Chemnitz Zoo and Tierparkförderverein support the "Zoo Animal of the Year" campaign
Alongside education, species conservation is the most important task of zoos. A distinction is made between species conservation in the zoo, "ex-situ" (keeping and breeding endangered species), and species conservation in the actual habitat of the species, "in-situ" (research, conservation and education projects). Some zoos maintain their own field projects, others help by providing financial or personnel support for specific projects. Chemnitz Zoo is one of the latter and has been supporting various species conservation programmes for years with the help of its sponsoring association, Tierparkfreunde Chemnitz e.V..
Every year, the Tierpark Friends donate a certain amount of the money raised through sponsorships to outdoor projects. This also recognises the fact that the animals living in the zoo are ambassadors for their free-living conspecifics. Together with the zoo, a decision is made as to which projects these are. Last year, the "Zoo Animal of the Year", the leopard, and the Prince Alfred deer were selected and a total of 1000 euros were transferred to the corresponding projects.
The "Zoo Animal of the Year" species conservation campaign was launched in 2016 by the Zoological Society for Species and Population Conservation (ZGAP), the German Zoo Society (DTG) and the Association of German Zoo Sponsors (GDZ) as a new species conservation initiative. The initiative focuses on animal species that are kept in zoological institutions but are highly endangered in the wild and are generally less well known. Research and species conservation measures for certain animal species in the wild are to be supported through a targeted education and funding campaign.
The Zoological Society for Species and Population Conservation e.V. (ZGAP) has nominated the leopard as "Zoo Animal of the Year 2016" in order to specifically help highly endangered populations of its species in the wild. Several subspecies of this fascinating big cat are now severely endangered in their natural habitats in Africa and Asia. Local conservation projects are being funded, initially in Sri Lanka for the Sri Lankan leopard and in Iran for the Persian leopard.
Persian leopards have been kept and bred at Chemnitz Zoo since 1999.
Opening hours in February:
Zoo: 09:00 - 16:00 (last admission 15:00)
Game enclosure: 08:00 - 16:00
Opening hours in March:
Zoo: 09:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:00)
Game enclosure: 08:00 - 16:00
www.tierparkfreunde-chemnitz.de
http://www.zootier-des-jahres.de
More photos of the "Zoo Animal of the Year" campaign at: www.zootier-des-jahres.de/presseportal