Google donates $100,000
Double Recognition for the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation
Google employees in Zurich have nominated Wildnispark Zurich for a grant from Google.org. The award is doubly valuable: it reflects the employees’ appreciation and supports a species conservation project for lynx.
As a popular destination for experiencing nature, Wildnispark Zurich is receiving a grant of $100,000 from Google.org. The funds will benefit the “Leap into Freedom” project, which prepares lynx at the Langenberg Wildlife Park for life in the wild. On Thursday, October 29, Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Executive Director of Wildnispark Zurich, personally accepted the symbolic check.
What makes this special is that Google employees nominated Wildnispark Zurich for the grant. The selection was then made by a global, cross-functional committee at Google. Through these grants, Google.org specifically supports local organizations that are close to employees’ hearts and to which they are personally committed. “Our employees have close ties to the Zurich region. We want to strengthen organizations that are important to them and that make a valuable contribution to society and the environment. For many years, employees have been volunteering to combat invasive plants in the Park. The park combines nature experiences with concrete species conservation, which we are happy to support,” says Dennis Tietz, Head of Sustainability at Google Switzerland.
A Leap into Freedom for Young Lynx
With its spacious lynx enclosure, Wildnispark Zurich is one of the few European zoos capable of preparing lynx for life in the wild. The “Leap into Freedom” project aims to expand the existing enclosure and further improve the rearing of young lynx for release into the wild. In doing so, the Zurich Wildlife Park is making an important contribution to the protection of European lynx. Many populations live in isolation, which hinders genetic exchange and, in the long term, threatens the survival of these shy “tufted-eared” animals. Targeted reintroductions help connect populations and thus strengthen genetic diversity. Since 2024, several lynx born at Langenberg Wildlife Park have already been reintroduced into the wild in Germany. “We are very pleased that Google employees nominated us for this grant. It not only demonstrates appreciation for our commitment to nature and species conservation, but also highlights how important Wildnispark Zurich is as a natural and recreational space for people in the region,” says Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Executive Director of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation.
For further information
- Barbara Felix, Head of Marketing & Communications, Phone 044 722 55 29, barbara.felix@wildnispark.ch
- Google Switzerland Media Relations: Samuel Leiser, press-ch-external@google.com
High-resolution images:
Image captions
Check Presentation: Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Executive Director of Wildnispark Zurich, accepts the grant from Dennis Tietz, Head of Sustainability at Google Switzerland. A contribution towards the cost of refurbishing the lynx enclosure. Photo: Google Schweiz, Anna Takihara
“Leap into Freedom”: By releasing lynx into the wild, Wildnispark Zurich supports endangered lynx populations in Europe. Google’s grant will be used for this project . Pictured here: The release of “Freya” in the Saxon Ore Mountains (Germany). Photo: Wildnispark Zurich / LfULG, Ronnie Oehme.
Wildnispark Zurich participates in the European conservation breeding program for the Eurasian lynx. Pictured:
The mother of the 2023 and 2024 cubs (top), Photo: Wildnispark Zurich, Andreas Peemöller
The mother of the 2025 and 2026 litters (below), Photo: Wildnispark Zurich, Stefan Eichholzer
