Zoo Lock Down

The zoo in Salzburg, Austria is open to visitors 365 days a year. In the spring of 2020, when the first Covid lockdown brought life almost to a standstill, the zoo had to close its doors to the public for the first time in its existence. Like actors in a theater, it is the animals at a zoo that attract the audience. Unlike actors the animals don’t play roles. They are just being themselves and their home transforms into a stage every day. When the paying visitors fail to appear because the spectacle is canceled, a unique opportunity unfolds for an intimate and at times surreal look at the zoo’s inhabitants.