Latest news
News from Sihlwald and Langenberg
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.
The return of the large herbivores
New exhibition at Langenberg Wildlife Park
A new exhibition will open at Langenberg Wildlife Park on May 1st. "Wisent & Co. - the landscape gardeners" impressively shows how the large herbivores have reconquered Switzerland over the last 150 years and how they influence the landscape.
Today it is almost impossible to imagine: 150 years ago, ibex, red deer, roe deer and wild boar were completely or almost extinct in Switzerland.
S4 replacement bus between Langnau-Gattikon and Sihlwald
Due to construction work, the section of the S4 between Langnau-Gattikon and Sihlwald station will be closed from April 15 to December 24, 2024. During this time, rail replacement buses will run twice an hour between the two stations.
In order to protect the lower Sihl valley and the city of Zurich from flooding, the canton of Zurich is building a relief tunnel between Langnau am Albis and Thalwil, through which water can be diverted from the Sihl directly into Lake Zurich.
Three young wolves have moved to Basel
The Lange Erlen zoo in Basel is opening a new wolf enclosure on April 19. In future, it will be inhabited by three male wolves that were born at Langenberg Zoo.
In the wild, wolves grow up in packs. This consists of the two parents, the pups from the current year and possibly from the previous year. At the age of one to two years, the growing wolves have to leave the pack. Both females and males then set off on a migration in search of a mate and their own territory. They can cover long distances of several hundred kilometers on these migrations.
"Fence lizard. Is everything okay?"
New special exhibition at the Nature Museum
From Friday, April 12, the Nature Museum of the Zurich Wilderness Park will be presenting the new special exhibition "Sand lizard. Everything alright?". It offers an exciting insight into the life of these bright green mini-dinosaurs. In keeping with the theme, the Zurich Wilderness Park has redesigned the habitat next to the museum. Sand lizards, insects and numerous other small animals feel at home in the new small animal community.
The sand lizard loves clutter. It uses piles of stones and branches as shelter. Its preferred habitat is dry areas, embankments, hedges and strips of old grass along fences. The sand lizard is rarely found on intensively used agricultural land and in "tidy" gardens. In Switzerland, the sand lizard is therefore considered a vulnerable species and is on the Red List.
Spring is here: start of the season at Zurich Wilderness Park!
From Good Friday, March 29, the visitor center in Sihlwald will be open again. This marks the start of the main season in the Zurich Wilderness Park. The Wilderness Park team has once again put together an exciting program with around 300 events.
Mushroom and wild plant courses, guided tours of the animal park or wilderness days for the whole family; with over 300 events, the Zurich Wilderness Park offers a varied program and attractions for all nature-loving people.
Exciting insights behind the scenes
The Wilderness magazine is here! It focuses on red deer and ibex.
Our magazine "Wildnis " is now available again at Langenberg Zoo and the Sihlwald Nature Discovery Park Visitor Center. It focuses on two animal species that became extinct in Switzerland 150 years ago: Red deer and Alpine ibex. It's hard to imagine that today!
"There's something delicious for everyone!"
Restaurant Langenberg open again from February 10
Celebrate your next children's birthday party at Restaurant Langenberg! Or enjoy a brunch here followed by a guided tour of the park! - After a short renovation break, Restaurant Langenberg will reopen its doors on February 10. In this interview, Managing Director Armin Jucker explains what he wants to offer guests.
You recently took over the operation of Restaurant Langenberg and have created numerous new offers. What do you offer guests?
The beaver has arrived in Sihlwald
Gnaw marks on young trees were the first to give it away. A wildlife camera and tracks in the snow provided proof shortly afterwards: the beaver has arrived in Sihlwald - a welcome addition to the biodiversity of the Zurich Wilderness Park!
200 years ago, the beaver disappeared from Switzerland due to intensive hunting. Thanks to successful reintroduction projects between 1956 and 1977, the population of these rodents has developed well again. Today, almost 5,000 animals live in Switzerland. The beavers living in the canton of Zurich are mainly the result of releases in the Aargau moated castle, the Nussbaumersee lakes in Thurgau and the Thurspitz in Zurich. Beavers have been reintroduced to the Limmat for some time. Now this population has slowly spread along the Sihl from Zurich main station, where the Limmat and Sihl rivers meet. The beaver has recently been observed in Sihlwald - a welcome addition to the biodiversity of the Zurich Wilderness Park!
