The Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation is starting the 2020 season in stages

The restaurants in Langenberg and Sihlwald will be welcoming guests again from May 11 and 12 respectively. The visitor center in Sihlwald opens its doors on 19 May and the Nature Museum invites visitors to a new exhibition. Larger events - including the NatUrwald Day on August 23 - have been canceled until the end of August for safety reasons. Langenberg Zoo will remain closed until June 7 by order of the federal government. The Federal Council's requirements to contain the spread of the coronavirus also have far-reaching consequences for the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation. Langenberg Zoo has been closed to visitors since March 16 and is expected to remain so until June 7, like all other zoos in Switzerland.

Following the latest decision by the Federal Council to reopen museums and restaurants to visitors from 11 May, the Zurich Wilderness Park can now start the 2020 season two months late with the opening of the visitor center and nature museum in Sihlwald: on 19 May, the nature museum will open its doors to the new "WaldWildnisWir" exhibition. The two restaurants in Langenberg and Sihlwald will welcome guests again from May 11 and 12 respectively. From then on, the area in front of the Sihlwald Visitor Center will also be open to the public again. Like the zoo, the otter enclosure will remain closed.

No big events but a new exhibition: "WaldWildnisWir"(ForestWildernessWe)

"WaldWildnisWir" is an exhibition on the special features of the Sihlwald. It allows visitors to experience the development from a natural forest to a dynamic forest wilderness. Nature has priority in Sihlwald, and for ten years it has held the "Nature Discovery Park - Park of National Importance" award. In 2019, the federal government confirmed the award for another ten years. On NatUrwald Day, the Zurich Wilderness Park wanted to celebrate this recognition together with its guests. The event planned for August 23, 2020 has been canceled: for safety reasons, the foundation has decided to cancel all offers and events that appeal to a wide audience until the end of August. This includes the popular Wilderness Days and the Adventure Saturdays at the Sihlwald Visitor Center. As far as possible, however, courses and excursions will be held as planned. Guided tours for private groups for the period after June 8 can still be booked. As soon as school operations return to normal in the Canton of Zurich, the school offerings in the Zurich Wilderness Park will also be available again. Information on the offer will be continuously updated on www.wildnispark.ch.

Animals at Langenberg Zoo are well cared for and a protection concept for the period from June 8 is being developed

The animals at Langenberg are being well looked after by the zookeepers with food and activities. In recent weeks and days, the alpine marmots and dormice have awoken from their hibernation and are now eating their lost body weight. All the deer have shed their antlers and are already sporting their first new velvet antlers. And the foals of the Przewalski's horses from last fall are enjoying the lush, flowering spring pastures. For the period after June 8, the foundation is currently developing a concept for the protection of visitors based on the industry solution from the Swiss Zoo Association.

It needs the support of visitors

Thanks to its broad-based sponsorship, the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation is able to maintain the operation of the zoo and all other facilities. However, the closure to the public means that important income such as parking fees and donations, which are needed to maintain the animal facilities, will be lost. "As never before, we are dependent on the financial and moral support of our visitors and are very grateful for it," says Karin Hindenlang, Managing Director of the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation.