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) is constituted. This project, however, does not materialise.

1899

• The Association for the Establishment of a Zoological and Acclimatisation Garden publishes its memorandum. Out of ten proposed places for the garden, the choice falls on the Kinsky Garden in the borough of Smíchov—but that’s the beginning as well as the end of the matter.

1904

• Secondary-school professor Jiří Janda begins preparations to establish a zoo on the river island of Štvanice.

1919

• The Advisory Council for Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the Ministry of School and National Education meets and appoints a committee to take charge of the preparatory work for the foundation of Prague’s zoological garden.

1922

• Farming magnate Alois Svoboda donates land in the Prague borough of Troja on the condition that a zoological garden will be among the things to be built on it.

1923

• Professor Jiří Janda is charged by the aforementioned ministry with starting the preparatory work for the establishment of the zoological garden on the Svoboda’s land in Troja.

1926

• This year sees the formation of the Zoological Garden Management, Purchasing and Building Cooperative.

1927

• By the end of the year, 8 hectares of the future zoological garden have been fenced off.

1930

• The owner of Circus Rebernigg donates a lioness named Šárka to the zoological garden. Since the nascent zoo lacks suitable accommodation for the feline, she lives, like some of the other zoo denizens, in Professor Janda’s villa in Troja.

1931

• On 28 September, the zoological garden, albeit still under construction, opens to the public, and, with the sun out and shining bright, the first visitors walk through the gates of Prague Zoo.
• An administration building is erected by the main entrance.
• Janda’s Raptor Aviary is built.
• Lotta the she-wolf arrives, the first animal to live on Prague Zoo premises.
• The first Przewalski's horses (named Minka and Ali) arrive.

1932

• The first tigers (named Mitau and Bengali) arrive.

1933

• An elephant (Baby), a hippopotamus (Petr) and a rhinoceros (Max) arrive.
• The first tiger cubs are born.

1934

• The first lions on Prague Zoo premises (Šárka and Ctirad, named after characters from Czech mythology) settle in.
• Famous Czech comedic actor Vlasta Burian donates the zoo two sea lions, named Hýta and Batul.

1935

• The Feline House is built at the foot of a rock face in the lower zoo.

1937

• An Andean condor chick is successfully reared at Prague Zoo—the first ever in captivity.

1938

• Zoo employees start staging circus performances.

1940

• A farm complex of agricultural buildings is constructed in the zoo.
• March flooding reaches the Feline House.

1942

• Prague Zoo becomes the first to hand-rear a polar bear cub (a female named Ilun, a.k.a. Snow White).

1944

• Hippopotamus Zuzana arrives from bomb-ravaged Berlin.

1950

• The Monkey House is completed.
• The first chimpanzee (a female named Moke) arrives.
• Prague Zoo becomes a governmental organisation under the jurisdiction of the Central National Committee of Prague and under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Education.

1954

• The first giraffe (a female named Lenka) arrives.

1956

• The Small Animal House is built.

1959

• Dr Zdeněk Veselovský becomes Director of Prague Zoo. Under his leadership, the zoo wins a place among the world’s leading zoological gardens, garnering many breeding and scientific achievements.

1960

• Prague Zoo is charged with keeping the international studbook for the Przewalski’s horse.

1961

• The first orang-utan (a female named Soňa) arrives.

1963

• The first gorilla (a male named Titan) arrives.

1969

• Janda’s Raptor Aviary collapses under the weight of snow.

1971

• Prague hosts a conference of the IUDZG (International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens, now known as the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, WAZA), attended by Professor Bernhard Grzimek.
• A new Pavilion of Big Mammals (for elephants, hippopotami and rhinoceroses) is inaugurated.
• Káma, the first orangutan to be reared at Prague Zoo—and at any zoo in the then Czechoslovakia—is born.

1972

• The first cheetah cubs are born (second successful breeding in the world).

1975

• The zoo welcomes its 25 millionth visitor.

1979

• The first aardvarks arrive.

1991

• The Pavilion of Big Cats (today’s Feline and Reptile House) is inaugurated.

1995

• Prague Zoo hosts a European Zoo Educators (EZE) Conference.

1998

• The Giant Tortoise House is inaugurated.

1999

• The old Monkey House is demolished.

2001

• Prague Zoo becomes the first in the world to hand-rear a Przewalski’s horse.
• Two new pavilions are inaugurated: the African House and the Pavilion of Gorillas (today’s Mefou Centre).
• Prague Zoo hosts a meeting of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

2002

• August flooding affects almost half of the zoo’s area.

2003

• The Giant Tortoise House and the Pavilion of Gorillas reopen after the flood.

