Hey all, I've been envisioning some sort of bank of knowledge on Europe's zoos for a long while now, a thread where the experts on the zoos of their respective countries come together to present an overview of the zoos of their countries. As such I've gathered a group of well-travelled and knowledgeable members from all over the continent to give an encapsulation of each of the larger zoos of their countries, so that the information and advice for visiting these institutions is in one place and fully accessible to all planning trips around the continent or just simply interested in what Europe truly has to offer. Each member will run through their respective countries' zoos, giving a 'synopsis' of sorts on the collection and giving a general idea of how high up each zoo should be on one's priorities. We will be running through the countries alphabetically, so first up will be @Batto, on Austria. If there are any questions about the concept, fire away! I hope this will be useful for anyone interested in the variety and quality of the zoos of the continent as well as how best to see them. AL
Does this include Turkey since it is listed as Europe here on ZC or will Turkey not be shown on this thread?
I don't think I will include Turkey, at least not as a priority, but I suspect I will re-evaluate as the thread evolves.
Zoos of Austria Ah, Felix Austria! Once one of Europe's largest empires, the modern small "Alpenrepublik" of about 8,9 million inhabitants is nowadays (in?)famous for the culinary specialities it took and refined from other countries, holiday activities such as skiing or hiking and its contributions to classical music and psychology. Not to mention internationally recognized actors (with more or less muscular physique), sportsmen and artists; among the latter a very infamous failed painter from Braunau... While some (Americans) have a hard time differentiating Austria and Australia from one another, the rest of the world is at least aware that Austria and Germany (at least Bavaria) are close to one another, both in regard to distance, language and culture. Even though neither will ever admit this and rather accentuates the differences, as illustrated by Christoph Waltz: While it cannot compete with Germany's vast diversity and distribution of zoological institutions, Austria has still plenty to offer in regard to zoos and might even beat its big neighbour in regard to certain aspects (such as reptile zoos with venomous snakes). Please find some of the more noteworthy examples of Austria's contribution to Europe's zoo landscape listed below: Tiergarten Schönbrunn / Schönbrunn Zoo / Zoo Vienna The oldest zoo in the world, Anthony Sheridan’s permanent favourite, the undisputed Primus inter pares among Austrian zoos and usually among the Top 10 or even Top 5 of European zoo lists – if you can visit only one zoo during your stay in Austria, the zoo of Austria's capital Vienna might the most obvious choice. One wouldn’t believe that this modern zoo powerhouse was almost closed for good in the 1980s/90s, and only barely survived due to the efforts of back-then zoo director Helmut Pechlaner. Nowadays, this world-class zoo is easily one of the most popular attractions in Vienna, among both the local Viennese and international visitors. Within the international zoo community, Tiergarten Schönbrunn is renowned as as a prime example of how to adopt old zoo buildings to meet today's demands for species-appropriate animal husbandry. Despite its relatively small size, the zoo manages to stay up to date and keeps a great diversity of species. Which encompasses both popular examples of the mammalian megafauna, such as elephants, rhinos, big cats, orang-utans and bears (including reproducing Giant pandas), "standard zoo animals“ such as flamingos, lemurs and giant tortoises, as well as rather unusual, rarely shown species. The latter can usually be found in the various accessible animal houses, including an aquarium / herpetarium complex, an insectarium, a polarium with penguins & seals, a „rat house“ and several more. An additional desert house can be found in close proximity outside of the zoo. Up the hillside, the historic Tirolerhof barn attracts visitors with old endangered Austrian breeds of farm animals, while the central Imperial Pavillon allows you to almost feel like an Austrian royal while enjoying your tea. Having finished your zoo visit, feel free to stroll through the surrounding historic Schönbrunn park and enter the Schönbrunn castle, former residence of the aforementioned Austrian monarchy. