Elephant bull from Zoo Sosto is on the way to Zlín VZÁCNÁ ZÁSILKA Dnes, 5.září 2023, ve 13.00 hod se z maďarské Zoo Sosto k nám vydala mimořádně vzácná a dlouho očekávaná zásilka. Obrovský balík váží... | By ZOO a zámek Zlín - Lešná | Facebook
Zlín Zoo zoo Zlín
- Thread starter Jana
- Start date
On 9th September, the zoo re-opens a walk-through aviary for Asian storks/marabous/pelicans/ducks. It was in bad shape so had to be demolished and built again from scratch, on area 25 x 40 meters. And they open also a new heated house for sloth bears (their previous one was off-show).
This whole area is now named "Kerala" and has a lot of kitchy Indian theming (statues, architecture, backround music).
Source
This whole area is now named "Kerala" and has a lot of kitchy Indian theming (statues, architecture, backround music).
Source
JurassicMax
Well-Known Member
On the 17th of June 2 Nepalese red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) were born.
Sources:
Instagram of Zoo Zlin (17/08/2023)
Sources:
Instagram of Zoo Zlin (17/08/2023)
You can find some new projects on zoos web.
- new lion exhibit / shelter for confiscated lions (private husbandry of big cats seems to be problem in Czech republic, but so far there isn´t proper facility for long term keeping of confiscated animals)
Part of this project would be also new path for visitors.
Construction should start next year.
- reconstruction of silvery gibbon indoor exhibit, finalization planned on next year autumn.
Both projects
- new lion exhibit / shelter for confiscated lions (private husbandry of big cats seems to be problem in Czech republic, but so far there isn´t proper facility for long term keeping of confiscated animals)
Part of this project would be also new path for visitors.
Construction should start next year.
- reconstruction of silvery gibbon indoor exhibit, finalization planned on next year autumn.
Both projects
Heavy snow few days ago caused problems for zoo aviaries.
Stainless mesh on jaguar aviary took bad damage. It is deformed and some joint points didn´t survive the pull and the aviary thus has holes. Jaguars will remain backstage for some time (this won´t be cheap repair I guess).
Walk-through aviary for Asian vultures collapsed, I guess both nets and frame are done for.
Kerala aviary net is damaged, birds got removed.
Saimiri monkey aviary took damage and needs repair before monkeys can use it.
Andean vulture aviary could be repaired on a provisionary basis.
9 vulture breeding aviaries got destroyed, they are placed backstage thus don´t impact visitor experience.
Thankfully, Gora Ark aviary survived.
Source
Stainless mesh on jaguar aviary took bad damage. It is deformed and some joint points didn´t survive the pull and the aviary thus has holes. Jaguars will remain backstage for some time (this won´t be cheap repair I guess).
Walk-through aviary for Asian vultures collapsed, I guess both nets and frame are done for.
Kerala aviary net is damaged, birds got removed.
Saimiri monkey aviary took damage and needs repair before monkeys can use it.
Andean vulture aviary could be repaired on a provisionary basis.
9 vulture breeding aviaries got destroyed, they are placed backstage thus don´t impact visitor experience.
Thankfully, Gora Ark aviary survived.
Source
Zoo today announced that year 2023 was 2nd best in terms of visitor numbers - 770 663 visitors arrived.
Zoo also reached a record-high 91% economic self-sustainability.
Further in the post zoo shed a bit of light on upcoming projects: other than aforementioned Lion centre, zoo will also start project planning of Clouded leopard enclosure and the zoo also intends to build its own solar power plant.
Zoo also reached a record-high 91% economic self-sustainability.
Further in the post zoo shed a bit of light on upcoming projects: other than aforementioned Lion centre, zoo will also start project planning of Clouded leopard enclosure and the zoo also intends to build its own solar power plant.
The zoo director´s interview in media doesnt reveal anything big, but still has small tidbids of info.
- they still haven´t secured financing for Karibuni (only for lions)
- none of the elephant cows is pregnant
- Zlin wants to import lesser asjutant female from Bronx
- female great hornbill bred at Zlin will probably go to Thailand
- he praises staff of Indian zoos
- Zlin tried to get giant pandas in the past
Source
Lower I add translation of the whole text of the interview.
- they still haven´t secured financing for Karibuni (only for lions)
- none of the elephant cows is pregnant
- Zlin wants to import lesser asjutant female from Bronx
- female great hornbill bred at Zlin will probably go to Thailand
- he praises staff of Indian zoos
- Zlin tried to get giant pandas in the past
Source
Lower I add translation of the whole text of the interview.
