ZOO Dvůr Králové Dvůr Králové

The last Nubian red-necked gazelle (Nanger dama ruficollis) in Europe, 14 years old female, died.
Last week I was extremely lucky to see her in the enclosure and take quite possibly her last photo.
It used to be my most favourite antelope species and now it´s gone from Europe. I´m so sad now. Yes, I knew it was comming. But still, I failed to see it during Haloween week for the last time and hoped she would last another few months.

RIP little beauty.
 
Sad news! I missed this subspecies in 2018 due to the zoos rotation policy, but luckily I saw them in april this year, when there were still 2 females left.

A lovely subspecies indeed, and they will surely be missed.
 
Skyla, female aardvark, has another baby. It´s still unknown if it´s a boy or girl. (fingers crossed it´s a boy, those are needed in EEP)

The zoo offered asylum for some birds that lived in aviaries destructed by heavy snow at zoo Hluboka. Both Bewick's swans and 9 Eurasian spoonbills are already on show, while two white storks moved in backstage.

The bird curator searches for an ID chip of a fresh newcomer (pic from zoo´s socials):
408101779_741964454643953_738437600427838498_n.jpg
 
It´s mid winter and thus breeding season of pink-backed pelicans is at its peak. 4 chicks´ve hatched in the colony.

This pic doesn´t depict a half-eaten unfortunate victim of a traffic accident. It´s a bird keeper that tries to fish a small chick from under its parents to do regular check-up. Wearing motorcycle helmet and leather jacket because tips of pelican bills are pretty sharp. (source zoo)

416069851_759430779563987_1882465590200225965_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
The honeybadger cub born in November last year has been sexed - and it´s a female. She is already on show.

The all-female group of wild dogs moved recently into safari part. The zoo keeps two groups of wild dogs (a breeding one of 2.1.1 and non-breeding one of 0.4) and both are now housed there. What means you can´t see this species anymore in the classical part of the zoo. And you can´t even see it by doing bus-ride that is offered for visitors, because it has shorter path than when you drive through safari by own car.

Two female cheetahs arrived from Gdansk zoo in Poland. They are sisters 2,5 years old and their names are Planeta and Appka. They will be on show in the usual cheetah pen at Easter. source

7 Common waterbuck were born recently and the zoo posted some adorable pics on its socials. Here you can see that calf´s ear has a round "bitten out" piece - this is the old San Diego´s system for hoofstock identification that Dvur uses for decades. Keepers can visually identify every animal in large herd by exact position of that bitten out piece.
420197992_804297288410669_8626150765466166280_n.jpg


Local newspaper posted longer article about the zoo.
- the third old rhino house reconstruction is completed and animals move in this week
- planning process started for enlargement of safari for Cape buffalos and white rhinos, construction should be in 2026, budget 3 mio euro (land has been bought +5 years ago so nice that the construction is finally getting near, buffalo herd really needs to move out of their current small pen)
- a second camp (accomodation for visitors) will be built near municipal Tyršové aquapark. City has bough additional land and will rent it to the zoo while the zoo will build the camp and run it. Apart of camp, there will be (invisible for visitors) a new rescue facility for confiscated big cats seized from private breeders.
- this year 2024, the only planned investments are new heating pumps for several buildings and repair of housing in the existing camp. (So - no new animal exhibits will be built or modernised, no new aviaries near the winter house, no otters or crocodiles, no vultures, nothing!)
Source
 
Back
Top