History
In 1881, on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Stephanie of Belgium, Count Sweerts-Sporck published an open letter in the newspapers calling for the establishment of a zoological garden in Prague.
Probably as a result, two rather ambitious projects emerged in the next two decades. In 1891 the Committee for the Establishment of a Zoological Garden in the Royal Game Preserve (one of Prague's parks, known in Czech as Královská obora) was constituted, but failed to materialise. Eight years later the new Association for the Establishment of a Zoological and Acclimatization Garden published a memorandum in which ten locations were proposed for developing the zoological garden. The Kinsky Garden in the borough of Smíchov was chosen, but again no Zoo came into existence. It took another twenty years before things became serious, when the Advisory Council for Mathematics and the Natural Sciences at the Ministry of Education and National Edification met and appointed a committee to take charge and prepare the foundation of Prague's zoological garden.
Then, in 1922, land along the bank of the river Vitava in the borough of Troja was donated by farming tycoon Alois Svoboda on the condition that, amongst others, a zoological garden should be developed there. Jiří Janda, a high-school professor who - in 1904 - had ideas for developing a zoo on the river island of Štvanice, was appointed to lead the preparatory work for the establishment of the Zoo on Svoboda's land. It took another four years for the project to materialise, but 8 hectares were fenced off by the end of 1927. In 1930 the first animals were donated, such as the lioness Šárka by the owner of Circus Rebernigg, but these had to be housed at Professor Janda's villa in Troja because no suitable accommodations were available still at the Zoo's construction site.
Finally, on September 28 in 1931 the zoological garden, albeit still under construction, opened to the public. Besides the arrival that year of the female wolf Lotta, the first animal to live on the newly established Zoo grounds, and the erection of Janda's Raptor Aviary, Prague Zoo's first Przewalski's horses (named Minka and Ali) arrived. From then on the Zoo animal collection grew steadily with tigers, elephants, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, lions and two sea lions for instance. The latter donated by the famous Czech comedic actor Vlasta Burian. Already in 1933 the first captive breeding success was achieved with a litter of tiger cubs. While building and improvement of enclosures continued, one of the highlights in those early years was the breeding of the first captive-born Andean Condor in the world.
In 1950 Prague Zoo became a governmental organisation under the jurisdiction of the Central National Committee of the Capital City of Prague and under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Edification. After Dr. Zdeněk Veselovský became director in 1959, leading many breeding and scientific achievements, Prague Zoo is charged in 1960 with keeping the international studbook for the Przewalski's horse, which ranked the Zoo among the world's leading zoological gardens.
Przewalski horse breeding
Prague zoo can be proud of its long unbroken tradition of breeding Przewalski horses, which is not equaled by any other zoo in the world. The first Przewalski horses were brought to Czechoslovakia from Halle by professor František Bílek in 1923. These first three horses were housed in the educational farm of the Department of reproduction biology of the Czech technical institute (the institute of agriculture did not exist at that time) in Netluky, nowadays part of Uhříněves, near Prague. One mare died soon, which left the stallion Ali and the mare Minka. Between 1928-1931 they had 4 foals. Professor Bílek exchanged three foals with zoos abroad for other animals, which were destined for the zoo in Troja that was being constructed at that time. Ali and Minka were moved to the Prague zoo from Netluky on 1 August 1932. The first foal in the zoo was the filly Heluš that was born on 21 March 1933. The bodies of Ali and Minka were preserved after their death and they can be seen in the museum of hippology in the castle of Slatiňany.
Prague gradually became one of the world's biggest breeders of wild horses and after WWII it was one of the last two zoos which had a breeding herd. In 1959 the Prague zoo organised the 1st international symposium on saving the Przewalski horse and was appointed to keep the international studbook. It has become an extensive studbook as it contains the data on 4650 individual animals bred and born since 1899. It was the first international studbook in the world with an online version. At the end of 2005 there were 1860 Przewalski horses living all over the world. Of these not even 300 were living in the wild in Mongolian and Chinese nature reserves. Prague zoo has contributed to the reintroduction of Przewalski horses into nature reserves of altogether 15 horses. Mongolia received 8 horses, and the other 7 were sent to Ukraine and Hungary. Almost 70 % of the horses destined for reintroduction into the wild have got in their lineage an ancestor from the Prague breeding stock. From 1928 to 2005, 231 foals were born in the Prague zoo.
