012 consists of two parts, one for South American monkeys and one for great apes. The primates are separated from the public by glass in their rather sterile environments. All the South American monkeys have a similar constructed exhibit with coated floors and walls for easy cleaning; tree trunks; artificial trees; and ropes and branches for enrichment. For lunch all the monkeys get live grasshoppers, which especially the Bolivian squirrel monkeys are keen of. They climb and jump all over the zookeeper who comes in with the cardboard tube filled with this delicacy, of which they rip off the head first. In this section the Zoo keeps white-faced saki; red titi monkey; cotton-top tamarin; golden lion tamarin; spider monkey; and woolly monkeys together with Bolivian squirrel monkeys in three connected enclosures. After this part a large section follows with substantially larger indoor enclosures for troops of 8 gorillas, 7 orangutans and 11 chimpanzees respectively. All three great ape species have several connected enclosures at their disposal. The construction of the enclosures doesn't differ a lot from the South American monkeys' enclosures, though the gorillas and chimps have one of three connected enclosures that has a small layer of soil substrate while the other two have coated floors. An additional feature for the apes is also the availability of puzzle feeders. The orangutans have the inevitable wood shavings. It must be all easy to clean but is has a very sterile look. Very different from the gorilla enclosures at the two zoos of The Aspinall Foundation (Port Lympne Reserve and Howletts Wild Animal Park).

I have my lunch in the restaurant that has been completely refurbished in 2015 and is situated on arguably the highest spot of the Zoo grounds. It has an excellent salad bar. From its terrace you have a nice view on some parts of the green park. And in due time you will see the elephants in their new enclosure neighbouring the restaurant. The new elephant enclosure is under construction and scheduled to be ready in March 2017. So it will not do the current situation justice to give a detailed description of how the four female African elephants are housed at the moment (the bull has been send to Sweden during the construction process). Nonetheless, the dry moat at the perimeter of the current space they occupy seems a little odd.

The cheetah - I have spotted one individual - has access to a small enclosure that is partly surrounded by the elephant compound, separated of course by a moat and a fence. The design is nice I have to admit, with several large boulders for the cheetah to lie on and look out on the 'zoo plains' including the elephant paddock. There's plenty of vegetation that provide shade, but I haven't discovered feeding enrichment equipment that could force the cheetah to run after its food. Which of course would be silly in such a small enclosure. In addition the inhabitant(s) are quite exposed because the public has viewing access from many sides including from within the adjacent Etosha House.

This Etosha House is an educational facility about the food/life cycles on Planet Earth, the importance of ecosystems and clean air and water. It tells the story of the natural food cycle, and thus the continuity of energy and nutrients - to eat and be eaten. Together with the Gamgoas building it is the educational heart of the Zoo with information on species conservation, species interaction and food webs. Apart from the information found all around the Zoo at the information panels at the enclosures, of course.

In between the elephant enclosure and the Gamgoas building two predator exhibits are situated, the one for the African wild dog and adjacent to the Gamgoas building the African lion exhibit. The wild dog pack of three, which is quite small to create a social structure this species normally lives in, can be found just across from the elephants along the outer rim of the premises. It is a nice varied multi level enclosure with lots of vegetation, a pond, and ample hiding places. The dogs just receive their lunch when I arrive and it turns out they like 'spare ribs' (see video). The lion exhibit is another Hagenbeck-style bar-less enclosure like most of the enclosures here in Basel. It has got a water-filled moat around a peninsula that borders the Gamgoas building from where you have got viewing opportunities on the lions' outdoors as well. Furthermore, it has all sorts of vegetation from trees to shrubs and elevated platforms for these big cats to rest upon. Because it is a small enclosure they cannot keep a large pride of course. Still, one male with three females is a substantial occupation for an exhibit of this size. Inside the Gamgoas building there is one of the most extraordinary mixed-species exhibits I have seen in zoos so far: Nile crocodiles that share their exhibit on land with dwarf mongoose and in the water with a variety of fish.

