Prague Zoo Praha Prague Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter Rhino00
- Start date
In their "Births and arrivals" section on their website, Prague Zoo lists for January among others:
• arrival of 2,0 Raggiana BoP (San Diego)
• arrival of 2,0 King BoP (Walsrode)
• arrival of 2,0 Black-chinned fruit dove (Walsrode)
• hatching of 2 Pel's fishing owls
• arrival of 2,0 Raggiana BoP (San Diego)
• arrival of 2,0 King BoP (Walsrode)
• arrival of 2,0 Black-chinned fruit dove (Walsrode)
• hatching of 2 Pel's fishing owls
Not only a first captive breeding of the species within a public collection anywhere worldwide, but a first captive breeding of the genus Scotopelia too.
That can't be right? Unless you meant to repeat "within a public collection" in the second part of the sentence as well?
Orion - The Owls Trust
Yeah, I neglected to repeat myself as intended - both Vermiculated and Pels Fishing Owl have bred (very sporadically) in private hands, and in fact all of the adult Pels at Prague came from the same Italian breeder as the bird cited in that link.
Which, incidentally, means that despite the lie being called out on multiple occasions both online and in person by various zoo enthusiasts and professionals, that place in Wales is *still* claiming their bird is unique
Is that the fun place that played the "only fishing owl worldwide" card on social media, and every proof of their lying was promptly deleted and banned?
Just returned from a visit.
What shocked me today was huge rat infestation in birds aviaries. I understand you can never fully get rid of them and I ´m used to occasionaly see one swim with flamingos on quiet winter day. But today, busy sunny weekend, I saw 5 fat rats at once inside food bowls in the new Sichuan aviary - I saw more rats than birds at first. The floor of the aviary has 1 rat hole per square meter! I got distressed seeing rats just running forth and back centimeters away from sleeping scaly-sided merganser or harlequi duck. I made second leap few hours later and again got 2 active rats in the same aviary. I managed to catch a bird keeper responsible for Sečuan and complained about the rats. He replied they know about extend of the problem but it´s hard to solve because they can´t use rat poison. I had seen equally high density of fresh rat holes also in walk-through aviaries with walrapps and night herons. I´m afraid it means high future losses of birds kept in all these places.
I´ve also seen wild pair of Egyptian goose in crane pens for the first time. They were pretty aggresive and mobbed everything living within the pens smaller than cranes. This is an invasive species that just now undergoes spectacular population explosion in Czech republic. It aggresively competes with many other bird species for nests. Last year, I saw local reports of these geese stealing nests from nest-buiding or already incubating birds like white and black storks, common buzzards or red kites. And even a report of geese usurping nest built by ospreys. They are a menace. I hope the zoo will get rid of them soon.
What shocked me today was huge rat infestation in birds aviaries. I understand you can never fully get rid of them and I ´m used to occasionaly see one swim with flamingos on quiet winter day. But today, busy sunny weekend, I saw 5 fat rats at once inside food bowls in the new Sichuan aviary - I saw more rats than birds at first. The floor of the aviary has 1 rat hole per square meter! I got distressed seeing rats just running forth and back centimeters away from sleeping scaly-sided merganser or harlequi duck. I made second leap few hours later and again got 2 active rats in the same aviary. I managed to catch a bird keeper responsible for Sečuan and complained about the rats. He replied they know about extend of the problem but it´s hard to solve because they can´t use rat poison. I had seen equally high density of fresh rat holes also in walk-through aviaries with walrapps and night herons. I´m afraid it means high future losses of birds kept in all these places.
I´ve also seen wild pair of Egyptian goose in crane pens for the first time. They were pretty aggresive and mobbed everything living within the pens smaller than cranes. This is an invasive species that just now undergoes spectacular population explosion in Czech republic. It aggresively competes with many other bird species for nests. Last year, I saw local reports of these geese stealing nests from nest-buiding or already incubating birds like white and black storks, common buzzards or red kites. And even a report of geese usurping nest built by ospreys. They are a menace. I hope the zoo will get rid of them soon.
Reintroduction of Przewalski horses:
2024 - eight Przewalski horses to be reintroduced to Kazakhstan by Prague and Berlin zoos
The Prague Zoological Garden announced on Tuesday March 5 that it would send eight wild horses of an endangered species to a steppe in Kazakhstan in June, as part of a joint reintroduction project with the Berlin Tierpark .
The horses, three stallions and five mares, will be transported by Czech army planes, with the two zoos sending four horses each.
In total, the two zoos plan to send at least 40 Przewalski horses to the Altyn Dala region in central Kazakhstan over the next five years.
2024 - eight Przewalski horses to be reintroduced to Kazakhstan by Prague and Berlin zoos
The Prague Zoological Garden announced on Tuesday March 5 that it would send eight wild horses of an endangered species to a steppe in Kazakhstan in June, as part of a joint reintroduction project with the Berlin Tierpark .