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? YES • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? YES. Plenty of animal-related attractions in Vienna (Haus des Meeres, Natural History Museum, Butterfly House etc.) • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES & YES • Notable Rarities: Long-tailed broadbill, Blue-winged pitta, Grey-headed oliveback, a multitude of small chameleon species. Alpenzoo Innsbruck Unlike Vienna's metropolitan zoo, the Alpenzoo does not offer a great international diversity of exotic animal species, but instead focuses solely on the local Austrian alpine fauna. And that in such an expert way that it is among the, if not the best, zoological institution(s) in Europe with such a thematic focus. Given that it is one of the highest elevation zoos in Europe, flat country zoo fans might gasp for air while walking up to the zoo, but are rewarded with a wonderful scenery and a most unusual zoo. The quality of the animal husbandry is on a continously high level, with remarkable highlights in regard to the larger aviaries, the outdoor terraria and unusual exhibits such as the walkthrough Alpine Ibex enclosure. The variety of kept European species puts many larger zoos to shame. Alpenzoo Innsbruck plays a major role in the reintroduction and conservation of both local wildlife (in particular the Bearded vulture) and old endangered local breeds of farm animals. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? YES • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? Not really. • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES & YES if you are interested in European fauna and unusual zoos • Notable rarities: Wallcreeper, Rock ptarmigan, Eurasian wryneck, Black woodpecker. Haus des Meeres Vienna The most unusual feature of Austria’s most prominent public aquarium can easily be seen from the outside (and partly climbed upon): the Haus des Meeres / House of the Sea (HdM) is located within a historic WW2 flak tower in one of the most vibrant areas of Vienna. Which means that any expansion requires a lot of creativity – and money. Nevertheless, the HdM manages to keep a great variety of animals. including komodo dragons, primates, birds, bats, a large tomistoma (that might not appreciate the clear water of its tank as much as the visitors), venomous snakes and an immense diversity of fish and other aquatic species spread over various tanks. Sometimes, this can lead to feeling a bit overcrowded, but in general, the husbandry is modern and highly professional. As for conservation: the HdM is one of the leading contributors to the conservation of endangered splitfin species. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? YES • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? Hey, it’s Vienna…so YES • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES & YES if you are already in Vienna, you should visit this remarkable aquarium. • Notable rarities: Slender-billed red-winged starling, Central American river turtle, Ivory Coast mud turtle, a multitude of splitfin species. Zoo Salzburg A lot of zoo nerds tend to ignore Salzburg’s zoo while on their way to the more prominent zoos of Vienna, Munich, Prague etc. Which is a shame, as it is a pretty good zoo that has plenty to offer. Its greatest assets are its colony of free-raging griffon vultures (as well as free-ranging pelicans, ringed-tailed lemurs and, luckily not any longer, cheetahs…) and its unique topography, snuggled right next to a cliff that leads to the large African savannah. To see Southern White rhinos mingle with Grevy zebras and antelopes with the Alps in the background is an one-of-a-kind sight to behold. The old big cat enclosures dating partly back to the 1960s still work remarkably well, and the different accessible animal houses, though no relevations of original creativity, do a decent job and include more or less rather rarely displayed species. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? YES • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? The Haus der Natur is worth a visit. And then there’s this weird little thing called „Welt der Gifte (WdG)“… • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES. If you are already in Salzburg and have some time off, you should give it a go. • Notable rarities: Kalahari lion, Firethroat anole, Ruby-eyed tree frog. Haus der Natur Salzburg This unique multi-storeyed museum, dedicated to natural sciences and many other related topics with a enjoyable local spin, is located within the touristic old city centre of Salzburg. Sporting a reptile zoo and an aquarium, it offers plenty to explore, and not just on rainy days. Both the reptile and the aquarium section display a good variety of species, including various venomous snakes. • Accessibility – Is it accessible by public transport? YES • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? The aforementioned Zoo Salzburg. And groovy WdG… • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES. If you are already in Salzburg. • Notable rarities: Jameson’s mamba, Flat-tailed gecko, a range of fish rarities. Zoo Schmiding Krenglbach Imagine that