With this, the East Styrian tourist destination is aiming to set a new record. The current visitor record dates back to 2016—that year, during the “10 Years of the Styrian State Zoo” anniversary, the park welcomed 226,237 guests. Over 700 animals from every continent in the world have found a home in Eastern Styria. The expansive 45-hectare grounds—23 hectares of which are dedicated to animal enclosures—allow visitors to take a journey of discovery around the world in just one day; the “permanent animal residents” can be observed almost as if they were in the wild.

Numerous events and family festivals, engaging children’s programs offered by the Herberstein Zoo School, and the ORF documentary “The Big Cats of Herberstein” provided additional incentives to visit the zoo and drew visitors of all ages to Tierwelt Herberstein.

“I congratulate Doris Wolkner-Steinberger and her team on the successful development of Tierwelt Herberstein in recent years and thank all employees for their outstanding dedication. This year’s visitor numbers demonstrate once again that Tierwelt Herberstein is a popular destination and a major tourist draw in the region,” said Provincial Tourism Minister Barbara Eibinger-Miedl.

The zoo is open daily through November 3. The winter season begins on November 4, and the team led by Managing Director Doris Wolkner-Steinberger has several highlights in store for guests even in cold weather. “On November 9, we’ll celebrate ‘Apple Day’ and offer a children’s program and themed zoological tours,” reports Tierwelt Managing Director Doris Wolkner-Steinberger. “After all, this local fruit is on the menu for a good third of our residents—so to speak, the name says it all in Apple Country,” laughs the managing director.

Preparations for the coming year are already underway. The “Herberstein Monkey Troop” will take center stage during the next tourist season. Among the 85 animal species are 7 different monkey families, originally native to Indonesia, the South American rainforest, and Africa.