Karibuni or "Africa in Wallachia", when elephants will be joined by rhinos or gorillas? The director of the Zlín Zoo answers.
The visionary project Karibuni will show elephants, lions, rhinoceroses and great apes on a large surface. At what stage is the construction of Karibuni? What conservation projects is the Zlín Zoo preparing? What makes cooperation with Asian zoos special? Zlín Zoo director Roman Horský responded.
Zlín Zoo has been the second most visited zoo in the Czech Republic since 2011. Last year, it was visited by over 770,000 visitors, which is the second best result in the history of the Zlín Zoo.
He is currently implementing the visionary project Karibuni, which will introduce African animals to visitors in a 21-hectare natural biopark. The construction of Karibuni is divided into stages due to the financial demands. As part of Karibuni, there is also the construction of campsites and safari tents with a capacity of over 200 people.
What breeding successes are opening the doors of the Zlín Zoo in Asia? What breeding successes has it already achieved and what challenges await the Zlín Zoo? What rescue projects does the zoo support? And how do zoo directors fall asleep with a 150 million loan? The director of the Zlín Zoo, Roman Horský, spoke about this.
At what stage is Karibuni completed?
In 2022, we completed the breeding facility for elephants, in 2024 we are planning a rescue center for lions. Within 5 years, we would like to complete the second stage of Karibuni, which includes generous enclosures for rhinos, hippos, giraffes and two camps.
Last year we completed project II. stages of Karibuni and subsequently it will depend on finances from the founder or from other sources. I can't say exactly if it will be in 3 or 5 years.
As soon as we complete the second stage, we will have income from accommodation and will be able to continue in III. the Karibuni stage, which also includes large primates - chimpanzees, gorillas. We would like a 1 hectare enclosure for the gorillas. The advantage of gorillas is that they are the easiest of the great apes to build. Chimpanzees are very intelligent, sophisticated, so the safety elements will make the construction more expensive and the enclosure must be thought through a lot. In addition, we would prefer an open, unroofed paddock. The late director of the Ostrava Zoo, Petr Čolas, who was one of the experts in chimpanzee breeding, tried to talk me out of an open enclosure for chimpanzees, but I probably wouldn't want anything other than an open enclosure. So we'll probably stick just with the gorillas… (smile).
Or both, that sounds good too.
Or both. (smile)
So the new lion rescue center is the next step in the construction of Karibuni, what lions will it be for?
For impounded lions. We will thereby help the government, which does not know exactly what to do with confiscated animals that are kept in inappropriate conditions by private "breeders". Lion cub is relatively commonly sold for around 10,000 czk, which is affordable for many people. Subsequently, they are raised in inappropriate conditions and in an inappropriate way, they often lack socialization from their mother and siblings. They only know the bottle, their master, at most other pets.
Confiscated lions will be individuals with an uncertain past, no pedigree, completely unsuitable animals for breeding. Moreover, their socialization will be very difficult. We will whip ourselves, we will be under the microscope of the state, our visitors and former owners of animals.
From my point of view, it would be ideal to have a male and female group that is also natural in nature. We want to avoid both chemical and physical castration, which is the very last resort. The sight of a neutered male lion is sad, he will lose his mane. In any case, it will be a big challenge for the keepers, but also for those animals it is important to bring them together, to work with them so that the lions live as naturally as possible.
The contribution of the founder (the city of Zlín) to the operation amounts to approximately 35 million crowns. What about investment subsidies for exhibitions? Does the lower permanent contribution to operations manifest itself in more significant support for investment actions?
Our philosophy is that we want to cover the operation cost from our own revenues.
And we want to use the founder's money for investments. We financed the latest exhibit for jaguar and elephant enclosures with a loan of 148 million crowns. Half of which is covered by us and half by the founder, the city of Zlín.
All other (municipal) zoos pay for investment actions through money from the founder.
We came to the city with the offer of a shared loan, because the city of Zlín really did not have such high funds for the construction of exhibitions. It is approximately 12 million crowns per year, we guarantee the loan and cover the interest.
How does the director of the zoo fall asleep with a 150 million loan and a pavilion under construction?
It's better now, but when I had to convince people that this was the right path for us, it was difficult. With such a high investment, anything can happen. The final decision was made soon after the coronavirus pandemic, which we survived mainly thanks to direct support from people, visitors. They sent us money to even cover the running of the garden. And it was this support that started us, when we realized that if we build an enclosure for jaguars, we will start the construction of Karibuni, so it will be special not only for the animals, but also for all our fans that we have here. If we didn't start the Karibuni, we would have to send the elephants away. I was already determined that they would go away, because it was not worth it for them to spend the rest of their lives here, without a male, without the possibility of having young and in a small enclosure.