Have the Etosha House and Gamgoas exhibits been designed and delivered at the last turn of the century, the next exhibit still got its original building - built in 1910 - in place, the Antelope House. Its very special atmosphere when you walk in reveals that this must be one of the oldest building of the Zoo. It is surrounded by three paddocks for okapi, lesser kudu and Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) respectively. The House itself is arguably not fit-for-purpose any more, but the outdoor areas can bear comparison with most modern facilities. An interesting feature of the Antelope House is the roofed and wire mesh fenced off area the giraffe enter before they actually can access their outdoor paddock. In that area they are outside, but then again they are not. There is a footpath that encircles the Antelope House and its paddocks, and at some points provides excellent views from a higher viewpoint on especially the giraffe area.

At this point of the premises there's a tunnel underneath the railway tracks that leads to another and smaller part of the Zoo, which also got its own entrance - the Dorenbach entrance. This addition to the Zoo grounds has a most peculiar mixed-species exhibit close to the tunnel exit, a walled enclosure of 2,000m² for Indian rhino, Reeve's muntjac and Asian small-clawed otter. The four curious Asian small-clawed otters are provided with cleverly designed bucket mobiles that contain mussels for enrichment (see video). The otters may swim in the pool where the rhinos bathe, and obviously defecate, but there is a stream created between the large pool and the visitor's viewing area that contains clean water and is accessible only for the otters. The third species in this area, the muntjac, apparently has befriended the rhinos and together they enjoy the fresh hay in a relaxed atmosphere.

Adjacent there's a small artificial mountain that provides a suitable habitat, although it lacks vegetation, for crab-eating macaques on one side and for a snow leopard on the other side. The predator's enclosure does resemble its native mountainous area of the Himalayas, but it is way too small of course. This area is extremely exposed to the weather conditions, which the snow leopard should easily cope with during the Swiss winters, but perhaps the summer temperatures are a bigger challenge for this cat with its thick fur. The large group of macaques have, besides the artificial rock face, several different enrichment features at their disposal for climbing. Furthermore, there's a pool close to the wire mesh fence. These macaques have been the subject of research for decades and are one of the most intensively studies monkey communities. Here at Basel Zoo they seems to thrive because several youngsters and newborns can be identified within the group.

Across from the snow leopard the black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus) are housed in a less spectacular arena with remarkable little water. This penguin's native habitat in the South of Africa can be warm, so keeping them outside during summer should be no problem. But I think they deserve a little bit more water that the near empty pools they've got now.

The last species I try to discover on this side of the Zoo grounds is the pygmy hippo. Due to the luscious vegetation in its small exhibit it manages to stay out of sight. So I decide to have a look at the rhino house before I return to the main part of the Zoo via the tunnel again. There I start at the sea lion pool built by Swiss sculptor Urs Eggenschwyler in 1921. It is a classic theatre design with a tribune, an oval-shaped pool and an artificial rock face rear wall - outdated but still successfully in use. Along the footpath on this side of the rectangular main Zoo grounds a mix of species that come from different continents and different habitats are on display. From American bison, grey wolf, the nowadays inevitable snowy owl, sable antelope, Somali wild ass to grey kangaroo. As if this part is an overflow area where they haphazardly keep the 'other' animals. This section also comprises the children's zoo. Most of the enclosures are designed according the 'Hagenbeck-style' with water-filled moats except for the wolves and the owls. Although not spectacular, the park-like features in this section with lots of vegetation make it attractive to wander along the exhibits. Unfortunately, the wolves are housed in a rather small and elongated enclosure that in my opinion is not fit for purpose. Although there are several holes in the artificial rock face rear wall it doesn't seem to be overly equipped with shelters and I doubt if there is any feed enrichment regime. The Somali wild ass paddock, however, is a large and varied enclosure that also houses the ground hornbill and is a feast for the eyes.

