Encke's concern was to take special care of animals of which little was known and to prevent the extinction of South American species by breeding them.

[3] During the night of 31 December 2019 - 1 January 2020, a fire engulfed the Monkey House; more than 30 animals were killed, including orangutans, chimpanzees and marmosets.

[7] A 60-year-old woman and her two adult daughters, who had purchased sky lanterns online and released them prior to the fire, subsequently surrendered themselves to police.

[8][9][10][11] The main focus of Krefeld Zoo is the keeping of great apes, big cats, African savannah inhabitants and tropical bird species.

Until the fire, the monkey tropical house was home to orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, marmosets, megabats and birds.

The then new silverback Kidogo brought the zoo into the headlines worldwide in 2012, as it balanced between two trees on a rope tied in the gorilla garden.

It is home to leaf-cutter ants, flower bats, tamandua, iguanas and frontal lobe basilisks, as well as turtles and various species of fish.

More dangerous animals such as the wedge-headed smooth-fronted caimans, tarantulas, poison dart frogs and a green anaconda, on the other hand, are safely housed.

The 800 square metre enclosure for Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, cinnamon ducks and red-shouldered ducks, which was opened in 2014, is located in the direct vicinity of the Rainforest House and houses a penguin colony of ten breeding pairs.

The natural habitat of the penguins was the model for the design of the new enclosure, especially the artificial rock face: the coastal regions of northern Chile and Peru on the cold Humboldt Current.

The entire enclosure was covered with a net construction, so that in addition to Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, cinnamon and red-shouldered ducks can also be kept.

Humboldt penguins have two layers of plumage, but for particularly frosty winters, a small warm house is available for the residents of the complex.

In April 2015, construction work began on the new rhino enclosure, which directly borders the large African meadow.

Following typical African mud huts, two interconnected circular buildings were built, which house the meerkat facility and a viewing terrace with drinks.

Breeder Toni disappeared without trace on 2 June 2018; the 3-year-old male Kimya from Münster Zoo succeeded him.

In this way, the Zoo helps to maintain and breed a healthy population of endangered animal species (ex-situ conservation).

Krefeld Zoo keeps the stud book for European otters, Goodfellow's kangaroos and tamanduas (small anteaters).

In 2002, the cheetah female "Catherine", released by burglars, killed ten grey giant kangaroos following her hunting instinct and thus destroyed the corresponding breeding group of the zoo.

The kangaroo baby with the name "Lismore", which survived the attack in the pouch of its mother who was killed in the process, became famous.

Thanks to the use of the constructed wetland, the sea lions and the penguin pool now only need to be cleaned every six months instead of once a week, which has saved more than 500,000 cubic metres of water 2010 and March 2015.

In cooperation with an art education agency, the Zoo started the fundraising project affenBRUT in October 2007.