Frankfurt Zoological Society

The Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), also known by its German name Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt, is a German nonprofit association devoted to conserving biodiversity and large, relatively intact natural landscapes. It is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and works through long-term partnerships with protected-area authorities, local organizations, researchers, communities, and other conservation institutions. The organization reports work in roughly 26 projects across 18 countries, with a particular emphasis on large wilderness areas such as tropical forests, grasslands, wetlands, mountains, and savannas. The society originated in Frankfurt in 1858, when local citizens established an organization to create a zoological garden. Frankfurt Zoo opened later that year and moved to its present site, the Pfingstweide area east of the city center, in 1874. The original society operated the zoo until the First World War, when declining admissions and other wartime financial pressures led to insolvency. In 1915 the zoo was transferred to the city and the society was dissolved. The organization’s postwar identity emerged from efforts to rebuild Frankfurt Zoo after the Second World War. Zoo director Bernhard Grzimek organized reconstruction and fundraising, leading to the creation of a support association in 1950. That association raised money for the zoo and was renamed the Frankfurt Zoological Society in 1958, a century after the original organization had been founded. During the 1950s, Grzimek and colleagues increasingly shifted attention from the display and breeding of animals toward the protection of species in their natural habitats. Experiences in East Africa, including work connected with the Serengeti, helped move the society toward international conservation. Following the death of Michael Grzimek in East Africa, the society established a memorial fund in 1960. The fund developed into the “Help for Endangered Wildlife” account, which was promoted through Bernhard Grzimek’s television program “Ein Platz für Tiere.” Donations and bequests accumulated over subsequent decades. In 2001, approximately €33 million in capital was transferred to the Help for Endangered Wildlife Foundation, a conservation foundation associated with the society. The financial figure is historical and should not be treated as a current asset value. FZS supports protected areas through logistical assistance, ranger and scientific training, wildlife surveys, ecological research, environmental education, species protection, habitat restoration, land acquisition, and advice on establishing or strengthening conservation areas. Its operating model generally favors sustained engagement rather than short-term campaigns. Headquarters staff coordinate international programs, while field teams work with local authorities and partner organizations. Examples include the Tanzania National Parks Authority, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan, and other national and international conservation bodies. Africa has traditionally been central to the society’s work. Programs have supported the Serengeti, the Selous ecosystem, the Mahale ecosystem, Gonarezhou, North Luangwa, and protected areas in eastern Congo, including Virunga and Maiko. In Asia, the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape in Sumatra has involved rainforest protection, orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction, human-elephant conflict prevention, environmental education, and support for local livelihoods. In Kazakhstan, FZS participates in the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, which seeks to establish a connected network of protected steppe landscapes and safeguard the Betpak-Dala saiga population. In South America, the society supports protected landscapes and national parks in countries including Colombia and Peru, as well as work addressing the ecological effects of illegal gold mining. In Germany, FZS promotes wilderness protection, land purchase, protected-area designation, public discussion, and communication about the value of naturally developing ecosystems. It coordinated a wilderness-communication project from 2015 to 2017 and has supported places including beech forests in Thuringia, the Lieberoser Heide, and the Wispertaunus. The society is connected to biodiversity and scientific networks in Frankfurt and is a member of BioFrankfurt. It is funded primarily through donations, third-party grants, bequests, foundation income, and support associated with Frankfurt Zoo, including the voluntary Nature Conservation Euro. The organization has also faced criticism over conservation practices in Tanzania. Human-rights groups and advocates for Maasai communities have alleged that protected-area policies associated with the Serengeti and Loliondo contributed to displacement, restrictions on customary land use, property destruction, and livestock confiscation. Critics characterize such approaches as “fortress conservation” and argue that they can reproduce colonial assumptions by treating Indigenous communities as threats to wildlife. These allegations and debates are important to the organization’s public history, but responsibility for specific incidents, the roles of different authorities and conservation bodies, and the society’s responses require careful examination of primary and independent sources.

