26. 10. 11. - 16:09

Vienna Zoo polar bears 'will suffer'

Bosses of Austria’s most popular zoo have rejected animal rights activists’ appeals to stop setting up a new polar bear enclosure.

Vienna’s Tiergarten Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Zoo) plans the creation of a Eisbärenwelt (Polar Bear World) by 2014. Now Frank Albrecht of the Österreichischer Tierschutzverein – a leading organisation for the protection of animals – harshly criticised the touristic attraction over the project. He told the Kurier that polar bears would certainly not feel well at the new compound "no matter how large it will be."

Albrecht said yesterday (Tues) that 70 to 95 per cent of polar bears in zoos suffered from behavioural disorders. "Polar bears always suffer," he said about animals kept at zoos. Albrecht also criticised the costs of the project of nine million Euros and called on Schönbrunn Zoo to stop building the Polar Bear World enclosure.

Gerhard Kasbauer, vice chief of the zoo, said in a first reaction to Albrecht’s attack: "It is true that polar bears are rogues. This is why the new compound will feature two separate parts."

Speaking to the Kurier newspaper, Kasbauer also said that breeding was becoming more important due to climate change effects on polar bears' natural habitats. He stressed the zoo had no plans to make changes to the construction project.

There are currently no polar bears at Schönbrunn Zoo. The zoo – which will celebrate its 260th anniversary next year – was awarded Best Zoo in Europe 2010 for a second time in a row after 2008 when the examination was also carried out. Leipzig Zoo in Germany came second in the most recent survey by the Zoological Society of London, Great Britain. The Zoologischer Garten in German capital Berlin was ranked third. Zoo expert Anthony Sheridan said 80 zoos in 21 countries have been investigated for the study. He explained that biodiversity, the value of investments and 24 other criteria mattered in conducting the check.

Schönbrunn Zoo was the second-most popular culture and entertainment attraction of Vienna in 2009 when 2.18 million visitors were counted. The zoo recorded over 2.57 million visitors the year before. Schönbrunn Palace, which is situated near the zoo, topped the ranking in both years (2009: 2.47 million visitors; 2008: 2.58 million visitors). Viennese tourism officials did not provide figures for 2010.