Berlin Zoo in Germany


Berlin Zoo
Typezoo
Owner
Founded1844
First elephant arrived1857
Address Hardenbergplatz 8 and Budapester Strasse 34
Place Berlin
StateBerlin-Brandenburg
Country Germany
Website Website
FacebookFacebook
YouTube userYouTube
Twitterzooberlin
Instagramzooberlin
Directors 1844-1869: Hinrich Lichtenstein (director)
1869-1884: Heinrich Bodinus (director)
1885-1888: Max Schmidt (director)
1888-1931: Ludwig Heck (director)
1932-1945: Lutz Heck (director)
1939-1945: Wilhelm Windecker (assistant director)
1945-1956: Katharina Heinroth (director)
1956-1991: Heinz-Georg Klös (director)
1991-2002: Hans Frädrich (director)
2003-2007: Jürgen Lange (director)
2007-2014: Bernhard Blaszkiewitz (director)
2014: Andreas Knieriem (director)
Key People -: Lothar Schlawe (zoologist)
Veterinarians
Elephant department
Elephant managementFree Contact, since
Head keepers
of elephants		 1873: Unknown Brauer
(elephant head-keeper)
1989-: Rudiger Pankow
(elephant head-keeper)
-1873: Unknown Pechler
(elephant head-keeper)
-1963: Günther Lenz
(elephant head-keeper)
1963-1974: Robert Jung
(elephant head-keeper)
1974-1988: Gunther Goncz
(elephant head-keeper)
Elephant keepers -: Clemens Reckmann (elephant keeper)
-1867: Unknown Schmidt (elephant keeper)
-1881: Adolf Marschall (elephant keeper)
-1883: Heinrich Krüger (elephant keeper)
-1963: Robert Jung (elephant keeper)
Record history
History of updates2025-03-20: casualties
Latest document update2025-03-20 15:37:40
Google map
The elephant gate

The elephant gate
Description

Berlin Zoo, located at Hardenbergplatz 8 and Budapester Strasse 34, in Berlin, Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany , was founded in 1844 and the first elephant arrived in 1857

Berlin Zoo elephants are managed in Free Contact

.

Living elephants

At the Berlin Zoo lives 4 elephants with records in this database: (detail list)
  1. ♀ Anchali born 2012-08-12
  2. ♀ Carla born 1973-00-00
  3. ♀ Drumbo (Mary) born 1970-00-00
  4. ♀ Pang Pha born 1987-03-01

Taxidermy specimens

Berlin Zoo has in its collection 2 elephantine museum specimens with records in this database:

(Measurements of teeth and body parts follow the system described by Maglio (1973; P = plate number, L = length, W = width, H = height, LF = lamellar frequency)

Jenny Accession nr: . Received: ♀ Jenny
Species: African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana)
* Born 1865 at Sudan unspecified location † Dead 1882-11-28 at Berlin Zoo
Death: unknown Death reason: unknown (N/A)


Boy Accession nr: . Received: ♂ Boy
Species: Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
* Born 1847 at Unknown † Dead 1879-07-18 at Berlin Zoo
Death: euthanised Death reason:

Casualties

7 casualties
  1. 1867-02-03: elephant keeper Unknown Schmidt fatal attack by Boy. † Unknown Schmidt Died 1867-02-03
  2. 1872-06: visitor Max Sack fatal attack by Boy. Boy pushed the visitor Berlin Judiciary Max Sack into iron bars. † Max Sack Died 1872-09-02, Berlin hospital. Sack suffered a collarbone fracture and died from the injuries in 1872-09-02.
  3. 1873-12-02: elephant head-keeper Unknown Pechler fatal attack by Boy. Attacked by Boy when he wanted to fetch a broom from the stable. Boy pushed him into the stable wall, and killed him. † Unknown Pechler Died 1873-12-02, Berlin Zoo, Berlin.
  4. 1881-05-03: elephant keeper Adolf Marschall attacked by Omar. Marschall was removing the saddle from Omar, after ride operations, when Omar attacked him, pushed him and tusked him. Adolf Marschall Survived. Severe injuries in right side of the breast, and brought to hospital.
  5. 1883-01-28: elephant keeper Heinrich Krüger fatal attack by Rostom (Rustum). Rostom killed the zookeeper Heinrich Krüger, who were cleaning the stable, and walked over Rostom's hay. Rostom pushed him with his right tusk (he didn't have a left tusk) into a stable wall and squeezed him. † Heinrich Krüger Died 1883-01-28
  6. 1963-08-05: elephant keeper Günther Lenz fatal attack by Salim (Salem). grabbed Lenz with his trunk, three times he smashed the man against the wall, then rolled him on the floor, while tusking him. † Günther Lenz Died 1963-08-05, Berlin Zoo, Berlin. Keeper Robert Jung poked Salim with an iron rod, while a visitor jumped over the mot, and dragged Lenz away, but Lenz was already dead.
  7. 1996-01-03: elephant keeper Clemens Reckmann attacked by Lakshmi. Clemens Reckmann Survived. severe injures. Lakshmi was dead shortly afterwards.

Comments / pictures1844: Berlin Zoological Garden is the oldest Zoo in Germany, opened 1844.

1857: The first elephant was bought 1857 for 2 500 Taler from Menagerie Liphard.

Berlin Zoo in Germany Germany
The elephant Pagoda in 1930, in the background Harry in the bull enlcosure


Berlin Zoo in Germany Germany
Rannich and Omar.

Berlin Zoo in Germany Germany
"Elefantenpagoda, with Harry, 1930.

1939: before World war II, Berlin Zoo kept over 4 000 mammals, and over 1400 Species of birds.

1941: Bombs fell on Berlin Zoo, an antelope was the only animal to die (Heck, 1952, 142-143).

1943: The elephants and many other animals in Berlin Zoo were killed by the air attacks of November 22 and 23, 1943, and the BBC at the time reported incorrectly that animals had escaped from the zoo during the bombardment and had been machine-gunned in the streets (Heck, 1952, 168) The famous old elephant house in pagod style was totally destroyed by bombings the 22 November 1943, when also 7 elephants died, and a bull had to be shot because he went out in the zoo from the destructed stables. Only 91 animals survived the war, among them the the elephant bull Siam, who died in 1947 because of enteritis. During the next three years, Berlin Zoo had no elephant
1950: the director Dr. Katharina Heinroth received the three year old Shanti, as a gift from Pandit Nehru and India. She had to be housed in the sebra stable until the new house was erected in 1955.

The new elephant house was enlarged in the 90s and now has a pool and two bullboxes prepared for Protected Contact.

1999: The house was reconstructed 1999, and has now more space for the elephants, while the visitors area was reduced.

During the 90s breeding has once again been succesful in Berlin Zoo


References for records about Berlin Zoo

Recommended Citation

Koehl, Dan (2025). Berlin Zoo, Elephant Encyclopedia. Available online at https://www.elephant.se/location2.php?location_id=20. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:


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