Chemnitz Zoo participates in VdZ project
Livestock kit imparts knowledge on the protection of rare livestock breeds
Chemnitz Zoo is part of the project of the Association of Zoological Gardens (VdZ), which aims to strengthen the contribution of zoos to the conservation of endangered livestock breeds. The Association of Zoological Gardens has developed a farm animal kit and made it available to a total of 50 zoos and animal parks, including Chemnitz Zoo.
The zoo is represented with the breeding of a colour variety of the Bunte Deutsche Edelziege, the Erzgebirgsziege, which originates from Saxony. This breed has been kept at the zoo since 2018, and there have been regular offspring since 2020.
Erzgebirge goats are characterised by a rich brown coat with a black eel line and black "boots". The animals are considered undemanding and friendly to handle and are therefore kept in the zoo's petting zoo. Outside of the VdZ project, the zoo is also involved in the conservation of endangered livestock breeds such as the Saxony hen.
The farm animal case contains an extensive collection of materials that is unique in Germany. This means that zoo educators can now provide interested guests with even more comprehensive information about the characteristics and advantages of native farm animals and why the members of the association are committed to ensuring that endangered breeds such as the German black-and-white lowland cattle and the colourful German goat do not become extinct.
The knowledge is conveyed using memory cards, examples of consumer products made from farm animals and information on the original wild animal strains of our modern-day pets. Zoo visitors, especially children and young people, can thus be playfully educated about the current threat to native livestock breeds and sensitised to the need to protect biodiversity and the climate.