The Frankfurt Zoological Society traces its origins to the civic and natural-history movement of nineteenth-century Frankfurt. In 1857, wealthy citizens began issuing shares to finance a zoological garden after the authorities determined that keeping certain large animals in secure enclosures could be permitted. At the first general meeting in March 1858, 246 shareholders had subscribed capital totaling 80,000 guilders. Frankfurt Zoo opened five months later on Bockenheimer Landstraße and became Germany’s second zoo. When the original lease ended, the zoo moved to the Pfingstweide site on the eastern side of Frankfurt’s center, opening there on 29 March 1874. The original society remained responsible for operating the zoo until the First World War. Wartime disruption sharply reduced admissions and other income, and the organization became insolvent. In 1915 the city took over the zoo and the society ceased to exist. The zoo and the association’s records were heavily damaged or destroyed during the air raids on Frankfurt in the Second World War. The modern association arose from postwar reconstruction. Bernhard Grzimek, who directed Frankfurt Zoo, began rebuilding facilities in May 1945 and soliciting private donations. On 15 February 1950, supporters established an association to help finance and develop the zoo. It used donations and fundraising activities, including a lottery, to assist reconstruction. In 1958, the centenary of the original society, the supporters’ association adopted the Frankfurt Zoological Society name, later using the form that remains current. The 1950s were a decisive transition. Zoological institutions increasingly viewed their role as extending beyond exhibiting animals to include conservation breeding and the protection of species in the wild. Grzimek’s field experiences in Africa, especially in and around the Serengeti, led him to focus on habitat loss, wildlife decline, and the need for protected areas. Through public communication and fundraising, including appeals made during his television program “Ein Platz für Tiere,” the society developed an international conservation mission. The death of Michael Grzimek in East Africa prompted a memorial fund in 1960; the associated “Help for Endangered Wildlife” account became an important channel for public donations from 1961 onward. Over the following decades, FZS expanded from support for Frankfurt Zoo into a global conservation organization. Its work came to include protected-area management, ranger support, ecological monitoring, conservation science, environmental education, species recovery, land acquisition, and assistance to governments and local organizations. Tanzania remained a major area of activity, while programs also developed in southern and eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South America, and Germany. The organization’s approach has generally emphasized long-term presence, cooperation with local institutions, and maintaining large connected natural landscapes. The society’s financial base also evolved. Donations, bequests, external grants, and foundation income supported its programs. In 2001, accumulated capital of about €33 million was transferred to the Help for Endangered Wildlife Foundation. FZS has continued to work with Frankfurt Zoo and other conservation networks, including through the zoo’s voluntary Nature Conservation Euro. In Germany, its activities broadened to include wilderness advocacy, land purchase, public communication, and support for natural-forest and protected-area projects. FZS’s conservation model has been contested, particularly in Tanzania. Critics argue that some protected-area policies connected with the Serengeti and Loliondo have marginalized or displaced Maasai communities and reflect a colonial model that prioritizes wildlife exclusion over Indigenous land rights. Allegations include forced displacement, burned homes, and confiscated livestock during attempts to remove people from customary lands between 2009 and 2022. The controversy places the society’s historic conservation achievements alongside unresolved questions about participation, accountability, land tenure, and human rights. The precise responsibility of FZS, state authorities, and other conservation actors differs by incident and requires source-specific assessment.

• 2015

  German wilderness communication project begins

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  FZS coordinated a project intended to increase public acceptance of wilderness areas in Germany.

• 2001

  Capital transferred to conservation foundation

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Approximately €33 million was transferred to the Help for Endangered Wildlife Foundation.

• 1960

  Memorial fund established for Michael Grzimek

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Following Michael Grzimek’s death, the society created a memorial fund that preceded its long-running endangered-wildlife fundraising account.

• 1958

  Association adopts the Frankfurt Zoological Society name

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The postwar supporters’ association adopted the name of the nineteenth-century organization and began its modern institutional continuity.

• 1950

  Postwar support association established

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  A new association was founded to support reconstruction and development of Frankfurt Zoo.

• 1915

  City assumes control of the zoo

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Wartime financial difficulties led to the transfer of the zoo to Frankfurt and dissolution of the original society.

• 1874

  Zoo relocates to Pfingstweide

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Frankfurt Zoo opened at the Pfingstweide site, where it remains located.

• 1858

  Original zoological society founded

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Frankfurt citizens established the society that created and operated Frankfurt Zoo.

