Minister puts up a wall

Wall of silence around Schönbrunn Zoo management

The Ministry of Economic Affairs recently had to put the management of Schönbrunn Zoo out to tender, as it does every five years. It is obliged to be transparent. However, the Ministry is trying to keep a lid on what is happening behind the scenes after the application deadline.

Every five years, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has to put the management of Schönbrunn Zoo out to tender, as it did again recently - the "Krone" reported. The law obliges the ministry to issue a public invitation to tender. But that is as far as transparency goes.

Ministry deviates from usual practice
The application deadline for the zoo management ended on May 15. Since then, the ministry has been met with a wall of silence when it comes to questions about the zoo management. The fact that the public is normally informed without being asked about the number of candidates, the number of applications from within Germany and from abroad and much more is apparently of little concern to the ministry.

The appointment of the zoo director is an "ongoing process", therefore "no further information can be provided at this time", the ministry blocked questions from the "Krone". This means that we only know of one person who has applied: the current controversial director Stephan "Dirty" Hering-Hagenbeck, who is "naturally" interested in extending his contract, as he recently informed the "Krone".

It is a pity that the Minister of Economic Affairs, who is responsible for the zoo, is not as transparent as is usual in cases of public interest.

Nationalratsabgeordnete Elisabeth Götze (Grüne)

Bild: Die Grünen

Member of parliament criticizes "secrecy"
Elisabeth Götze, Green Party spokesperson for economic affairs in the National Council, is also surprised: in such cases, it is usual for "the public to be informed about the application situation and the timetable for the further procedure". This can also be achieved in compliance with all data protection regulations, as is regularly demonstrated in the field of art and culture. "What happens at Schönbrunn Zoo is important to many people. Therefore, who runs the zoo is also important," emphasizes Götze. 

Götze has often tried to break through the wall of silence that the ministry has drawn around Schönbrunn with parliamentary questions - from the corporate structures surrounding the zoo to Hering-Hagenbeck's new aquarium building and the lease agreements of Schönbrunn GmbH. She hopes: "From 2025, the Freedom of Information Act will apply, then such secrecy will be a thing of the past!"