Prague Zoo Celebrated its 94th Birthday

Opening ceremony of the 94th annual Prague Zoo celebration. From right: Deputy Mayor of Prague for the Environment Jana Komrsková, Mayor of Prague Bohuslav Svoboda, Director of Prague Zoo Miroslav Bobek and moderator Jan Kovařík. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo’s director, said, “The zoo is a huge and highly complex institution that never sleeps, one that needs a wide range of professions and talents to operate. The zoo’s current form is a debt to both the generations of our predecessors and our current employees. Today, it is good to remember this and thank them.” He went on to add that he considers the first breeding of critically endangered Brazilian mergansers outside their homeland to be this year’s greatest success. “However, I cannot omit to mention the gorilla babies in the Dja Reserve. They are now the zoo’s greatest attraction.”

The Barrandien: Testimony of a Prehistoric Sea exhibition also opened. It will be on display on weekends between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Gočár’s Houses Gallery in the zoo’s upper ground. Visitors will be able to view the fossil collection for free until the end of June. Pictured is Director of Prague Zoo Miroslav Bobek. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

The main season at Prague Zoo, which officially ends today, has been one of the most successful ever. From 1 January to today, the zoo has welcomed just under 1,220,000 visitors.

The Mayor of Prague, Bohuslav Svoboda, said, “Prague Zoo is one of the city’s showcases, and I mean that most sincerely. It’s regularly ranked among the best zoos, has achieved significant breeding successes and likewise attracts huge numbers of visitors. The most fantastic thing, however, is its conservation of endangered species and the fact that it manages to return them to their natural habitat.”

The sheet with the new Prague Zoo’s Stars stamps is available at Czech Post offices from this week. There is huge interest in the portraits of “Prague’s” famous gorillas. Already over half of the original print run of 37,000 has been sold. Source: Czech Post

Whilst Mayor Svoboda’s speech focused mainly on Prague Zoo’s history, in contrast, his deputy, Jana Komrsková, looked to its future.

Jana Komrsková, Deputy Mayor for the Environment and Climate Change, said, “I went to see the construction of Arktida, which is a crucial building as concerns the zoo’s expansion. It is quite astounding that the winning bid for the construction came out at a quarter of a billion Czech crowns cheaper. One of the things it demonstrates is that the city can do these large projects both effectively and economically. For this, I would like to thank the entire Prague Zoo team, as well as the visitors for their great support, without which it would not have been possible.”

Libuše and Jaromír Knotek designed the postage stamps. They said it was difficult to capture each animal’s individual features; however, they are satisfied with the result. This was confirmed by the head primate breeder, Martin Vojáček, who readily recognised the gorillas on the stamps. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Throughout the day there were guided animal feedings, including a special one for the western lowland gorillas in the Dja Reserve. The family troop received 16 “postage stamps” – special wicker packets that contained the gorillas’ favourite treat, special pellets for leaf-eating primates. There were enough so that all the troop’s members received some.

Shinda, a female western lowland gorilla enjoys “postal” enrichment. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Prague Zoo's off-season, which started on Monday, will offer old favourites such as the Diwali festival of lights, less crowds, and, thanks to the autumnal weather, more active animals.

To commemorate the 94^th anniversary of Prague Zoo’s opening, Janek Ledecký (left) presented his new book, Nutty Verse 2, which is on sale at Prague Zoo. Excerpts from it were read by actress and singer Ivana Korolová and actor and director Jakub Kohák, both of whom also voiced some of the tales in the book’s audio version. On the right is moderator Jan Kovařík. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo