Protection of species

EAZA

Bern Animal Park is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). The leading association of zoos and aquaria in Europe and West Asia. It was founded in 1992 and promotes cooperation within European zoos and aquariums. Member zoos shall pursue the common goals of education, research and conservation and play an important role in the protection of nature and wildlife – both in their facility and in the wild.

Breeding programmes

Unfortunately, many animal species are endangered or even threatened with extinction today. Zoos and zoological parks worldwide pursue the goal of preserving biodiversity so that it will still be possible to enjoy furry, scaly or feathered animals in the future. Endangered species are specifically bred in so-called species conservation programmes. This enables the breeding of healthy populations. In Europe, these programmes are coordinated within the framework of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria).

EAZA Ex-Situ-Programme (EEP)

EAZA’s conservation programmes are called EEPs, which means EAZA Ex-situ Programmes. The aim of the EEPs is to produce and maintain healthy animal populations. Targeted matings are necessary for healthy animals – animal data must be analysed, breeding and transfer recommendations between different zoos must be developed to avoid inbreeding and to maintain genetic diversity. This is done with studbooks, which are kept and coordinated by zoo staff. Currently, EAZA manages conservation breeding programmes for over 400 different species. Bern Animal Park is involved in EEPs with the following endangered species:

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Europäisches Zuchtbuch (ESB)

ProSpecieRara

ProSpecieRara is a Swiss foundation and ensures the “conservation and promotion of genetic diversity in fauna and flora. The Bern Animal Park participates in ProSpecieRara programmes with the following species:

Release to the wild

The Earth’s biodiversity is dwindling faster than ever. There are now over 40,000 species on the Red List of threatened animal and plant species. Bern Animal Park is committed to the task of species conservation. Here you will find news about our ongoing reintroduction projects. We speak of reintroduction when animals are released from human care into the wild, and of reintroduction when animals are released into their original habitat after the species had previously become extinct there. Content only available in German.