Tierpark Bern zoo: 82 per cent in favour of expansion, animal welfare advocates warn of an arms race among zoos

In the city of Bern, a preliminary decision has been made about the future of the Dählhölzli animal park.

On 14 June 2026, the electorate clearly approved the rezoning of the Dählhölzli site with 82 per cent of votes in favour, with 44,243 yes votes against 9,722 no votes and a high turnout of 68.6 per cent. In future, 60 per cent of the grounds may be built on; today the figure is around ten per cent.

Specifically, the old farm building next to the current children's zoo is to be replaced. In addition, a new main entrance building is planned on the Aare. Between the buildings, from 2030 a new family zoo is to be created in place of the previous children's zoo. However, no concrete construction projects have been submitted so far; the vote concerned solely the planning-law basis.

The city and the animal park management justify the project with better conditions for animals, visitors and staff, as well as accessibility. Around 90 years after its opening, the park needs more space and up-to-date infrastructure.

The critical dissenting voice

The animal rights association Tier im Fokus opposed the proposal. Tobias Sennhauser, Bern city councillor and president of Tier im Fokus, described the expansion as an expression of an arms race among zoos: when one facility expands, the others must follow suit. Tier im Fokus had decided on a no recommendation for the vote and criticised that the planned family zoo would create new animal enclosures, including a large aquarium whose future inhabitants are as yet unknown.

The objection touches a core point of the zoo debate: the question of whether structural modernisation actually benefits the animals or whether it primarily increases the appeal to the public. From the perspective of wildlife and animal welfare, what remains decisive is whether the husbandry is oriented towards the needs of the animals or whether the animals are adapted to the logic of the facility.

Assessment

The Bern decision represents a field of tension that reaches far beyond a single city. Zoos today see themselves as institutions for education and species conservation, yet they are increasingly coming under pressure because the keeping of wild animals in captivity is being fundamentally questioned. The fact that a modernisation was approved by an overwhelming majority also shows just how broad public support for zoos as an institution still is.

The dispute over the expansion is part of a larger context. Back in February 2026, the wildlife park had announced that in future it would more frequently kill older animals to make room for offspring. Veterinarian Stefan Hoby justified this to the «Bund» with a study by the University of Zurich, according to which over-aged populations endanger long-term species conservation in zoos. Notable is his own parallel: Hoby compared this practice to the regulation of roe deer and red deer through hunting. Tier im Fokus criticised the approach as legally and ethically problematic and submitted an interpellation on alternatives to the city council. It is against this background that the scepticism towards the expansion is to be understood: more enclosures mean more breeding, and more breeding raises the question of what happens to the animals for which there is no room later on.

For critical scrutiny this means: the real test is not the rezoning, but the concrete design of the future enclosures. It is there that it will become clear whether the claim of animal-appropriate husbandry is being fulfilled.