Austrian Wildlife Reserves:
Game Parks & Deer Enclosures in Austria
This article is an addition to a previous one in which I have talked about proper zoos in Austria. The following paragraphs highlight some of Austria′s wildlife and game parks. They are usually not zoos in the conventional sense of the word, but have developed from the habit of keeping deer or other wild animals in enclosures. Therefore, several ones are associated with castles or palaces. Note that "Wildpark" doesn′t really mean "wildlife park", but rather "game park" or "game reserve". The descriptions move from West to East, as always on TourMyCountry.com.
Vorarlberg′s capital Bregenz has a wildlife park with alpine deer, chamois and ibex - and a similar park in Feldkirch. Tyrolean wildlife parks include one in Telfs, which is a pretty extensive one with deer only. Other ones can be found in Achenkirch, in Fulpmes and in Aurach near Kitzbühel. The latter one includes Tibetan yak. In Kirchberg and Assling, you can find wildlife parks of the conventional kind, meaning: Alpine animals, mostly deer.
Moving eastwards and back into Salzburg, you can go to the former hunting chateaux now hotel "Jagdhof Fuschl" by the shores of Lake Fuschlsee - one of the prettiest lakes of the Salzkammergut. Here you find a small wildlife park, similar to the one in nearby Strobl by Lake Wolfgangsee.
Do, a Deer: Enclosures and wild deer in Austria
To admire deer in the wild, go to Hintersee - here, a stage was built for tourists to gather around a feeding site during the winter. Wildlife rangers feed the local deer, which has turned into quite an attraction an draws tourists from all over the place. In southern Salzburg, a wildlife park in Fusch an der Glocknerstraße presents a large array of mostly, but not only Austrian wildlife.
Upper Austrian wildlife parks include one in Hochkreut near Lake Attersee, Freiberg near Schärding, Altenfelden north-east of Linz; the best-known, however, is the wildlife park of Cumberland (yes, Cumberland) in the picturesque Salzkammergut valley of Almtal. It was made famous through the working of Konrad Lorenz, one of the founding fathers of modern behavioural biology.
Moving on to Lower Austria and still hungry for wildlife, check out the small town of Haag and its wildlife park. There is also a safari-park in Gänserndorf, which is popular with chubby Viennese who want to present some fake wilderness to their (usually similarly chubby) offspring. More rewarding, however, will be a visit to Carinthia in terms of fauna-exposure: Carinthia′s capital Klagenfurt has a small reptile zoo associated with the "Minimundus" theme park.
Private Zoos & Game Enclosures
There is another zoo/wildlife park in Maierniggalm southwest of Klagenfurt; a park in Feld am See; the "Diana Wildpark Malta" north of Spittal an der Drau; the grounds of the hunting chateaux Jägerhof Schloss Mageregg north of Klagenfurt - and the private zoo of Rosegg south of Velden.
Styria has - to my knowledge - only the private zoo of Herberstein that I have mentioned above. In the Burgenland, you will not only a hot-spot of bird watching (the National Park Neusiedler See), but also zoos in Gerersdorf by Güssing, the "Steppentierpark Pamhagen" presenting some pusta creatures in the eastern Seewinkel and the "Naturwinkel Saufuss", a small breeding station for ancient breeds of animals.
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Further Reading
The Guardian on Wilflife Holidays in Austria
