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Rare Owls at the Zoo

Visitors to Prague Zoo have a rare opportunity to see a Philippine Scops Owl. Prague Zoo is the only zoo in Europe where this owl can be seen.

Rare Owls. Foto: Tomáš Adamec, Zoo Praha

In the future the zoo is prepared to rear more endangered Philippine owls from a rescue programme which it has supported for a long time. A pair of young Philippine Scops Owls can now be seen on display near the large aviary in the lower part of the zoo grounds. The birds are of an endemic species which exists in the wild only in the northern part of the Philippine archipelago.

On display only in Prague

“Two owls came to us from the zoo in Luzon in the Philippines in order to introduce this rare breed of owl which our zoo has helped to protect. Apart from Prague Zoo, the Philippine Scops Owl is kept in only two European zoos – in Pilsen and Wroc³aw, but in these zoos they are not on public display,” explained Miroslav Bobek, Director of Prague Zoo.

Prague helps the Philippines

In the Philippines the owls are mainly endangered by deforestation of tropical forest. Since 2009 Prague Zoo has been cooperating with a rescue centre for owls on the Philippine island of Negros. Every year Prague Zoo assists in the centre’s operation and development via the “Help them survive” account and the “1 CZK from admission” programme, in which 1 CZK from each ticket sold is donated to rescue projects in various countries of the world.

Help the owls

The aim of Prague Zoo is to establish a reserve population of Phillipine Scops Owls in human care. The zoo could then go on rear the biggest of the Philippine owls – the Philippine Eagle Owl, which is threatened with extinction in the near future.

You can support the rescue centre on Negros island with an SMS donation in the form DMS VYRFILIPINY sent to the number 87 777. This SMS donation costs 30 CZK, of which the project receives 27 CZK.

9. May 2012



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