They are wild, they are beautiful, and many of them are threatened with extinction in the wild: At “Tierwelt Herberstein,” the largest zoo in southern Austria, 500 wild animals from every corner of the globe have found a safe, species-appropriate home. In her documentary, filmmaker Renate Rosbaud offers unique, funny, and surprising insights into the animals’ lives—airing Saturday, April 6, 2013, at 4:30 p.m. on ORF 2.

From monkeys to zebras— Renate Rosbaud set out with her film crew on an exciting journey through Herberstein Zoo: Cameramen Klaus Ibitz and Gerd Zengerer filmed pumas and lions up close during feeding time, got up close and personal with monkeys and lynxes, and looked bears, bison, and wolves straight in the face. The result is an exciting and fascinating film with many highlights: For example, viewers get to followthe lightning-fast cheetahs on the hunt through acrane-mounted camera —thanks to special camera technology , they’re just a few centimeters away from the world’s fastest big cats!

Animals from every corner of the globe call Herberstein home—a special challenge for the staff at Tierwelt:Doris Wolkner-Steinberger, director of the zoo, along with zoologists, veterinarians, and animal caretakers, talk in the documentary about their responsible and varied work. In addition, people from all over the world—such as Mercy from Kenya, Dave from Australia, Pamir from India, Bolor from Mongolia, Cyndi from the U.S., and Martin from Western Styria— share their very personal stories about the animals of their home countries.

“From Monkeys to Zebras—The Herberstein Wildlife Park”
Broadcast date: “Unterwegs in Österreich” on Saturday, April 6, 2013, at 4:30 p.m., ORF 2

Design: Renate Rosbaud
Camera: Klaus Ibitz, Gerd Zengerer
Editing: Edith Schabauer