I've only been to one Wildpark, the one on Freissen. It was a great trip, and I plan to go back. The mix of petting zoo, zoo, and free range was interesting.

I can totally understand that! I love how some of the parks try to educate their visitors with shows and bring them close to the animals so they have a chance to learn how to they react and behave

Indeed! The one in Freisen has falcons, bald Eagles, and a number of other birds. They also have pigs, llama, rams, and deer free roaming. I found that really cool. I never got to hand feed a pig before. Afterward, when I had mud from his nose on my hand, I just rubbed his back and let the stiff hair clean my hand. I would really like to see some of these in the US...

It is pretty common over here in Germany and in Austria. At least as far as I know. Sure, sometimes you have to be careful but most of the time it's just an amazing experience, especially if you've never experienced something like that before (which is true for almost everyone who has lived in big cities all their life.... sometimes it's just said when I hear kids say they have never petted a cow before... but that's a different story to tell)