Hellabrunn Zoo presents Annual Report for 2023 at AGM

Münchener Tierpark Hellabrunn AG (Hellabrunn Zoo) looks back on a successful financial year 2023 and assesses its zoological, commercial and infrastructure achievements.

Education, research and conservation are the most important pillars of Hellabrunn Zoo – with a special focus on its pioneering role in biodiversity preservation. Münchener Tierpark Hellabrunn AG (Hellabrunn Zoo) looks back on a successful financial year 2023 and assesses its zoological, commercial and infrastructure achievements. The Annual Report 2023 was presented at this year's Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, 10 July 2024. In 2023, the zoo remained open throughout the year for the first time since the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, without any restriction of movement, gatherings and operations. As a result, visitor numbers in 2023 bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, nearing a record high. In the financial year 2023, Hellabrunn Zoo welcomed 2,498,696 visitors. The total number of annual passes sold increased by 2.75 percent to 68,153.

Zoo director Rasem Baban is pleased with the results of the past year: "Hellabrunn is consistently developing and will therefore remain a pioneering zoo. This includes participating in important scientific research, pursuing our educational mission and ensuring the best possible care for our animal residents. The visitor numbers speak for themselves - Hellabrunn Zoo is still one of the most popular recreational and educational destinations in Bavaria."

Verena Dietl, chair of the supervisory board and Mayor of Munich, summed up the year with a positive outlook: "Hellabrunn Zoo is an important Munich institution for species conservation, environmental education, science and animal experiences. For many of our guests, visiting the zoo on a regular basis is an integral part of their leisure time and, in some cases, has become a tradition followed by their families for generations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hellabrunn‘s many supporters and, last but not least, all our staff for their tireless efforts, which have made the success of the past financial year possible."

In terms of zoo population development, 2023 was a very positive year thanks to the consistently animal-friendly and professional husbandry, but also due to periodic renovation and upgrading of the animal facilities. In 2023, the Jungle World and the Penguin House in the Polar World underwent major renovation work, which will continue in 2024. The enclosures for the lynx, Persian fallow deer and zebras were also revamped, with some facilities completed in the reporting year. The South American sea lions received a start-of-the-art shading system with automatically extendable shade sails, the tigers a new platform and the polar bears a “wobble tree”. The enclosure for the black and rufous elephant shrews in the Jungle Pavilion first had to be redesigned to accommodate the arrival of this new species at Hellabrunn Zoo. In addition, the animal population was supplemented by offspring, for example among the maned wolves, meerkats and dama gazelles, as well as by new arrivals such as Darwin's rhea, arctic foxes and Przewalski's horse. In 2023, the zoo in Munich was home to a total of 524 species.

But 2023 not only saw new arrivals, but also departures - the most significant change was the downsizing of the flamingo group. Following the departure of 39 hybrid flamingos, the only flamingos that remain at the zoo are greater flamingos. With transfer of the elephant Panang to Zurich Zoo in November 2023, the elephant herd at Hellabrunn has also been downsized. "The transportation of the elephant last autumn required a lot of organisation, both in terms of logistics and animal welfare. It’s definitely not something that we do every day at the zoo. The transfer went smoothly thanks to the outstanding commitment of everyone involved," added Baban.

Other infrastructure improvements include a general overhaul of the bridge between the Isar entrance and the giraffe enclosure (completion in 2024) and the popular but ageing playground tower with large slide, which was rebuilt. And in the aquarium, a stairlift was installed in the reporting year to ensure that the basement is also accessible for wheelchair users.

In addition to the standard zoo adventure, Hellabrunn started to offer a variety of special animal park experiences again in 2023. Almost 500 exclusive and 51 open zoo tours were sold, with a total of 6,407 participants. A highlight was the reintroduction of the popular Meet Your Favourite Animal experience with a total of 101 bookings and 303 participants.

In terms of publicity, one of the most important projects was the redesign of the annual pass and image campaign. The new campaign shows Hellabrunn as a place of biological diversity, learning and conservation. The new motto "Masterpieces of Diversity" in conjunction with a detailed shot of each animal depicted shows the beauty and diversity of nature in an artistic manner. Around 10,000 posters with the new motifs were put up across Munich and the surrounding area.

Further details on the Hellabrunn Zoo Annual Report and financial year 2023 can be found on the zoo’s website at: www.hellabrunn.de/geschaeftsbericht (in  german).