Today they have one of the best facilities in the world, we have a baby, the first African elephant born in the Czech Republic. We have a bull. You can see that they are satisfied. All this would not be possible without the courage to take a loan.
Will you be bringing in more elephant cows?
No, no, we want to build a herd on the existing 3 females, a calf and a bull Jack.
Now we are waiting for one of the females to ovulate, so we will see how it develops.
It all cost us a tremendous amount of effort, and at Karibuni we are now reaping the benefits of 10 years of intensive work. The elephants were non-contact in the beginning. We had to start training through the barrier, training for insemination, it cost us millions of crowns, whether it was to improve the original pavilion, to research, to a number of teams that trained our breeders here, performed inseminations. In addition to financial resources, it cost a lot of breeding effort, some breeders left because they didn't accept the changes, they didn't believe in Karibuni, they didn't see a future in changing elephant breeding.
In the beginning, it was a coincidence when I met one of the biggest experts on elephants at an accreditation without knowing it. He convinced me to change the breeding strategy, he connected me with other teams that deal with elephant breeding and perform insemination.
How did the relations between your zoo and the Russian or Ukrainian colleagues change after the invasion of the Russian troops into Ukraine?
In the past, we cooperated with Ukrainian zoos. Russian zoos were interested in secretary birds, which we breed as one of the few in Europe, but in the end we did not agree to the move, either for breeding reasons, because they did not have good conditions for keeping these birds, or from the point of view of communication, which was not the best with them.
Whenever we send animals somewhere, we want to know a lot of details, which runs smoothly, for example, within SEAZA (South East Asian Zoos Association), which is the Southeast Asian Zoo Association.
But there are also qualitative differences within Southeast Asian zoos?
Sure, but a lot of their zoos are good. We cooperate a lot with zoos from India, but also with Malaysian zoos, now we are starting cooperation with Indonesian zoos. So we are still a little bit closer to the "sunrise".
And that's where hornbills and other species of hornbills open the door for you? With whose breeding you are very successful…
We have a lot of endangered bird species from Southeast Asia. These species are not that common here in Europe or across the Atlantic. But it is precisely in the zoos of Southeast Asia that they are bred. One such example is Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which actually breeds our two iconic species, the Indian great hornbill and the lesser adjutant. They are the only ones breeding them in Southeast Asia and we are the only ones currently breeding them in Europe.
That is why you recently had a Thai ambassador at the Zlín Zoo...
Yes, it is through it that we would like to establish deeper cooperation with other zoos within SEAZA, so that we can do some kind of joint breeding program with these species.
In addition, the exchange of know-how is also important. Or it is something else to breed Southeast Asian birds in the Czech Republic and in their homeland?
That comparison is important, even though we each work in a different environment. In Asia, of course, it affects the weather the most, where they have rainy and dry seasons. It is important to exchange information, when individual birds nest with them, when with us, in what conditions we breed, in what they.
We sometimes have to take the eggs to the incubator, feeding at the beginning after hatching is different, another after a month of life, etc. Their conditions can show us how we can do it better, which is also true the other way around. So there's a lot of data and variables that we exchange that are aimed at breeding these endangered birds.
Do SEAZA zoos breed any species of hornbill that you would like to keep in your zoo?
I'm not talking about new species in this case. Rather, we want to expand the breeding groups we have here so that we have a good breeding base.
Hornbills are long-lived pair animals that nest specifically. The female "walls" herself with dung or mud in the cavity of the tree to sit on the eggs and partly to feed the young. The female leaves only a small opening through which her species brings food for her and their young. These are all reasons why breeding them is difficult…
Yes, as soon as one of the pair dies or they do not mate, the breeding of the given species can be over for many years. In addition, with these species, there is not much possibility to find them new partner somewhere else.
A female lesser marabou has just appeared in the possession of the Bronx Zoo in the United States of America. We are now in the process of moving her to us, so it is important to know about animals kept around the world.
And then there's the legislative machinery for processing the transfer to us, which takes about a year, in India about two to two and a half years, to process the transfer of the animal. We now have a bred baby Indian hornbill that should leave its parents and find a mate. We are so open to sending him to Thailand for example where they have a young male to socialize.
What about other gardens in South Asia, do you have long-term cooperation with zoos from India?
