Balkan zoos news

Festa Dolphinarium Varna (Bulgaria) (here is link from website on English : Inmates ) is one of two facilities on Balkans holding dolphins, and the other is Attica zoological park in Greece.

The dolphinarium is one of the major attractions on Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, and was open in 1984 with first dolphings arriving from Cuba. As it is stated on website, currently they keep 5 bottlenose dolphins (2.3); The Attica's dolphins are Black sea bottlenose dolphins, while Varna's are listed on ZTL as no subspecific status. Currently there are 45 holders of bottlenose dolphins in Europe (excluding Russia and Turkey, and big part of them are in Ukraine and in Spain).
The dolphinarium offers several types of services, including therapeutic swimming with the dolphins.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
The only rarer to see in zoos, animals in Skopje zoo (R. Macedonia, FYROM) are the collared mangabeys (cherry-crowned) (holded in 17 zoos in Europe, and Skopje zoo the only place in Balkans holding this species) and red buffalos (forest buffalo) (holded in 29 zoos in Europe, again Skopje zoo the only place in Balkans holding this species) (although I don't saw tme on last visit, they were building something in that area). They all have been recently recieved from other zoos in Europe.
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I must correct myself, there two additional animal species in Skopje zoo (R. Macedonia) that are rarer to see in zoos in Europe, those are American (wood) bison (only held in 12 zoos in Europe (7 in Germany), and Skopje zoo the only in Balkans), and Himalayan tahr (held in 22 zoos in Europe).
 
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gorst said:
Belgrade zoo has a herd of Himalayan tahr.
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Thank you gorst (hvala puno); I wrote Skopje zoo the only place in Balkans with Himalayan tahr because on Zootierliste it's not stated that Belgrade zoo holds Himalayan tahrs. However it is listed as former holder.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
On my last visit on June 29th, 2016 I notced that Skopje zoo is building something big, I suppose it will be chimpanzee enclosure(s) for future holding of this species.
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Actually I am shocked, this large building area will be elephant enclosure, as it is stated in news. Skopje zoo is building elephant enclosure, with outdoor part with area of 3,200 m2 (including pool - can be seen on picture with link I have provided), and indoor building of 400 m2. Two elephants (not stated from wich species and from wich institution) will arrive in Skopje zoo after this enclosure building is finished in the Autumn this year. Seems that Skopje will recieve elephants before it recieves chimpanzees including rehabilitated Koko from the Netherlands (AAP foundation). It will be fenced also with electrical fence. The building of the enclosure costs about 420,000 euros.
Skopje zoo had elephant in the past, namely female Asian elephant (with the name Anka) that lived there from 1964 to 1992.
Here is link (with photo of the enclosure) (but on Macedonian language):

?? ????? ???? ?????????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?????? | cooltura

Yet I think that elephants are one of the hardest animals to keep in zoos, and it's very responsible task. I think elephant enclosure should not be less than 10,000 m2, divided into several parts (with grass/trees), with appropriate social grouping and behavioral enrichment.

Just for reminding, Skopje zoo is (or was - it is already member, I can't find out) a candidate member for joining EAZA, and the small land-locked Balkan country of R. Macedonia is not EU-member.
 
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I always read your updates, thank you for the info.

Those new elephants - I guess there are two options. Either they are two old cows from circus. Or two young bulls from European zoos. 3000 meters outside and 400 sqm inside is ok for two animals, I guess.
 
Jana said:
I always read your updates, thank you for the info.

Those new elephants - I guess there are two options. Either they are two old cows from circus. Or two young bulls from European zoos. 3000 meters outside and 400 sqm inside is ok for two animals, I guess.
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Thanks.
Actualy in the news, it is said that enclosure will be divided into two parts (although not clearly stated wich - only indoor, or outdoor too), and male elephants are mentioned, and that live separately from female elephants (but again not clearly said).

Other option it's almost immpossible; no zoo would waste two reproductive cows to live as two, without a male in non-breeding zoo; for breeding zoo, enclosures should be more complex, to include elephant herd and solitary bull(s).
 
It was anounced in the news, that Skopje zoo will get the Koko the chimpanzee together with other two chimps at the end of this summer, and their enclosure is building intensively.
Also was anounced that a male jaguar will join the two female jaguars that zoo is currently holding (on ZTL they are listed as unknown subspecific status).
Also was mentioned for arrival of other new animals, like leopards (although the zoo already holds two), sea lion (again holds two Californian male sea lions), snakes, crocodiles.. elephants, giraffe (again holds three male, two reticulated, one hybrid - most probably whose genetics are overrepresented and who are not needed in breeding programmes).