• 1858

  Frankfurt Zoo opens

  [1]Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The first Frankfurt Zoo opened on Bockenheimer Landstraße, five months after the society’s first general meeting.

International nonprofit conservation organization focused on long-term protection of wilderness, biodiversity, and wildlife in and around protected areas.

• Protected-area conservation

  Serengeti conservation program

  A long-running East African program supporting protection of the Serengeti ecosystem through ecological monitoring, migration and livestock data collection, ranger and specialist training, research, and environmental education. The work is carried out with Tanzanian authorities and other partners and forms part of FZS’s historic shift from zoo support toward conservation of wildlife in natural habitats.

• Rainforest and species conservation

  Bukit Tigapuluh program

  A conservation program in central Sumatra focused on protecting rainforest and wildlife in and around the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape. Activities include preparing confiscated orangutans for release through a forest-based rehabilitation program, reducing human-elephant conflict, environmental education, and support for local communities seeking to balance livelihoods with conservation.

• Grassland and steppe conservation

  Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

  An international initiative in Kazakhstan seeking to create a network of protected steppe and semi-desert landscapes. It places particular emphasis on the Betpak-Dala saiga population, a keystone herbivore of the region, and works with Kazakh conservation organizations and international partners.

• Wilderness protection

  German wilderness conservation

  FZS supports wilderness in Germany through land acquisition, protected-area advocacy, public communication, and assistance for sites such as the Hohe Schrecke beech forests, Lieberoser Heide, and Wispertaunus. The program also includes work to improve public and expert understanding of naturally developing ecosystems in a densely populated country.

• Protected-area conservation

  South American protected-landscape programs

  FZS supports conservation in Andean foothill forests, Amazonian lowlands, and national parks in Colombia and Peru. Activities include patrol support, ranger training, aerial and landscape assessment, environmental education, and cooperation on the ecological impacts of illegal gold mining in the Peru-Colombia border region.

• 2022

  Criticism over Maasai displacement and fortress conservation

  Human-rights organizations and Maasai advocates have criticized conservation policies in Tanzania associated with the Serengeti and Loliondo. Allegations concerning attempts between 2009 and 2022 include displacement from customary lands, burned homes, and livestock confiscation. Critics argue that FZS and other conservation actors have supported an exclusionary, colonial model of conservation. The role of individual organizations differs across incidents and should be assessed from case-specific evidence.

  Source

Read more

• 2015Wildniskommunikation in Deutschland

  Germany

  A German initiative coordinated by FZS to build wider acceptance of wilderness areas and naturally developing landscapes through communication and cooperation among conservation organizations.

  Outcome. The project ran from 2015 to 2017 and contributed to public and expert discussion of wilderness protection in Germany.

  Source
• 1961Help for Endangered Wildlife

  Germany · International

  A public fundraising effort promoted through Bernhard Grzimek’s television program to finance protection of endangered wildlife and habitats. It developed from the memorial fund established after Michael Grzimek’s death.

  Outcome. The campaign helped establish a durable public-donation and endowment base for the society’s international conservation work.

  Source

• 2001

  Endowed long-term conservation through a foundation transferStrategy

  Background

  Donations and bequests had accumulated over several decades through the society’s endangered-wildlife fundraising work.

  Action taken

  The society transferred approximately €33 million in capital to the Help for Endangered Wildlife Foundation.

  Aftermath

  The transfer created a major associated funding vehicle for sustained nature-conservation activities.

  Capital transferred. Approximately €33 million held as accumulated capital → Transferred to the Help for Endangered Wildlife Foundation (2001)

  Source

• 1958

  Adopted an international conservation identityStrategy

  Background

  The postwar supporters’ association had initially focused on rebuilding and supporting Frankfurt Zoo, while the 1950s brought growing awareness of species decline and habitat loss.

  Action taken

  It adopted the Frankfurt Zoological Society name and redirected a substantial part of its mission toward protection of wildlife and ecosystems in the field.

  Aftermath

  This transition created the basis for the organization’s later international protected-area and wilderness programs.

  Source

1. 1Frankfurt Zoological Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Frankfurt Zoological Society official websitefzs.org