Yes, we have been cooperating with several gardens from India for over 12 years and the number of cooperating gardens from this region is constantly increasing. However, in India it is more complicated, because there it works in such a way that the mandate of the director of the zoo is for 3 years and then he is sent to another place within the nature protection department, so before he has time to get his bearings and start some projects, he leaves. It is because of combatting corruption. It has already happened to me that I started a project with one director, developed it with another and finished it with a third director.
We already have personal ties there, Indians are very educated and much more ethical in relation to animals than we are in Europe. I always look forward to working with Indians. Everything takes them a long time, but I'm looking forward to it.
We also brought a lot of ethnographic things from India. Doors, statues, architecture, but also stones from India can be found in the new Kerala exhibition. We wanted to achieve the combination of culture and animals that is typical of the Indian subcontinent.
And will you also bring Indian rhinos?
No, we can make do with the southern white rhinos, which are in the original part of the zoo, where we keep one male and two females.
How are the southern white rhinos breeding?
Now we are waiting for the results. We recorded a mating with one female, although it was not the first mating, but it was more intense than ever. Our male does not mate with the second female, and she also has findings on the reproductive system.
We cannot keep more rhinos in this enclosure, in the next stage of Karibuni we will have an enclosure for 10 rhinos. Although they are the most common species (southern subspecies) of rhinoceros in the world, white rhinos do not breed very well in human care. It is the opposite for black rhinoceroses, they breed better in human care, but there are few of them in the wild.
In terms of conservation projects, what are you working on the most now?
We have combined conservation projects with current new exhibits, so we are trying to support elephant conservation. Specifically, this is the Retiti project in Kenya, where they have over 40 baby elephants to feed, which is a huge amount of goat's milk. They have a goat herd of several hundred animals. So, for 352 thousand crowns, we provided milk for all baby elephants in rescue stations for 1 month. They need approximately 4.5 million crowns annually. It is now up to us to increase the financial support.
And your other projects?
The second important project concerns the African vultures that we have in the Gora Ark exhibit. This is support for the Vulpro organization, which monitors the occurrence of critically endangered African vultures in Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa and other countries in southern Africa.
Vultures are our iconic genus, we started by reintroducing vultures to the Balkans, where pastoralism was abandoned and their natural habitat and food was disappearing. Vultures were also poisoned there. Now pastoralism is supported, there is education about the contribution of vultures to the landscape, and now even our released vultures have young there.
In Africa, the problem is a little different, where vultures are threatened by the use of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug in farm animals. However, it is poisonous to vultures. It is no longer used by farmers in India. We Europeans use it ourselves, although we force others to abandon this medicinal substance. In Africa, vultures are also threatened by poisoned baits for lions and other beasts, the use of parts of their bodies for shamanic rituals, vultures are poisoned with tobacco, killed and cut up.
Another African project is the protection of rhinos in the Hluhluwe-uMfolozi National Park, where we sent a million crowns for their protection. To give you an idea, in previous years, an average of two rhinos and even twenty elephants were poached a day in Africa.
For us, the most important thing is the involvement of local communities to directly participate in nature conservation.
We also have the Czech project Kukang for the protection of slow loris and other animals, in the Saola project we monitor animals in Vietnam, where there are many species that were considered extinct.
In the Czech Republic, we have been releasing little owls for a long time in the vicinity of Napajedla, where, recently, they canceled pastures for horses, so little owls have lost their habitat and have to move. It's a shame that the grazing of the horses went down, because that population was already starting to work and this could be a blow for them. We will see how the population reacts, we will continue to release the baby birds.
What about Australian animals, are you up to some new stunning species? What about breeding koalas, for example, they are more demanding financially than to just keep them...
We are a garden that has the smallest number of animals in the Czech Republic, possibly even by species. We keep 1,200 animals, other zoos have 5, 6, 7, 8 thousand animals. We've had it like this for 10-15 years, we don't intend to change it.
We no longer have the ambition to chase stunning species, rather we strive to improve the quality of our breeding and influence the populations of the species we breed in zoos globally.
Our breeders are extremely good compared to the rest of Europe and the world, so we can help with (breeding animals for) reintroduction, but they need places where they can return to.
In the past, we tried to get giant pandas, we had a lot of debates with Vienna about where they keep them. We had a designated place for growing bamboo and for a pavilion. Suddenly it all turned around and news came that a panda would be in our metropolitan zoo. We wouldn't be able to do without importing bamboo, but even that could be arranged. However, the coronavirus came along, which made air travel more expensive, so in the end, both for financial reasons and for the sustainability factor, I'm glad that we focused on other animal species instead (of getting giant pandas).