The horses, three stallions and five mares, will be transported by Czech army planes, with the two zoos sending four horses each.
In total, the two zoos plan to send at least 40 Przewalski horses to the Altyn Dala region in central Kazakhstan over the next five years.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
That’s wonderful news. Have there been any attempts to release this species to Kazakhstan (or indeed any country other than Mongolia, which I foolishly thought accounted for the entirety of their range until reading this) on this scale before? Interesting that this is happening just a month before the zoo opens a new exhibit for the species, which will reduce the numbers of the herd in said enclosure, but exciting all the same.
I´m unsure about Kazakhstan (ther was a failed release attempt of few horses +10 years ago I think?), but there are now wild horses living free also in NW China. And several large free herds live outside its natural range like in Russia or Ukraine. The first large scale wild horse transports to Mongolia were done by consorcium of Dutch zoos around 1998-2000 and ther was also Norimberk zoo somewhere in the mix I think.
The current release site at Altyn Dala in Kazakhstan saw return of wild asses few years back and this also enabled very quick realisation of this return of wild horses (ca 1 year from governmental decision to transport) - because there was already most of the infrastructure in place (large adaptation pens) built during the wild ass return.
Prague zoo keeps international studbook of wild horses and has been receiving horses bred for rewilding purpose from zoos all over Europe. You dont need to worry the zoo wont have enough animals for its own exhibit.
Actually, Prague zoo currently keeps wild horses at 2 sites - at CHARZA farm in Dolní Dobřejov (ca 70 km south of Prague) and in a large pen at top of grassy hill Dívčí Hrady in south Prague city. The zoo exhibit opening later this month will hold the zoo´s third own herd.
CHARZA is abbreviation of "Breeding and rehabilitation facility" and its a farm built in village Dolní Dobřejov on land the zoo received from private inheritance in early 1980s. The farm has large multi-hectare hoofstock pens. Wild horses are accumulated and quarantined at this place before each transport towards Mongolia or Kazakhstan. A transport CASA plane owned by Czech army has capacity of exactly 4 horse transport crates. But the zoo prepaires export papers for 5-6 horses before each air transport and the vet decides on spot at start of transport day which horses are loaded into crates based on their actual health status.
February list of arrivals is online. It mentions arrival of 1.1 manuls (from Helsinki and Spaycific). Birth of a female beisa antelope. And a chick of Scarlet-headed blackbird - if it survives this will be first breeding success of this species at Prague I guess.
The list has two entries that make little sense to me.
- Arrival of female Crested oropendola from Zlin - while Zlin doesnt keep this species and at least according to ZTL it never´ve had.
- And a birth of a callimico - but Prague doesnt keep this species at all!
The list has two entries that make little sense to me.
- Arrival of female Crested oropendola from Zlin - while Zlin doesnt keep this species and at least according to ZTL it never´ve had.
- And a birth of a callimico - but Prague doesnt keep this species at all!
In a recent blog entry, Director Miroslav Bobek not only confirmed that 1.3 wild horses have arrived to the zoo but also that the exhibit will open in March 23. Many of the other animals will move in next week.
Edit: the map is also showing the new exhibit which is named “Gobi”.
Edit 2: the map also shows that the kiangs have moved out if their current enclosure to an area adjacent to Gobi.
Edit: the map is also showing the new exhibit which is named “Gobi”.
Edit 2: the map also shows that the kiangs have moved out if their current enclosure to an area adjacent to Gobi.
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I have also noticed that the gorals are no longer on the map. Is this a recent change or have they been omitted from the map for a while?
To add up to Ferni’s question if the visitor path that happens to be in the new polar bear area is closed, then how will the guests be able to see the white-lipped deer and bharals?
To add up to Ferni’s question if the visitor path that happens to be in the new polar bear area is closed, then how will the guests be able to see the white-lipped deer and bharals?
Gorals are freshly removed from the map - they were included in previous version.
No idea about future visibility of deer and bharals during construction works.
The zoo has not opened tender selection process for construction company that should build Arktida (polar bears & Co.) yet. I personally dont believe construction will start sooner than in autumn.
No idea about future visibility of deer and bharals during construction works.
The zoo has not opened tender selection process for construction company that should build Arktida (polar bears & Co.) yet. I personally dont believe construction will start sooner than in autumn.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Nice to see that the Kiangs have moved, confirming that their enclosure will not be endangered by the Polar Bear construction.
I also notice that where the map previously had a label reading 'laughingthrush,' it now reads 'Birds of Southeast Asia.' Has the focus been drifting away from laughingthrushes enough over recent years to merit this change, or are they still the main focus and the change was purely a means to make the area sound more interesting to visitors?
I also notice that where the map previously had a label reading 'laughingthrush,' it now reads 'Birds of Southeast Asia.' Has the focus been drifting away from laughingthrushes enough over recent years to merit this change, or are they still the main focus and the change was purely a means to make the area sound more interesting to visitors?