Journey to the East
- Thread starter Sun Wukong
- Start date
From my experience, it is true that zoos in east Europe have many bad, small and/or outdated animal enclosures, and the more you go east the worse it gets. But at least in the Chzech Republic, Poland and Hungary things are definately improving at a good rate in many zoos!! I think Prague Zoo has always had a good standard (not without "black points" but comparable with german zoos).
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Ah, the differentiation between East and Middle Europe-a topic that can inflame the soul and sharpen the tongue of every Czech, Slovakian or Pole, no matter how benign and placid they usually are.
Judging from the geographical situation, culture and larger parts of history (Habsburger Monarchy, Prussia...), the transitions within the countries in the middle of Europe (whose actual segue to Asia is always a source of heated discussions among different nations-see f.e. Turkey and the EU) are more or less smooth, even though there are certain, obvious boundaries in regard to the germanic and slavic languages-and people, as one can see in the form of gorgeous Slovakian girls...
Ahem...
However, the classification of the Czech Republic, Slovakia etc. as "East Europe" is imho a result of the more recent history, in form of the "Eastern Bloc", which segregated back-then Czechoslovakia, Poland etc., but also an Eastern part of Germany from the "more western" part of Europe, with most of Germany and Austria in the middle.
Therefore, it'd be maybe better to refer to this typical form of zoo architecture, which can be still seen in Czech, Slovakian, Polish, but also Estonian, Hungarian, Ukranian, Romanian...but also East German zoos as "East Bloc" architecture...or "old school", as the "concrete-and-bar" zoo architecture wasn't alone limited to these countries, but also rised and still rises its ugly head all over the world, inclusive most if not all of the modern zoos (though there often just behind the scenes...).
Therefore, if we (or rather, me) scold these imperfect husbandries, one should not forget that quite often, modern ones in "western" (sic!) zoos might not be any better at all. Hodonin Zoo's old jaguar exhibit does look horrible-but the ones in Omaha Zoo for big cats, including the cougars in the Desert Dome, aren't, if we are fair, any better-and in Hodonin, the jaguars can at least enjoy some sunlight and fresh air...and will move to some better enclosures in the near future
@snowleopard: Coming from the "King of Zoo Reviews", this praise surely equals an accolade; thanks
@Jurek7: I wouldn't go so far to call it the best, especially in regard to the indoor enclosures...but it's at least large and the animals can enjoy natural ground to forage upon.
So, I promised positive reviews, and here are the first two:
Zlín-Lešná Zoo does not only have a very pleasing Homepage, but the zoo itself is most certainly one of the nicest I have ever been to. Embedded in an English Garden-style park, the 48ha zoo, founded in 1948, is home to 1150 animals of 210 species.
Starting from the central train station, You walk into the direction of the Shoe Museum (Al Bundy and SATC-Carrie would surely appretiate that...), cross the street (there's an underground passage, in the case You don't want to be run over...) and take bus 34 or 36 to the zoo. But beware: do read the timetable of the bus station at the zoo when You arrive there. Otherwise, You might fall prey to (like I did) the more than irregular bus schedule and spend a longer period of time waiting for the bus after Your zoo visit, secretly praying to arrive at the train station in time to get Your connecting train (which You nevertheless get, though being late, as the Czech trains are notorious for being late themselves...).
Similar to other zoos, the zoo tries to divide itself into several zoogeographical sections-and similar to other zoos, You end up with South American Green Oropendolas next to African Hornbills, Gorillas facing Humbolt Penguins and Asian Shark catfish in the African Elephant House...
Nevertheless, a lot of effort and love to details has been invested to illustrate and teach about the zoogeographical aspect, including colourful life-sized images of typical representatives of the local fauna, signs and zoo architecture in "ethno-style" (like a Japanese Arch or a wallaby exhibit with red earth, artificial termite hills, Aborgine art and didgeridoo music), ethnographical scenarios and touch-on experiences (maned wolf skin, capybara skulls etc.). The zoo "themes" are often quite nicely represented: "Australia", for example, besides Black swans, kookaburra etc. also houses a playground with "kangaroo jump" trampolins and the petting zoo with sheep and rabbits, underlining the local importance of these critters in AUS.
For fans of historical buildings, the zoo also offers a visit of the Lešná Chateau, located within zoo grounds, with some of its reptile collection hidden in the cellar of the castle. Alas, human lovebirds might find the (in my opinion a little too much kitsch-y) Chateau so charmingly romantic that they may choose to marry there-which, as I could observe, seems to happen quite frequently. As a result, the happy couples now have a special zoo sign on their own, next to those for the crocs and the flamingos...
I especially liked the South American part of the zoo, including the Yucatan Hall (with a nice basic presentation of Maya culture, and Cuban ? crocs) and the Exhibit of Amazonia, where the immersion effect was sometimes amazingly successful and yet rather easily achieved: You walk through a small forest, before You face a muddy body of water, filled with tree roots, trunks etc. From the other side of the "river", You can hear squirrel monkeys scream in the canopy of the trees-but You have a hard time actually seeing them, similar to conditions in the wild. Equally mentionable: the lushly planted exhibits for Amur tigers and Moon Bears (a little too much hotwire, maybe), the Asian steppe with Bactrian camels, blackbucks, geese and wing-clipped (booh!) griffon vultures (would be perfect for saiga antelopes...), the African Savannah (Addax, Lechwe, Ostriches, Marabous..so much about zoo-geogr..., ahem-pardon the smart-alecking ), the African Animal Stable (another donut...), the rows of different hornbill exhibits, the interesting black-and-white-ruffed lemur exhibit (see a photo of Jana on that in the gallery), the nice crane exhibits, the large walk-through deer exhibit...
Of course, there are the things one can nag about: the gorilla, gibbon or other primates' exhibits, the indoor enclosures for several species (among others, for the animals in the "African Donut", with the visitors looking upon and thus throwing things at, the animals), wing-clipping of vultures, cockatoos etc.
...but all in all, it's a nice, enjoyable zoo, worth a visit. But check out the bus schedule before You enter...
ZOO Zlín - zámek Le?ná - zoo kontinent?
Yesterday's beautiful local autumn weather prompted me to visit another Czech Zoo-and it was more than worth it.