Zagreb zoo, is also intensively built, it is wait for the opening of new and seemingly amazing Tropical house in Zagreb zoo Croatia.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
There are currently 6 zoos in Balkans holding giraffes (hybrid, reticulated and Rothschild's) (from South to Northwest, Balkan): Attica zoological park, Skopje zoo, Belgrade zoo, Palic zoo (Serbia), Osijek zoo (Croatia) and Ljubljana zoo (Slovenia).
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Actually there is additional zoo in Balkans holding giraffes, but not stated on Zootierliste (I haved just find out - it may not be interesting to most zoochatters, but I must correct myself), and that zoo is the third Serbian zoo holding giraffes. The zoo is Jagodina zoo (Zooloski vrt Jagodina). The giraffe/s is from unknown subspecies or subspecific status (it looks like Rotschild's, but there is also photo of juvenile reticulated-like, giraffe). On the zoo website the giraffe is presented as Rotschild's giraffe: ZOO Park Jagodina - ?ivotinje - Kopitari i papkari - ?irafa - Dobrodo?li

So now, there are 7 zoos in Balkans holding giraffes.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
Actually there is additional zoo in Balkans holding giraffes, but not stated on Zootierliste (I haved just find out - it may not be interesting to most zoochatters, but I must correct myself),
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Then you better contact the ZTL admins directly and let them know. Or even better: register and update accordingly by yourself.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
Actually there is additional zoo in Balkans holding giraffes, but not stated on Zootierliste (I haved just find out - it may not be interesting to most zoochatters, but I must correct myself), and that zoo is the third Serbian zoo holding giraffes. The zoo is Jagodina zoo (Zooloski vrt Jagodina). The giraffe/s is from unknown subspecies or subspecific status (it looks like Rotschild's, but there is also photo of juvenile reticulated-like, giraffe). On the zoo website the giraffe is presented as Rotschild's giraffe: ZOO Park Jagodina - ?ivotinje - Kopitari i papkari - ?irafa - Dobrodo?li

So now, there are 7 zoos in Balkans holding giraffes.
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Jagodina Zoo acquired Rothschild's I believe: the female arrived from Belgrado in 2012 (Viva/Ema, but born in Dvur Kralove), the male Jovance unsure from where.

Belgrado lost its male Rothschild's that year and got another bull Dole from Dvur the same year.

Osijek got both males from Dvur in 2012 (Rothschild's).

Palic held an older Rothschild's male from Dvur and received another Rothschild's bull in 2014 from ZOOM Gelsenkirchen.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Jagodina Zoo acquired Rothschild's I believe: the female arrived from Belgrado in 2012 (Viva/Ema, but born in Dvur Kralove), the male Jovance unsure from where.

Belgrado lost its male Rothschild's that year and got another bull Dole from Dvur the same year.

Osijek got both males from Dvur in 2012 (Rothschild's).

Palic held an older Rothschild's male from Dvur and received another Rothschild's bull in 2014 from ZOOM Gelsenkirchen.
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Thank you a lot Kifaru Bwana.
Dvur had also sent cheetahs to Belgrade zoo, there is a good collaboration between them.
 
Some news/info from Croatia:

Zagreb zoo: on 16 June, 2016, two lion cubs were born. Their mother is a 16-year old lioness who arrived from Amsterdam, Netherlands (together with her sister), while their father is a 20 years old lion, who in Zagreb zoo arrived from Subotica (Serbia): https://zoo.hr/novosti/kraljevsko-pojacanje-u-zoo-vrtu

Bizik family zoo: it is small zoo in Croatia attracting about 20,000 visitors a yaer. It is a privately - owned zoo, estabilshed in 1954 starting with doves and rabbits, now it holds also black leopard, lions, tigers, wallabies, birds, etc. Here is a website from town of residency of the zoo, and description of zoo (and some pictures): Zoolo?ki vrt Bizik
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
(Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina don't really have zoos),
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Although I wrote this, seems that these countries have few smaller zoos, that are almost unknown to international citizens, because they only hold several species.