What about Stingray Cove, which is still a huge visitor hit today, what about their breeding?
We breed rays and send them to other zoos, recently to Leipzig.
Where did you come up with the idea of breeding stingrays and feeding them by visitors?
In the United States, where a director lured me to their exhibition. I said that I am not very interested in "petting" exposures. I imagined it a little differently, for example I don't go to exhibitions with dolphins and other contact exhibitions. But then I went back to the stingrays and put my hand in the pool with the shrimp and it was a huge experience. In addition, stingrays are social animals and come to people even on tropical islands.
When I arrived home, I gathered a team, they toured European exhibitions with stingrays and proposed our solution.
In America there was a circular pool where visitors could touch practically everywhere. We wanted the stingrays to have their own peace, where they can avoid being touched. So you can't get to the stingrays from one side and they can "rest" from the visitors.
Now we are negotiating about keeping of new species of animals that are rarely bred in Europe, some of which cannot be found in the Czech Republic at all. It will advance us as breeders, and visitors have something to look forward to.
The visionary project Karibuni will show elephants, lions, rhinoceroses and great apes on a large surface. At what stage is the construction of Karibuni? What conservation projects is the Zlín Zoo preparing? What makes cooperation with Asian zoos special? Zlín Zoo director Roman Horský responded.
Zlín Zoo has been the second most visited zoo in the Czech Republic since 2011. Last year, it was visited by over 770,000 visitors, which is the second best result in the history of the Zlín Zoo.
He is currently implementing the visionary project Karibuni, which will introduce African animals to visitors in a 21-hectare natural biopark. The construction of Karibuni is divided into stages due to the financial demands. As part of Karibuni, there is also the construction of campsites and safari tents with a capacity of over 200 people.
What breeding successes are opening the doors of the Zlín Zoo in Asia? What breeding successes has it already achieved and what challenges await the Zlín Zoo? What rescue projects does the zoo support? And how do zoo directors fall asleep with a 150 million loan? The director of the Zlín Zoo, Roman Horský, spoke about this.
At what stage is Karibuni completed?
In 2022, we completed the breeding facility for elephants, in 2024 we are planning a rescue center for lions. Within 5 years, we would like to complete the second stage of Karibuni, which includes generous enclosures for rhinos, hippos, giraffes and two camps.
Last year we completed project II. stages of Karibuni and subsequently it will depend on finances from the founder or from other sources. I can't say exactly if it will be in 3 or 5 years.
As soon as we complete the second stage, we will have income from accommodation and will be able to continue in III. the Karibuni stage, which also includes large primates - chimpanzees, gorillas. We would like a 1 hectare enclosure for the gorillas. The advantage of gorillas is that they are the easiest of the great apes to build. Chimpanzees are very intelligent, sophisticated, so the safety elements will make the construction more expensive and the enclosure must be thought through a lot. In addition, we would prefer an open, unroofed paddock. The late director of the Ostrava Zoo, Petr Čolas, who was one of the experts in chimpanzee breeding, tried to talk me out of an open enclosure for chimpanzees, but I probably wouldn't want anything other than an open enclosure. So we'll probably stick just with the gorillas… (smile).
Or both, that sounds good too.
Or both. (smile)
So the new lion rescue center is the next step in the construction of Karibuni, what lions will it be for?
For impounded lions. We will thereby help the government, which does not know exactly what to do with confiscated animals that are kept in inappropriate conditions by private "breeders". Lion cub is relatively commonly sold for around 10,000 czk, which is affordable for many people. Subsequently, they are raised in inappropriate conditions and in an inappropriate way, they often lack socialization from their mother and siblings. They only know the bottle, their master, at most other pets.
Confiscated lions will be individuals with an uncertain past, no pedigree, completely unsuitable animals for breeding. Moreover, their socialization will be very difficult. We will whip ourselves, we will be under the microscope of the state, our visitors and former owners of animals.
From my point of view, it would be ideal to have a male and female group that is also natural in nature. We want to avoid both chemical and physical castration, which is the very last resort. The sight of a neutered male lion is sad, he will lose his mane. In any case, it will be a big challenge for the keepers, but also for those animals it is important to bring them together, to work with them so that the lions live as naturally as possible.
The contribution of the founder (the city of Zlín) to the operation amounts to approximately 35 million crowns. What about investment subsidies for exhibitions? Does the lower permanent contribution to operations manifest itself in more significant support for investment actions?