Jihlava Zoo is quite tiny (7ha), but what it lacks in size, it makes up in the quality of husbandry (officially naming itself "the first barless Czech Zoo"-a bit of a misleading misnomer, as there were, to mutual dismay, cleary bars between me and a cuddly babirusa...), presentation and species collection (Tonkean Macaque, Campbell Monkey, Savu Python, Margay, Amur Cat, Sri Lankan and Persian leopard...). There's hardly a place where one could get so close to pygmy hippos from the public visitor area-see video clip.
Beautiful outdoor exhibits for Lowland Tapirs, various lemurs, tamarins (the "speciality of the zoo) as well as crowd pleasers like meerkats, coatimundis, Asian Small-clawed Otters etc. Interesting enclosure for Common Seal (together with Black Storks). Nice playgrounds for children, beautifully situated bird of prey show (inclusive plenty of apple trees, currently full of delicious apples...). The African village is amazingly nice and has a very cool small nocturnal house (or rather, hut), as You will see in the video clips.
There are nevertheless points one could rightfully animadvert, like the tiny, bare and sterile, "old school" indoor exhibits of the tapirs, cats, pelicans,
primates...etc., the partly overcrowded reptile tanks, the old aviaries...
but all in all, my overall opinion about Jihlava Zoo (and the equally nice town)
could be abstracted as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhzOD1amluc
I will certainly visit this zoo again!
Oh, I almost forgot:
A little insider advice on how to get to this zoo: don't take the train. Get a bus ticket (f.e. from Student Agency)-it's much cheaper and faster. From the bus terminal, head to the central travel shop (can't miss that-there's nothing else there...), turn left, walk past the sex shop and then turn left until You're standing in the city centrum. Go downhill to the end of the centrum, where signs will lead You straight to the zoo.
Judging from the geographical situation, culture and larger parts of history (Habsburger Monarchy, Prussia...), the transitions within the countries in the middle of Europe (whose actual segue to Asia is always a source of heated discussions among different nations-see f.e. Turkey and the EU) are more or less smooth, even though there are certain, obvious boundaries in regard to the germanic and slavic languages-and people, as one can see in the form of gorgeous Slovakian girls...
Ahem...
However, the classification of the Czech Republic, Slovakia etc. as "East Europe" is imho a result of the more recent history, in form of the "Eastern Bloc", which segregated back-then Czechoslovakia, Poland etc., but also an Eastern part of Germany from the "more western" part of Europe, with most of Germany and Austria in the middle.
Therefore, it'd be maybe better to refer to this typical form of zoo architecture, which can be still seen in Czech, Slovakian, Polish, but also Estonian, Hungarian, Ukranian, Romanian...but also East German zoos as "East Bloc" architecture...or "old school", as the "concrete-and-bar" zoo architecture wasn't alone limited to these countries, but also rised and still rises its ugly head all over the world, inclusive most if not all of the modern zoos (though there often just behind the scenes...).
Therefore, if we (or rather, me) scold these imperfect husbandries, one should not forget that quite often, modern ones in "western" (sic!) zoos might not be any better at all. Hodonin Zoo's old jaguar exhibit does look horrible-but the ones in Omaha Zoo for big cats, including the cougars in the Desert Dome, aren't, if we are fair, any better-and in Hodonin, the jaguars can at least enjoy some sunlight and fresh air...and will move to some better enclosures in the near future
@snowleopard: Coming from the "King of Zoo Reviews", this praise surely equals an accolade; thanks
@Jurek7: I wouldn't go so far to call it the best, especially in regard to the indoor enclosures...but it's at least large and the animals can enjoy natural ground to forage upon.
So, I promised positive reviews, and here are the first two:
Zlín-Lešná Zoo does not only have a very pleasing Homepage, but the zoo itself is most certainly one of the nicest I have ever been to. Embedded in an English Garden-style park, the 48ha zoo, founded in 1948, is home to 1150 animals of 210 species.
Starting from the central train station, You walk into the direction of the Shoe Museum (Al Bundy and SATC-Carrie would surely appretiate that...), cross the street (there's an underground passage, in the case You don't want to be run over...) and take bus 34 or 36 to the zoo. But beware: do read the timetable of the bus station at the zoo when You arrive there. Otherwise, You might fall prey to (like I did) the more than irregular bus schedule and spend a longer period of time waiting for the bus after Your zoo visit, secretly praying to arrive at the train station in time to get Your connecting train (which You nevertheless get, though being late, as the Czech trains are notorious for being late themselves...).
Similar to other zoos, the zoo tries to divide itself into several zoogeographical sections-and similar to other zoos, You end up with South American Green Oropendolas next to African Hornbills, Gorillas facing Humbolt Penguins and Asian Shark catfish in the African Elephant House...
Nevertheless, a lot of effort and love to details has been invested to illustrate and teach about the zoogeographical aspect, including colourful life-sized images of typical representatives of the local fauna, signs and zoo architecture in "ethno-style" (like a Japanese Arch or a wallaby exhibit with red earth, artificial termite hills, Aborgine art and didgeridoo music), ethnographical scenarios and touch-on experiences (maned wolf skin, capybara skulls etc.). The zoo "themes" are often quite nicely represented: "Australia", for example, besides Black swans, kookaburra etc. also houses a playground with "kangaroo jump" trampolins and the petting zoo with sheep and rabbits, underlining the local importance of these critters in AUS.
For fans of historical buildings, the zoo also offers a visit of the Lešná Chateau, located within zoo grounds, with some of its reptile collection hidden in the cellar of the castle. Alas, human lovebirds might find the (in my opinion a little too much kitsch-y) Chateau so charmingly romantic that they may choose to marry there-which, as I could observe, seems to happen quite frequently. As a result, the happy couples now have a special zoo sign on their own, next to those for the crocs and the flamingos...
