Limited stock of Hellabrunn honey on sale at the zoo from today

Just in time for Christmas, Hellabrunn is offering visitors an opportunity to buy honey produced in the zoo’s apiary.

A limited stock is available, which can be purchased in different sizes (250 g and 500 g) at the Marché Tierpark restaurant at the zoo. All the profits from the honey sales will be donated to the Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds (LBV) Munich. There are only 112 Hellabrunn honey jars, so you’ll have to be quick!  Christmas is a time of giving. If you’re looking for a unique gift, a limited stock jar of honey from Hellabrunn will certainly be well received. The honey now for sale comes from the zoo's own bees, which are looked after by an external beekeeper. Hellabrunn Zoo will donate all the profits to the LBV Munich (Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds) in support of LBV’s commitment to preserving the Allacher Heide (Allach Heath). Hellabrunn regularly offers financial help to LBV Munich to protect this area – as it is currently doing by donating the proceeds from the sale of honey. A 250 g jar costs €6.50, while a 500 g jar costs €11.50.

Biodiversity conservation on the outskirts of the city

There is an important biodiversity hotspot right here in Munich! It is a heathland called the Allacher Heide, which is situated near the Rangierbahnhof (marshalling yard). Now a relatively small remnant of what was once a much larger heath complex in north Munich, it offers a protected habitat for typical heath species. LBV has been maintaining the open landscape since 2004 in line with a concept designed to meet the needs of the flora and fauna. LBV is supported by numerous volunteers from Munich.

Zoo director Rasem Baban welcomes the campaign and the opportunity for visitors to get involved in nature conservation in the greater Munich area by making a purchase: "This sale will help support the LBV’s species and biotope conservation project in the greater Munich area. We are always asked what each individual can do to protect the environment in their own community. With a jar of honey produced by our bees, you can now do something to help protect regional animals and plants before Christmas - and enjoy the festivities at the same time.

Protection and care of rare species

A heath landscape also needs regular and expert care. If left to grow wild, it would become woody. Centuries ago, large grazers such as aurochs or bison kept the heathland free of overgrowth; later farm animals such as sheep and goats performed this task. Today, this job is done by LBV’s bar mowers.

The landscape is regularly mapped by experts and each square metre is examined every 2-3 years for species occurrence. This enables LBV to determine whether and how successful the maintenance measures are and whether they need to be reviewed. The blue-winged grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens), a species of grasshopper that is highly endangered in Bavaria, is regularly found. Idas blue (Plebejus idas), another at-risk species in Bavaria, also occurs in the Allacher Heide, just like the rare bulbous meadowsweet or the Biscutella, and then there are the ants, which are vital for the butterflies.

Frauke Lücke from the LBV's biotope care team is pleased about the support from the zoo:"LBV and Hellabrunn Zoo are both committed to the preservation of biodiversity and the regional and international protection of species diversity. We are therefore delighted that the zoo's profits from its own honey production are going towards the protection and care of rare species right on our doorstep."