Mainz-Gonsenheim wildlife park
The Mainz-Gonsenheim wildlife park is a wildlife park in the Gonsenheim district of Mainz in the immediate vicinity of the Lennebergwald nature reserve . Although the park is only a good three hectares in size, it is of great importance for the city as a local recreation area. According to the city of Mainz, it is visited by several hundred thousand people a year.
Livestock
Mainly red deer , fallow deer and mouflon as well as wild boar are kept in large enclosures in the wildlife park . In addition, in it's West African pygmy goats , pot-bellied pigs , wild cats and raccoons and ducks , owls and pheasants to be seen. Rabbits and guinea pigs are kept in a so-called “mini zoo” specially set up for children . The wildlife park also has a bird sanctuary, where sick or injured wild birds are looked after. The animal population includes around 20 species with around 100 animals.
The Mainz-Gonsenheim Wildlife Park is completely fenced in and the enclosures can only be viewed from outside walkways. Admission is free, the animals can be fed with special machine feed for a fee.
history
The wildlife park was founded in the 1950s by the Gonsenheim hunters and initially only housed red deer, fallow deer, mouflon and wild boar. It was later taken over by the city of Mainz and the animal population has been expanding steadily since the 1970s.
After the entire facility had become unsightly over the years, the redesign was gradually started in 2001 according to animal husbandry and ecological aspects. Since then, the enclosures have been designed to be closer to nature and privacy screens have been installed. In 2002 the Friends of Wildlife Park Mainz-Gonsenheim eV was founded, which supports the modernization of the wildlife park. In 2006 a so-called "mini zoo" was created for children with rabbit and guinea pig enclosures.
The future of the wildlife park is uncertain. On the one hand, there are plans to expand the facility. On the other hand, there are discussions about closing the park because of its high costs and the poor financial situation of the city.
The Mainz-Gonsenheim Wildlife Park is a member of the German Wildlife Park Association.
See also
Web links
- The Mainz-Gonsenheim wildlife park on the city of Mainz's website
- The wildlife park at Zoo-Infos.de
- Friends of Wildlife Park Mainz-Gonsenheim eV
Coordinates: 50 ° 0 ′ 21.9 ″ N , 8 ° 12 ′ 13.3 ″ E