2004

• The Pavilion of Big Cats reopens after the flood.
• Several new pavilions, exhibits and other facilities are inaugurated: the Africa Up Close; Sichuan; Indonesian Jungle; Penguin House; flamingo exhibit; cheetah exhibit; and the Education Centre.
• The first pair of Komodo dragons in the Czech Republic arrive.
• Moja [Moya], the first western lowland gorilla born in the Czech Republic, is born.

2005

• Several new exhibits are open: the Children’s Zoo; Nature Around Us; an open-air aviary-like enclosure for orangutans and gibbons; tiger and leopard exhibits; porcupine exhibit; lemur exhibit; the squirrel monkey island; Water World and Monkey Islands.
• The outdoor penguin exhibit reopens after renovation.
• Asian small-clawed otters and honey badgers are born.

2006

• Professor Zdeněk Veselovský, former director of Prague Zoo, passes away.

2007

• Komodo dragons hatch for the first time in the Czech Republic.

2008

• The first Northern Luzon giant cloud rat in successfully reared in the Czech Republic.
• Gharials arrive—the first in Europe; their pavilion, named Chambal, is inaugurated.

2009

• Director Petr Fejk steps down after 12 years.
• The Parrot Trail opens.
• The Černohouska Pizzeria opens after a complete reconstruction of the old 17^th century building.
• The Obora Observation Tower is erected.
• A new exhibit for Cape fur seals opens.
• A buffy fish owl chick hatches for the first time in Prague Zoo—the only successful breeder of these owls in Europe.
• Prague Zoo successfully rears seven Komodo dragons.

2010

• Miroslav Bobek becomes Director of Prague Zoo.
• Bird Wetlands are inaugurated—a large exhibit compound for wetland birds, including shoebills and cranes.
• Prague Zoo successfully rears 20 Komodo dragons and becomes the first in Europe to successfully breed the Texas tortoise, the slender mongoose and the spotted imperial pigeon.

2011

• Prague Zoo organises the first all-Czech Przewalski’s horse transport, with four horses reintroduced into the wild in Mongolia.
• The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (WAZA) 66^th annual conference is hosted by Prague Zoo.
• The Gočár’s Houses, two architecturally unique buildings from 1920s, reopen after renovation—one serves as a restaurant, the other as a gallery, educational facility and shop.

2012

• A new logo and visual identity are introduced.
• Prague Zoo acquires several new elephants, including two precious females from Sri Lanka.
• Important births include: the world’s first successful rearing of the crowned river turtle and the rufous-cheeked laughingthrush and Prague Zoo’s first successful rearing of the red panda.
• Komodo dragons breed again; offspring are exchanged with zoos in the United States.
• An exotic bird enthusiast, Stanislav Rákos, donates funds to the zoo to build an exotic bird exhibit and bequeaths a large amount of real estate to it.
• The Pavilion of Big Cats reopens after renovation under a new name, the Feline and Reptile House.
• The second Return of the Wild Horses takes place (four Przewalski’s horses are reintroduced into the wild in Mongolia).

2013

• The Wandering Bus conservation project is launched by Prague Zoo in Cameroon.
• The Zakázanka path reopens after many decades of closure.
• Sita, the first elephant to be reared at Prague Zoo, is born.
• Prague Zoo opens several new compounds: the Elephant Valley, the Hippo House and the Africa exhibits.
• Flooding affects the lower zoo.
• The third Return of the Wild Horses takes place.

2014

• The Giant Salamander House and Bororo Reserve rest and play area open.
• The fourth Return of the Wild Horses takes place.
• Prague Zoo’s Director Miroslav Bobek becomes President of the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens.

2015

• Prague Zoo ranks 4^th most popular zoo in the world according to TripAdvisor.
• The fifth Return of the Wild Horses takes place.
• Bororo Reserve wins the Wooden Building of the Year 2015 competition in the category of wooden playgrounds and receives the prestigious “Winner of Winners” title.

2016

• The Elephant Paper Workshop opens, where visitors can create their own handmade paper from elephant dung.
• The first two elephant calves to be not only born but also conceived in Prague Zoo are born.
• A Malayan tapir is successfully reared for the first time in Prague Zoo.
• The sixth Return of the Wild Horses takes place, for the first time also involving an internal Mongolian transport.
• Prague Zoo, in cooperation with the Faculty of Science of Charles University, hosts the legendary primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall.

2017

• Prague Zoo achieves the first parental rearing of a palm cockatoo within the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens.
• Two Malayan tiger cubs are born.
• Seven smooth-coated otter pups are born—the first breeding of this species in Prague Zoo’s history.
• The seventh Return of the Wild Horses takes place.
• The zoo is closed for two days due to Storm Herwart.
• The 60 millionth visitor in Prague Zoo’s history is welcomed..

