natural reserve - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1987 - 4 Shilling

On September 22, 1987 exactly 25 years had passed since the Innsbruck Alpine Zoo was opened to the public. On the occasion of this anniversary, this special postage stamp with the image of a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) appeared. The construction of the zoo was a laborious project. One person who played a key role in his creation was Hans Psenner, who had a decisive influence over 40 years of discussions about an Innsbruck Alpine Zoo. Without him and his tireless work there would be no zoo today; he may justifiably be called the father of the alpine zoo. Since its founding in 1969, the Alpine Zoo has regarded the higher fauna of the European Alps as a working area. They serve as shelters for many animals after they have been deprived of their natural habitat in the fertile plains of the sedentary people. The Alpine Zoo, which is no longer native to Tyrol due to human intervention, displays about 15 animal species. In 1973, the Alpine Zoo achieved a breeding success that was considered impossible by experts. Bearded vultures brooded and successfully raised a juvenile. As a result, the managing director of the Austrian World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Dipl.-Ing. Winfried Walter, born of the idea to resettle bearded vultures in the Alps. In the summer of 1986, four bearded vultures in Rauris in Salzburg started the repopulation of our high mountains.