| After World War II, much of Germany was damaged from allied bombings. Zoo Frankfurt was no exception -- the zoo's infrastructure was heavily damaged and nearly all the animals were killed.
Professor Doctor Bernhard Grzimek came to Frankfurt after the war in 1945 and wanted to keep the zoo open. Since there was partially nothing to show at the zoo, he was frightened the zoo would close. He was aware of the fact that once you close a zoo, it is extremely difficult to get it open again later; especially in a post war Germany that had to be rebuilt completely. So he searched for something to attract people while more time/effort could be focused on getting the zoo back up and running. Grzimek heard about a roller coaster which wasn't destroyed during the war and he asked the owners Fritz and Lulu Herhaus if they would operate it at the zoo.
To date, this was the only amusement ride the zoo has ever had. |