I especially liked the South American part of the zoo, including the Yucatan Hall (with a nice basic presentation of Maya culture, and Cuban ? crocs) and the Exhibit of Amazonia, where the immersion effect was sometimes amazingly successful and yet rather easily achieved: You walk through a small forest, before You face a muddy body of water, filled with tree roots, trunks etc. From the other side of the "river", You can hear squirrel monkeys scream in the canopy of the trees-but You have a hard time actually seeing them, similar to conditions in the wild. Equally mentionable: the lushly planted exhibits for Amur tigers and Moon Bears (a little too much hotwire, maybe), the Asian steppe with Bactrian camels, blackbucks, geese and wing-clipped (booh!) griffon vultures (would be perfect for saiga antelopes...), the African Savannah (Addax, Lechwe, Ostriches, Marabous..so much about zoo-geogr..., ahem-pardon the smart-alecking
), the African Animal Stable (another donut...), the rows of different hornbill exhibits, the interesting black-and-white-ruffed lemur exhibit (see a photo of Jana on that in the gallery), the nice crane exhibits, the large walk-through deer exhibit...Of course, there are the things one can nag about: the gorilla, gibbon or other primates' exhibits, the indoor enclosures for several species (among others, for the animals in the "African Donut", with the visitors looking upon and thus throwing things at, the animals), wing-clipping of vultures, cockatoos etc.
...but all in all, it's a nice, enjoyable zoo, worth a visit. But check out the bus schedule before You enter...
ZOO Zlín - zámek Le?ná - zoo kontinent?
Yesterday's beautiful local autumn weather prompted me to visit another Czech Zoo-and it was more than worth it.
Jihlava Zoo is quite tiny (7ha), but what it lacks in size, it makes up in the quality of husbandry (officially naming itself "the first barless Czech Zoo"-a bit of a misleading misnomer, as there were, to mutual dismay, cleary bars between me and a cuddly babirusa...), presentation and species collection (Tonkean Macaque, Campbell Monkey, Savu Python, Margay, Amur Cat, Sri Lankan and Persian leopard...). There's hardly a place where one could get so close to pygmy hippos from the public visitor area-see video clip.
Beautiful outdoor exhibits for Lowland Tapirs, various lemurs, tamarins (the "speciality of the zoo) as well as crowd pleasers like meerkats, coatimundis, Asian Small-clawed Otters etc. Interesting enclosure for Common Seal (together with Black Storks). Nice playgrounds for children, beautifully situated bird of prey show (inclusive plenty of apple trees, currently full of delicious apples...
). The African village is amazingly nice and has a very cool small nocturnal house (or rather, hut), as You will see in the video clips.There are nevertheless points one could rightfully animadvert, like the tiny, bare and sterile, "old school" indoor exhibits of the tapirs, cats, pelicans,
primates...etc., the partly overcrowded reptile tanks, the old aviaries...
but all in all, my overall opinion about Jihlava Zoo (and the equally nice town)
could be abstracted as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhzOD1amluc
I will certainly visit this zoo again!
Oh, I almost forgot:
A little insider advice on how to get to this zoo: don't take the train. Get a bus ticket (f.e. from Student Agency)-it's much cheaper and faster. From the bus terminal, head to the central travel shop (can't miss that-there's nothing else there...), turn left, walk past the sex shop and then turn left until You're standing in the city centrum. Go downhill to the end of the centrum, where signs will lead You straight to the zoo.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
New photos and video clips-among them the coolest pygmy hippo video You'll ever see, and two Blair-Witch-Project-like clips of the Nocturnal Hut-now in the Gallery.
EDIT: Sorry, can't upload 2nd Nocturnal Hut video....
EDIT: Sorry, can't upload 2nd Nocturnal Hut video....
Last edited:
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Ostrava Zoo
Ostrava Zoo was officially founded in 1951. On an area of about 60ha, it houses about 1465 animals of 268 species. Additionally to the animals, it also offers various horticultural exhibits (of which, due to the winter season, I did not see much at my visit last Saturday).
If you come to Ostrava by train, take bus 101 from the central station to the zoo; if you arrive by the means of a Student Agency coach, take Bus 104.
One noteworthy and laudable thing about the zoo is its hp, offering various information in 5 different languages. Wish some big & posh zoos in both Europe and America would have a similar service...
Let's use the zoo map for a virtual walk through the zoo. Additionally, I have posted some pics in the gallery (vid function unfortunately no longer available-sorry).
ZOO Ostrava - interaktivní mapa botanická
After entering, you will at first encounter some Carribean flamingoes, Whistling Ducks and other waterfowl at your left side; if you turn right, you will get to an animal show theatre, corrals for ponies and donkeys and an Eurasian Eagle Owl aviary. If you head straight on, you approach the "China" part of the zoo; a beautiful Chinese Garden, slightly uphill, leading over small streams and through bamboo and rhododendron hedges to various nicely embedded, partly walkthrough aviaries with interesting Asian bird species like Hume's Pheasants, Chinese Bamboo Partridges and Red-billed Choughs. Enter a walk-through exhibit with a pair of White-Necked Cranes, and then go to a small wooden "pagoda" viewing platform overlooking both a Red Panda and a Pere' David Deer exhibit. The latter as well as the following exhibits for Vietnamese Sika Deer and Altai Marals are large, well structured and allow the apt seperation of males if needed. Next to your usual petting zoo exhibits(including a spacious pot-bellied pig enclosure), You can find a formation of three old bear grottos (see pic in the Gallery), housing two Moon Bears, coatis and a Syrian Brown Bear, respectively. Like in the case of the other old zoo buildings, the zoo has set up a large sign explaining (one could also say apologize for) the current condition and future plans of improvement. In case of the Moon Bears, a new exhibit which they will share with Tarai Gray Langurs (the current group(s) is at the moment kept in the old primate house) is currently built. Past more or less large aviaries for griffon, bearded, monk vultures and various other birds of prey as well as quite nicely planted aviaries for various species of owls (Great Grey Owl, Ural Owl, Snowy Owl...; the zoo is btw. involved in several local owl protection programs) You will encounter a small building housing various small cats (Pallas', Geoffroy's, Serval..), snowleopards and agoutis. Go back to see some quite lushly planted exhibits for Caracals, Canadian and Eurasian Lynx (both currently teeming with healthy-looking offspring) as well as Fishing Cats to the old cat house. This, like the closeby "iron bars" enclosures for breeding Amur tigers (formerly home of Kodiak Bears and Cougars) is another relict the zoo wishes to improve in the near future. Currently, it houses a pair of Asian lions (whose male seems to be smitten with his new Swedish lioness...), Binturongs, a pair of Sri Lankan Giant Squirrels (yeah!) and 2.3 Sri Lankan Leopards (two playful cubs, born this summer). Passing the old primate and the old pachyderm house, one enters the recently built elephant house, inhabitated by 0.4 Asian Elephants and also sporting a small rainforest exhibit, including Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots, Pied Imperial-pigeons and a Pangasius species.
