Bears playing with each other

The Team

The people behind the scenes of BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach - get to know us!

9.6.2023
Team of BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach

standing from left to right: 
Petronella, Annelies, Mathias, Monika, Maria, Maria, Sarah, Gabi, Daan, Manuela, Alexandra
sitting from left to right: 
Elisabeth, Bettina, Birgit, Hermann, Hund Lola, Sigrid, Gerlinde, Hund Keksi, Renate

A day at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach

Every at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is  special, not only for visitors, but also for us. 

Get to know us...
sanctuary site manager Sigrid Zederbauer

Mag. Sigrid Zederbauer

Site Manager

sigrid.zederbauer@baerenwald.at

Sigrid Zederbauer is the Site Manager and also responsible for Marketing at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach. She has been a loyal member of the FOUR PAWS family since 2001.

Caretaking Team

Annelies Friedl, Mathias Frost, Gerlinde Mairhofer, Manuela Pfeiffer and Daan Beemsterboer take care of the bears' needs and gladly share stories about their work and the animals on guided tours.

sanctuary staff member Annelies Friedl

Annelies Friedl, BSc, BSc

Chief Animal Caretaker

annelies.friedl@baerenwald.at

Annelies is leading the animal caretaker team at Arbesbach, coordinating the feeding, enrichment and veterinary care of the bears. 

Animal Caretaker Mathias Frost

Mathias Frost

Animal Caretaker

mathias.frost@baerenwald.at

Mathias has been an animal caretaker at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach for several years. One of his other main tasks is taking care of the maintenance of the premises and the technical facility.

sanctuary staff member Gerlinde Mairhofer

Gerlinde Mairhofer

Animal Caretaker and Administration

gerlinde.mairhofer@baerenwald.at

Gerlinde is a passionate animal caretaker. Besides assisting with administrative work, she is also always busy with taking pictures of the bears and posting them on our social media channels.

sanctuary staff member Manuela Pfeiffer

Manuela Pfeiffer

Animal Caretaker, Tour Guide and Assistant to Front Desk Officer

manueala.pfeiffer@baerenwald.at

Manuela is an animal caretaker. You can also find her doing guided tours or in the souvenir shop, where she is helping out whenever there is a need. 

sanctuary staff member Daan Beemsterboer

Daan Beemsterboer

Animal Caretaker

daan.beemsterboer@baerenwald.at

text is coming soon

Office & Visitor Service

In addition to the bears, our team members also take care of the well-being of visitors.

Staff member Birgit Weissinger

Birgit Weissinger

Visitor Service Team Manager

birgit.weissinger@baerenwald.at

Birgit has a big heart for animals. Her love of animals has even taken her to Africa. Back in the Waldviertel, she is now leading the service team at the sanctuary.

Staff member Lisi Kraus

Elisabeth Kraus

Front Desk Officer

lisi.kraus@baerenwald.at

Elisabeth, Lisi, is part of the staff at the ticket and souvenir shop of our BEAR SANCTUARY. She is also very skilled at craftsmanship and gardening. Her creative ideas can be found all over the sanctuary. 

Front desk officer Bettina Hennerbichler

Bettina Hennerbichler

Front Desk Officer

bettina.hennerbichler@baerenwald.at

Bettina will welcome you at the ticket and souvenir shop. Starting this year she will also introduce our sanctuary to visitors during guided tours.

Staff member Petronella Gradauer

Petronella Gradauer

Finance and Adminstration

petronella.gradauer@baerenwald.at

Petronella is assisting the sanctuary management with administrative tasks.

Staff member Monika Puchner

Monika Puchner

Administration and Front Desk Officer, Tour Guide

monika.puchner@baerenwald.at

Monika is supporting us at the shop as well as in the office. With her cheerful and warm personality, she accompanies visitors on tours around the sanctuary.

Staff member Maria Pfeiffer

Maria Pfeiffer

Cleaning Staff, Ticketoffice & Tour Guide

Maria helps out at the shop, keeps everything neat and clean and takes care of "the chaos behind the scenes".

Staff member Alexandra Hechtl

Alexandra Hechtl

Tourism Development Coordinator

alexandra.hechtl@baerenwald.at

Alexandra has been part of the team since 2022. Her creative skills are used in the development of visitor programs and the communication about animal welfare topics.

Staff member Maria Winkler

Maria Winkler

Tour Guide

Maria Winkler is a great support with guided tours, children's educational programs and events. From time to time you will also meet her at the food stall of family Kolm right next to the sanctuary serving you a cool drink or a small snack.

Staff member Renate

Renate Pilz

Cleaning Staff

Renate Pilz is the second "chaos manager" in the team, who makes sure that everything sparkles and shines for the visitors at the BEAR SANCTUARY.

Staff member Hermann Huter

Hermann Huter

Maintenance and Security Foreman

hermann.huter@baerenwald.at

text is coming soon

Staff member Sarah Gosch

Sarah Gosch

Education Team Manager

sarah.gosch@baerenwald.at

text is coming soon

Staff member Sarah Gosch

Gabriela Schwott

Administration Coordinator & Tour Guide

gabriela.schwott@baerenwald.at

text is coming soon

External Support

Mag. Tanja Musil and Dr. Susanne Riegler are our external veterinarians and bear experts who oversee the medical care of our bears. 

Gerhard Kolm is always there and willing to help whenever needed. He also takes care of hungry visitors at the food stall right next to the sanctuary.

Of course, the colleagues from FOUR PAWS Austria or other country offices and sanctuaries also support us in a wide variety of topics.

Special team members at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach

Pino

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Pino


is the three-legged cat who lives at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach. When he is not sleeping in the office, he spends his time prowling in the enclosure or making friends with visitors.

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Ozzy

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Ozzy


is the seven year old dog of our Site Manager Sigrid Zederbauer. He is very clever and active and loves all toys which make squeaking sounds.

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Keksi

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Keksi


is the five year old dog of our Caretaker Gerlinde. She is a watchful dog who likes playing with cats and sleeping beneath the desk. 

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Fanni

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Fanni


is the three year old dog of Caretaker Annelies. At the sanctuary she enjoys sniffing for interesting smells and roaming about with the other dogs the most.

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Lola

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Lola


has come to stay. We don't know her exact age. But we do know that Lola can run like a world champion and she can cuddle just as well. She prefers to do this with her dog mom, our site manager Sigrid Zederbauer.

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Bella

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Bella


is the mixed breed born in 2019 owned by our colleague Alexandra. She especially likes her dog friends at the BEAR SANCTUARY. After work she loves to run and taking long walks.

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Caretaker Gerlinde is hiding food for the bears

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT our work WITH THE BEARS? 


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