Our philosophy is that we want to cover the operation cost from our own revenues.
And we want to use the founder's money for investments. We financed the latest exhibit for jaguar and elephant enclosures with a loan of 148 million crowns. Half of which is covered by us and half by the founder, the city of Zlín.
All other (municipal) zoos pay for investment actions through money from the founder.
We came to the city with the offer of a shared loan, because the city of Zlín really did not have such high funds for the construction of exhibitions. It is approximately 12 million crowns per year, we guarantee the loan and cover the interest.
How does the director of the zoo fall asleep with a 150 million loan and a pavilion under construction?
It's better now, but when I had to convince people that this was the right path for us, it was difficult. With such a high investment, anything can happen. The final decision was made soon after the coronavirus pandemic, which we survived mainly thanks to direct support from people, visitors. They sent us money to even cover the running of the garden. And it was this support that started us, when we realized that if we build an enclosure for jaguars, we will start the construction of Karibuni, so it will be special not only for the animals, but also for all our fans that we have here. If we didn't start the Karibuni, we would have to send the elephants away. I was already determined that they would go away, because it was not worth it for them to spend the rest of their lives here, without a male, without the possibility of having young and in a small enclosure.
Today they have one of the best facilities in the world, we have a baby, the first African elephant born in the Czech Republic. We have a bull. You can see that they are satisfied. All this would not be possible without the courage to take a loan.
Will you be bringing in more elephant cows?
No, no, we want to build a herd on the existing 3 females, a calf and a bull Jack.
Now we are waiting for one of the females to ovulate, so we will see how it develops.
It all cost us a tremendous amount of effort, and at Karibuni we are now reaping the benefits of 10 years of intensive work. The elephants were non-contact in the beginning. We had to start training through the barrier, training for insemination, it cost us millions of crowns, whether it was to improve the original pavilion, to research, to a number of teams that trained our breeders here, performed inseminations. In addition to financial resources, it cost a lot of breeding effort, some breeders left because they didn't accept the changes, they didn't believe in Karibuni, they didn't see a future in changing elephant breeding.
In the beginning, it was a coincidence when I met one of the biggest experts on elephants at an accreditation without knowing it. He convinced me to change the breeding strategy, he connected me with other teams that deal with elephant breeding and perform insemination.
How did the relations between your zoo and the Russian or Ukrainian colleagues change after the invasion of the Russian troops into Ukraine?
In the past, we cooperated with Ukrainian zoos. Russian zoos were interested in secretary birds, which we breed as one of the few in Europe, but in the end we did not agree to the move, either for breeding reasons, because they did not have good conditions for keeping these birds, or from the point of view of communication, which was not the best with them.
Whenever we send animals somewhere, we want to know a lot of details, which runs smoothly, for example, within SEAZA (South East Asian Zoos Association), which is the Southeast Asian Zoo Association.
But there are also qualitative differences within Southeast Asian zoos?
Sure, but a lot of their zoos are good. We cooperate a lot with zoos from India, but also with Malaysian zoos, now we are starting cooperation with Indonesian zoos. So we are still a little bit closer to the "sunrise".
And that's where hornbills and other species of hornbills open the door for you? With whose breeding you are very successful…
We have a lot of endangered bird species from Southeast Asia. These species are not that common here in Europe or across the Atlantic. But it is precisely in the zoos of Southeast Asia that they are bred. One such example is Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo, which actually breeds our two iconic species, the Indian great hornbill and the lesser adjutant. They are the only ones breeding them in Southeast Asia and we are the only ones currently breeding them in Europe.
That is why you recently had a Thai ambassador at the Zlín Zoo...
Yes, it is through it that we would like to establish deeper cooperation with other zoos within SEAZA, so that we can do some kind of joint breeding program with these species.
In addition, the exchange of know-how is also important. Or it is something else to breed Southeast Asian birds in the Czech Republic and in their homeland?
That comparison is important, even though we each work in a different environment. In Asia, of course, it affects the weather the most, where they have rainy and dry seasons. It is important to exchange information, when individual birds nest with them, when with us, in what conditions we breed, in what they.
We sometimes have to take the eggs to the incubator, feeding at the beginning after hatching is different, another after a month of life, etc. Their conditions can show us how we can do it better, which is also true the other way around. So there's a lot of data and variables that we exchange that are aimed at breeding these endangered birds.
Do SEAZA zoos breed any species of hornbill that you would like to keep in your zoo?
I'm not talking about new species in this case. Rather, we want to expand the breeding groups we have here so that we have a good breeding base.