Talking about relicts:
-two old birdhouses: one currently being renovated; the second one is planned to be turned into a "House of Evolution", integrating a better exhibit for their chimps.
-an old primate house, with breeding groups of the mentioned Grey Langurs and Lion-Tailed Macaques, Diana Monkeys, as well as Mandrills, chimps, and probably a bachelor mixed-species group of lemurs as well as a central exhibit housing bird species like Bernier's Teals and Madagascar Partridges; several other lemurs, including Sclater's, are kept on "lemur islands" in the summer time. Just like in the case of the other "oldies", one can see its age and years of use; especially the outdoor exhibits recall old memories of the " only concrete and bar" period in zoos. Still, like in its other examples, Ostrava Zoo openly addresses its flaws and tries to work with what they have, planning to improve bit by bit.
-an old paychderm house (as seen in the Gallery); it currently contains a small group of River Hippos, an obese female Mugger croc, an old Southern White Rhino bull, a reticulated python, two species of galagos, a small marine fish tank, some Southern Red Bishops, Gambian Giant Pouched Rats, Red Eared Sliders and Straw-coloured Fruit Bats. Once the rhino has gone to his maker, the building will be renovated, sporting a new glass roof and a bigger outdoor area for the hippos.
-the old African Mammal Indoor House is also opened for visitors; it contains Grevy Zebras, Giraffes, Blesbock, Eland, Ostriches, African Marabous and Grey Crowned Cranes in kind. Alas, this house expects renovations, but that might take a while...
Résumé:
As one can expect, especially judging from my "oldies" list, Ostrava in its current state is far away from a "perfect" zoo. Nevertheless, I do plan to return, most likely in the spring or early summer. Not just because I want to see those horticultural exhibits at full blossom, calmly slender through the park areas of the zoo ( and because I also missed the cloud rats here - @Jana: do You where to find them?
) but also because I want to take a look at the progress accomplished till then. It does appear that the Ostrava Zoo staff and the zoo management are willing to improve their current status. There are already some nice features there (like the mentioned Chinese Garden and the rather large hoofstock outdoor enclosures); with some more money and smart investment of this money, this could indeed become a recommendable zoo, having still a lot of spare ground to build on. I already got a glimpse at that promising future last Saturday, while walking through the snowy zoo on my own, watching the camels stroll over their roomy paddock and listening to the mating call of the deer during a little snow storm ...
Ostrava Zoo was officially founded in 1951. On an area of about 60ha, it houses about 1465 animals of 268 species. Additionally to the animals, it also offers various horticultural exhibits (of which, due to the winter season, I did not see much at my visit last Saturday).
If you come to Ostrava by train, take bus 101 from the central station to the zoo; if you arrive by the means of a Student Agency coach, take Bus 104.
One noteworthy and laudable thing about the zoo is its hp, offering various information in 5 different languages. Wish some big & posh zoos in both Europe and America would have a similar service...
Let's use the zoo map for a virtual walk through the zoo. Additionally, I have posted some pics in the gallery (vid function unfortunately no longer available-sorry).
ZOO Ostrava - interaktivní mapa botanická
After entering, you will at first encounter some Carribean flamingoes, Whistling Ducks and other waterfowl at your left side; if you turn right, you will get to an animal show theatre, corrals for ponies and donkeys and an Eurasian Eagle Owl aviary. If you head straight on, you approach the "China" part of the zoo; a beautiful Chinese Garden, slightly uphill, leading over small streams and through bamboo and rhododendron hedges to various nicely embedded, partly walkthrough aviaries with interesting Asian bird species like Hume's Pheasants, Chinese Bamboo Partridges and Red-billed Choughs. Enter a walk-through exhibit with a pair of White-Necked Cranes, and then go to a small wooden "pagoda" viewing platform overlooking both a Red Panda and a Pere' David Deer exhibit. The latter as well as the following exhibits for Vietnamese Sika Deer and Altai Marals are large, well structured and allow the apt seperation of males if needed. Next to your usual petting zoo exhibits(including a spacious pot-bellied pig enclosure), You can find a formation of three old bear grottos (see pic in the Gallery), housing two Moon Bears, coatis and a Syrian Brown Bear, respectively. Like in the case of the other old zoo buildings, the zoo has set up a large sign explaining (one could also say apologize for) the current condition and future plans of improvement. In case of the Moon Bears, a new exhibit which they will share with Tarai Gray Langurs (the current group(s) is at the moment kept in the old primate house) is currently built. Past more or less large aviaries for griffon, bearded, monk vultures and various other birds of prey as well as quite nicely planted aviaries for various species of owls (Great Grey Owl, Ural Owl, Snowy Owl...; the zoo is btw. involved in several local owl protection programs) You will encounter a small building housing various small cats (Pallas', Geoffroy's, Serval..), snowleopards and agoutis. Go back to see some quite lushly planted exhibits for Caracals, Canadian and Eurasian Lynx (both currently teeming with healthy-looking offspring) as well as Fishing Cats to the old cat house. This, like the closeby "iron bars" enclosures for breeding Amur tigers (formerly home of Kodiak Bears and Cougars) is another relict the zoo wishes to improve in the near future. Currently, it houses a pair of Asian lions (whose male seems to be smitten with his new Swedish lioness...), Binturongs, a pair of Sri Lankan Giant Squirrels (yeah!) and 2.3 Sri Lankan Leopards (two playful cubs, born this summer). Passing the old primate and the old pachyderm house, one enters the recently built elephant house, inhabitated by 0.4 Asian Elephants and also sporting a small rainforest exhibit, including Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots, Pied Imperial-pigeons and a Pangasius species.
Talking about relicts:
-two old birdhouses: one currently being renovated; the second one is planned to be turned into a "House of Evolution", integrating a better exhibit for their chimps.
-an old primate house, with breeding groups of the mentioned Grey Langurs and Lion-Tailed Macaques, Diana Monkeys, as well as Mandrills, chimps, and probably a bachelor mixed-species group of lemurs as well as a central exhibit housing bird species like Bernier's Teals and Madagascar Partridges; several other lemurs, including Sclater's, are kept on "lemur islands" in the summer time. Just like in the case of the other "oldies", one can see its age and years of use; especially the outdoor exhibits recall old memories of the " only concrete and bar" period in zoos. Still, like in its other examples, Ostrava Zoo openly addresses its flaws and tries to work with what they have, planning to improve bit by bit.
