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It is the oldest zoo in Germany. Since 1 August 1844, visitors have been able to see animals from other countries and continents here. The zoo is in the Tiergarten district and covers an area of 33 hectares. It is currently home to about 18,600 animals of around 1,400 species. The zoo includes several facilities, among them the aquarium, the ape house, the animal nursery, the hippo house and the World of Birds. Most of the animals were killed in air raids during the Second World War; only 91 of the 3,715 animals survived. Some of the zoo’s animals have been especially popular with visitors and journalists, including the hippos Knautschke and Bulette, the giraffe Rieke, the gorillas Bobby and Knorke, the giant panda Bao Bao and the polar bear Knut, who was hand-reared by a zookeeper.

Fatou, a female gorilla born in 1957, also lives at Berlin Zoo. She is one of the oldest gorillas kept in a zoo. Berlin also has another zoo, Tierpark Friedrichsfelde.