Hellabrunn Zoo celebrates the arrival of spring

It's finally getting warmer and brighter again. After the first rays of sunshine, there can no longer be any doubt: spring is in the air! 

At Hellabrunn Zoo, the signs of early spring can be seen everywhere, adding dashes of colour to the park’s green landscape. The new season also generates increased activity among the animals – as many of the juveniles at the zoo demonstrate. Spring has sprung at Hellabrunn Zoo - plants are sprouting and flowers are blooming all around. The signs of a new season are not only apparent in the early bloomers on the meadows and around the enclosures, but can also be seen one level up in the trees and bushes. After a long winter, it’s a busy time of year for the gardening, maintenance and animal care departments. Enclosure trenches have to be cleaned and refilled, and some enclosures are in need of a revamp.

The season of new beginnings

For the gardeners, the advent of spring means time for pruning and cleaning. Last autumn they planted over 3,000 flower bulbs, which can now be seen all around the zoo grounds. The winter aconites, snowdrops and crocuses are already in full bloom, and the growing daffodils and hyacinths will soon unfold their splendour. For the maintenance team, it‘s means time to carry out weather-related work. They have already reinstalled the benches near the enclosures, which were removed over the winter months. The benches are now available for visitors to use again to rest, observe the animals and enjoy the spring sunshine.  

Also enjoying the first warm rays of the year are the residents of Hellabrunn Zoo. Spring marks the start of the annual breeding season for the Humboldt penguins who can be seen having fun swimming around in the pool, while for the two banteng calves there’s nothing better than playing in the sunshine. Equally curious about what the new season will bring are the kangaroos and agile wallabies and their offspring, after all the sprouting greenery in their enclosure needs to be examined and tasted. Visitors to the Mühlendorf village can also observe this sense of satisfaction among the Murnau-Werdenfels cattle and their little bull calf born in February. And while there, they can also find out about this endangered heritage breed.

Zoo director Rasem Baban offers an insider tip for visitors who want to experience Hellabrunn in spring: "In addition to our fascinating collection of species, our blooming meadow with raccoons and storks is definitely worth a visit. The dashes of colour are an important source of food for our local wildlife - and also a welcome sight after the greyness of winter."

Opening hours from 1 April 2023

The beginning of spring also sees a switch to the later opening hours at Hellabrunn Zoo. From 1 April 2023 to 28 October 2023, the zoo will open as usual at 9 am, but will now close at 6 pm, one hour later than in the winter months. Visitors are kindly asked to make their way to the exit at the Flamingo or Isar gate by closing time.