-an old paychderm house (as seen in the Gallery); it currently contains a small group of River Hippos, an obese female Mugger croc, an old Southern White Rhino bull, a reticulated python, two species of galagos, a small marine fish tank, some Southern Red Bishops, Gambian Giant Pouched Rats, Red Eared Sliders and Straw-coloured Fruit Bats. Once the rhino has gone to his maker, the building will be renovated, sporting a new glass roof and a bigger outdoor area for the hippos.
-the old African Mammal Indoor House is also opened for visitors; it contains Grevy Zebras, Giraffes, Blesbock, Eland, Ostriches, African Marabous and Grey Crowned Cranes in kind. Alas, this house expects renovations, but that might take a while...
Résumé:
As one can expect, especially judging from my "oldies" list, Ostrava in its current state is far away from a "perfect" zoo. Nevertheless, I do plan to return, most likely in the spring or early summer. Not just because I want to see those horticultural exhibits at full blossom, calmly slender through the park areas of the zoo ( and because I also missed the cloud rats here - @Jana: do You where to find them?
) but also because I want to take a look at the progress accomplished till then. It does appear that the Ostrava Zoo staff and the zoo management are willing to improve their current status. There are already some nice features there (like the mentioned Chinese Garden and the rather large hoofstock outdoor enclosures); with some more money and smart investment of this money, this could indeed become a recommendable zoo, having still a lot of spare ground to build on. I already got a glimpse at that promising future last Saturday, while walking through the snowy zoo on my own, watching the camels stroll over their roomy paddock and listening to the mating call of the deer during a little snow storm ...
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
@Jana: Thanks, I'll ask for them the next time.
I'm not sure whether I should visit Vyškov; doesn't appear to be all too overwhelming...
I'm not sure whether I should visit Vyškov; doesn't appear to be all too overwhelming...
Zoopark Vyskov is in the first line a collection of domestic animals (with a few exceptions), and most of their exhibits are rather small and not innovative in any way. If you are interested to see 15 different breeds of rabbit or a lone rhesus... go there.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Tomorrow it's going to be Prague! Can't wait to see the gharials...
A little tip for a Xmas present (for some friend interested in zoo publications maybe?): Prague is going to present a brand new book about their history tommorow, it´s the first such publication in 50 years if I´m not wrong. Most probably written only in Czech language, but hopefully containg interesting old photos.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
@Jana: Thanks; could be interesting. In any case, I'm going to look for some nice zoo posters...
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
The last visit of Prague's zoo only confirms my opinion based on previous visits: although it has the usual numbers of exhibits that could be better, it is all in all one of the nicest European, if not zoos worldwide. I especially enjoyed the new "Swamp" zoo part, with the Indian Gharial exhibit as the icing of the cake. And hey! - they "stole" my vision of a Gundi-Uromastyx sp.-Testudo kleinmanni-mixed species exhibit...
The National Museum also has some interesting exhibits on display-among others, a Thylacine, an Otter Shrew and a very nice, dark shoebill specimen.
The National Museum also has some interesting exhibits on display-among others, a Thylacine, an Otter Shrew and a very nice, dark shoebill specimen.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
My apologies for not having added my more recent visits of CZ zoos.
Let's take another look at the map:
New Page 1
So far, the only Czech zoos I haven't visited are Ohrada and Vyškov. Ohrada is due next Saturday, and after Jana's "enthusiastic" description I'm unsure whether Vyškov is worth a trip at all...
Anyway, let's start with 4 interesting zoos in the North of the Czech Republic, which lie in close proximity to each other, and the German border. This comes in handy if the international zoofan is on a journey to Leipzig or Berlin and wants to visit as many zoos as possible.
Especially the zoos of Ústí nad Labem and Děčín lie so close to each other that it is quite easy to visit both of them on one day-which I did.
Ústí nad Labem
Founded in 1908 by German hobby ornithologist Heinrich Lumpe and opened to the public in 1914, the area was originally designed to be a bird sanctuary, although a deer park was later added. Only after WW2 it began to change bit by bit into a zoo. Visitors can still see remains of Lumpe's time in the zoo, may it be the charming little grotto/dwarf castle or fossilised tree trunks, accompanied by illustrative information signs.
Currently, the zoo keeps more than 1000 animals of 218 species on 26 ha. The location on elevated terrain results in sometimes rather steep exhibits and pathways. Due to that, some European zoofans have jokingly described a visit of this zoo as an alternative to a gym workout and a test of physical fitness. Visit and see for yourself
Getting there by public transport is pretty simple; from the central station, go straight on to the bus terminal and take bus 51, and 55 till 59 to the zoo.
A map of the zoo:
ZOO Ústí nad Labem - Mapa Zoo
Beside more or less 'common' yet nevertheless interesting zoo species (among others, Fossa, African Rock Python or Lowland Anoa), the zoo also keeps several (sub)species you will only encounter rarely in European collections: Thorold's Deer, Silvery Leaf Monkey, Malayan Tiger, Siberian Wolverine, Japanese Serow or Travancore Tortoise to name just a few. The zoo also has quite a good breeding history with Somalian Wild Donkeys and Hartmann's Mountain Zebras.
The zoo architecture, as you can see in the gallery, is rather varied: some exhibits are typical examples of "East Bloc" zoo architecture (like the enclosures for the lesser primates, the orangs or the small felids), some are more modern, and some are simply odd (like the former American Alligator outdoor husbandry, the "rhino umbrella" or the "scenic" big cats/Sun Bear exhibits).
As in all other zoos worldwide, there are aspects in the zoo of Ústí nad Labem one could animadvert-and not just in regard to elephants, big cats or apes everone seems to have an opinion about. Flightless griffon vultures (like in Zlin), overcrowded fish tanks and zebra/donkey stallions in small bare enclosures could be mentioned.
However, the zoo staff seems to be willing to improve as much as possible. Most ungulate paddocks are Ok, and so are most terraria. Sloths, lemurs (with the fossa directly closeby) and even the flying foxes have access to outdoor enclosures in the warm seasons - a luxury only few of their "colleagues" in other zoos can claim for themselves. And it's one of the few CZ zoos that have a decent guidebook-in three languages!
All in all, this zoo is not really an absolute must-see - but if you're around, why not visit it?