2018

• The eighth transport of Przewalski’s horses to western Mongolia takes place.
• The Bornean earless monitor, an exceptionally challenging and enigmatic species, reproduces for the first time at Prague Zoo and as the third zoo in Europe.
• The first annual Family Eco Club summer programme is held under the auspices of WAZA.

2019

• The Rákos’ House of Rare Parrots is officially opened.
• The ninth transport of Przewalski’s horses to Mongolia takes place as part of the Return of the Wild Horses project.
• Four Tasmanian devils arrive directly from Tasmania.
• With the arrival of Pel’s fishing owls, Prague Zoo becomes the only zoo in the world keeping this species.

2020

• The zoo closes due to COVID-19 pandemic from 13 March to 27 April, 9 October to 2 December, and 15 to 31 December (114 days in total).
• Two female Asian elephant calves are born.
• The Zoo Shorts YouTube channel (videos from behind the scenes) and virtual guided tours of the zoo are launched.
• Darwin Crater is officially opened—an exhibit compound for Tasmanian devils and other Tasmanian and Australian fauna.
• Significant first rearings include the kea, the burrowing parakeet, the hooded vulture, the Harlequin duck (the first rearing in the Czech Republic), and the Pesquet’s parrot (the first rearing in continental Europe).
• Prague Zoo organises a fundraising campaign to help Australian wildlife affected by extensive bushfires; by the end of the year, it raises an extraordinary CZK 23 million (over €920,000).

2021

• The zoo remains closed from the beginning of the year until 15 April due to COVID-19 pandemic (104 days in total).
• A large Przewalski’s horse enclosure is built at Dívčí hrady, a scenic plateau in Prague.
• The common wombat Cooper arrives—the first wombat in the Czech Republic.
• Significant births include the hyacinth macaw, white-nosed coati, silvery gibbon, Hartlaub’s duck (the first successful breeding in Czech zoos), and golden-shouldered parrot (the first successful breeding in a zoo on the European continent).
• Night guided tours using thermal imaging cameras are introduced.

2022

• The Dja Reserve opens—a generously designed pavilion for gorillas and other animals from the rainforests of Central Africa.
• A record 40 reptile species are bred in a single year.
• Notable rearings include maned wolf triplets, Chinese goral, long-nosed potoroo (the first rearing at Prague Zoo), Cabot’s tragopan, Salvadori’s fig-parrot (the first rearing in a European zoo), and princely spiny-tailed lizard (a very rarely kept and extremely challenging species).
• Prague Zoo leaves the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens.

2023

• Prague Zoo is the first in Europe to successfully rear a Chinese pangolin pup, a critically endangered species.
• Delicate impressed tortoises, until recently considered impossible to be kept (let alone bred), reproduce for the first time in Prague Zoo—and in any zoo on the European continent.
• Red-billed curassow chicks are reared at Prague Zoo (the first such achievement among Czech zoos).
• Prague Zoo becomes the first zoological institution outside South America and only the second in the world to keep the world’s rarest duck species, the critically endangered Brazilian merganser.
• The green roof of the Dja Reserve pavilion wins first place in the Green Roof of the Year competition.
• The largest structure financed by Prague Zoo abroad to date is built: a breeding centre for critically endangered wild camels in Great Gobi A in Mongolia.

2024

• Two female western lowland gorillas are born at the Prague’s Dja Reserve.
• The Gobi exhibit is ceremonially opened, presenting Przewalski’s horses and other animals of the Central Asian deserts and semi-deserts.
• The first wombat in the Czech Republic emerges from the pouch.
• Pel’s fishing owls breed for the first time in any zoo in the world.
• The first international transport of Przewalski’s horses to Kazakhstan takes place, returning the species to the Golden Steppe after some 200 years.
• The world-famous primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall visits Prague Zoo again. Click here to learn more about her visit or watch a recording of her lecture.

2025

• Prague Zoo achieves successful breeding of the world’s rarest duck species, the Brazilian merganser—the first zoo outside the species’ South American range to do so.
• The Ball’s Pyramid exhibit opens, housing critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insects, the world’s largest flightless insects.
• The foundation stone of the Arctic exhibit is laid.
• A large enclosure for European bison is built in the Prague district of Dolní Počernice as part of the Bison in Prague project.
• The second Return of the Wild Horses to Kazakhstan takes place.
• Director Miroslav Bobek leaves his position after 15 years.

2026

• Lenka Poliaková becomes Director of Prague Zoo.
• The third Return of the Wild Horses to Kazakhstan takes place, with a record eight Przewalski’s horses transported.
• Prague Zoo rejoins the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens.
• Significant births include Cape fur seal, bat-eared foxes, caracals, cheetahs, Lord Howe Island stick insects (the first breeding at Prague Zoo), and bearded vulture.