150 years of the Basel zoo: a path from animal shows to species conservation
Published: Saturday, Jun 29th 2024, 09:40
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Basel Zoo celebrates its 150th birthday on July 3. Its history began with the presentation of wild boars and native birds, passed through an inglorious chapter with ethnological shows and currently sees itself as a "lifebuoy" for species conservation.
Director Olivier Pagan praises "his" zoo in the anniversary book as an "oasis in the middle of the city". He mentions the recreational value for the population as a central task. This is followed by the terms education, research and nature conservation.
When it comes to nature conservation, Pagan does not always have the support of the population. In 2019, for example, the zoo's Ozeanium project was defeated at the ballot box in Basel: a good 55% of votes were against the legal requirements for the construction, which would have cost the canton nothing. The fiercely fought referendum campaign was primarily about animal welfare concerns.
The zoo is repeatedly confronted with such fundamental criticism of keeping animals in captivity - even though it can rely on a loyal fan base of around 1.2 million visitors a year and a great willingness to donate.
From cages to themed installations
The new themed presentations, from the large lion enclosure to the elephant enclosure and the recently renovated bird house with its free-flight hall, offer visitors new views and insights. Namely, themed installations that attempt to illustrate connections with nature, as Pagan puts it in the book.
Things were different until 25 years ago. Until the end of the 1990s, the lions were still crammed in between leopards and tigers behind bars, until they were able to move into a new spacious enclosure with a retreat in 2003. It was not until 1969 that the great apes were able to move from their small cages in the bird house to the new ape house, which was extended in 2010/2011.
In 1959, while still in the old ape cage, an event occurred that catapulted the Basel Zoo into the headlines across Europe: the birth of Goma, the first gorilla baby born in a European zoo, who was personally raised by the zoo director at the time with bottles and diapers. Goma died in 2018 at the ripe old age of 58.
This is just one example of the outstanding breeding successes of Basel Zoo. In 1956, the zoo made it into the world press with the world's first captive birth of an armored rhinoceros. But it's not always a happy ending. In December 2023, the zoo had to announce that a hoped-for elephant calf had died in its mother's womb.
A mixed start
When Basel Zoo opened its doors in 1874 as Switzerland's first zoological garden, such exotic animals were not yet on display. Back then, native animals such as ibexes, wild boars and birds were presented. However, the initial attraction quickly faded. It was not until 1879, when the zoo was taken over by the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, that it returned to the road to success and saved the zoo from early bankruptcy.
The racist display of indigenous people from 1879 onwards is a less than glorious chapter in the history of Zollis. It lasted until 1935. However, this was not for ethical reasons, as is self-critically admitted, but was the result of dwindling public interest. The exotic animals such as elephants and lions that had moved in in the meantime were obviously more attractive.
Enlargement as an exotic zoo
Its location close to the city center confronts the Basel Zoo with space problems. It currently occupies an area of just 110,000 square meters - in comparison, Zurich Zoo is much larger at 270,000 square meters. Nevertheless, with around 630 species, the Basel facility is home to several more animal species than its Zurich counterpart, which is content with 375 species.
However, the zoo still has a little land reserve: in the south beyond the cantonal border with Baselland and in the northeast, where the current above-ground parking lot extends. The zoo intends to incorporate these areas in the medium term.
What kind of animals is not yet known. In the anniversary book, Zolli Director Pagan and Chairman of the Board of Directors Martin Lenz talk about enclosures with exotic animals and tropical enclosures. Lenz is quoted as saying that the Basel Zolli wants to position itself even more strongly as an exotic zoo in the future.
On July 3, the Basel Zoo celebrates its 150th birthday. As the oldest zoo in Switzerland, as it emphasizes itself - which is not entirely true. Three years earlier, Basel's Lange Erlen zoo had opened its doors.
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