I will start with Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely it's capital Sarajevo (a city metropolitan area with population of aproximately 500,000) had a zoo since 1950s (that time Yugoslavia), but this zoo was completely destoyed (relatively huge collection of animals, as stated in one article on Bosnian language) in Balkan wars in 1992-1995. Now, the zoo Pionirska Dolina Zoo Vrt (municipality-owned zoo) is located in the park Pionirska Dolina in Sarajevo, and seems like nice and decent zoo (on google immages), wich is changing fast, day-by day, and now already holds several animals like liamas, zebra, deers, lions, brown bears, red fox, raccoons, macaques, ring-tail lemurs (?), gallinaceous birds, anserine waterfowl, some reptiles (caiman, boa constrictor, pythons, green iguana), etc.
Some further info about the zoo (but article on Bosnian language): ZOO vrt | KJKP Park Sarajevo
 
I haven't posted here for more than 2 months, but that doesn't mean I don't check for some more important news on websites of bigger zoos in the Balkans.
Some notiable news are:

-Sofia Zoo in Bulgaria, recieved lar (white-handed) gibbon, a 9-years old female from Tiergarten Schoenbrunn (Vienna), on September 1, 2016, to be paired with their male (Пристигна женски белорък гибон в Зоологическа градина – София);

-Zagreb Zoo in Croatia, was officialy opened on 16th October, 2016, now as even more modernised zoo (first stage)(the park was open to the public before that, but now officially after modernisation), after modernisation-building new enclosures and buildings that lasted several years, and with most of the funds granted from the European Union (aproximately 5,000,000 euros). New things that were added include: Aviary for African birds, Madagascar complex (featuring animals native to Madagascar and souvenir shop), modernised main entry to the zoo, enclosure for Dalmatian pelicans, education centre, restaurant and picnic area, and several bridges across the zoo.(OTVOREN MODERNIZIRANI ZOOLOŠKI VRT GRADA ZAGREBA | zoo.hr). The zoo further states that will get giraffes in 2018, because zoo don't holds giraffe(s) yet, an iconic zoo animal wanted by most citizens of Zagreb;

-The new aquarium for freshwater habitats in Croatia, was open, and there is thread about this, from Giant Panda;

-Skopje zoo is finishing the enclosures for elephants and for chimpanzees (230,000 euros). It also waits for flamingos;

-If I could made a list of best zoos in Balkans, including just bigger zoos, I would list (though only visited Belgrade, Skopje and Attica):

1. Number one, Attica Zoological Park in Greece, though Zagreb Zoo can be seen as better than most.
2. Zagreb zoo in Croatia
3. Ljubljana zoo in Slovenia (great enclosures)
4. Belgrade zoo in Serbia (first of all because of diversity)
5. Skopje zoo (better enclosures than Sofia zoo, and than most in Belgrade zoo) in R. Macedonia (FYROM) (nice and net enclosures, improved a lot)
6. Sofia zoo in Bulgaria
7. Palic zoo in Serbia (really a good zoo near border with Hungary).
 
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Quite surprisingly, Zagreb Zoo in Croatia, got South American bushmaster snake(s) from Los Angeles zoo in 2016 (together with tentacled snakes and maybe some other - can't find for sure)..
Zagreb zoo is number one in the Balkans in regards to reptile diveristy, also with venomous snakes diversity. Actually it is the only from two or three zoos holding venomous snakes in the Balkans.
 
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Nikola Chavkosk said:
Quite surprisingly, Zagreb Zoo in Croatia, got South American bushmaster snake(s) from Los Angeles zoo in 2016 (together with tentacled snakes and maybe some other - can't find for sure)..
Zagreb zoo is number one in the Balkans in regards to reptile diveristy, also with venomous snakes diversity. Actually it is the only from two or three zoos holding venomous snakes in the Balkans.
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Los Angeles has sent quite a few herps over to Europe recently, with others coming here in exchange. I believe they have sent bushmasters, other snakes, and tree frogs to places in Russia, Sweden, and the Baltic states also.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
Los Angeles has sent quite a few herps over to Europe recently, with others coming here in exchange. I believe they have sent bushmasters, other snakes, and tree frogs to places in Russia, Sweden, and the Baltic states also.
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What herps are comming there as exchange for these reptiles?
I have also found that Zagreb zoo in Coratia got 2.2 Mangshan pit vipers in 2015. It also holds mangrove pit vipers.
The zoo is also holding and probably breeding Utila spiny-tailed iguana (CR EN species) (very attractive species for me) and Fiji short-crested iguanas, among some other rare herps.
 
Nikola Chavkosk said:
What herps are comming there as exchange for these reptiles?
I have also found that Zagreb zoo in Coratia got 2.2 Mangshan pit vipers in 2015. It also holds mangrove pit vipers.
The zoo is also holding and probably breeding Utila spiny-tailed iguana (CR EN species) (very attractive species for me) and Fiji short-crested iguanas, among some other rare herps.
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Nikola, if these are Fiji cresteds that would be a first for Europe. The species is very hard to come by and only exhibited in some US zoos and the Australian zoo region (including Fiji and some Aussie zoos).
 
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