From the 1960s until the devastating flooding of 2002, many new species and specimens complemented the Zoo's animal collection and as a consequence many enclosures were built or refurbished. Such as the new Pavilion of Big Mammals (for elephants, hippopotami and rhinoceroses), the new Feline Pavilion, the renovation of the polar bear and American black bear exhibits, and the African House and the Pavilion of Gorillas. Two memorable highlights in those years were the birth in 1972 of the first litter of cheetah cubs (the second captive-breeding success in the world) and the first in the world hand-reared Przewalski's horse, 2011.
Then the Zoo experienced a severe setback with the 2002 flooding, affecting almost half of the Zoo's area.
The flood of 2002
On 14 August 2002 Prague was affected by a flood with a size and destructive capacity that had never been witnessed before. As the Prague zoo is situated right on the banks of the Vltava River, almost half of its area was flooded. On this unfortunate Wednesday the water level reached depths up to 10 metres and more, a zoo apocalypse. More than 1,000 animals had to be rescued and were transported via the water - among them there were hundreds of animal species, from birds, big cats and monkeys to rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses and elephants. Although 1,029 animals were successfully evacuated, 134 did not survive the flood. Animals were temporarily moved to other zoos or sometimes housed at private breeders. Four sea-lions escaped, of which one, Gaston, died in Germany after a 300-kilometers long journey in the flooding river. Other animals that didn't survive the flood were: 1 gorilla, 1 elephant, 2 hippopotamuses and 2 pigmy hippopotamuses. In fact, it is almost unbelievable that so many animals did survive. All of this, thanks to the dedicated and extraordinary effort of those people involved in the rescue under difficult circumstances.
The flood left almost half of the area in absolute havoc. More than 20 buildings and expositions were demolished and some 13 were seriously damaged. The power distribution systems was out of order. Removing mud and debris took months. The operation of the zoo was totally paralysed for some time. The garden reopened on 7th September 2002. However, most of the affected parts were not accessible for the visitors till the end of the year. The damage was estimated at 232 million CZK (± 9 million Euro).
But this misfortune initiated and required new building activities that led to many new buildings and modernised exhibits, including an Education Centre, an open-top enclosure for orangutans and gibbons, and Monkey islands. In 2004 the first pair of Komodo dragons in the Czech Republic arrived at Prague Zoo, with a first hatching of eggs in 2007. Besides all the breeding successes, improvements and modernisations, the Zoo appreciated the past by the renovation and reopening in 2011 of the Gočár's Houses, two architecturally unique buildings from 1920s - one serves as a restaurant, the other as a gallery, educational facility and shop.
Unfortunately in June 2013, Prague Zoo had to face another devastating flood. But the 2002 experience led to better contingency plans, so they were well prepared and did manage to successfully save animals as well as property. This time the water did not reach the level of 2002 and the lower part of the Zoo was flooded for a shorter time. But most importantly, the water did not flow through the Zoo with such destructive force as it did eleven years ago. Nevertheless, the damage was big enough to reconsider the Zoo's lower part lay-out and constructions. Lessons had to be learnt, with the main conception: small light-weighed constructions, buildings, which can be flooded without being severely damaged, or buildings designed in such a way, that they will be protected against the water level in 2002.
(Source: website Prague zoo)
Visit(s)
15.03.2009
For some strange reason this is the first time I visit a zoo where dogs are allowed. The visitors use this opportunity enthusiastically. The same can be said of their dogs, who walk around on their leash cheerfully, enjoying all the wonderful smells. Altough I cannot think of a good reason not to allow dogs in a zoo, apart from the unlikely chance of disease introduction, I just don't think it is appropriate. It amplifies the feeling of paying a visit to a regular family entertainment facility. While I tend to look at a zoo as a species conservation facility.
Recently, so it seems, it was decided to make the zoo and its information more accessible to foreign visitors. The map and most of the signs to the enclosures are in the Czech language only. But sometimes the newest signs include also English and German names of the species at display. Fortunately, for those familiar to it, the Latin nomenclature is always added. There are many (too many?) species at display, more or less classified according continental distribution.