you are a wealthy Austrian guy who has an interest in exotic animals, ethnology and museums as well as good connections to Brazil. So why not play Zoo Tycoon in real life and construct a zoo in the middle of the Upper Austrian countryside that also includes a big ethnological museum full of authentic ethnological artefacts? Among others, real mummies, whole Asian temple sets as well as prehistoric cave painting replicas, fake dinosaurs, fossils etc. etc. The result is a slightly incoherent privately owned zoo with a sister zoo of similar design in Brazil. Unfortunately, these days it appears to be past its prime. The internal power struggle between the founder and his successor / son has led to a noticeable decrease in quality both in regard in to the animal husbandry, staff and visitor amenities. Don’t get me wrong: it’s still a popular zoo that offers the largest walk-through aviary for birds of prey in the world, a mixed species exhibit with white rhinos and cheetahs, the only (bachelor) group of gorillas in Austria as well as said ethnological museum. However, to both zoo nerd and zoo professional, it makes little sense to showcase rare species such as the only Santarem marmosets outside of Brazil in subpar exhibits with subpar signs…Let’s just hope the upcoming renovations will improve the situation for good. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? Yes, but it’s not that easy to get there. • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? Tiergarten Wels is a great little zoo with a special focus on birds and primates – and it’s free of charge. • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? Not really – unless you’re interested in ethnological museums within a zoo. • Notable rarities: Santarem marmoset, Horned screamer, Silver-eared laughingthrush. Reptilienzoo Nockalm Do you like venomous snakes? Like, lots of them, in all kinds of shapes and sizes? Then do yourself a favour, get a car and drive to the so-called Nockalm area, a rather obscure part of the South Austrian federal state Carinthia. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere, park your car at the designated parking lot and walk up the hill to a rather normal looking house. Once you have made it past the occasionally grumpy, yet enthusiastic owner and his equally enthusiastic and far less grumpy head keeper, and the various lovely planted outdoor terraria for local reptiles, you will encounter one of the largest variety of live venomous snakes kept in any zoological institution, among them herpetological rarities you won’t see anywhere else in Europe. • Accesibility – Is it accessible by public transport? Not really. • Proximity – Is it near any other good zoos? Vogelpark Turnersee is Austria’s largest bird park with a good collection of avian species. • Priority: Should it be a priority for someone visiting 1. Austria and 2. Europe? YES – if you like venomous snakes and if you are a fan of zoological rarities. • Notable rarities: A large number of unique venomous snake species such as the Djampea Island viper or the Twin-spotted rattlesnake. Noteworthy mentions: Tierwelt Herberstein: some decent primate exhibits, the world's first hunting simulator for cheetahs, important breeder of the white Austrian-Hungarian donkey. Wildpark Cumberland: The most modern example of the various Austrian wildparks dedicated to European fauna. Cooperates with the local Konrad-Lorenz research institute in regard to behavioral studies. Adlerarena Burg Landskron: The most prominent example of the various bird of prey shows in medieval castles in Austria. Stunning scenery. Essbarer Tiergarten der Zotter-Erlebniswelt: Connected to the major Austrian chocolate factory "Zotter", the "Edible Zoo" showcases old endangered breeds of Austrian farm animals and allows you to consume the products made out of them in the local restaurant / zoo shop. Turtle Island: In four different locations (two categorized as zoos), more than 240 species of chelonians, among them some highly endangered ones, can be visited as part of a guided tour, showcasing the ongoing in and ex situ conservation efforts of the organization.
They wish that were true, they overstate the size of the walkthrough by adding an extra 0 at the end, in fact the bird of prey area is smaller than the vulture cage in Diergaarde Blijdorp and let's not even speak of the Aigles de Leman in France... Of the two Wels is really by far the nicer of the two with their impressive African hornbill and primate collection Left for greener cages in Zlin-Lesna... I would also mention the small quirky botanical garden in Wien-Hirschstetten. If one is already in Vienna this one is quite funny, with a strange lay-out, some nice displays and a surprising amount of, mostly native, animals spread around the zoo. Free-ranging souslik and the herp collection are highlights.
