Knie's Kinderzoo
Encyclopedia
Knie's Kinderzoo is a zoo
located in Rapperswil
in Switzerland
.
. It is located at Oberseestrasse nearby Seedamm
respectively Rapperswil railway station
and Hochschule Rapperswil (HSR)
on upper Lake Zürich
. Ending winter season, Kinderzoo will be opened daily between March 7 and October 31, including Sundays and public holidays.
tradition. The interaction between the visitors and the animals is a speciality of this zoo, for example, various pets can caressed and fed. Visitors may obtain food specially selected for the animals (mostly popcorn!) in designated bowls.
The zoo does not include any predators, but elephant
s, ungulate
s, camel
s, several species of monkey
s, rodent
s, kangaroo
s, giraffe
s and a whole range of bird
s – 303 animals of 51 species in all. The zoo also offers a sea lion
show, two restaurants, refreshments, a horse tram
and games. Since the dolphin
approach in captivity fell into disrepute, the well-known zoo's dolphin show has been closed years ago.
The zoo is part of the winter quarters of the Circus Knie and also houses circus animals that are not on tour.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located in Rapperswil
Rapperswil
Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
History
The zoo was opened in 1962 and, as of 2009, it has 303 specimens of 51 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. It is located at Oberseestrasse nearby Seedamm
Seedamm
Seedamm is the partially artificial dam and bridge at the most narrow area of Lake Zurich, between Hurden and Rapperswil .- Geography and location :...
respectively Rapperswil railway station
Rapperswil railway station
Rapperswil is a train station located in Rapperswil, Switzerland.- Nodal point of S-Bahn Zürich, SBB-CFF-FFS and Südostbahn :Rapperswil railway station is an important junction of the S-Bahn Zürich and Südostbahn networks, and thus a bottleneck for public traffic. Rapperswil is a nodal point where...
and Hochschule Rapperswil (HSR)
Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil
HSR or University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil is a technical university in Rapperswil, a town of the City of Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland...
on upper Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
. Ending winter season, Kinderzoo will be opened daily between March 7 and October 31, including Sundays and public holidays.
Attractions
Knie's Kinderzoo particularly aims at children (Kinder in German) and belongs to the Swiss National Circus KnieCircus Knie
Circus Knie is the largest circus of Switzerland, based in Rapperswil.The circus was founded in 1803 by the Knie family and has existed in its present form since 1919 when it changed from an open arena to a covered tent. The circus has been long famous for its animals and now operates a zoo and a...
tradition. The interaction between the visitors and the animals is a speciality of this zoo, for example, various pets can caressed and fed. Visitors may obtain food specially selected for the animals (mostly popcorn!) in designated bowls.
The zoo does not include any predators, but elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s, camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
s, several species of monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
s, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s and a whole range of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s – 303 animals of 51 species in all. The zoo also offers a sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
show, two restaurants, refreshments, a horse tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and games. Since the dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
approach in captivity fell into disrepute, the well-known zoo's dolphin show has been closed years ago.
The zoo is part of the winter quarters of the Circus Knie and also houses circus animals that are not on tour.
External links
- Knie's Kinderzoo (official site)
- Circus Knie (official site)