The vivarium building (see also Basel Zoo Water) near the entrance/exit is my last stop today. This concrete building is not the most elegant house on the premises, but it contains an astounding number of species and specimens. The architectural design with its 350 meter long corridor leads the visitor beneath the surface of the pond from water to land while following the path of evolution. At the time of opening, in 1972, Basel Zoo had set a new standard with this ingenious mix of species display and education. At the end of the path through the vivarium the king and gentoo penguins can be found in their Antarctic home. Although this is in fact a pathetically small enclosure both penguin species have hatched offspring this year, normally a sign of well-being.

Conclusion
Basel Zoo is a delightful big city zoo that provides an escape from the busy life in the city. Besides tranquillity the park provides good information on their animal and plant collection, while general education about biodiversity, ecosystems and life cycles is available too. The Zoo did not completely lived up to my expectations, because some of the enclosures are not up-to-standard and the grouping of the Zoo's animal collection is a bit confusing. Regarding the quality of the enclosures it must be said that good decisions have been made by not trying to keep and display very many species, and improvements are introduced when necessary and opportunity and resources are available. The grouping of the species focuses on two large Africa sections (African savannah, and the area around the Etosha, Gamgoas and Antelope House), and a primate section (Monkey House and its outdoor facilities). The rest of the species, wherever they originally come from, is scattered over the place. Nonetheless, mixed-species exhibits always comprise species of the same geographical region or habitat here in Basel.

¹ Zoo Basel, 1999; Herausgeber Zoologischer Garten Basel, Bilder Jörg Hess

African wild dogs ripping apart a brisket

The small pack of African wild dogs love 'spare ribs´, that's for sure. They attacked the cow brisket with very much energy, because unfortunately for them no effort was spent on hunting down their lunch. That is one of the natural behaviours predators are not allowed to develop and show in zoos.

African elephant ladies

I don't know if the four female African elephants miss the attention of their male companion that has been sent to a Swedish zoo during the multi-year renovation project of the elephant enclosure at Basel Zoo. But the ladies are still vain I would say, because they all want to show themselves before the camera as you can see.

Asian small-clawed otters food bucket challenge

The four Asian small-clawed otters share their enclosure with the Indian rhino. This formidable beast most likely will not attract the otters' curiosity, so this should be satisfied in another way. Asian small-clawed otters search for mussels, snails and small fish in streams and shallow waters. Unfortunately, it is not possible to distribute these kinds of treats across the waters of the exhibit as they would attract crows, herons and rats. And there are many of those around, so the food would be gone before the otters would get to it. Therefore the zookeepers cleverly designed a kind of mobile made of buckets with holes in it. A bucket with food will lower when the ice in the bucket on the other side melts. The otters regularly check whether the buckets are low enough yet. It is only then that they can claw the mussels out of the holes with their hands. The mobiles are placed at various points across the compound, so that these little critters can always find a challenge and be on the lookout for food all day long.

The showering orangutan

In this footage taken by Roland Sorg in August 2015 you can see that orangutan can be very inventive and show opportunistic behaviour. In this case the shade from the additional netting with vegetation for staying cool is regarded as insufficient by this orangutan. Instead the orangutan takes a shower under the water sprinkler that is used to water the plants.

Video credit: Roland Sorg on Vimeo

The African savannah enclosure was opened in 1993 to enrich the lives of the Grant's zebra, ostriches and the hippos. It is, however, not always easy to find the right balance between species and individuals to create a stable animal community. Especially territorial behaviour that comes with vigorous defence of set, but invisible, boundaries can disturb the harmonious coexistence of the animals in such a mixed-species exhibit. The African savannah enclosure of Basel Zoo has a colourful history for that matter. Originally the territorial boundary between the zebras and the hippos was the land-water boundary, where for years the visitors could enjoy the spectacle of territorial display of strength between the zebra stallion and the bull hippo at the water's edge. It was a mutually respected boundary that was enforced by at times serious or sometimes more playful display of strength. Nevertheless, it meant that the hippos were not to go on shore as the bank was zebra territory.

