The Basel Zoo is set to grow over the next 25 years. What exactly is planned and which new animals and plants visitors can expect.
Something is happening in the “Zolli”, as the people of Basel affectionately call their zoo: around ten million Swiss francs are to be invested annually to expand the zoo’s area to the north and south over the next 25 years. A major project.
An exhibition at the main entrance to Basel Zoo shows how the site will develop over the next 25 years.
Basel Zoo
Zoo director Olivier Pagan stresses that nothing has happened in terms of space at Basel Zoo for 60 years. Now two new animal worlds are to be created. To do this, the parking lot in front of the main entrance in the north of the site will have to be removed. The zoo will also expand towards Binningen (Canton Basel-Land). The zoo already has planning permission for this area.
Olivier Pagan, Basel Zoo director, talks about how contemporary zoos are:
Two new animal worlds in Basel Zoo
The zoo will begin construction of the Erdbeergraben parking garage this year, as the existing parking spaces in front of the main entrance will be eliminated. Several domed buildings are to be built here, in which plants and animals from tropical rainforests will be housed – for example primates, birds and sloths.
Animals from the African savannah and the sea coast will move into the so-called “protective mat” in the south of the zoo. These include giraffes, hippos, African penguins and fur seals.
Basel Zoo
The zoo grounds are also being expanded in the south, towards Binningen (Canton Basel-Land). Here, visitors will be able to experience the flora and fauna of the African savannah and the coastal region of South Africa. Overall, the zoo’s area will be increased by around 20 percent.
Zoo contributes to species conservation
Animal rights activists repeatedly deny the question of whether zoos are still relevant. However, Olivier Pagan, zoo director in Basel, emphasises the mission that zoological gardens fulfil. Breeding programs between different zoos, endangered species of animals could be preserved. In addition, visitors should be inspired to love nature, which is why the zoo also has an educational mission, says Pagan.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has also emphasized that botanical and zoological gardens play an important role in preserving biodiversity. In a scientific article It is pointed out that the efforts of the institutions should even be strengthened.