Hornbills are long-lived pair animals that nest specifically. The female "walls" herself with dung or mud in the cavity of the tree to sit on the eggs and partly to feed the young. The female leaves only a small opening through which her species brings food for her and their young. These are all reasons why breeding them is difficult…
Yes, as soon as one of the pair dies or they do not mate, the breeding of the given species can be over for many years. In addition, with these species, there is not much possibility to find them new partner somewhere else.
A female lesser marabou has just appeared in the possession of the Bronx Zoo in the United States of America. We are now in the process of moving her to us, so it is important to know about animals kept around the world.
And then there's the legislative machinery for processing the transfer to us, which takes about a year, in India about two to two and a half years, to process the transfer of the animal. We now have a bred baby Indian hornbill that should leave its parents and find a mate. We are so open to sending him to Thailand for example where they have a young male to socialize.
What about other gardens in South Asia, do you have long-term cooperation with zoos from India?
Yes, we have been cooperating with several gardens from India for over 12 years and the number of cooperating gardens from this region is constantly increasing. However, in India it is more complicated, because there it works in such a way that the mandate of the director of the zoo is for 3 years and then he is sent to another place within the nature protection department, so before he has time to get his bearings and start some projects, he leaves. It is because of combatting corruption. It has already happened to me that I started a project with one director, developed it with another and finished it with a third director.
We already have personal ties there, Indians are very educated and much more ethical in relation to animals than we are in Europe. I always look forward to working with Indians. Everything takes them a long time, but I'm looking forward to it.
We also brought a lot of ethnographic things from India. Doors, statues, architecture, but also stones from India can be found in the new Kerala exhibition. We wanted to achieve the combination of culture and animals that is typical of the Indian subcontinent.
And will you also bring Indian rhinos?
No, we can make do with the southern white rhinos, which are in the original part of the zoo, where we keep one male and two females.
How are the southern white rhinos breeding?
Now we are waiting for the results. We recorded a mating with one female, although it was not the first mating, but it was more intense than ever. Our male does not mate with the second female, and she also has findings on the reproductive system.
We cannot keep more rhinos in this enclosure, in the next stage of Karibuni we will have an enclosure for 10 rhinos. Although they are the most common species (southern subspecies) of rhinoceros in the world, white rhinos do not breed very well in human care. It is the opposite for black rhinoceroses, they breed better in human care, but there are few of them in the wild.
In terms of conservation projects, what are you working on the most now?
We have combined conservation projects with current new exhibits, so we are trying to support elephant conservation. Specifically, this is the Retiti project in Kenya, where they have over 40 baby elephants to feed, which is a huge amount of goat's milk. They have a goat herd of several hundred animals. So, for 352 thousand crowns, we provided milk for all baby elephants in rescue stations for 1 month. They need approximately 4.5 million crowns annually. It is now up to us to increase the financial support.
And your other projects?
The second important project concerns the African vultures that we have in the Gora Ark exhibit. This is support for the Vulpro organization, which monitors the occurrence of critically endangered African vultures in Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa and other countries in southern Africa.
Vultures are our iconic genus, we started by reintroducing vultures to the Balkans, where pastoralism was abandoned and their natural habitat and food was disappearing. Vultures were also poisoned there. Now pastoralism is supported, there is education about the contribution of vultures to the landscape, and now even our released vultures have young there.
In Africa, the problem is a little different, where vultures are threatened by the use of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug in farm animals. However, it is poisonous to vultures. It is no longer used by farmers in India. We Europeans use it ourselves, although we force others to abandon this medicinal substance. In Africa, vultures are also threatened by poisoned baits for lions and other beasts, the use of parts of their bodies for shamanic rituals, vultures are poisoned with tobacco, killed and cut up.
Another African project is the protection of rhinos in the Hluhluwe-uMfolozi National Park, where we sent a million crowns for their protection. To give you an idea, in previous years, an average of two rhinos and even twenty elephants were poached a day in Africa.
For us, the most important thing is the involvement of local communities to directly participate in nature conservation.
We also have the Czech project Kukang for the protection of slow loris and other animals, in the Saola project we monitor animals in Vietnam, where there are many species that were considered extinct.
In the Czech Republic, we have been releasing little owls for a long time in the vicinity of Napajedla, where, recently, they canceled pastures for horses, so little owls have lost their habitat and have to move. It's a shame that the grazing of the horses went down, because that population was already starting to work and this could be a blow for them. We will see how the population reacts, we will continue to release the baby birds.