It is obvious that much money is invested in new constructions and modernisation of the zoo. The flood in 2002 and its destruction of enclosures made these refurbishments necessary, and they are ongoing still. The garden is built on a hillside, which creates a perfect natural environment for the enclosures of chamois, mountain goats and Barbary macaques. This hill can make it a real challenge to cover the distances you need to walk in the garden. To overcome part of the height an outdated chair lift is in use. The zoo is sheltered from the hill but surrounded by roads which give rise to a nasty noise produced by traffic, even on a Sunday. The lack of overgrowth and trees in the lower parts of the zoological garden is accentuated by sparsely available trees and bushes that present themselves in their bare winter condition during my visit. Therefore the intimacy which often is present in a zoo while walking along footpaths in a zoo, is lacking.
The ungulates all have considerable spacious enclosures. Actually, most animals have quite some space, except for the birds. The housing of birds is always a problem in my opinion. Because enabling the birds to fly requires very large aviaries, and therefore large surface areas, intelligent design and large amount of financial resources. Especially, the large birds of prey suffer from being caged. Part of their lack of space and exercise can be solved by daily air shows with the birds, which are scheduled in a lot of zoos nowadays.
I haven't seen any stereotype behaviour, or it must be the male of the jaquarundi, who was separated of his female partner since the birth of their cubs (on 04.01.2009). The zoo has more than 1 specimen of most species. Apparantly they try to breed with all animals. Unfortunately the herd animals do not have many group mates, taking into account they like to live in social groups. This seems to be in a reasonable balance within the wolvepack and the hyenas. Especially when new insights (L. David Mech, 1999) on wolves' social life, which is slowly regaining ground, is taken into consideration. In general, all animals are in exceptional good condition, not to say that they are fat. The cats, wolves and hyenas could do with less food and more exercise if you ask me.
The felines, and also the wolves, do not have adequate hiding places. On the other hand most cats have interconnected indoor and outdoor enclosures (which gives them the opportunity to choose the most comfortable environment) and high level observation posts. Both type feline enclosure (indoors and outdoors) provide good viewing possibilities for the visitor.The zoo's single cheetah has got a nice and large meadow at its disposal, which fulfills the animal's needs to wander and even run around. Above all, the meadow contains a hill. And when the animal is sitting on top it has a great view on its surroundings.
Already since 1970 Prague Zoo keeps clouded leopards, and they still have 2 specimen, a male and a female. Within the group of ocelots I spotted one animal that missed its left paw. Nevertheless it was as quick as the others. Personally, I think it is worthwhile that these kind of disabled animals are given the opportunity to show if they can handle the disability and can keep up with the others in the group. First of all, it is an artificial environment they are living in, so the rule of natural selection is aborted. Secondly they might stem from a good lineage, assuming it is not a hereditary problem, that has got genes useful for producing strong and healthy offspring. It is of no importance if this animal is less attractive to the public then.There is a breeding pair of lions in a beautiful old/fashioned lions pit, including an indoor cage.The number of tigers (9) is exceptional. Two Amur tigers (male and female) are kept in the old hillside enclosure which is bare and rocky. Of the five Indochinese tigers (3 males), two are kept in the indoor enclosure. The other three were outside, and one of them was in bad condition. He had difficulties walking and had poorly muscled hindquarters, and was therefore probably housed separately in a kind of large old-style tiger pit. Inside there is also one Sumatran tiger.
The Gorillas have an indoor and outdoor enclosure. Part of the outdoor space is bounded by a moat filled with water that would be easy business for a gorilla like Bokito (from Rotterdam Zoo) to cross and seek freedom, except for the electric wire perhaps. It was too cold (about 8 °C) for the animals to be outside, so it seemed. Inside, there was a group consisting of 1 male and 2 females, and 2 young, one born in 2007 and one in 2008. They had plenty of toys and even some intelligence games.
Across the road, accessible via a footbridge, two new interesting assets can be found. One of them is the giraffe enclosure. The zoo's herd of Rothschild's giraffes is huge, I counted at least 15 animals, including two foals. They were all inside during my visit. They are kept in a beautiful building where the visitor can view the animals from two different heights. Adjacent to this fairly new building is another asset, a kind of savannah area where the zebras and antelopes can freely roam. It looks a bit like the huge field for the zebras in Edinburgh Zoo.
The Zoo left me with some mixed feelings. In general the accommodation is adequate and built according a structured plan. But there are still a number of pitiful cases of housing, such as the two-fingered sloth that shares a small room with a teeming number of marmosets. The monkey islands are not extremely large, comparable with other zoos, and therefore not outstanding or exceptional. Overall I would say they keep too many species. The collection of species per continent is not yet finished, and deserves some attention because it is kind of chaotic right now and raises some confusion.