I have visited Alpenzoo once and i have never Seen a better collection of european fishes, Herps, birds and Mammals.
I like the selection of austrian zoos. An unusual animal attraction in Vienna is the cementary of Meidling not far from Schönbrunn.It's one of the best oppurtunites to see European hamsters (Cricetus cricetus), much better than in most zoos holding the species. A visit in the evening is a fine combination after a day at the zoo.
The free-ranging cheetah comment by @Batto is just a joke. Salzburg Zoo had a major problem with escaping cheetahs about a decade ago.
We're not even two full months into the year, yet the amount of high quality content and large scale projects on the site recently has been staggering! I've been putting in a lot of effort into learning more about European collections beyond the Berlins, Chester, Prague etc. and this thread will be a fantastic resource in that regard. Someone has to get an American version of this going, stat!
My thoughts exactly, hopefully that will come into fruition soon, but I am afraid I’ll only be able to help with the Illinois section. If I were a well travelled adult, I probably would. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see
I don't think an American version of this thread would work too well, I think it would be difficult to find enough users and what states to include/not to include. At least you get one for WI.
You do bring up a fair point, but we could see if some of the more well-travelled American zoochatters would be willing to do some of it. Some states would probably have to be done by multiple of us, too.
Zoos of Belgium Belgium, the land of waffles, beer and chocolate. A diverse European country, with no less than 3 official languages and constant bickering between them. And even though we are barely notable on the world map, we are still a country (and one country) for now. Not a Southern addendum of the Netherlands nor a Northern colony of France. And to some (cough, Mr. Trump…, cough), Belgium is far more than just Brussels. In the North is Flanders, the Dutch speaking region which is also on of the most urbanized regions in the world. In the South, you have the more rural French-speaking region of Wallonia. Finally, in the East there are a few German-speaking municipalities, but no zoos can be found there to my knowledge. When it comes to the amount of zoos, it certainly can’t compare with its eastern and Northern neighbours, nevertheless our tiny country holds some zoos worth visiting even when coming from far abroad. One can easily identify three major parks here: Zoo Antwerp and Zoo Planckendael in Flanders and Pairi Daiza in Wallonia. Besides these, several smaller parks can be found here including a safari park, several wildlife parks and some smaller more generic zoos. Zoo Antwerp This is the oldest zoo in Belgium, and the 5th oldest in Europe. The zoo opened in 1843, and has remained on the same location ever since. When it was founded, it lay well outside the city but has been completely engulfed by it through the years. As any zoo with such an impressive age, it holds a multitude of protected historical buildings and exhibits. In fact, it is considered one of the best-preserved 19th century zoos. This is also the major reason to visit, though the collection is certainly not bad. For the biggest part it does a very good job uniting its historical buildings and gardens with decent welfare standards. In the past 15-20 years, the zoo has renovated roughly 80% of its exhibits with only the monkey-house still standing and the carnivore-zone under renovation. Whilst it doesn’t try to create the immersive exhibits some Zoochatters crave for, it does manage to build decent exhibits for the animals without damaging the historical looks too much. A beautiful example of this is the buffalo-aviary, which engulfs the historical rhino house. As with many buildings, the original inhabitants have long moved out and made place for more suitable species. This varies from birds in the Rhino house and small Mammals in parts of the Ape house, to Andean bears in the old polar bear grotto and parrots in the old bird-of-prey aviaries. Notable exhibits are the restored 18th century aviaries, the Egyptian temple, the buffalo Aviary, the historical hippo house, the great panorama and the 110 year-old Aquarium housing one of the largest indoor-reefs of the world. The collection has seen better days, with good reason though considering the horrible welfare standards it had around the year 2000. Still it manages to display a nice diversity of animals, with especially a decent collection of birds, reptiles and fish. And to this day, it holds some rarities