Košice Zoo Košice Zoo News

Their flamingo flock has produced chicks for the first time. One is Caribbean and one is Greater, both hand-reared.

The zoo obtained flamingos only ca 7 years ago and for some strange reason, 3 different species at once and mixed into a single flock - 8 Caribbeans, 9 Graters and 4 Chileans. Thus prone to produce hybrids. While almost all other CZ and SK zoos already cleaned their act and separated their birds by species. Come on, Košice is not a village zoo anymore, with 250k attendance they are in mid-sized range and I would expect a little more aspiration from them.
 
The zoo obtained a family house in city center of Košice, reconstructed it and it now serves as an enviromental education center for school children (not open to general public). They keep a few reptiles there (snakes, monitor lizard, green iguana, star tortoises). In future, a nocturnal animal exhibit and insectarium should be built in its cellar and the whole house should open to general public - similar to city zoo houses in Decin or Plzen. Time plan not mentioned.

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This week, newly-built vulture aviary has been unveiled to public. The aviary is 18 x 12 x 15 meters large and construction did cost 290.000 euro. It has 2 pairs of Eurasian griffon vultures inside. One pair is from Amersfoort, one bird arrived from Russia (shortly before start of Ukraine war).

Zoo attendance is identical with year 2019, they expect their visitor number 250.000 in December.

Nový domov pre supy bielohlavé - Zoologická záhrada Košice
 
Jana said:
Male Margay is a new inhabitant too, but still kept off-show. A new enclosure should be built soon.
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The zoo has built a new pavilion Margaj with cages (total area 80 m2) for a pair of margay and unveiled it today.

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It was built on previouly unused land. It thus constitutes enlargement of current exhibition area ( ca 65 hectares). The zoo owns since its founding 289 hectares of land, most of it meadows and forest.
 
Jana said:
The zoo obtained a family house in city center of Košice, reconstructed it and it now serves as an enviromental education center for school children (not open to general public). They keep a few reptiles there (snakes, monitor lizard, green iguana, star tortoises). In future, a nocturnal animal exhibit and insectarium should be built in its cellar and the whole house should open to general public - similar to city zoo houses in Decin or Plzen. Time plan not mentioned.

Source
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Sometime earlier this year, ZOO Dom got accessible to general public.

Opening hours are Monday-Friday 9am - 4pm, adult ticket is 3 EUR.

Address is Mojmirova street 1, Kosice (located in downtown, far from zoo areal).

It looks like it contains only few reptile and amphibian tanks. No fish or night exhibits yet.

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Jana said:
Their flamingo flock has produced chicks for the first time. One is Caribbean and one is Greater, both hand-reared.

The zoo obtained flamingos only ca 7 years ago and for some strange reason, 3 different species at once and mixed into a single flock - 8 Caribbeans, 9 Graters and 4 Chileans. Thus prone to produce hybrids. While almost all other CZ and SK zoos already cleaned their act and separated their birds by species. Come on, Košice is not a village zoo anymore, with 250k attendance they are in mid-sized range and I would expect a little more aspiration from them.
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Agreed! I would favour restricting oneself to the greater (European) flamingo's and swap/exchange both the Caribbeans and Chileans with other zoos to create one big flock.
 
The zoo has bred brown bears - one male cub was born in January. Together with the newest cub, the zoo already has 9 brown bears.

The media article mentions:
"The zoo informed that it is establishing a new era of brown bear breeding and wants to keep the cub. The other eight bears, with the exception of the oldest Žabo, will probably find their new home in European or world zoos. The main word in this case will be given to the European coordinator of the rescue program for brown bears, who will come to familiarize herself with Košice bears in June."

Source

I want to see if any zoo will be interested to take over brown bears - what with the deluge of various rescue brown bears within Europe. I have no idea why the zoo felt the need to even produce another cub (facepalm).
 
The flamingo flock has produced another hand-reared chick this season. The zoo doesn´t mention what species (or hybrid) of flamingo it belongs to.

Other animal babies from recent weeks include - female and male eland, north American porcupine, blue-headed macaws, Tibetan white-eared pheasants, Carpathian red deer or Humbolds penguins.

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The zoo runs an assesment if giraffe is a species it could add next. So far the director together with the city mayor tour other zoos and collect data on giraffe enclosures.

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Jana said:
The zoo phased-out generic ostrichs from its collection. And instead has obtained 0,2 North African ostrich from Zoo Jerez and will get also a 1,0 from Vienna.

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A courageous and commendable move. It is good more zoos become serious about ex situ interest and breeding efforts for rare and endangered ratites and especially the ostriches!

NOTA BENE: Both North African red Struthio camelus camelus and Struthio molybdophanes (Somali ostrich) are in some category of threat.
 
Birth of a Barbary Monkey.
Zoo Košice on Instagram: " Makak magot (Macaca sylvanus) Cheme Vam predstaviť našeho drobečka makaky magota Po približne 165-dňovom tehotenstve samica zvyčajne porodí jedno mláďa, zriedkavejšie dvojičky. Na rozdiel od väčšiny ostatných makakov sa samce magotov zapájajú do starostlivosti o mláďatá. Novonarodené mláďatá vážia okolo 450 gramov. Vo veku od šiestich do dvanástich mesiacov prestávajú piť materské mlieko a prechádzajú na 'dospelú' potravu - ovocie a hmyz. Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) We would like to introduce you to our little Barbary macaque baby! After approximately 165 days of pregnancy, the female usually gives birth to one baby, twins are very rare. Unlike most other macaque species, male Barbary macaques take part in caring for the offspring. Newborns weigh only around 450 grams. Between six and twelve months of age, they stop drinking mother's milk and start eating 'adult' food - fruits and insects. #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wilderness #zoo #zoologickazahrada #zookosice #kosice #slovensko #slovakia #majesticanimals #majestic #animals #animal #animallovers #animalphotography #wildphotography #wild #NaturePhoto #cuteanimals #animalphoto #babymonkey #baby #barbary #macaque #monkey #offspring #junior #wildfamily #apes"
 
The zoo builds a new bts breeding house for birds and small mammals. On area of 40 m2 and it will have two storeys. It replaces an old wooden hut that served for cranes, geese and for hand-rearing of chicks.

In second phase, the existing bird pens around the house will be netted-over.

Source
 
Avian flu has been diagnosed in a hooded merganser in the zoo´s collection. The zoo will remain closed for at least 21 days.

Source
 
The zoo re-opened few days ago after more than 1 month it was closed for preventive reasons (foot and mouth disease in Slovakia).

A brand new birds-of-prey aviary was opened. Probably more than 1 species is kept inside but the only info / pic I could find is of a Golden eagle.

Source - FB pic
 
Bad (and little outdated) news. Zoo Košice had to euthanize their last lioness Laura (she came to Košice from Hungarian Zoo Nyíregyháza in 2005 with her sister Elsa, who died 9 years ago) on the 12th of June 2025 (probably, that´s the date of the article) because of health issues tied to her old age. She was nearly 21 years old. Zoo Košice doesn´t plan to keep any other lions now, because their old exhibit is outdated. I am interested what (and if) they put into the old exhibit, if they don´t plan to demolish it. It would be decent exhibit for some smaller carnivore or something like porcupine. Source: Výbeh ostal prázdny. Odišla posledná levica Laura - Zoologická záhrada Košice
 
 
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