Affenberg Ossiach

Affenberg opened in 1996 below Landskron castle, founded with forty Japanese macaques brought from near Osaka, and the troop has grown to around a hundred and eighty animals in some four and a half hectares of natural forest enclosed but not caged, with the group living in its own hierarchy and reproducing normally - the same snow-monkey species as Japan's hot-spring troops. Visitors go in on guided rounds and walk among the animals, which is the point: there is no barrier, the monkeys move where they like and ignore or approach people as they choose, and the guides explain the social structure as it happens in front of you. Feeding by visitors is banned, and the animals are fed a fixed diet so they have no reason to beg or snatch. The colony is studied by primatologists, and published research on tool use and social behaviour has come out of this troop.

What you actually see

• Macaques with no barrier - the group free in four hectares of oak forest.
• A working social hierarchy - the group structure explained as it plays out.
• A research colony - one of the largest Japanese macaque troops outside Japan, studied by primatologists.
• Guided rounds - the only way in, with rules about contact and food.

When to go

April to October; the park closes over winter. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Closed for the winter. Entry is on guided rounds at set times. Do not touch or feed - the rules are enforced and are the reason the animals behave normally. It is outdoors in all weather.

Nearby

Landskron castle and its eagle displays are directly above; Villach is south.