Aarhus Zoo – the wildlife experience

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The Founding Five consortium is currently planning a new, large zoo in Aarhus. The zoo is featured in the case study booklet published in connection with the local authority’s draft of the 2008 Planning Strategy.
A large area immediately north of the ‘motorway ring road’, close to existing and future (light rail) infrastructure, has been earmarked as the site for Aarhus’s new attraction.

The zoo will specialise in animals from Australia and Oceania, and part of the concept involves the extensive use of modern technology to create a better and more educational experience for visitors.

The ambition is to become both an attraction and an “educational centre”, as well as to help conserve a number of endangered animal species. The organisers hope to establish extensive collaboration with the city’s educational, cultural and business communities.

The wildlife park will cover an area of up to 20 hectares, and emphasis is being placed on creating a facility that caters for both the animals’ needs and the visitors’ experience.
Up to 300,000 visitors are expected each year.

The new zoo will (hopefully) stand in stark contrast to Aarhus’s first zoo, which was run in the woods around Tivoli Friheden between 1932 and 1960. The zoo ended up being a blot on the city’s reputation due to the appalling conditions in which the animals were kept.