ABSTRACT
The German Democratic Republic received its first formal constitution in 1949. Only five years later the government decreed that its capital city. East Berlin, should also have a zoo. The site chosen was in a large park called Friedrichsfelde towards the east of the city. The East Berlin Zoo, like other zoos in Germany and Eastern Europe, breeds the once nearly extinct wisent, or European bison. East Berlin is also notable for its large and small cats in the Alfred Brehm House. The bird collection in East Berlin, numbering 2,000, is as varied as are the Zoo's mammals. Waterfowl are to be seen in many watercourses throughout the Park; tropical birds in the Alfred Brehm House; and birds of prey in the Great Aviary. The East Berlin Zoo was founded to provide not only an educational and cultural service for the people of the German Democratic Republic, but also a centre of scientific research.