with Amahoro (an Eastern lowland gorilla) probably being the most famous one. Since the zoo is rather small, less than 10 hectares (25 acres), you could visit it in 3 hours or less. Even if you take your time, you will find yourself finished in 4-5 hours. This does however mean that you can combine it with Zoo Planckendael in one day using public transport. Accessibility – Very well accessible by public transport, bordered by Antwerp central station. Also accessible by car (underground parking at the zoo or P&R outside the city + tram) Proximity to other zoos - Not really, but close enough to combine with other zoos Priority – Both in Belgium and Europe: Certainly yes! Notable rarities - Eastern gorilla, Swallow tanager, Seychelles giant day gecko, Barred buttonquail, African keeled mud turtle. Zoo Planckendael Planckendael and Zoo Antwerp are both run by the KMDA (royal society for zoology Antwerp) akin to the situation of ZSL Whipsnade and ZSL London. In 1956, the KMDA bought the domain as a quarantine and breeding center for the many species kept in Antwerp those days. In 1960 did it open to the public, though only in the 80’s did it develop into a proper zoological park. It once held one of the best collections of ungulates in Europe, and was characterized by it’s simple yet large enclosures combined with shabby wooden stables. These days, it can be better described as a more bland typical modern zoo with few exceptional species or exhibits, safe for the fact that it has by far the best animal welfare in Belgium. Some of the exhibits that are certainly worth nothing, and hopefully a sign of a new way of future development, are the excellent Bonobo enclosure (opened in 2019), the walk-through South-American aviary (opened in 2014) and the new barbary macaque exhibit (2019). Also not to be forgotten, is the nice collection of Australian animals including the very last South-East Australian short-beaked echidna in Europe, Tasmanian devils and koalas. This summer, the park will open new facilities for orang-outans, and changes are happening in the African zones with the likely arrival of African wild donkeys (close by the last rhim gazelle in Europe). For those who visit the park with plenty of time on their hand, from the walkway alongside the nearby canal outside the park you can have a glimpse at both the behind the stage carnivore cages (holding jaguar and spectacled bear) and the many aviaries of the bird breeding center (giant and fisher turaco, Congo peafowl, Sumatran laughingthrush and more). Accessibility – Accessible by public transport. During some holidays, they operate a shuttle-bus between the park and Mechelen-station, regular busses between them are also an option year-round. Proximity to other zoos - Not really, but close enough to combine with the Antwerp Zoo Priority – Not really but nice to visit when passing by and for some (sub)species your only chance in Europe Notable rarities - Slender-horned gazelle, Emin's turaco Pairi Daiza Pairi Daiza, the youngest of the big three and also the most extreme of the three in several ways. Founded as a bird-park in the nineties, it has become one of the largest zoos in Europe. Besides day-visits, it also offers accommodations including rooms with a view of the animals. It is by far the most expensive zoo of the three, but arguably also the one with the best price compared to what it offers and the amount of time one can spend here. One needs almost an entire day to visit the entire park in a somewhat decent manner. For the general public, this is also a fan favorite, having been crowned the best zoo in Europe several times by the Diamond Theme Park Awards. The park is in several ways both overwhelming and underwhelming. Throughout the park, you see the spirit of a rarities-collector and a lover of diverse cultures. They have many unique or extremely rare species, extraordinary amounts of species within a taxonomic group (e.g. 5 bear species, all types of pinnipeds, …) and notable amounts of individuals (30+ bears, 20+ elephants, …). They also have a separate reptile-house and aquarium, bolstering the amount of non-mammalian species they have. It’s clear that for anyone searching for new species, this is the place to be. And most of these species are kept in heavily themed environments, mostly based on a range of different cultures and societies. The vast amounts of thematization can be best compared to those at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, though they do fail to visually separate these worlds as skillfully as Disney does. But neglecting the somewhat disappointing landscape architecture, the designs of the buildings and enclosures are