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Animal population at Schönbrunn Zoo: Decline of 800 animals – what’s behind it?
Schönbrunn Zoo will take stock of its animal species in 2025 and highlight the conservation breeding approach for endangered species.
Animal population at Schönbrunn Zoo: Decline of 800 animals – what’s behind it?
A new inventory of the animal population was carried out at Schönbrunn Zoo, but it revealed worrying numbers. Tiergarten director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: “Our goal is to represent biological diversity – a diversity that is increasingly threatened.” While 3,388 animals were recorded last year, this year the number has fallen by around 800 to 2,607. Fish represent the largest group with 2,607 individuals, followed by invertebrates, which include jellyfish and insects, while mammals form the smallest group with only 568 animals. The inventory plays a central role in monitoring the biodiversity in the zoo and the conservation breeding programs, reported zoological department head Rupert Kainradl.
Important facts about biodiversity
Around 1.8 million species are currently known globally, of which around 71,500 species have been identified in Germany, as highlighted by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). However, many species remain unknown, which could further increase the threat to biodiversity. Particularly in less studied groups, there is concern that many species will die out before they can be described. In addition, the discovery and classification of new species or the merging of existing taxa leads to confusion about actual diversity. This is particularly true of invertebrates, whose total number of over 48,000 in Germany is considered relatively low, while the global estimate varies between 2 and 11 million animal species.
The significance of these numbers is crucial for future work in zoological institutions and for species conservation. The decline in animal species in Schönbrunn Zoo exemplifies the challenges in preserving biodiversity that are observed all over the world. In particular, the breeding and preservation of extinct freshwater fish species in the zoo is a step in the right direction to ensure long-term biodiversity, as well bfn.de reported.