Therefore, the peninsula was fenced off with brushwood and only accessible for the hippos. But the water still remained hippo territory and when the stallion at one time slipped and fell into the water he was immediately killed by the hippos. This changed the balance of power dramatically because the zebra mares were not able to defend and hold their grounds. The hippos took over and harassed the zebras and ostriches. So, it was decided that also the water-filled moat had to be fenced off to separate the hippos from the zebra and ostriches permanently. Whenever a new community structure - and possible territorial structure - is established when new animals are introduced all could change again, perhaps.

(Source: Basel Zoo guide book, English edition)

Vivarium

The Vivarium was opened to the public on Easter 1972. It currently houses around 450 different species, and presents a wide variety of selected ecological themes based on marine life, amphibians and reptiles. The Vivarium opening its doors after several years of construction work was something long cherished by the Zoo management and the people of Basel. The first attempt to fulfil these wishes to have a large public aquarium had failed miserably when in 1942 an aquarium centre had been opened inside the main ticket office building. Due to the constraints in space the centre could only hold 24 rather modestly sized tanks. After this disappointment it took another 20 years and some generous donors before drafting a brand new design aquarium house commenced, in 1962.

Its architectural design brought a new feature, for the 350 meter long corridor leads the visitor beneath the surface of the pond from water to land while following the path of evolution. Basel Zoo had set a new standard. Even today, the Basel vivarium excites visitors and professionals from around the world.

The Vivarium houses three quarters of all the species living in Basel Zoo, in fact it is a small zoo on its own. The best way to enjoy what the Vivarium has to offer is to enter the main entrance right after the main ticket office while exiting via the bridge that crosses the cormorant pool. The journey begins in Central Europe, leads across the Mediterranean Sea and the African lakes to the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific Ocean. During this geographical journey the visitor experiences various habitats and sees how evolution enabled species to adapt to the different demands of nature. He or she descends into coral reefs, take trips to Asia and the Amazon, crosses mangrove swamps and intertidal zones, and returns to dry land at the Antarctic home of the king and gentoo penguins. The latter two species are the only animals in the Vivarium that are able to warm their bodies themselves, all the other creatures (cold-blooded) have to rely on external sources of warmth.

Footage of four tanks in the Zoo's Vivarium, just to give a little impression of what can be seen, such as the lionfish and the Banggaï cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) in the final shot:

Many species in the Vivarium require a different quality of their environment, which means different characteristics of the water in their exhibit. These characteristics are vital to the plants and animals inhabiting the tank. Water hardness, nutrients, salt content, pH and temperature are just a few variables that need to be adjusted and monitored to meet the requirement of the various species. Therefore, six different qualities of water are on tap available together with facilities to mix them as appropriate.

Oceanium

Basel Zoo is considered one of the best zoological parks of Europe and continuously upgrades its facilities to meet the ever improving standards of modern zoos. It has invested a great deal in upgrading its animal enclosures and transformed many of these into natural habitats. Due to its location in the heart of city, however, the zoo has not been able to expand since 1961. While it still seems to dream of a this large public aquarium in the city of Basel. Now, the zoo is considering just such an expansion on the Heuwaage site, where it plans to build such a large aquarium: the 'Basel Zoo Oceanium'. But like their previous dream and the years to build the Vivarium it will take many years to fulfil this wish as well - the opening is foreseen for 2023.

The Oceanium will house several thousand animals from all climate zones in around 30 aquaria with water levels of up to eight metres. These will impressively convey not only the size of the ocean along with its diversity and beauty, but also its fragility. A usable area of approximately 10,000 m² is to be filled with around 4,600 m³ water to create habitats for sharks, rays, penguins, sea otters, coral, intertidal zone dwellers and deep sea dwellers.

