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News from Sihlwald and Langenberg
Rescue service practises at Langenberg Wildlife Park
On Wednesday, August 14, Schutz & Rettung Horgen will be carrying out various emergency drills at Langenberg Wildlife Park.
Don't be startled. On Wednesday, August 14, rescue workers from Schutz & Rettung Horgen and the Langnau am Albis fire department will be training for emergencies at Langenberg Wildlife Park with the help of the animal keeper team. Various emergency scenarios are practiced at several spots in the Wildlife Parl. Some sections of the paths or access to the animal enclosures may therefore be temporarily restricted.
Young otters in Wildnispark Zurich
The otter enclosure of Wildnispark Zurich in Sihlwald has been enriched by another attraction: two young otters (Lutra lutra) have been on display here for a few days now. The otter is an endangered species in Europe; the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation participates in the international conservation breeding program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA).
Otters are among the public's favorites at Wildnispark Zurich. Now there is good news about the charming «water marten»: the otter couple, who has been living in the near-natural enclosure in Sihlwald since 2022, has had offspring. «The young were born on 18 May,» explains Martin Kilchenmann, Head of Animals at Wildnispark Zurich. Their sex is not yet known.
National Holiday, Thursday, 1 August 2024
To protect the animals, the setting off of fireworks is prohibited on the grounds of the Langenberg Wildlife Park and in the Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park. Langenberg Wildlife Park closes at 6 pm on this day.
Fireworks pollute the environment with particulate matter and waste, bring with them the risk of forest fires and cause stress for animals. The noise, smell and glow of fireworks cause wild animals to panic. We want to avoid all of this. For this reason, setting off fireworks is prohibited on Thursday, 1 August, both at Langenberg Wildlife Park and at Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park.
Rare beetle discovered in Wildnispark Zurich
Bolitophagus reticulatus is a very rare, demanding beetle species and only lives in areas where nature is allowed to be pristine. Where dead and weakened trees are not removed from the forest and tinder fungi thrive as a result. At the end of June 2024, the beetle was detected in Sihlwald by a researcher from Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH. This is the first record in the canton of Zurich, and it has also rarely been sighted in the rest of Switzerland. The species had presumably been almost extinct in Switzerland for decades.
The Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park is the largest natural forest reserve in the canton of Zurich. Since 2000, the former commercial forest has been allowed to revert to a wilderness. Dead trees are not removed here. This has a positive effect on biodiversity. For example, the tinder fungus can be observed more and more frequently on the trunks of dead beech trees in the Sihlwald. Its fruiting body serves as a food source and habitat for numerous insect species, in particular Bolitophagus reticulatus, the notch-necked tinder fungus beetle. This beetle grows to around 6 to 7 millimetres in size and is a clear indicator of a forest's closeness to nature.
Revitalization of the Sihl from 2026
The Sihl at Sihlwald is currently obstructed and ecologically impoverished. The canton of Zurich wants to revitalize this section of the Sihl together with the SBB to create diverse habitats for animals and plants again. The project will go on public display in June 2024.
More than a hundred years ago, many streams and rivers throughout Switzerland were straightened and dammed to protect them from flooding and to gain land. The formerly diverse and dynamic rivers and streams have become ecologically impoverished as a result. High-quality habitats for animals and plants are also lacking in and along the Sihl near Sihlwald. This is why the Canton of Zurich and SBB want to jointly revitalize an approximately 1.8-kilometre-long section of the Sihl near the Sihlwald SZU terminus and the Zurich Wilderness Park visitor center.
Excursion tip
"Lynx and dragonfly" wildlife day at Langenberg Wildlife Park
On Sunday, June 16, it's all about "Lynx and Dragonfly" at Langenberg Wildlife Park. The event, known as Wildlife Day, offers a varied program for the whole family with short guided tours, a lecture and various stands.
The Eurasian lynxes are among the public's favorites at Langenberg Wildlife Park. However, these magnificent big cats are endangered in the wild. By rearing young animals that can be released into the wild, the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation is working with other nature conservation organizations to save the wild lynxes in Western Europe from extinction.
Change in the Foundation Members' Meeting
There are personnel changes in the Foundation Members' Meeting of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation.
Andreas Hasler is stepping down from the Founders' Assembly at the end of May. He has represented Pro Natura Zurich as the sponsoring and founding organisation of the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation in the Foundation Members' Meeting since 2008.
We would like to thank Andreas Hasler for his many years of commitment to the Wildnispark Zurich.
New president and management of zooschweiz
At the end of May, veterinarian Karin Federer was unanimously elected as the new president of zooschweiz, the association of scientifically managed zoological gardens in Switzerland.
At the end of May, the ten members of zooschweiz unanimously elected Karin Federer as the new President. Federer is Director of the Walter Zoo in Gossau and takes over from Caspar Bijleveld. The director of the Papiliorama in Kerzers headed zooschweiz for 3 years.
Annual report 2023
Our review of the year 2023 shows encouraging results in various respects: Thanks to targeted enhancement measures along the river Sihl, significantly more sand lizards have been observed. The operation of the new emergency care station for bats at Langenberg Wildlife Park has also got off to a successful start. And according to a representative survey, the Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park has become better known to the public.
The Wildnispark Zurich Foundation's 2023 annual report offers exciting insights behind the scenes. It shows how the first year of operation of the new emergency care station for bats at Langenberg Wildlife Park went and the measures the Wildnispark Zurich Foundation is taking to promote biodiversity in Sihlwald and Langenberg Wildlife Park, for example with the construction of reptile castles along the Sihl. These efforts are paying off.
Lynx from the Langenberg makes headlines
A female lynx from the Langenberg Wildlife Park is to be released into the wild in Germany next autumn. Now it has made headlines ahead of time: The Thalwil fire department had to be called in to help catch it for transportation.
European lynxes living in the wild are threatened by inbreeding. The Wildnispark Zurich is participating in the European conservation breeding program. A female born in 2023 is to be released into the wild in Germany to strengthen the gene pool of the free-ranging population.