Next: Děčín, Liberec, Chomutov
Let's take another look at the map:
New Page 1
So far, the only Czech zoos I haven't visited are Ohrada and Vyškov. Ohrada is due next Saturday, and after Jana's "enthusiastic" description I'm unsure whether Vyškov is worth a trip at all...
Anyway, let's start with 4 interesting zoos in the North of the Czech Republic, which lie in close proximity to each other, and the German border. This comes in handy if the international zoofan is on a journey to Leipzig or Berlin and wants to visit as many zoos as possible.
Especially the zoos of Ústí nad Labem and Děčín lie so close to each other that it is quite easy to visit both of them on one day-which I did.
Ústí nad Labem
Founded in 1908 by German hobby ornithologist Heinrich Lumpe and opened to the public in 1914, the area was originally designed to be a bird sanctuary, although a deer park was later added. Only after WW2 it began to change bit by bit into a zoo. Visitors can still see remains of Lumpe's time in the zoo, may it be the charming little grotto/dwarf castle or fossilised tree trunks, accompanied by illustrative information signs.
Currently, the zoo keeps more than 1000 animals of 218 species on 26 ha. The location on elevated terrain results in sometimes rather steep exhibits and pathways. Due to that, some European zoofans have jokingly described a visit of this zoo as an alternative to a gym workout and a test of physical fitness. Visit and see for yourself
Getting there by public transport is pretty simple; from the central station, go straight on to the bus terminal and take bus 51, and 55 till 59 to the zoo.
A map of the zoo:
ZOO Ústí nad Labem - Mapa Zoo
Beside more or less 'common' yet nevertheless interesting zoo species (among others, Fossa, African Rock Python or Lowland Anoa), the zoo also keeps several (sub)species you will only encounter rarely in European collections: Thorold's Deer, Silvery Leaf Monkey, Malayan Tiger, Siberian Wolverine, Japanese Serow or Travancore Tortoise to name just a few. The zoo also has quite a good breeding history with Somalian Wild Donkeys and Hartmann's Mountain Zebras.
The zoo architecture, as you can see in the gallery, is rather varied: some exhibits are typical examples of "East Bloc" zoo architecture (like the enclosures for the lesser primates, the orangs or the small felids), some are more modern, and some are simply odd (like the former American Alligator outdoor husbandry, the "rhino umbrella" or the "scenic" big cats/Sun Bear exhibits).
As in all other zoos worldwide, there are aspects in the zoo of Ústí nad Labem one could animadvert-and not just in regard to elephants, big cats or apes everone seems to have an opinion about. Flightless griffon vultures (like in Zlin), overcrowded fish tanks and zebra/donkey stallions in small bare enclosures could be mentioned.
However, the zoo staff seems to be willing to improve as much as possible. Most ungulate paddocks are Ok, and so are most terraria. Sloths, lemurs (with the fossa directly closeby) and even the flying foxes have access to outdoor enclosures in the warm seasons - a luxury only few of their "colleagues" in other zoos can claim for themselves. And it's one of the few CZ zoos that have a decent guidebook-in three languages!
All in all, this zoo is not really an absolute must-see - but if you're around, why not visit it?
Next: Děčín, Liberec, Chomutov
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Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Děčín
With a size of about 5 ha, this is one of the smallest Czech zoos. It was founded in 1949 and houses more than 400 animals of 160 species. A smaller department with reptiles exists in close proximity to the zoo.
To get to the zoo, look for Teplicka Street (where you will also find the reptile department), turn right when you see the synagogue and then walk up the hill.
Fans of rare exotic species will be delighted to hear that this tiny zoo keeps several zoological rarities-among others, Mountain Anoa, Coppertail Monkey and Blue-eyed Cockatoo. However, admirers of the zoo husbandry of native Eurasian wildlife will be also pleased to observe species like European mink, Honey buzzard or Black grouse in a cluster of newer pine forest exhibits. You won't see any of the standard larger zoo mammal species, though (which isn't really a loss); Grizzly Bears, Hucul Ponies and European Red Deer are probably the biggest zoo inhabitants.
Of course, there are the typical "old school" trouble spots like the ancient monkey house, the Amur leopard cage, small dark indoor enclosures or the tiny petting zoo, and some of the newer exhibits in the European wildlife section aren't that optimal for their animal inhabitants (due to lack of cover and retreat from the public). However, there are also several positive aspects, like the walk-through birdhouse, the large fishing cat enclosure, the outdoor terraria for native herps or the treetop wire channels for the Prevost Squirrels.
But what I liked the most is the creativity and care dedicated to the information and subject-related entertainment of the visitors, especially children: large and colourful information signs (often both in German and Czech), interactive elements like a mousedeer tunnel, "touch & smell" objects, large wooden statues of local birdlife, small miniatures of traditional local architecture, a nice zoo school...this tiny zoo has more of that to offer than many bigger zoos. And I especially liked the idea of free entry on the 1st of January...
Similar to Usti, this is not a "must-see" zoo - but for its size and local status, it's pretty OK.
With a size of about 5 ha, this is one of the smallest Czech zoos. It was founded in 1949 and houses more than 400 animals of 160 species. A smaller department with reptiles exists in close proximity to the zoo.
To get to the zoo, look for Teplicka Street (where you will also find the reptile department), turn right when you see the synagogue and then walk up the hill.
Fans of rare exotic species will be delighted to hear that this tiny zoo keeps several zoological rarities-among others, Mountain Anoa, Coppertail Monkey and Blue-eyed Cockatoo. However, admirers of the zoo husbandry of native Eurasian wildlife will be also pleased to observe species like European mink, Honey buzzard or Black grouse in a cluster of newer pine forest exhibits. You won't see any of the standard larger zoo mammal species, though (which isn't really a loss); Grizzly Bears, Hucul Ponies and European Red Deer are probably the biggest zoo inhabitants.
Of course, there are the typical "old school" trouble spots like the ancient monkey house, the Amur leopard cage, small dark indoor enclosures or the tiny petting zoo, and some of the newer exhibits in the European wildlife section aren't that optimal for their animal inhabitants (due to lack of cover and retreat from the public). However, there are also several positive aspects, like the walk-through birdhouse, the large fishing cat enclosure, the outdoor terraria for native herps or the treetop wire channels for the Prevost Squirrels.
