Wildlife Enclosure I
The spacious ranges and large aviaries found in the wildlife enclosure area provide over 30 species of mountain forest animals with a natural environment. The population includes grey wolves and brown bears, extinguished in the wild 150 years ago, as well as animals returning to their native habitats, such as the lynx and black stork. Visitors can also see the European bison, deer, wild boars, and river otters. The selection of birds includes eagle owls, Ural Owls, ravens, and grouse. Animal photographers are provided with plenty of opportunities to take beautiful pictures. Richly illustrated information markers provide interesting facts about the animals, describing how the animals live, their diet, behavior, social structure, and more. Guided tours are given daily from Christmas
until the end of October.
Wildlife Enclosure II
A comfortable 2.5-km (1.5 mi.) long path takes visitors on a round trip through the vast wildlife enclosure area to the “Haus zur Wildnis” Visitor Center. You can watch a family of lynxes, a howling pack of wolves, and peacefully grazing wild horses and aurochses in three open ranges designed to resemble the animals’ natural habitats as closely as possible. As you journey through time from prehistoric times to the present, you will want to take note of one very special attraction: the Stone Age Cave. The artificial rock surface shows a recreation of the cave drawings of wild horses and aurochses found in Chauvet Cave in southern France. The artwork depicts how Paleolithic man once lived together with these large animals.
Presentation boards and 3D animated films also illustrate how climate, landscape, and fauna changed in the last ice age and the immediate post ice age period, as well as how man responded to these environmental and climatic changes with innovative new hunting techniques.