Prague Zoo Praha Prague Zoo News 2025

Malayan tapirs are kept backstage. Their exhibit now serves lowland tapirs. No idea when lowland tapirs moved there, I realised it only this weekend.

EDIT
October arrivals are online. A package from Alma-Ata zoo arrived:
  • Paralaudakia lehmanni,
  • Teratoscincus scincus,
  • Eremias grammica,
  • Phrynocephalus helioscopus sp? (subspecies is probably known by the zoo just not communicated),
  • Tenuidactylus bogdanovi
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hawkkeye said:
5 Malaysian giant turtles were hatched, 1st time breeding for the zoo. Source: V Zoo Praha se poprvé podařil přirozený odchov kriticky ohrožených orlicií | ČeskéNoviny.cz
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This is not correct translation of the article title. It just says it´s first time this species hatched in natural way (not assisted by humans) at Prague. And this is actually not true either.

Prague has bred Malaysian giant turtles (Orlitia borneensis) for the first time already in 2007. However all babies had to be freed from their eggs in 2007 and 2008 with human help because egg shell was too hard for them to break. But in 2025, the zoo tried different hatching protocol, eggs were incubated in very low pH and high-wet substrate (peat) and this resulted in substantial thinning of the eggshell towards the end of inclubation so babies could break the egg themselves.

Originaly, Prague kept a group of Malaysian giant turtles saved from illegal trade in Hong Kong in 2001, that were imported from Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in 2002 to Europe/Prague. They proved to be difficult - very intraspecific aggressive, with ailments from trafficing process and with poorly known life history. When the zoo finaly bred them, it found it basicaly impossible to place hatched babies to other zoos because they were unpopular. So that initial group was stopped from breeding and gradualy dispersed into solitary placements.

But then this species was classified as critically endangered and the zoo decided to try breeding them again. Adult animals were collected from zoos that decided to end with them - Chester, Arnhem, Dvur Kralove. A potential breeding pair was selected and put into orang moat inside Indonesian house. They produced 2 babies in 2022 and now 5 babies in 2025.
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Tea Rex said:
Was the cause of the death reveald?
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It was liver failure, but definitive cause (infection, malnutrition, ...) will be revealed after autopsy report. The female was battling with bad health for months. A vet from Taipei zoo was working at Prague zoo on internship by chance during this time, and all steps in care and treatment were consulted with him.

source
 
- Gambian pouched rat is no longer present, neither signed at the flying fox exhibit.
- The walkthrough wetland aviaries are all closed to visitors these days because of some reconstruction works.
- Same goes for the whole old elephant house area (terrarium, Lord Howe island exhibit). It seems this has probably something to do with moving out the lowland tapirs. The Bororo Reserve playground was dismantled.
- Little owls are not signed at the African rock walkthrough aviary anymore.
 
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merlin said:
- The walkthrough wetland aviaries are all closed to visitors these days because of some reconstruction works.
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Today, the path through these aviaries was open for visitors to use. However all of them were totaly empty, with exception of first one (with Brasilian mergansers etc.). They were digging out dirt inside the aviaries and concrete water pools had spray markings on them, meaning they will get remodeled. Maybe it´s just re-landscaping, maybe also an attempt to make them rat-proof. I guess birds wont return there before next spring.

merlin said:
- Same goes for the whole old elephant house area (terrarium, Lord Howe island exhibit). It seems this has probably something to do with moving out the lowland tapirs. The Bororo Reserve playground was dismantled.
Click to expand...

I read a sign placed on constuction site railing. It said it´s reconstruction of the food stand that used to be on the way to terrarium. Sign also said this area will re-open in March 2026. I would be interested if during this time, the terrarium gets some facelift or not.
 
Jana said:
Today, the path through these aviaries was open for visitors to use. However all of them were totaly empty, with exception of first one (with Brasilian mergansers etc.).
Click to expand...
I was at the bird wetlands area around 13:00 today and there was a sign saying not to enter the aviaries o_O But it is possible people could still actually enter the aviaries, I did not try to open the door personally.
Jana said:
I read a sign placed on constuction site railing. It said it´s reconstruction of the food stand that used to be on the way to terrarium.
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I did miss this sign though. Still, it does not exactly explain the disappearance of the playground.
 
merlin said:
I was at the bird wetlands area around 13:00 today and there was a sign saying not to enter the aviaries o_O But it is possible people could still actually enter the aviaries, I did not try to open the door personally.
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I was there after 15:30 and went in. Apparently I totaly missed the sign asking people to stay out. It was almost dark, no people around and I was just running on automat. My bad.
merlin said:
I did miss this sign though. Still, it does not exactly explain the disappearance of the playground.
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It seems it will be rebuilt. see
 
A Javan rhinoceros hornbill chick has left a nesting box. Parent-reared. This is first chick for the current pair. Mother is called Sharjah, father remains anonymous.

Sharjah is one of 3 female rhinoceros hornbills that Prague zoo imported in 2022 from Sharjah Breeding Centre in Gulf, they were seized smuggled birds and it took several years to sort red tape for their import into the EU.

Prague keeps rhinoceros hornbills since 2003, first breeding was achieved in 2007 to a pair of Prokop and Markéta. Prokop was born in a breeding centre on Mallorca and died 2015. Markéta was wildborn and the zoo got her in 2003 from private hands. She bred many times, reared 17 chicks (with 2 different males) but died few years ago.
source
 
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