But what I liked the most is the creativity and care dedicated to the information and subject-related entertainment of the visitors, especially children: large and colourful information signs (often both in German and Czech), interactive elements like a mousedeer tunnel, "touch & smell" objects, large wooden statues of local birdlife, small miniatures of traditional local architecture, a nice zoo school...this tiny zoo has more of that to offer than many bigger zoos. And I especially liked the idea of free entry on the 1st of January...
Similar to Usti, this is not a "must-see" zoo - but for its size and local status, it's pretty OK.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Liberec
This zoo was founded in 1919. On 13 ha, it exhibits almost 1000 animals of 170 species.
No matter whether you arrive by train or bus (recommendable), go to the closeby tram stop and wait for tram 2 or 3 to take you to the zoo.
To the Czech public, Liberec Zoo is most famous for their (breeding) White tigers-which also happen to be mascots of the Bílí Tygri Liberec (Liberec White Tigers Hockey Club)...
Zoo fans rather connect this zoo with their Golden/Shensi takins, as they are (beside the single specimen in Chomutov) the only ones of their kind in Europe. Orginally from Beijing Zoo, they have bred several times in Liberec.
Other interesting species more or less regularily bred at Liberec are African Wild Donkeys, Forster's caracara and Sichuan Blue Sheep (which, as you can see in the gallery, share a very nice exhibit with West Himalayan thars).
The zoo has a rather odd mix of zoo architecture: on the one hand, relicts of the already several times mentioned "East Bloc" zoo time (like the elephant/giraffe/zebra/flower beetles brickstone complex, the ungulate paddocks with blesbok, bongo, Bactrian camels...and the birds of prey aviaries), and on the other, some rather weird newer exhibits (primates, big cats, pinnipeds, the flamingo "ufo"...) full of glass, 'Miami-turquoise' steel and tiles. The artificial look of the latter reminds me of the former "bathroom" trend in zoos in the 1970s/80s and cleary doesn't convey an all too naturalistic appearance. The "best" of these modern exhibits is probably the Tropical House, with free-flying zebra finches and Plush-crested Jays, Hyazinth Macaws, Great Indian and Luzon rufous hornbills in aviaries and several reptiles (among others, breeding Western Dwarf crocodiles, Timor python and Sailfin lizards)-and a lot of guppies.
Sprinkled in between are several more or less standard exhibits for smaller animals like meerkat, red panda and yellow mongoose, a small waterfowl lake as well as a soon-to-be-demolished "concrete-and-steel" relict of a baboon cage. Due to a certain hillside situation (yet not as apparent as in Usti), some of the exhibits have quite an odd shape (like the exhibits for snow leopards).
All in all, I consider Liberec a so-so zoo, with the takins, the Blue Sheep exhibit and parts of the "Tropical House" as the main highlights, and the all too artificial glass & concrete, "bathtube" exhibits & some of the hopefully soon-to-be replaced "old school" husbandry relics as the major points of criticism.
This zoo was founded in 1919. On 13 ha, it exhibits almost 1000 animals of 170 species.
No matter whether you arrive by train or bus (recommendable), go to the closeby tram stop and wait for tram 2 or 3 to take you to the zoo.
To the Czech public, Liberec Zoo is most famous for their (breeding) White tigers-which also happen to be mascots of the Bílí Tygri Liberec (Liberec White Tigers Hockey Club)...
Zoo fans rather connect this zoo with their Golden/Shensi takins, as they are (beside the single specimen in Chomutov) the only ones of their kind in Europe. Orginally from Beijing Zoo, they have bred several times in Liberec.
Other interesting species more or less regularily bred at Liberec are African Wild Donkeys, Forster's caracara and Sichuan Blue Sheep (which, as you can see in the gallery, share a very nice exhibit with West Himalayan thars).
The zoo has a rather odd mix of zoo architecture: on the one hand, relicts of the already several times mentioned "East Bloc" zoo time (like the elephant/giraffe/zebra/flower beetles brickstone complex, the ungulate paddocks with blesbok, bongo, Bactrian camels...and the birds of prey aviaries), and on the other, some rather weird newer exhibits (primates, big cats, pinnipeds, the flamingo "ufo"...) full of glass, 'Miami-turquoise' steel and tiles. The artificial look of the latter reminds me of the former "bathroom" trend in zoos in the 1970s/80s and cleary doesn't convey an all too naturalistic appearance. The "best" of these modern exhibits is probably the Tropical House, with free-flying zebra finches and Plush-crested Jays, Hyazinth Macaws, Great Indian and Luzon rufous hornbills in aviaries and several reptiles (among others, breeding Western Dwarf crocodiles, Timor python and Sailfin lizards)-and a lot of guppies.
Sprinkled in between are several more or less standard exhibits for smaller animals like meerkat, red panda and yellow mongoose, a small waterfowl lake as well as a soon-to-be-demolished "concrete-and-steel" relict of a baboon cage. Due to a certain hillside situation (yet not as apparent as in Usti), some of the exhibits have quite an odd shape (like the exhibits for snow leopards).
All in all, I consider Liberec a so-so zoo, with the takins, the Blue Sheep exhibit and parts of the "Tropical House" as the main highlights, and the all too artificial glass & concrete, "bathtube" exhibits & some of the hopefully soon-to-be replaced "old school" husbandry relics as the major points of criticism.
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Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Chomutov
When it comes to the sheer size of the zoo area, Chomutov Zoopark is probably the largest Czech zoo, with about 112 ha. Opened to the public in 1975, it houses about 1000 animals of 173 species. The animal collection is generally focused on species native to the Eurasian Palaearctic region and several local rare breeds of domestic animals.
Getting there is simple; from the central station, turn left and walk about 400m straight on, then turn left again.
Close to the zoo, you can also visit (and in the summer time, swim in) an unique natural phenomen: the Kamencové jezero, the only Alum lake in the world.
Kamencové jezero Chomutov - vítejte!
In several ways, this zoo reminds me of Tierpark Berlin Friedrichsfelde: a nice spacious park setting (yet close to an urban surrounding area), with a lot of old trees, large paddocks for most ungulates and a nice collection of animals, among others a Golden Takin, a pair of Transcapian urials, European Moose, European Genet, Great bittern and Purple Swamphen. Too bad I missed the last saiga...
