Director´s view

The last time I was in Toli Bulag, deep in the Mongolian steppe, was many years ago with Mongolian conservationist Adiya and the Deputy Director for Zoology of our zoo Jaroslav Šimek. I can’t even remember exactly, when it was. At that time, we visited Toli Bulag to assess if this locality, whose name could be translated as...

A surprise awaited us during our August visit to Khalkhgol, Mongolia’s easternmost province. After the director of the Nömrög National Park, D. Naranbaatar, had received the new Land Cruiser 79 from us, which will help when building the reintroduction centre for Przewalski’s horses in the Valley of Monasteries, he...

The first Przewalski’s horse to touch the Golden Steppe in central Kazakhstan in hundreds of years was the mare Zeta II in June last year. She was born in spring 2021 in Dolní Dobřejov and was named after a famous mare born at the same place in 1994, who had 12 foals in the Mongolian Gobi and lived there to the respectable...

One of the animals, which we introduce within this year’s campaign Rare and Unique, is a beautiful African antelope mountain bongo. Its selection was absolutely clear since the very beginning. The last population in the wild survives in the Aberdare National Park, but it has only 27 to 42 individuals! In addition, the tracks...

This year’s Return of the Wild Horses seemed to be haunted by the ten plagues of Egypt. One of them struck three of my colleagues in the Kazakh steppe.

Ball's Pyramid rises steeply 562 meters above the Pacific Ocean. It is said to be the tallest volcanic plug in the world. In any case, it is a truly fascinating rock formation!

Ganbaatar waved at me insistently and showed me the direction I should take. I quickly set off up the rocky slope and then I saw him. From behalf the horizon, just a few dozen metres from me, a beautiful stallion of Przewalski’s horse silently emerged. He stood facing me, watched me intently, shortly ran towards me and only...

After the outbreak of the Prague Uprising some zoo employees left to defend the Troja Bridge. It is said that they retrieved weapons from hiding places on the premises of Prague Zoo, but we have no evidence of this, or I don’t know about any. But with one exception.

For a very long time I wished to get Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) from Australia to Prague Zoo. Not only is it probably the most massive species of flightless insect, but the story of its alleged extinction, rediscovery and rescue is extraordinary. And after years, my wish has finally come true!