Hellabrunn Zoo welcomes EAZA full membership certification

Following the successful screening by a team of inspectors from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) last year, Hellabrunn Zoo has been confirmed as an accredited full member. 

This membership status certifies that the zoo in Munich has modern zookeeping facilities that comply with the latest EAZA standards for accommodation and care of animals, and that it also makes an important contribution to species conservation. Hellabrunn is at the forefront of modern zoo animal husbandry. The zoo also makes an important contribution to species conservation through its education programmes that raise awareness about the need to protect biodiversity and the environment. These are the findings arrived at by the inspectors from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

In 2023, an international team of inspectors consisting of EAZA employees, a zoo director and a curator from other EAZA zoos spent several days looking behind every door and walking every path, examining both the visitor areas and behind the scenes of the zoo. After a detailed inspection, EAZA has now confirmed Hellabrunn Zoo‘s important role as a centre for education and species conservation by through successful certification.

“I am very pleased with this excellent result. It is always worthwhile to have outside experts take a look at internal procedures and provide suggestions, but we also value when our existing facilities are praised," said zoo director Rasem Baban. "The professional organisation in an association like EAZA allows us to share information with other member zoos, improve our services and plan for the future as an educational centre for biodiversity and species conservation.”

In addition to EAZA full membership, Hellabrunn Zoo is also a member of the global umbrella organization WAZA, the German association VdZ (Association of Zoological Gardens) and Species360, a non-profit association that maintains a centralised online database for wild animals in zoos and aquaria around the world. EAZA has around 400 member zoos in Europe and the Middle East. The association’s screening process, which involves a comprehensive inspection, not only applies to new members; zoos that have been members for many years, such as Hellabrunn Zoo, also have to undergo a regular inspection. The focus of the review is on compliance with the special requirements for the keeping, care and breeding of wild animals as well as internal operating procedures and organisational structures.

Verena Dietl, chair of the supervisory board and mayor, is equally pleased with the certification: “Our Hellabrunn Zoo is a popular day-out destination for animal lovers from Munich and far beyond. The certification by the European association EAZA shows that Hellabrunn is a modern zoo with an educational mission. This makes me very proud."