Help for Australia
The first Australian project that Prague Zoo became involved in was the conservation of Tasmanian devils on Maria Island, off the coast of Tasmania. In addition, it raises funds to support the development of a vaccine against the facial cancer that is decimating Tasmanian devil popu¬lations in the wild, and carries out further activities aimed at protecting this unique species.
In response to the devastating fires of 2019 and 2020, Prague Zoo announced a collection that raised an incredible CZK 23 million (more than EUR 920,000). The zoo has joined in to help the animals directly affected by the fires. First and foremost, however, it has been working to protect other endangered species whose situation was worsened by the fires. These include the southern corroboree frog and the mountain pygmy possum.
Working with Zoos Victoria, Prague Zoo also takes part in a project to save the unique and critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect, which was long considered extinct.
The largest carnivorous marsupial still living to these days was once the object of animosity and persecution. Today, it is strictly protected—yet its survival once again hangs by a thread. The reason: an infectious facial cancer.
The Lord Howe Island stick insect—reaching up to 15 cm in length—is the largest flightless insect on our planet. Once believed to be extinct, this remarkable species is now “back from the dead”, and Prague Zoo is helping to save it.
Common wombats in the wild are threatened by mange, which was introduced to Australia from Europe around 200 years ago. Currently, about 70 per cent of all wild individuals are infected. Without treatment, the disease is fatal.
The koalas’ situation was precarious even before the fiery inferno broke out in Australia. Their numbers were just a fraction of what they had originally been, and individual populations were so fragmented that some pessimists began to speak of the...
The southern corroboree frog is another of Australia’s iconic species. This critically endangered, highly contrasting black-yellow frog is barely three-centimetres long and produces its own poison. Its fatal decline over the last two decades has...
Weighing just 45 grams on average, this tiny marsupial is the only Australian mammal found in the highlands of the Australian Alps. It is a critically endangered species.
The southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby (not a subspecies, but an “evolutionarily significant unit”) used to be common in southeastern Australia. In the past, they were intensively hunted for their fur, but now the biggest threat to them is...
This small, mostly insectivorous marsupial lives solely in the western part of Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Our help after the bushfires
The bushfires, which broke out in several areas of Australia in the autumn of 2019 and didn’t cease until the spring of 2020, affected the lives of the local inhabitants and, above all, the unique Australian wildlife. This provoked an extraordinary wave of solidarity around the world. The Czech Republic was no exception. Many of those who decided to contribute to save the animals and nature reserves affected by the bushfires in Australia have placed their trust in Prague Zoo. It was a great honour for us. So, we’re proud to announce that, as of 31 January 2024, our collection account had received an incredible donation of
AUD 1,496,515!
By that date, a total of 18,494 donors had contributed. We saw both small and very large sums, many of them accompanied by encouraging and touching stories. In January 2020, when the collection was at its peak, we experienced feelings of gratitude, delight and astonishment, on a daily basis. We really did not expect such generosity!
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, a thanks that goes to all who, through us, have been involved in helping the endangered wildlife of Australia!
To provide detailed information on the specific use of funds, we have published the brochure Help for Australia. You can download the electronic version here on our website.
Most of the funds have already been distributed in line with the purpose of the collection and in consultation with our Australian colleagues. The first portion was allocated to urgent needs, particularly veterinary care, while the rest is being used to support long-term projects. The organisations that received our rapid assistance are listed below. We chose them based on knowledge of their work to date and the recommendations of renowned Australian conservationists.
The first AU$ 100,000 was provided to the Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund set up by Zoos Victoria for rapid assistance for animals affected by the bushfires, for their subsequent care, rehabilitation and, where possible, to return them to the wild.
A donation of AU$ 50,000 from our collection was sent to the state of New South Wales through WIRES, Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation, to support the care of injured animals, including the distribution of emergency food supplies.
The sum of AU$ 100,000 was provided also to South Australia and the Adelaide Zoo for its outpatient veterinary care and long-term rehabilitation of the wildlife, especially koalas, affected by the bushfires.
Assistance amounting to AU$ 95,000 was also directed to Kangaroo Island, where Prague Zoo joined efforts to map unburnt suitable habitats and monitor endangered species—in particular, the Kangaroo Island dunnart.
We released AU$ 82,000 from the fundraising account to support fire prevention and the purchase of essential firefighting equipment for Mt Rothwell—a private conservation reserve, home to the majority of the brush-tailed rock-wallabies.
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