Their flamingo flock has produced chicks for the first time. One is Caribbean and one is Greater, both hand-reared. The zoo obtained flamingos only ca 7 years ago and for some strange reason, 3 different species at once and mixed into a single flock - 8 Caribbeans, 9 Graters and 4 Chileans. Thus prone to produce hybrids. While almost all other CZ and SK zoos already cleaned their act and separated their birds by species. Come on, Košice is not a village zoo anymore, with 250k attendance they are in mid-sized range and I would expect a little more aspiration from them.
The zoo obtained a family house in city center of Košice, reconstructed it and it now serves as an enviromental education center for school children (not open to general public). They keep a few reptiles there (snakes, monitor lizard, green iguana, star tortoises). In future, a nocturnal animal exhibit and insectarium should be built in its cellar and the whole house should open to general public - similar to city zoo houses in Decin or Plzen. Time plan not mentioned. Source
This week, newly-built vulture aviary has been unveiled to public. The aviary is 18 x 12 x 15 meters large and construction did cost 290.000 euro. It has 2 pairs of Eurasian griffon vultures inside. One pair is from Amersfoort, one bird arrived from Russia (shortly before start of Ukraine war). Zoo attendance is identical with year 2019, they expect their visitor number 250.000 in December. Nový domov pre supy bielohlavé - Zoologická záhrada Košice
The zoo has built a new pavilion Margaj with cages (total area 80 m2) for a pair of margay and unveiled it today. Source It was built on previouly unused land. It thus constitutes enlargement of current exhibition area ( ca 65 hectares). The zoo owns since its founding 289 hectares of land, most of it meadows and forest.
The zoo will soon receive 2,1 brown bear cubs from wildlife rescue station Zázrivá. The cubs were born this year in Tatra mountains, their mother was a "container bear" (means she learned to live in towns and villages finding food in trash cans). Source
Sometime earlier this year, ZOO Dom got accessible to general public. Opening hours are Monday-Friday 9am - 4pm, adult ticket is 3 EUR. Address is Mojmirova street 1, Kosice (located in downtown, far from zoo areal). It looks like it contains only few reptile and amphibian tanks. No fish or night exhibits yet.
Agreed! I would favour restricting oneself to the greater (European) flamingo's and swap/exchange both the Caribbeans and Chileans with other zoos to create one big flock.
The zoo has bred brown bears - one male cub was born in January. Together with the newest cub, the zoo already has 9 brown bears. The media article mentions: "The zoo informed that it is establishing a new era of brown bear breeding and wants to keep the cub. The other eight bears, with the exception of the oldest Žabo, will probably find their new home in European or world zoos. The main word in this case will be given to the European coordinator of the rescue program for brown bears, who will come to familiarize herself with Košice bears in June." Source I want to see if any zoo will be interested to take over brown bears - what with the deluge of various rescue brown bears within Europe. I have no idea why the zoo felt the need to even produce another cub (facepalm).
