The keeping of wild animals has a long tradition in Herberstein. It was the first fallow deer in Austria in the 17th century, but today we are a scientifically managed zoo with animals from all over the world, which performs a variety of tasks in species and nature conservation.
In the middle of the 17th century, JOHANN MAXIMILIAN I, baron zu Herberstein, realized that the steep slopes were unusable for agriculture. However, they were particularly suitable for keeping wild animals. So he let fallow deer come from Italy and settled it here - the foundation stone for today's animal park was thus laid.
In 1888, the zoo, which until then had only been limited to the steep slopes of the Feistritzklamm, was expanded by an adjacent piece of forest, and the animal population was increased by indigenous wildlife.
It was not until the late 1960s that the private park was opened to the public for the first time. In order to increase the attractiveness for visitors, the animal population was enriched with “exotic” for the first time. The world's first prey simulator for cheetahs, the PROF, also dates from this period. KÖNIG (then head of the Institute for Comparative Behavior Research - Vienna) in collaboration with zookeepers in the park.
The next incisive event was on October 1, 2006. The “Steirischer Landestiergarten GmbH” (a subsidiary of the State of Styria) was founded here. From this point on, “Steirischer Landestiergarten GmbH” is exclusively responsible for the zoo and has been under the management of Ms. DORIS WOLKNER-STEINBERGER (Managing Director) since January 1, 2007.
On October 1, 2016, the 10th anniversary of the Herberstein animal world was celebrated.
Currently (February 8, 2020) there are three cubs Maximus, Tiberius, Spartacus
The keeping of wild animals has a long tradition in Herberstein and can be traced back to the 17th century. In the following centuries, mainly domestic and huntable animals found their way into the private park.