Zoo Olomouc Zoo Olomouc News

Some news I've learnt today:
- The coyotes are oficially gone. I've been told there are plans on switching to a "rarer bear species" in the more distant future.
- Seems like the last raccoon has died. It used to occupy the former Sun bear exhibit, which is now under reconstruction and black-and-white ruffed lemur will be moved there.
- The South-African springhare is already on show in the Kalahari pavillion.
- The muskox enclosure is empty for now.
- The big aviary next to the carnivore pavillion is going through a reconstruction.
- I saw two camel calves and (too many) little emus.
 
Some news I've learnt today:
- The coyotes are oficially gone. I've been told there are plans on switching to a "rarer bear species" in the more distant future.
- Seems like the last raccoon has died. It used to occupy the former Sun bear exhibit, which is now under reconstruction and black-and-white ruffed lemur will be moved there.
- The South-African springhare is already on show in the Kalahari pavillion.
- The muskox enclosure is empty for now.
- The big aviary next to the carnivore pavillion is going through a reconstruction.
- I saw two camel calves and (too many) little emus.
Are the springhares mixed with the aardvarks ?
 
That's what I thought, but the zookeeper said something about them sharing space with meerkats...? So I'm not sure, sorry.
It's okay, I just didn’t expect them to try mixing meerkats with another species. When Kalahari exhibit first opened, they shared their enclosure with Cape ground squirrels, but juveniles of both species were lost, probably predated by the other species. And the 2024 annual report mentions that springhares will be kept with aardvarks in the future.
 
It's okay, I just didn’t expect them to try mixing meerkats with another species. When Kalahari exhibit first opened, they shared their enclosure with Cape ground squirrels, but juveniles of both species were lost, probably predated by the other species. And the 2024 annual report mentions that springhares will be kept with aardvarks in the future.
They are officially mixed with the meerkats.
source
 
Those are, in fact, not African crowned cranes, but black crowned cranes! :)
African crowned cranes as in the genus Balearica I meant. Yes, @merlin, if You descend down the species line ..., they are black crowned cranes B. pavonina.

BTW: Unfortunately black crowned cranes especially are now also on the endangered species list (off take in N/NE Africa, habitat conversion, livestock and overgrazing, droughts and conflict. The species is listed as VULNERABLE. Its cousin, grey crowned crane B. regulorum is in an even more precario's state as it is listed as ENDANGERED.
 
Some of spring ´25 offspring not yet mentioned:
  • 4 greater famingos (better result than only 2 chicks last year, but still rather low)
  • 11 West Caucasian turs (fathered by new breeding male arrived last year from Prague zoo, Olomouc keeps 45 turs, EEP counts altogether 160 animals)
  • 8 Turkmenian markhors (Olomouc keeps 26 markhors, EEP counts 284 animals)
  • 3 Siberian ibexes (Olomouc keeps 12 animals and has unsolvable problem to source unrelated breeding male, this species has no EEP)
  • 6 domestic reindeer
  • 3 lesser white-fronted geese (first time this species bred at Olomouc)
  • 5 black storks (Olomouc keeps 2 pairs, these chicks were bred by pair kept off-show). Worth to mention that few days ago the bird curator posted message on local birdwatching FB that one of the storks kept in walk-though aviary babovka went missing, I guess some visitor has accidentaly left door open, but the bird was recovered since.
  • 2 black-headed parrots
  • 5 Nanday parakeets
  • 1 Edwards's pheasant (parent-reared)
  • 1 violet turaco
  • 5 bar-headed geese (by pair kept in flamingo avairy)
  • 3+ snow owls
  • 4 red-tailed ratsnakes
 
Some things I noticed when visiting the zoo today:

  • The peccaries are not the only animals in the former musk-ox exhibit. I also saw a single vicuña there. There was a sign for the vicuña as well, which probably means it is there to stay. The peccaries and the vicuña are not mixed, as the enclosure is divided into two separate parts.
  • Pygmy marmosets were in the South America House, in the exhibit that previously held gray short-tailed opossum. There are still some individuals in the Monkey House, so the zoo now keeps two groups of them.
  • I saw two barasingha males in the Eurasia safari enclosure. They also had a sign there, however barasingha is not listed on the Zoo Olomouc website. I checked the 2024 annual report, and it states that Zoo Olomouc is now leading the EEP for them.
 
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