The Oceanium aims to show visitors the hidden secrets of ocean life, to pique their interest in our oceans and to raise their awareness of the threats to these oceans After all, even before the most important correlations in the seas have been researched, we are already making great (and sometimes excessive) use of their resources. For future generations to enjoy the oceans, it is crucial for us to start using them sustainably today. The Oceanium aims to play a major role in this regard and provide environmental education in a fun and innovative manner.

The Oceanium will complement the existing Vivarium, which was built in 1972. Its size and the advances that have been made in the field of aquatics make it possible to deal comprehensively with ocean-related topics and implement a modern, contemporary and sustainable aquarium concept.

The Oceanium's location in the heart of Basel is ideal as there are no comparable institutions within a 500 kilometre radius. Furthermore, in a landlocked country like Switzerland where people easily forget their responsibility towards the sea, it is important to create an awareness of our seas and oceans.

Construction work on the Oceanium (in German: Ozeanium) was set to begin in 2019, with the opening scheduled for 2023. However, the planned large-scale aquarium remains a fantasy for the time being, because on 19 May 2019, in a referendum, Voters in Basel have rejected this controversial project that would erect a giant aquarium complex – the largest attraction of its kind in land-locked Switzerland (Swissinfo.ch, accessed 14 September 2024)

(Source: Basel Zoo guide book; Basel Zoo Vivarium guide book; Basel Zoo website; Projekt Ozeanium website)

Basel Zoo supports the Big Life Foundation in Kenya - an extremely successful conservation project for wild predators in the Amboseli Wildlife Refuge. There predators are hunted, when they prey upon the livestock of the people living there. The organisation replaces the animals of the local Masai, such as cows, sheep and goats, that are lost due to predators. The annually 25,000 francs of Zoo Basel help cover these expenses.

In the video Richard Bonham of the Big Life Foundation stresses the importance of the population of predators in zoos worldwide. These species, such as lions, cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs are the ambassadors for their peers in the wild. They raise awareness for the dire situation of these species in the wild. Furthermore, the zoos' entrance fees are used and well-spent on in-situ conservation projects like the Big Life Foundation.

Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.

Directions to Basel Zoo

Basel Zoo is located in the centre of the city. The pedestrian routes to the zoo are well signposted. When coming from the main railway station (Basel SBB) make sure you take the exit at the city centre side.

Address:
Binningerstrasse 40
CH - 4054
Basel
Switzerland

public transport

By train it is best to travel to the main railway station (Basel SBB). From there it takes 5-10 minutes on foot to get to the Zoo. More information on train schedules en tariffs, including an attractive combined ticket for train travel and zoo admission can be found here.

By tram, take the number 1 or 8 line to the "Zoo Bachletten" stop; or tram number 2 to the "Zoo Dorenbach" stop; or tram number 10 or 17 to the "Zoo" stop.

By bus take the number 34 or 36 bus to the "Zoo Dorenbach" stop.

More information on public transport in Basel available here.

by bicycle

Basel is also one of the most bicycle friendly cities in Europe. It is a city with many bicycle trails and it has several places where bikes can be hired, for instance at the main railway station. The Swiss Rail System has a bike rental scheme where cyclists can ride from one town to another and drop off their bike at any station in Switzerland. Bicycles can also be carried on trains. There are many easily identifiable bicycle lanes throughout Basel and the city even has dedicated cyclist traffic lights and left turns (which is a good security measure, because you drive on the right hand side of the road). In fact there is no reason not to cycle to the Zoo, or it must be that it so easy to reach it by foot or public transport.

by car

When you go by car take Motorway A2 in Switzerland and Motorway A5 in Germany to exit Basel Süd (Basel South), City centre. From there follow the signs to the Zoo. There's a car park at the main entrance or you can choose between two multi-storey car parks located at Heuwaage, five minutes' walk from the zoo.

Download the zoo map here.