Zoo Laczna news

Jana

Jana

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
This is a small private zoo in south Poland (rural montanous area on half-way between Prague and Wroclaw). Opened in 2012 on 12 hectares and is developing the area slowly, with currently circa 120 species.

Their signature exhibit is large walk-through enclosure with lemurs (catta, black-and-white, white-fronted) and their last (generic) tiger. Some other nice species - sitatunga, tahr, marmot, lar gibbon, red lechwe + eland bachelord herd, caracal, serval, Japanese macaque, "white wolves". Most species are kept in nice groups, hoofstock has decently-sized grass paddocks.

In year 2023, they opened two new themed areas with some new species:

- Australia with red kangaroos, kookaburra, brushtail possums, cape barren goose, emu, budgerigars and Bennets wallabies.
- South America with saimiri monkeys, capuchins, macaws, coatis, capybaras, scaret ibis, greater flamingos (ZTL mentions Caribbeans but pics say otherwise), some ducks, arassaris.

source
 
I also visited this zoo for the first time last year, even though I live very close to this place. It is very close to Polish-Czech border, so close that on the way back I caught the train on the Czech side in Adrspach. I was there in August, before opening Australia and South America exhibits. Highlights: walk-through enclosure with lemurs and tiger cage are in my opinion the poorest parts of the zoo. Owner wanted to have as many species of lemurs as possible in one enclosure, so he imported various old animals. Exhibit was and still looks overcrowded. It is paid separately and full of visitors, animals have no peace. Tiger cage is nasty. Wolf exhibit was planned to be significantly enlarged and work was in progress at the time of my visit. Place for large tiger enclosure is also planned. But ungulates have really good enclosures. Interesting, Himalaya exhibit is open to visitors (thars came from Zoo Praha). Also some aviaries for pheasants and owls are quite nice. In general this place is worth a visit.
 
This is a zoo that I had no idea existed till last year. I try to keep on top of news from local zoos yet I have not registered anything about them, be it in regional Czech media or Polish main news or by tourist reference etc. With close proximity to Czech border and a nice collection, it could / should attract a lot of our locals. It´s time its PR department steps up its game.

Do you know their future plans (apart of new tiger enclosure)? New species they should receive?
 
Remark regarding their flamingos. Last year, the zoo obtained a small group of pure Greater flamingos from Czechia (probably Dvur) and a larger group of geneticaly-tested hybrids of Caribbean x Greater from Munich (Hellabrunn) in Germany. Both groups are kept together.
 
Jana said:
Remark regarding their flamingos. Last year, the zoo obtained a small group of pure Greater flamingos from Czechia (probably Dvur) and a larger group of geneticaly-tested hybrids of Caribbean x Greater from Munich (Hellabrunn) in Germany. Both groups are kept together.
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That is unfortunate. Does the EAZA/EEP TAG for Phoenicopteriformes not prevent hybrids from occuring and zoos to maintain their flocks in like same species aviaries.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
That is unfortunate. Does the EAZA/EEP TAG for Phoenicopteriformes not prevent hybrids from occuring and zoos to maintain their flocks in like same species aviaries.
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First, Laczna is not an EAZA member.

Second, you know well that no EEP or ESB program exists for flamingos. They are just monitored by TAG at zoo level, there is no studbook (unlike AZA that maintains studbooks for all 4 flamingo species it keeps). Thus nobody has idea of genetic relatedness of flamingos in European zoos, unless zoos bother to enter all historical data in zims.

Third, EAZA issued hunsbandry manual where it recommends zoos to keep single species flamingo flocks of sufficient size and it did so 25 years ago. Good portion of EAZA members doesnt bother to read it or even follow it. Large zoos like Prague or Berlin TP happily breed in mixed flocks today.
 
Jana said:
Second, you know well that no EEP or ESB program exists for flamingos. They are just monitored by TAG at zoo level, there is no studbook (unlike AZA that maintains studbooks for all 4 flamingo species it keeps). Thus nobody has idea of genetic relatedness of flamingos in European zoos, unless zoos bother to enter all historical data in zims.
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Strange how I didn’t notice that when I check the list of EAZA’s ex-situ programs. This makes the extinct pigeon EEP more ridiculous. I hope the EAZA does have a new style EEP for flamingoes soon.
 
PossumRoach said:
Strange how I didn’t notice that when I check the list of EAZA’s ex-situ programs. This makes the extinct pigeon EEP more ridiculous. I hope the EAZA does have a new style EEP for flamingoes soon.
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I wish at least studbooks would be created, if not full EEPs. But I can see why nobody volunteers. The sheer number of birds kept in Europe (+10.000) and patchy historical records of birds held in many zoos would make it an uphill battle.

There was a period when a Czechoslovak flamingo studbook existed (under UCSZ) led by bird curator at Dvur Kralove. It got discontinued around the time when he left the zoo (ca 2009?). I guess nobody else was willing to pick it up and continue.
 
PossumRoach said:
Strange how I didn’t notice that when I check the list of EAZA’s ex-situ programs. This makes the extinct pigeon EEP more ridiculous. I hope the EAZA does have a new style EEP for flamingoes soon.
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Do you really feel there is a need for it?
 
Jana said:
Do you know their future plans (apart of new tiger enclosure)? New species they should receive?
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Unfortunately, I don't know any of their plans. I even don't know if they have a ready-made plan for the tiger's enclosure or it's just a sign on a fenced piece of meadow. I also don't know if the wolf enclosure has been enlarged already. I think that for them the enclosures and aviaries opening in 2023 were a serious logistic and financial effort so I don't think they're planning anything spectacular this year.
As I already mentioned, the zoo is right next to the Czech border, a two-hour walk from Adršpach train station. During my visit I heard Czech spoken.
 
The director gave an interview in local media.

The zoo keeps currently 132 animal species. It employs 10-12 animal keepers. It needs attendance of 70.000 to break even but expects to see significantly more in 2024. Among new species at the zoo is white-fronted amazons, eastern wallaroos. He speaks about new constructions for white wolves and their lone tiger, and mentions opening before next summer but I think he means only the extension for wolves (because according to their FB account construction of tiger pen has not started yet).

Their FB account has video showing also monkeys that might be white-faced capuchins, a pair of bare-faced curassows or a pygmy marmoset.
 
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