Prague Zoo Praha Prague Zoo News 2014

Adoption of a Marabou chick from Dvůr Králové

A Marabou pair in DK laid 3 eggs, but kicked them from nest and stopped caring. Eggs were transfered to incubator and the first chick hatched on 26.3. Dvůr keepers are highly skilled and they could rear it easily themselves, but they fear future difficulties with hand-reared Marabous (human-imprinted) and so an adoption plan was agreed with Prague zoo and on 27.3. the chick weighting 95 grams was laid into a nest of Prague marabou stork pair Oskar and Ema. They accepted it immedeately, took over its care and now the chick weights 839 grams. If its growth continues without problem, the whole family will go outside on display in June.

Oskar came to Prague in 1992, his age was cca 5 years and here he´s reared several chicks. Ema came last year from Emmen where she lived for 20 years and was labelled as incompatible, she´s never bonded and bred. Both´ve bonded easily and Ema laids eggs, all of them are infertle so far. Already last year, Oskar and Ema adopted one chick from Dvůr. When the chick was 1 month old, Prague was flooded and the marabou family rescued and transfered to Dvůr. Late last year, their enclosure was repaired and they could return to Prague.

Dvur still has 2 eggs in incubator and shortly before hatch. So people from Dvůr and Prague are prepairing for another adoption plan and all possible pairs are evaluated. Prague has now 5 old wild-caught marabous, mostly collected in last years from other european zoos, the EEP tries to get these potential founders to breed and Prague has good past record with this species. Dvur has now 7 marabous and a record of 26 successfully reared chicks since 1999. Dvur remains the owner of all chicks hatched from their eggs, this is agreed per contract with Prague. Dvůr will later transfer these chicks according to EEP decisions.
 
Giant Salamanders are going on show

The newly built Giant Salamander house is opening next Saturday for the first time, the celebration is beeing held in Chinese spirit. Three adult Giant Salamanders had come on loan from other european institutions, additional 17 young animals (imported from Asia few years back) live in the house too. The house has additional exhibits representing cold Chinese mountains with Mangshan pitviper, some turtles erc.
 
The Giant Salamander house (Velemlokárium) is open to visitors. Each day at 12 am the house switches to night regime to stimulate the salamanders to more activity. The turtle species mentioned earlier is Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa), a rarely exhibited species that has been kept at Prague zoo since few years backstage.

The police saized 47 Black-breasted Leaf Turtles (Geoemyda spengleri) at Prague airport last week. 2 were found dead, the remaining 45 turtles have been handed over to the Prague zoo staff.

2 Przewalski-horse mares in the zoo have got colts recently. The breeding stalion is Len, imported from Askania Nova. As every year, 4 young mares are being prepaired for an airlift to Mongolia, they've spent their last months in +10ha paddock in the aclimatisation station in Dolní Dobřejov in South Bohemia.

The zoo received a female Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) from a private owner. A first step for creating a pair that would find its new home in the planned "large parrots' house". The funds came from inheritance left by a private bird keeper, construction starts this autumn.

Other interesting arrivals of last months:
a male Australian Brush Turkey
a pair of Rufous elephant shrew
2 pairs of Siberian Rubythroat (Luscinia calliope)
2 pairs of Beccari's monitor
a pair of Matamata turtle
2 male King Vultures

Offspring:
7 Little bitterns (Ixobrychus minutus)
a fifth Chacoan Mara (Dolichotis salinicola)
1 Karakal
a third Beisa Oryx
a female European Moose
2 Spectacled Owls
1 Philippine Scops Owl (Otus megalotis)
2 Steller's Sea Eagles and 1 Whiteheaded Eagle
a litter of groudhogs
3 Tayras
1 Blue-winged Kookaburra
Giant Asian pond turtle, Kleinmann's tortoise, Pancake tortoise
2 Greater white pelicans
Purple naped lory, Mount Apo Lorikeet, Vernal hanging parrot
1 Palm cockatoo (P. a. goliath)
North American porcupine
a looot of Sitatungas
 
Elephantulus rufescens, in other words :) still a very nice species, and one I wish would spread to a UK collection or two Considering the fact there are currently three breeding groups within Europe, this is hopefully not out of the question.
 
At Prague Airport 47 Black-breasted leaf turtles have been confiscated, the animals are now at Prague Zoo.
 
The Giant Salamander house (Velemlokárium) is open to visitors. Each day at 12 am the house switches to night regime to stimulate the salamanders to more activity. The turtle species mentioned earlier is Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa), a rarely exhibited species that has been kept at Prague zoo since few years backstage.

The police saized 47 Black-breasted Leaf Turtles (Geoemyda spengleri) at Prague airport last week. 2 were found dead, the remaining 45 turtles have been handed over to the Prague zoo staff.

2 Przewalski-horse mares in the zoo have got colts recently. The breeding stalion is Len, imported from Askania Nova. As every year, 4 young mares are being prepaired for an airlift to Mongolia, they've spent their last months in +10ha paddock in the aclimatisation station in Dolní Dobřejov in South Bohemia.

