Prague Zoo Returns to the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens

Image taken during the meeting concerning Prague Zoo’s return to UCSZOO. From left: Jan Mengr, Curator of Primates at Prague Zoo; Pavel Brandl, Curator of Mammals at Prague Zoo; Jaroslav Šimek, Deputy Director for Zoology at Prague Zoo; Radomír Habáň, Vice-President of UCSZOO; Lenka Poliaková, Director of Prague Zoo; David Nejedlo, President of UCSZOO; Aleš Doležal, Head Keeper of Ungulates at Prague Zoo; and Helena Rosypalová, Keeper of Seals and Penguins. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Director of Prague Zoo Lenka Poliaková said: “I see our return to the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens as both a practical and a symbolic step. Strengthening ties with our natural partners—namely the other zoos in the Czech Republic and Slovakia—is one of the priorities of my tenure. Quite simply, we are stronger together, and I look forward to Prague Zoo working collegially with the other institutions not only at the level of keepers and curators, but now also at the level of directors.”

President of UCSZOO David Nejedlo added: “We believe that unity brings strength and that this return will benefit all our zoos. A metropolitan zoo should be a natural member and one of the leaders of a national zoo association, particularly given its outstanding professional standards, as well as the fact that it has the highest visitor numbers, the largest workforce, and an enormous media reach.”

UCSZOO has existed since 1990, and Prague Zoo is one of its founding members. Two of its former directors even served as presidents of the Union. However, in 2022, under the previous director, Prague Zoo withdrew from the organisation and cooperation was subsequently limited. Following a recent change in leadership, the zoo decided to reapply for membership, which was approved at the General Assembly on 21 May 2026.

A key role of modern zoos is to carry out a wide range of activities aimed at nature conservation. For this reason, zoos need to cooperate, among other things in the coordinated conservation of animal populations and their gene pools. Such cooperation takes place on many levels, which is why zoos associate within professional organisations. At the national level in this case, it is the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens, originally founded in Bratislava as the Union of Czechoslovak Zoological Gardens. Today, it includes institutions from both countries.

The Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens currently brings together nineteen zoological gardens: fifteen in the Czech Republic and four in Slovakia. Together, they are visited by several million people each year. Through their activities, they aim to foster a positive public perception of nature conservation, environmental protection, and biodiversity preservation. Member zoos are conservation-oriented institutions engaged in the breeding of populations of endangered animal species. They keep around 5,000 species, comprising approximately 35,000 individual animals. In addition, they run or support dozens of in situ conservation projects worldwide, as well as thematic events and educational initiatives.

UCSZOO is the most significant professional association of its kind in both countries and is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).