Research at Herberstein Wildlife Park

Zoos are extremely important as research sites. Where else can you find so many different species from every continent in one place? And even more importantly, where else can you get so close to wild animals without disturbing them, influencing their behavior, or even scaring them away?

Basic research is conducted as part of our daily work; the data collected in the process is entered into, among other places, the largest wildlife database, ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System), and is thus available to users around the world. This includes data on weight, diet, reproductive behavior, enclosures, training, and enrichment.

So research at the zoo doesn’t always involve schoolchildren, college students, or scientists standing in front of an enclosure and making observations (which, of course, is very often the case); it can also involve collecting blood or fecal samples (often as part of routine examinations that have to be conducted anyway) and analyzing them for a wide variety of factors.

Some animal species, including, for example, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), have been studied very little in the wild. Most of the data available on these animals comes from observations made in zoos. Every single observation can help improve the conditions under which these animals are kept in zoos and animal parks and may even contribute to the conservation of the species in the wild.

At Herberstein Wildlife Park, the various monkey species—and especially the geladas—are frequently the focus of research, thanks to a close collaboration with the University of Graz. But the newly arrived group of cheetah brothers has also been the subject of several studies, as have wolverines, which are rarely kept in zoos.

A selection of research projects conducted at Tierwelt Herberstein in recent years:

Tanja Handl: Thesis: “The Integration of Two Subadult Gelada Males (Theropithecus gelada) into an Existing Group” (Karl-Franzens University of Graz)

Mag. Beate Übelleitner: Thesis: “Grouping, Enclosure Design, and Enrichment for Wolverines at Tierwelt Herberstein” (University of Graz)

Marie Theres Ortner: Thesis: “The Potential of Zoos as Extracurricular Learning Environments for Biology Education: A Teaching Concept at Tierwelt Herberstein” (Karl-Franzens University of Graz)

Mag. Sonia Weber: Dissertation: “Feeding, Husbandry, and Medical Practices for Maned Wolves in Zoos Worldwide” (University of Zurich), in progress

Jana Mede: “Research Study Focusing on Amdoparvovirus Infection in Red Pandas Kept in European Zoos” (Ljubljana Zoo), in progress

Dr. Sven Budik: “Study of Color Genes in Different Species of Zebras” (Vetmeduni Vienna), in progress

Bertram V. Schlemmer: VWA: “Small Great Apes—Gibbons and Their Care in Austrian Zoos and Wildlife Parks”