Prague Zoo Praha Prague Zoo News 2025

1.1 Crocodile monitors (Salva and Dorian) are on display in the Giant Tortoise House - in the terrarium that used to house young Komodo dragons - after 17 years of not being used for its "original purpose" as the zoo writes on their Instagram post.
 
The zoo has published its 2024 budget implementation Report (it has commentary but no table of animals movements, which gets published usually later during summer). Link

I picked up some snippets of info from the report.
  • Total number of species kept at year-end was 708 (2023 - 703 species), 170 mammals, 272 birds, 146 reptiles, 15 amphibians, 36 fish and 69 inverts. In total 6590 animals.
  • The zoo took part in 140 EEPs, 45 ISBs, 32 ESBs
  • Number of rainbowfish species grew from 4 to 5, new species is Lake Kuromai rainbowfish
  • Pel´s fishing owl chick died aged 11 months (kidney failure)
  • Milky stork pair didnt manage to rear their first chick themselves, so next 2 eggs were collected and chicks hand-reared
  • Magpie goose reared 2x 4 chicks but the breeding male died during the year, he was wild-caught and imported in year 1997
  • Global captive population of pink pigeon is down to ca 80 birds, Prague reared 6 chicks in 2024
  • Blue-naped parrots reared 3 chicks but the breeding male died
  • The palm cackatoo chick died shortly before fledging
  • 2.0 old Great Indian hornbills died (progressive cancer in horn)
  • Parma wallaby pair was taken by fox
  • surplus male red kangeroros and swamp wallabies went to zoo Laczna
  • the young aardvark female Sabi had 2 stillbirths during the year, Kvida gets anticonception
  • the jaguarundi cub was the only cub worldwide in 2024 according to ZIMS (I had no idea this species breeds so poor)
  • meerkats group was reorganised, 1 new female was paired with 4 young males, rest of group was sent to Dehiwala zoo
  • short-beaked echidnas had awful year, after death of the puggle, also both 2 adult males died, the zoo was left with 0.2 but managed to swap one female for a new male from zoo Halle
  • arrival of yellow-breasted capuchins is only stop-gap measure to fill the exhibit, the zoo is negotiating import of blond capuchins from South America
  • the older kulan mare from Strohen indeed died - during anesthesy to work on her hooves, arrival of new mare from Lodz is in plan in 2025
  • both malayan tapirs Nico and Indah are still alive, but nico has age-related problems and indah sarkoid that is treated but getting worse, so they spent a lot of time backstage, indah had stillbirth
  • old kiang mare Drapce died (26 years old), the zoo moved mare Bublina from station Dolní Dobřejov to the zoo to fill exhibit space, also one stallion at Dobřejov died too
  • beisa oryx population in Europe is inbred with high calf mortality, only 1 female calf at Prague survived last year, the zoo tries to import new blood from the US
  • new giraffe breeding bull was slated to arrive from Netherlands but transport could not be done due to vet regulations (negative epidemic situation in benelux), so the coordinator was asked to make new recommendation
  • several moholi galagos were sent to Walsrode, 2.0 tayras to Germendorf
  • the female kagu that arrived from Berlin is the only (last) female in Europe
  • 3 callimicos are kept backstage, arrived in 2023 from confiscation and still owned by the government, they produced 2 youngs in 2024 but one died
  • one male Raggiana bird-of-paradise died and autopsy found Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
  • last clouded leopard died in August
  • gorilla bachelor group had conflicts that caused minor injuries, animals now get medicated to calm them down
  • dead body of giant salamander Karlo was sent to National museum, a tasmanian devil male body was sent to Evolutionsmuseum Schmiding
  • volunteers help the zoo to chop, bag and store browse (tree branches with leaves), they come each Thursday, mostly staff of local banks and insurance companies
  • the old gorilla house (Mefou) will get adapted to keep a second primate species that will be mixed with gorillas, species not mentioned, planning phase started in 2024
 
Local magazine published an article on kagus kept in Czech zoos. In short:

- Plzen keeps 2.0 kagus, the same animals that arrived 2018 from Walsrode. They are on show in an aviary in Asian garden, mixed with horned parakeets. They are fed mostly earthworms, some insects and chopped beef heart. The curator mentioned it´s impossible to get females for them.

- Prague keeps 2.1 kagus. All three are kept in the aviary at entry to water world (on show only during warm months). They are fed earthworms and insects, no beef heart. They are prone to obesity so they are weighted regularly and get blood tests done to check liver function.

Total kagu population in EAZA zoos is only 11 birds currectly (10 males and 1 female).

source
 
Jana said:
Local magazine published an article on kagus kept in Czech zoos. In short:

- Plzen keeps 2.0 kagus, the same animals that arrived 2018 from Walsrode. They are on show in an aviary in Asian garden, mixed with horned parakeets. They are fed mostly earthworms, some insects and chopped beef heart. The curator mentioned it´s impossible to get females for them.

- Prague keeps 2.1 kagus. All three are kept in the aviary at entry to water world (on show only during warm months). They are fed earthworms and insects, no beef heart. They are prone to obesity so they are weighted regularly and get blood tests done to check liver function.

Total kagu population in EAZA zoos is only 11 birds currectly (10 males and 1 female).

source
Click to expand...
I did not know the situation was this dire. I remember Berlin Zoo used to have a good track record with kagu. Wonder where it all went wrong and how we just ended up with an almost all male skewed sex ratio population in Europe.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I remember Berlin Zoo used to have a good track record with kagu.
Click to expand...
Berlin Zoo never bred Kagus (according to ZTL). Walsrode bred Kagus successful but the last female died in spring 2024. I heard there's a private breeder in Belgium but i don't know if he still breed Kagus.
 
