History

The Tropical House in 1978

The Tropical House Today

Cheerful visitors

The reptile Zoo in Klagenfurt was inaugurated on April 1, 1976. The financial resources for this private Zoo came from two different sources, partly from debt capital and partly from self-financing, through director Frederick Happ’s promotion of specialised exhibitions. These special exhibitions, running from 1968 to 1975, resulted in the Zoo becoming the largest natural history museum in the geographic area of Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

With the construction of the Reptile Zoo in Klagenfurt, Mr. Frederick Happ fulfilled his life’s dream. Additionally, it was there that he met his wife Helga, a known devoted pedagogue who, like him, was also bursting with a childhood passionate interest for reptiles.

Together they made the Reptile Zoo known beyond borders, with Millions of people having already visited the Zoo. They were committed to protecting the feared and unfairly persecuted snakes, and through an enlightened approach, dispelling peoples’ fears in the process.

Since 1976, the Zoo annually receives around 200.000 visitors (including 1.000 school groups). This private Zoo, which evolved with an intense love for snakes, is constantly being expanded upon with new features, innovations and attractions.