Additionally, it offers exceptionally roomy and well-designed exhibits for animals like wolverines, European Brown Bears, European beavers and raccoons, an Euro-Safaribus tour through another part of the zoo in the summer, two pretty well-done walk-through aviaries, a little zoo museum, an "extinct species graveyard", a barnyard for city dwellers, outdoor terraria for native herps and a creative, generally well-done rustical design of barriers, educational elements, playgrounds and even buildings (Taiga Restaurant, restrooms...).
However, just as in Friedrichsfelde, it's the carnivores that draw the blank. The enclosures for the felidae, but also of the foxes and mustelids are decent at best, and all too often of old "East Bloc" style. The duck aviaries are at the moment pretty crowded, resulting in random outburst of inter- and intraspecific aggresion. The Nocturnal Department as well as the small mammals and fish enclosure in the Taiga Restaurant are more or less sufficient, although pretty blank in style. Especially genet, burunduk and jerboa seem to be a little stressed by the current husbandry conditions.
The wolf exhibit is another ambiguous affaire. The underground bunker is a nice idea to get the visitors close to the animals. But the central position of the exhibit (a visitor can pretty much walk all around the exhibit) and its rather restricted size in combination with various electrical fences leave the animals inside hardly any possibilities to retreat from the public; the two, apparently rather young Grey Wolves were hence pretty jumpy and jittery...
Altogether, Zoopark Chomutov is probably among the better if not the best zoos in Europe focusing on native wildlife, besides, for example, Alpenzoo Innsbruck or Tierpark Lohberg.
It's absolutely worth the visit.
Any questions, remarks or suggestions?
When it comes to the sheer size of the zoo area, Chomutov Zoopark is probably the largest Czech zoo, with about 112 ha. Opened to the public in 1975, it houses about 1000 animals of 173 species. The animal collection is generally focused on species native to the Eurasian Palaearctic region and several local rare breeds of domestic animals.
Getting there is simple; from the central station, turn left and walk about 400m straight on, then turn left again.
Close to the zoo, you can also visit (and in the summer time, swim in) an unique natural phenomen: the Kamencové jezero, the only Alum lake in the world.
Kamencové jezero Chomutov - vítejte!
In several ways, this zoo reminds me of Tierpark Berlin Friedrichsfelde: a nice spacious park setting (yet close to an urban surrounding area), with a lot of old trees, large paddocks for most ungulates and a nice collection of animals, among others a Golden Takin, a pair of Transcapian urials, European Moose, European Genet, Great bittern and Purple Swamphen. Too bad I missed the last saiga...
Additionally, it offers exceptionally roomy and well-designed exhibits for animals like wolverines, European Brown Bears, European beavers and raccoons, an Euro-Safaribus tour through another part of the zoo in the summer, two pretty well-done walk-through aviaries, a little zoo museum, an "extinct species graveyard", a barnyard for city dwellers, outdoor terraria for native herps and a creative, generally well-done rustical design of barriers, educational elements, playgrounds and even buildings (Taiga Restaurant, restrooms...).
However, just as in Friedrichsfelde, it's the carnivores that draw the blank. The enclosures for the felidae, but also of the foxes and mustelids are decent at best, and all too often of old "East Bloc" style. The duck aviaries are at the moment pretty crowded, resulting in random outburst of inter- and intraspecific aggresion. The Nocturnal Department as well as the small mammals and fish enclosure in the Taiga Restaurant are more or less sufficient, although pretty blank in style. Especially genet, burunduk and jerboa seem to be a little stressed by the current husbandry conditions.
The wolf exhibit is another ambiguous affaire. The underground bunker is a nice idea to get the visitors close to the animals. But the central position of the exhibit (a visitor can pretty much walk all around the exhibit) and its rather restricted size in combination with various electrical fences leave the animals inside hardly any possibilities to retreat from the public; the two, apparently rather young Grey Wolves were hence pretty jumpy and jittery...
Altogether, Zoopark Chomutov is probably among the better if not the best zoos in Europe focusing on native wildlife, besides, for example, Alpenzoo Innsbruck or Tierpark Lohberg.
It's absolutely worth the visit.
Any questions, remarks or suggestions?
The very last saiga died in 2004, I guess, they started to keep theme in 1998 or 1999, the breed was not very successful,they have bred theme, but many youngs died during first weeks, they were kept in the Safari area and many animals have died due to the pulmonal parasites. The keepers could not control that well and regulary the health of the animals in such a huge exhibit.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Those who haven taken a look into the Gallery will probably already know that
Vyškov Zoopark
is a little zoo (founded in 1956) specialising in domestic animals. On 6ha, about 4-500 animals of roughly 60 species are kept, among them various breeds of cattle, sheep, goat, horse, donkey, chicken, duck, goose, rabbit etc..., exotic production animals as camelids, gayal or water buffalo and wild animals, both native (European Wild Cat, Common Raven, White Stork...) and exotic (three species of primates, Raccoon dog, pheasants, Indian porcupine, budgies...).
The zoo also offers a shuttle to a closeby DinoPark with life-sized dinosaur models.
While most of the domestic animals are kept under at least decent conditions, the husbandry of the wild animals is subpar, to say the least-although one should note that the staff had added various elements (branches, tree trunks etc.) to at least partly enrich the otherwise tiny and bare enclosures. But frankly, that's just a drop in a bucket...
All in all:
As Jana mentioned before, you won't miss much if you skip Vyškov on your trip to the Czech zoos.
Vyškov Zoopark
is a little zoo (founded in 1956) specialising in domestic animals. On 6ha, about 4-500 animals of roughly 60 species are kept, among them various breeds of cattle, sheep, goat, horse, donkey, chicken, duck, goose, rabbit etc..., exotic production animals as camelids, gayal or water buffalo and wild animals, both native (European Wild Cat, Common Raven, White Stork...) and exotic (three species of primates, Raccoon dog, pheasants, Indian porcupine, budgies...).
The zoo also offers a shuttle to a closeby DinoPark with life-sized dinosaur models.
While most of the domestic animals are kept under at least decent conditions, the husbandry of the wild animals is subpar, to say the least-although one should note that the staff had added various elements (branches, tree trunks etc.) to at least partly enrich the otherwise tiny and bare enclosures. But frankly, that's just a drop in a bucket...
All in all:
As Jana mentioned before, you won't miss much if you skip Vyškov on your trip to the Czech zoos.