Jiří Prskavec Jr. names Prague Zoo’s rescued bison calf
26. 07. 2025
On Saturday, 26 July, slalom canoeist and Olympic champion Jiří Prskavec Jr. symbolically ‘christened’ a young bison at Prague Zoo. The five-week-old female was named Prskavka (Sparkler), a name put forward by Bronislava Vališová from Prague in a competition on the iDNES.cz portal. In all there were 3,078 suggestions, most of which complied with an important rule of the International Stud Book. This states that the names of all bison born in Prague must begin with the letters Pr. Prskavka achieved social media fame after her dramatic arrival into the world—a video of her being rescued after sinking into mud was viewed by over two million people. She is now doing well and can be seen in the Plains area in the zoo’s upper grounds.
The name of the latest addition to Prague Zoo’s bison herd was jointly revealed by the zoo’s director, Miroslav Bobek, and slalom canoeist Jiří Prskavec Jr. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo’s director, said, “Just after her birth, Prskavka found herself in great peril, however, thanks to the efforts of our keepers and veterinarians, she was saved. I hope that the rest of her life will be less dramatic. Regardless of whether she eventually goes to another zoo or joins one of the wild bison populations, for example in the Caucasus, the Pr at the start of her name will always remind us of her origins”.
Prskavka was born on 19 June. Božena, an experienced mother, gave birth without incident, however, shortly afterwards the baby foundered in the mud at the bottom of the enclosure. The quick-thinking vets and keepers used planks and ropes to get the calf back onto solid ground:
The calf’s godfather, Jiří Prskavec Jr., a slalom canoeist with an Olympic gold, said, “I can think of lots of names starting with Pr. When I first saw her, Prdelka (little bum) immediately came to mind, but in the end, considering my surname, I was pleasantly surprised that I could name her Prskavka”.
Jiří Prskavec Jr., seen here with his family, named the bison calf Prskavka.
Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Prskavka is the 103rd of this ungulate species to be born here since 1948 when Prague Zoo first began breeding bison. She is 15-year-old Božena’s sixth calf, who herself hails from Bratislava, while the father is 13-year-old Tipito, from Tierpark Berlin.
Prskavka initially seemed to be a very calm calf that did not stray far from her mother Božena. After five weeks, she is now exploring the enclosure on her own. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
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