Tiergarten Walding

Tiergarten Walding stands on a hill above the village of Walding in Upper Austria. It began in 1967 as a small animal shelter beside a farm and inn near Linz. In 1973 the collection moved to its present site. The zoo received its licence in 1979 and now keeps gibbons, leopards, lions, ocelots, zebras, servals and tigers. The zoo is worth the journey for anyone who wants to see big cats at close quarters. Leopards and lions live in spacious enclosures designed to resemble their natural habitats. Gibbons swing above shaded walkways while visitors watch from below. Zebras graze in open meadows beside the big-cat areas. Visitors follow paths that wind past each species’ enclosure. Information boards give the animals’ names and ages. The highest point of the zoo offers a view across the surrounding countryside. Picnic tables stand near the entrance for those who bring their own refreshments.