Gallery
Video
Bush dog pups born 30.08.2013 in Praque Zoo:
(Source: Prague Zoo website)
More info
Giant anteater breeding
Breeding of giant anteaters at Prague Zoo
Giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) arrived in Prague Zoo for the first time in the 1950s. Unfortunately, no breeding successes could be recorded in the first period the Zoo kept this bizarre mammal, until 2002. After a twelve-year break another breeding couple of giant anteaters became part of the Zoo's animal collection, in 2014. The female came from Warsaw Zoo and the male from Madrid Zoo. They both got used to their new environment rather quickly, but it took roughly three months for them to become fond of one another. A certain role in this may also have been played by the fact that, in nature, male anteaters are normally larger than females, but for the Prague pair it was the opposite case. The female, who is now three years old, was roughly one quarter larger than the male when she arrived, and weighed ten kilograms more, even though they are both the same age.
Newborn giant anteater
Nonetheless, on 20 January 2016 a giant anteater was born at Prague Zoo, a first ever in its breeding history. Such a newborn giant anteater is truly an exceptional sight. It looks like a miniature adult version, and spends the first few weeks on its mother's back.
Giant anteater with first ever born young at Prague Zoo.
Image credit: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo
Giant anteaters have a very peculiar appearance. Their tubular snout conceals a long, sticky tongue up to 60 centimetres long. They specialize in collecting social insects, especially termites and ants, of which they can consume up to 30 thousand a day (in the zoo they are fed a special mash). They rake apart hard termite mounds using their strong, long claws.
Conservation status
The giant anteater is classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. According to the IUCN: “Myrmecophaga tridactyla is at risk from habitat loss in parts of its range, and this is a significant threat to Central American populations in particular. Where this species inhabits grassland habitats it is particularly susceptible to fires. In Brazil, burning of sugar cane plantations prior to their harvest leads to the death of significant numbers of giant anteaters due to severe burn injuries (F. Miranda pers. comm. 2013). Animals are sometimes killed on roads or by dogs. Giant anteaters are hunted for food throughout their distribution, and are additionally hunted as a pest, for pets or for illegal trade in some parts of their range.”
“It has been recorded from many protected areas. It is listed on several national Red Data lists, and is protected as a national heritage species in some provinces in Argentina. There is a need to improve fire management practices, especially in sugar cane plantations and within the regions of grassland habitat occupied by this species. Population and genetic data, as well as habitat use information, are needed, especially for areas that are being subjected to land use change. A reintroduction program is being carried out in Corrientes province, Argentina.”
(Source: website Prague Zoo; IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™)
Zoo details
Some additional information, such as contact details and involvement in breeding programmes.
Location
Directions
Directions to Prague Zoo, Zoo Praha
Address:
U Trojského zámku 3-120
171 00
Praha 7
Czech Republic
public transport
by bus
No. 112 from Nádraží Holešovice metro station on line C
No. 236 from Podhoří station (by ferry)
by ferry
A passenger ferry (the Lysolaj ferry) sails the river daily between Podbaba and Podhoří. The latter is only a short walk from the zoo (approx. 1.5 km), but you can also take the No. 236 bus from here. Timetable here.
A public transport journey planner for all modes of transportation is available here.
by steamboat
From the end of March to October you can reach the zoo by steamboat via the Vltava river. For those of you who schedule the Zoo visit as part of your tourist itinerary. More information here.
by bicycle
About 120 kilometres of cycle paths zigzag through Prague, though the cycle infrastructure is not fully developed yet. A map where you can sort out the route you prefer is available here. Though car drivers not always respect cyclists like drivers do in cities in the Netherlands or Denmark for instance, there are numerous benefits to cycling in Prague, such as the beautiful scenery and unique architectural wonders you can marvel at from your bike.
There are bicycle parking lots (at no charge) you can use by the main entrance and by the southern entrance of the Zoo. You can borrow a bicycle lock free of charge at the Information Office by the main entrance. The bicycle parking lots are not guarded.
by car
Prague Zoo is located in the Praha Troja municipal district, which is on the northeastern bank of the Vltatva river, North to the city centre. Prague Zoo's parking lots can accommodate around 850 cars.
When using SatNav please set the following coordinates: 50°7'0.099"N, 14°24'39.676"E.
Zoo map
Download the zoo map here.
