The Frankfurt Zoological Society was established in 1858 in Frankfurt. Today we are a registered non-profit society. The Society has two main goals: To preserve biodiversity worldwide, and to promote Frankfurt Zoo (download statutes, in German).
From our office in Frankfurt am Main – housed in the “Zoogesellschaftshaus” – we coordinate and manage the conservation work of our colleagues in the different projects. This is also our base for maintaining contact with our members, supporters, and partners, managing the ‘Help for Threatened Wildlife Foundation’ and working on future strategies and concepts for nature conservation.
- Wilderness and biodiversity are at the heart of our work
- 29 projects and programs in 18 countries
- We currently invest around 20 million euros each year in our nature conservation projects
- East Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe have been our main geographic focal points for decades
- We preserve habitats such as extensive grasslands, forests, and wetlands
- Practical nature conservation since 1958
We invested around 20 million euros in nature conservation in the 2020 financial year. This money comes from the earnings from the Help for Threatened Wildlife Foundation as well as from grants, estates, donations, and membership fees.
It is easy to support our work by making a donation, becoming a member or project sponsor, or by including the FZS in your will.
The FZS is run by a board of directors. The General Assembly elects and discharges the Board which consists of up to eight individuals and is elected for four years. The Board approves the yearly programme, the budget and the asset management as put forward by the Executive Director. All the board members conduct their duties on an honorary basis. The FZS Board of Directors, for its part, appoints the members of our “Hilfe für die bedrohte Tierwelt” Foundation Board.
Originally, we were established in 1858 as a development company to finance a Frankfurt Zoo. In 1915, the city of Frankfurt took over the zoo administration, and FZS was dissolved.
In 1950, FZS was re-established to rebuild the zoo after World War II. In 1958 we were given the name affix 1858 to commemorate the original founding year. Today we are a conservation organization.
FZS is managed by a board of directors. The operational business is controlled by the managing director.
Frankfurt Zoo and the FZS share common goals: Nature conservation and the preservation of endangered species. The Zoo is operated by the city of Frankfurt. The work of FZS focuses on protected areas and large wilderness areas. “Behind the Zoo, it continues” is a motto we use at Frankfurt Zoo to promote our conservation work.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society of 1858 e.V. is a non-profit association registered in Germany.
“Hilfe für die bedrohte Tierwelt” (Help for Threatened Wildlife Foundation) is a foundation that emerged from the donation account of Bernhard Grzimek’s TV show “Ein Platz für Tiere” (A place for animals). Today, the foundation finances part of our conservation work.