What about Australian animals, are you up to some new stunning species? What about breeding koalas, for example, they are more demanding financially than to just keep them...
We are a garden that has the smallest number of animals in the Czech Republic, possibly even by species. We keep 1,200 animals, other zoos have 5, 6, 7, 8 thousand animals. We've had it like this for 10-15 years, we don't intend to change it.
We no longer have the ambition to chase stunning species, rather we strive to improve the quality of our breeding and influence the populations of the species we breed in zoos globally.
Our breeders are extremely good compared to the rest of Europe and the world, so we can help with (breeding animals for) reintroduction, but they need places where they can return to.
In the past, we tried to get giant pandas, we had a lot of debates with Vienna about where they keep them. We had a designated place for growing bamboo and for a pavilion. Suddenly it all turned around and news came that a panda would be in our metropolitan zoo. We wouldn't be able to do without importing bamboo, but even that could be arranged. However, the coronavirus came along, which made air travel more expensive, so in the end, both for financial reasons and for the sustainability factor, I'm glad that we focused on other animal species instead (of getting giant pandas).
What about Stingray Cove, which is still a huge visitor hit today, what about their breeding?
We breed rays and send them to other zoos, recently to Leipzig.
Where did you come up with the idea of breeding stingrays and feeding them by visitors?
In the United States, where a director lured me to their exhibition. I said that I am not very interested in "petting" exposures. I imagined it a little differently, for example I don't go to exhibitions with dolphins and other contact exhibitions. But then I went back to the stingrays and put my hand in the pool with the shrimp and it was a huge experience. In addition, stingrays are social animals and come to people even on tropical islands.
When I arrived home, I gathered a team, they toured European exhibitions with stingrays and proposed our solution.
In America there was a circular pool where visitors could touch practically everywhere. We wanted the stingrays to have their own peace, where they can avoid being touched. So you can't get to the stingrays from one side and they can "rest" from the visitors.
Now we are negotiating about keeping of new species of animals that are rarely bred in Europe, some of which cannot be found in the Czech Republic at all. It will advance us as breeders, and visitors have something to look forward to.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
The zoo´s added a few small reptile tanks into existing pavilions. Rather underwhelming in terms of design and species. But reptile collection has never been strenght of Zlin so we should be thankful for any little improvement.
Giraffe house:
- Sudan plated lizard
- panther tortoise (juveniles)
- ball python
- African bullfrog
Additional tanks should open in late summer (replacement of old empty bird cages there).
Ray house:
- green tree python
- rough-scaled python
Construction of new lion enclosure has started 2 weeks ago.
The zoo will soon build additional parking lots for 190 cars and 18 caravan trucks. (They aim to break 1mio attendance mark in few years thus they target investment into guest infrastructure.)
Source
Giraffe house:
- Sudan plated lizard
- panther tortoise (juveniles)
- ball python
- African bullfrog
Additional tanks should open in late summer (replacement of old empty bird cages there).
Ray house:
- green tree python
- rough-scaled python
Construction of new lion enclosure has started 2 weeks ago.
The zoo will soon build additional parking lots for 190 cars and 18 caravan trucks. (They aim to break 1mio attendance mark in few years thus they target investment into guest infrastructure.)
Source
JurassicMax
Well-Known Member
In June 5 Cape hyraxes (Procavia capensis capensis) were born.
Source:
Instagram of Zoo Zlin (27/06/2024)
Source:
Instagram of Zoo Zlin (27/06/2024)
A regular visitor photographed a wattled crane chick - growing under its surrogate parents (red-crowned cranes).
Old news, already discussed on Zoochat few weeks ago, but I write it in this thread for reference too. The zoo has imported a group of black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor) and it´s on show in the aviary close to zámek (palace).
Old news, already discussed on Zoochat few weeks ago, but I write it in this thread for reference too. The zoo has imported a group of black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor) and it´s on show in the aviary close to zámek (palace).
The silvery gibbon house will open in October. With area of 120 m2 and 4 m usable height for the gibbons. Visitors will have an oportunity to see the animals though large glass panels from outside the building.
Source with few pics
The text also mentions the zoo will build a new exhibit for malayan tapirs (they live now in old elephant house) somewhere close to the Japanese ornamental garden. Could they use land of former vulture aviary for it? Does anybody know?
What will be the future purpose of the old elephant house? In my memory it was pretty ok for 3 elephant cows so that's a lot of potential for other animals or maybe male elephant?
The latest version of plans I ´ve seen comunicated with public - it will be repurposed for okapis.