the waygabounds

First of all: I hate zoos. I can’t stand the thought of staring at animals that are in captivity, behind bars and far away from home. Still, like every two years or so I find myself wandering through the Imperial Zoo of Vienna. Cause that one is – even though still a zoo – a little bit different. What started out as the private menagerie of the former Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. in 1752 is regarded as the oldest zoo in the world by now; and it is, together with the palace and park of Schoenbrunn of which it is part, the most visited cultural and recreational attractions in Austria.

I like the baroque ambience and the flair of the 17 hectares of zoo area and sometimes I do have a weak moment and like to admire the different animals from all over the world. There are about 700 different species, some of them highly endangered. So yeah, the “protect and preserve” part of the whole thing is something that soothes the conscience a bit. As far as I know the Imperial Zoo of Vienna is a renowned world-class, internationally recognized zoological garden and I assume that there are worse places for animals to live.

Still, once you’ve seen a giraffe in all its grace in a natural surrounding such as the Kalahari Dessert, you don’t want to see them imprisoned, no matter how modern the whole giraffe area is. The same goes for polar bears and Elephants. Or the Koala in his fairly small cell. I don’t know… on the other hand it’s better than being hunted by poachers. I’m for a middle ground here: Leave the animals alone, don’t capture them and don’t poach them, don’t destroy their environment, don’t kill them. Simple as that.

Inside the zoo you find different restaurants, snack huts, cafés, a panorama train and the former breakfast pavillon of the Emperor and the Empress. I feel like it would be good to have a bit more people watching the visitors. It’s unbelievable how inconsiderate humans can be. Taking pictures with flash even though it’s forbidden (and there are signs EVERYWHERE), knocking against the aquariums and terrariums, screaming kids, kids who throw things… Why aren’t there guards or something telling them off? It’s not even only the kids – sometimes I feel like the grown ups are even worse nowadays.

Try to come early in the morning if you’re visiting during the summer months; I prefer coming in April or October, when the crowds are gone. The zoo is open 365 days a year.

More information:
Tiergarten Schoenbrunn
Maxingstrasse 13b
1130 Vienna
www.zoovienna.at

If you go by public transport keep your eyes peeled for the U4 stop called “Hietzing”.

Admission for adults is 20 Euros a day, kids pay 10 Euros. All pics are mine.