Jana said:
The zoo has published its 2024 budget implementation Report (it has commentary but no table of animals movements, which gets published usually later during summer). Link

I picked up some snippets of info from the report.
  • Total number of species kept at year-end was 708 (2023 - 703 species), 170 mammals, 272 birds, 146 reptiles, 15 amphibians, 36 fish and 69 inverts. In total 6590 animals.
  • The zoo took part in 140 EEPs, 45 ISBs, 32 ESBs
  • Number of rainbowfish species grew from 4 to 5, new species is Lake Kuromai rainbowfish
  • Pel´s fishing owl chick died aged 11 months (kidney failure)
  • Milky stork pair didnt manage to rear their first chick themselves, so next 2 eggs were collected and chicks hand-reared
  • Magpie goose reared 2x 4 chicks but the breeding male died during the year, he was wild-caught and imported in year 1997
  • Global captive population of pink pigeon is down to ca 80 birds, Prague reared 6 chicks in 2024
  • Blue-naped parrots reared 3 chicks but the breeding male died
  • The palm cackatoo chick died shortly before fledging
  • 2.0 old Great Indian hornbills died (progressive cancer in horn)
  • Parma wallaby pair was taken by fox
  • surplus male red kangeroros and swamp wallabies went to zoo Laczna
  • the young aardvark female Sabi had 2 stillbirths during the year, Kvida gets anticonception
  • the jaguarundi cub was the only cub worldwide in 2024 according to ZIMS (I had no idea this species breeds so poor)
  • meerkats group was reorganised, 1 new female was paired with 4 young males, rest of group was sent to Dehiwala zoo
  • short-beaked echidnas had awful year, after death of the puggle, also both 2 adult males died, the zoo was left with 0.2 but managed to swap one female for a new male from zoo Halle
  • arrival of yellow-breasted capuchins is only stop-gap measure to fill the exhibit, the zoo is negotiating import of blond capuchins from South America
  • the older kulan mare from Strohen indeed died - during anesthesy to work on her hooves, arrival of new mare from Lodz is in plan in 2025
  • both malayan tapirs Nico and Indah are still alive, but nico has age-related problems and indah sarkoid that is treated but getting worse, so they spent a lot of time backstage, indah had stillbirth
  • old kiang mare Drapce died (26 years old), the zoo moved mare Bublina from station Dolní Dobřejov to the zoo to fill exhibit space, also one stallion at Dobřejov died too
  • beisa oryx population in Europe is inbred with high calf mortality, only 1 female calf at Prague survived last year, the zoo tries to import new blood from the US
  • new giraffe breeding bull was slated to arrive from Netherlands but transport could not be done due to vet regulations (negative epidemic situation in benelux), so the coordinator was asked to make new recommendation
  • several moholi galagos were sent to Walsrode, 2.0 tayras to Germendorf
  • the female kagu that arrived from Berlin is the only (last) female in Europe
  • 3 callimicos are kept backstage, arrived in 2023 from confiscation and still owned by the government, they produced 2 youngs in 2024 but one died
  • one male Raggiana bird-of-paradise died and autopsy found Yersinia pseudotuberculosis
  • last clouded leopard died in August
  • gorilla bachelor group had conflicts that caused minor injuries, animals now get medicated to calm them down
  • dead body of giant salamander Karlo was sent to National museum, a tasmanian devil male body was sent to Evolutionsmuseum Schmiding
  • volunteers help the zoo to chop, bag and store browse (tree branches with leaves), they come each Thursday, mostly staff of local banks and insurance companies
  • the old gorilla house (Mefou) will get adapted to keep a second primate species that will be mixed with gorillas, species not mentioned, planning phase started in 2024
Click to expand...
After the death of the clouded leopard, will Prague Zoo consider introducing new cats?
 
Raikou said:
After the death of the clouded leopard, will Prague Zoo consider introducing new cats?
Click to expand...

The space in cat house where clouded leopards used to live is now occupied by fossas. Leopards wont return there.

The zoo has a long-term plan to build new exhibit for clouded leopards in upper zoo part in future, together with Indian rhino etc. But it´s totaly unclear when and if it would happen.

Edit: I just wanted to add that European population of clouded leopards is in very bad shape, majority of animals are post-reproductive and almost zero cubs get born. So even if Prague wanted to get a new young pair from the EEP now it would be like mission impossible. So it´s hard to tell if decision to (temporary) give up on clouded leopards was dictated by too little space available in cat house or just by impossibility to get new animals.
 
Last edited:
Jana said:
The space in cat house where clouded leopards used to live is now occupied by fossas. Leopards wont return there.

The zoo has a long-term plan to build new exhibit for clouded leopards in upper zoo part in future, together with Indian rhino etc. But it´s totaly unclear when and if it would happen.

Edit: I just wanted to add that European population of clouded leopards is in very bad shape, majority of animals are post-reproductive and almost zero cubs get born. So even if Prague wanted to get a new young pair from the EEP now it would be like mission impossible. So it´s hard to tell if decision to (temporary) give up on clouded leopards was dictated by too little space available in cat house or just by impossibility to get new animals.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. By the way, does the Prague Zoo have any plans to exhibit new small cats in the future?
 
Paul.Haerle said:
Berlin Zoo never bred Kagus (according to ZTL). Walsrode bred Kagus successful but the last female died in spring 2024. I heard there's a private breeder in Belgium but i don't know if he still breed Kagus.
Click to expand...
What about the French breeder who raised tens of Kagus in his property near Paris ? (and who died recently aged of over 90)
 
Haliaeetus said:
What about the French breeder who raised tens of Kagus in his property near Paris ? (and who died recently aged of over 90)
Click to expand...
Like I wrote in my message I just heard from the Belgian breeder, but I didn't hear something about a French breeder.
Maybe his Kagus moved to the Belgian breeder but this is much speculative
 
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