The zoo received a female Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) from a private owner. A first step for creating a pair that would find its new home in the planned "large parrots' house". The funds came from inheritance left by a private bird keeper, construction starts this autumn.

Other interesting arrivals of last months:
a male Australian Brush Turkey
a pair of Rufous elephant shrew
2 pairs of Siberian Rubythroat (Luscinia calliope)
2 pairs of Beccari's monitor
a pair of Matamata turtle
2 male King Vultures

Offspring:
7 Little bitterns (Ixobrychus minutus)
a fifth Chacoan Mara (Dolichotis salinicola)
1 Karakal
a third Beisa Oryx
a female European Moose
2 Spectacled Owls
1 Philippine Scops Owl (Otus megalotis)
2 Steller's Sea Eagles and 1 Whiteheaded Eagle
a litter of groudhogs
3 Tayras
1 Blue-winged Kookaburra
Giant Asian pond turtle, Kleinmann's tortoise, Pancake tortoise
2 Greater white pelicans
Purple naped lory, Mount Apo Lorikeet, Vernal hanging parrot
1 Palm cockatoo (P. a. goliath)
North American porcupine
a looot of Sitatungas

Noon, not midnight, right?
 
The zoo announced hatching of 12 Mesopotamian spiny tailed agamas (Saara loricata) and 3 Toad headed agamas ( Phrynocephalus mystaceus).

Here is the corresponding article:
Prague is world's only zoo to breed spiny-tailed lizard


The spiny-tailed lizard at Prague Zoo has successfully had offspring on two occasions this year. Photo: Tomáš Adamec, Zoo Praha.

Reptile had 12 offspring three weeks ago, another batch in May

Prague, June 24 (ČTK) — Prague Zoo has succeeded in breeding the spiny-tailed lizard, a rare desert reptile it is the only zoo in the world to keep on, the zoo’s spokeswoman Jana Ptačinská Jirátová told the Czech News Agency today, adding that 12 young lizards hatched three weeks ago.

The zoo has recently raised another protected lizard, two toad-headed agamas, Ptačinská Jirátová said.

In captivity, the agamas require a vivarium exactly copying the conditions in their natural habitat, the Central Asian deserts, Petr Velenský, in charge of the reptile section, said.

The spiny-tailed lizard is a robust herbivore reptile whose tail is covered with pointed scales and whose natural habitat is inaccessible regions of Iraq and Iran. It can live in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.

Its 12 Prague offspring are 10 cm long, and each weighs 11 grams. Their mother, Sara, laid another batch of eggs in mid-May, Velenský pointed out.

"To have offspring twice a year is something unseen among spiny-tailed lizards. It is a rarity that even goes unmentioned in literature," Velenský said.

The rare young lizards and agamas have not been on public display for the time being, but the visitors can see them during the commented feedings in the reptiles pavilion Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
Source: Home - PRAGUE POST | The Voice of Prague
 
So what is new?

The repaired Giant tortoise pavilion is open again.
Beisa oryx group has 4 calves - unfortunatelly all are males.
Sable antelopes have 3 calves, 2 males and one female.
Tayra marten three cubs are on show.
A male giant anteater Hannibal´s arrived. New Anteater exhibit will use part of the former elephant house and pens, opening date is in July.
Open billed storks built three nests and first chicks hatched.
Greater flamingos laid eggs into circa 25 nests and are incubating.
First Caribbean and Chilean flamingo eggs has been laid, but most pairs haven´t even started to build nests yet.
Mandschurian cranes lead one chick, around 1 week old.
Wattled cranes sit on a nest with an egg.
Two male cheetahs came from Ebeltoft in May.
Female hyazinth macaw arrived from Odense.
1,3 yellow-hooded blackbirds (Chrysomus icterocephalus) are a new species.
The tame hand-reared Greater Yellownape (Picus flavinucha) in the walk-through bird house Sečuán is still alive. It is so tame it sits on shoulders or shoes of random visitors, I haven´t expected it would survive long, visitors can be stupid sometimes.
 
Thanks Jana for all that news! ¿Is there any new about the new gorilla house?

The place is chosen. It will be the south slope behind giraffe enclosure.

Funds are secured. Part came as donations, part is promised by city, part is paid from own reserves. Maximum price is set for 100 mio Czk (3,6 mio Euro), this includes also a small restaurant, new zoo entrance and a visitor bridge over public road.

Today, an architechtonic competition has been opened. Last day for project submission is in September.
Neuer Gorilla Pavillon für den Zoo in Prag / Nový ...competitionline

I think the construction of the gorilla house could start next summer.
 
The female Honey Badger escaped its pen and haven´t been found again.

First Greater flamingo chick of this breeding season hatched.

Three Egyptian vulture chicks hatched here, see pic from their FB. Zlin had also 3 chicks, one of them has been sent for adoption to Prague.
 
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