Plättli Zoo, Animal park in Frauenfeld, Switzerland.
Plättli Zoo is a small privately run zoo on the slope above Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau, keeping around 200 animals of roughly 50 species. It began in 1958 as an excursion restaurant with an adjoining farm, and the first lions arrived in 1960. New animal enclosures have been built since 2000.
Walter Mauerhofer Sr. (1920–2002) and his wife Elisabeth founded Plättli Zoo in 1958 as an excursion restaurant with an adjoining farm; the first lions arrived in 1960. In the 1980s Mauerhofer's lion show, billed as the world's largest, raised the zoo's profile, and in the 1990s the animal dressage performances were discontinued for commercial reasons. Elisabeth and Walter Mauerhofer Jr. took over in 1993 as the second generation; after 2000 several new animal enclosures were built, and since 2015 zookeeper Christoph Wüst, trained at the zoo, has run operations.
The zoo began in 1958 as an excursion restaurant with an adjoining farm, and its name Plättli refers to the site above Frauenfeld. In the 1980s the Mauerhofer family ran what was billed as the world's largest lion show, which made the zoo known beyond Thurgau; animal dressage was dropped in the 1990s for commercial reasons.
The zoo sits above Frauenfeld in the canton of Thurgau and is reached by road or public transport from the town below. Paths run outdoors between the enclosures, so wear shoes suited to walking and bring rain or sun protection according to the forecast. The site is run by a small team, with Christoph Wüst as operations manager since 2015.
The zoo began in 1958 as an excursion restaurant with an adjoining farm run by Walter Mauerhofer sen. and his wife Elisabeth; the first lions arrived in 1960. In the 1980s Mauerhofer's lion show, billed as the world's largest, brought the small zoo above Frauenfeld its fame. Animal dressage performances were dropped in the 1990s for commercial reasons.
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