Latest news
News from Sihlwald and Langenberg
The rats discover the garden
Grand opening
The time has come: the extension of the Norway rat enclosure with outdoor area and swimming pond is complete. On Saturday, Zurich Old Town Councillor Richard Wolff and Karin Hindenlang Clerc, Managing Director of the Zurich Wilderness Park Foundation, officially opened the new attraction for people and animals in Langenberg.
With the new rat garden, we enable visitors to encounter a widespread yet little-known animal that feeds on our waste in the "wild". If rats turn up unexpectedly, the "yuck" is usually not far away. Why is that?
Insects in the forest - diverse, amazing and indispensable
Insects" wilderness day on September 25
Up to 60,000 insect species live in Switzerland. However, only half of these have been researched. The "Insects" wilderness day offers visitors to the Zurich Wilderness Park the opportunity to find out more about these small creatures.
Time and place: Sihlwald, Sunday, September 25 from 1.30 to 4.30 pm.
Alpine longhorned bees, long-horned beetles and spherical beetles - Beat Wermelinger, insect researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), knows them all. On September 25, he will take interested visitors on a journey into the world of forest insects. At 2pm and 3pm, he will be giving a talk entitled "Insects in the forest - diverse, amazing and indispensable" at the Zurich Wilderness Park Visitor Center.
Wisent Thal" project
The shaggy giants have arrived in the Jura!
The go-ahead has been given for a pioneering species conservation project in the Solothurn municipality of Welschenrohr: Here, the "Wisent Thal" association wants to investigate whether the European bison can be reintroduced to Switzerland. On September 15, five young bison from the Zurich Langenberg Wilderness Park arrived in the Thal district.
Would it be possible to reintroduce free-ranging bison (Bison bonasus) to the Swiss Jura? - This is precisely the question that the "Wisent Thal" association wants to answer with a well-monitored and supervised test herd. After many years of preparation and approval procedures, the pilot project has now been definitively launched.
Papa Moll in the Zurich Wilderness Park!
The well-known Swiss children's book character Papa Moll has two reasons to celebrate this year! Firstly, in the latest volume, which will be published on September 16, the Moll family visits the Zurich Wilderness Park for the first time. And secondly: Papa Moll appeared for the first time 70 years ago. Congratulations!
Hochwachtstrasse/Albis timber mill
The Hochwachtstrasse will be heavily used until the end of October due to logging work and timber transportation. The road is still open to pedestrians and cyclists, but caution is advised. You can avoid the logging via a marked, short section (30m) on a trail through the forest. Cyclists must push their bikes along this short section.
Schnabelweg: Path open again
Observe signaling
The Schnabelweg was closed for a long time due to a landslide. Now the route is open again - but only as a trail. Good footwear is therefore recommended on this route. Please stay on the path so as not to unnecessarily disturb the flora and fauna in the protected core zone. Thank you for your support!
New pair of otters in Zurich Wilderness Park
The otter enclosure at Langenberg Animal Park in Sihlwald has gained another attraction: two more otters have been living here for a few days now. The pair will hopefully produce offspring next spring; the two previous animals are already a little older and can enjoy their retirement in the Zurich Wilderness Park.
Otters are among the public's favorites at the Zurich Wilderness Park. This week, the chance of spotting one of the charming "water martens" has doubled. A second pair has moved into the otter enclosure in Sihlwald. The animals are both just one year old and come from zoos in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The rat garden takes shape
Follow the construction work digitally
Because rats like water, they will soon have access to a pond in Langenberg. We are following the construction work and giving our guests an insight into what is happening on site - even from the comfort of their sofa. Follow the construction of the new facility!
The fencing has now also been installed: the experts opted for a particularly solid chrome steel grid. It can withstand the rats' sharp teeth in the long term. The pond basin is also ready for the first water filling. The animals can be seen swimming and diving in the rat garden next to the muesli hut as early as October 2022.
Documentary film about the Zurich Sihlwald Wilderness Park
On Friday, July 8, Swiss television will present a documentary on SRF 1 about Switzerland's first nature discovery park - the Zurich Sihlwald Wilderness Park. The report marks the start of a 5-part series on Swiss parks of national importance.
The documentary "Rendez-vous im Park", which will be broadcast on SRF 1 on Friday, July 8 at 9 p.m., is dedicated entirely to the first nationally awarded nature discovery park - the Zurich Sihlwald Wilderness Park.
New moose cow at Langenberg Zoo
A cow moose from Sweden has recently taken up residence at Zurich Wilderness Park. After surviving her time in quarantine well, she is now being reunited with the two moose already living at Langenberg Zoo.
The one-year-old moose cow that arrived at the Zurich Wilderness Park on April 27 has a two-day journey behind her. She comes from the "Järvzoo" in Sweden. Like all new arrivals from abroad, she spent the first 30 days in quarantine at Langenberg, but was already visible to visitors. During this time, the animal was able to get used to its new surroundings and the presence of the zookeepers.