outright stunning. Not rarely do they bring over local handyman from across the world to help with construction. On the other hand, the place is also very much underwhelming in terms of welfare and enclosure design. Many exhibits are downright small and/or inadequate, and barely any exhibit is above average when compared to the other big zoos in the Benelux. This does give a bit of a bitter taste to the entire experience, knowing that almost all these enclosures are less than 15 years old. In the end however, I’d still say go and visit it to see for yourself. Even though in my opinion it’s far from the best zoo in Europe, it certainly remains a unique park worth a visit. Accessibility – Technically accessible via public transportation, but with a very bad service and long travelling times. Proximity to other zoos – Not at all Priority – Both in Belgium and Europe: certainly yes Notable rarities - Spix's macaw, Humboldt's aracari, Bear cuscus, St Vincent amazon, Bulwer's pheasant. Grotten van Han (honorary mention) A wildlife park in Wallonia focusing on European mammals combined with an visitable cave. It has an extensive collection far bigger than your typical deer park, so if you are coming from outside Europe it is a good way to meet them in real life. There is both a walking trail (only the first half of the route) and a bus-tour, but some things are only visible if you take the walking trail. Whilst it is difficult to reach by public transport since there is only a bus-stop, when you have access to a car it’s easy to combine it with many of the small historical villages dotted around the region like Dinant and la Roche-en-Ardenne. So if you are in proximity, and you have both a car and time, I’d certainly recommend a visit.
This is already turning out to be a wonderful thread. Thanks to @amur leopard for starting everything off, @Batto for a terrific recap of Austrian zoos, and @Jarne for the look at Belgian zoos. I like the little details in regards to proximity to other zoos, as well as how long an approximate visit is. However, I would be curious to know how many zoos and aquariums are in each nation. When I visited Belgium in 2019 I toured 10 zoos, but there are many more across the country. Belgium: 10 zoos Serpentarium Blankenberge (Blankenberge, BE) Sea Life Blankenberge (Blankenberge, BE) Boudewijn Seapark (Bruges, BE) Zoo Antwerp (Antwerp, BE) Harry Malter Familiepark (Destelbergen, BE) Planckendael Zoo (Mechelen, BE) Pakawi Park (Olmen, BE) Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE) Liege Aquarium-Museum (Liege, BE) Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Aywaille, BE)
I reckon that there is a decent chance that the pair of us may have been among the very last Zoochatters to visit Serpentarium Blankenberge before it closed down in May 2021, given how little time remained between our visits and the proverbial hitting the fan in early 2020!
Zoos of Czech Republic First of all, huge props to @Batto and @Jarne for their additions to this thread. And now without further ado…The Czech Republic (or Czechia if you prefer), conveniently placed right in the middle of Europe is a land of many exceptional qualities (like giving the world a sugar cube), but the most important for this site is that we loooove to keep animals and we are good at it Another characteristic aspect of our country (and the one that makes most of you intrigued to visit) is that we do have a thing for rarities. I sometimes jokingly say: “Close your eyes, open your animal encyclopedia on a random page and point your finger at a random animal, the chance is pretty high that the species you picked was at some point present in Czechia.” Both of those can be partially attributed to living under a totalitarian regime for 40 years because when the majority of species were extremely hard to source, you made damn sure that you will keep them alive and even breed them. A lot of keepers currently in the 60-70 age range have stories of how they smuggled animals into the country (i. e. tortoises from Yugoslavia). This whole ordeal made that generation of keepers very skilled and now they share the knowledge and experience with us, younger keepers, who strive to be as good as they are and better. Such abundance of animals means you need to put them somewhere and that’s the other reason you aim to visit our country – for a relatively small country the number of zoos and other animal-keeping attractions is pretty high. We have 30 licensed zoos and a good chunk of small unlicensed places. And I gotta say, choosing those to highlight in this post, wasn’t a walk in the park, or was it…? Zoo Praha I mean…do I even need to say something? The Pearl of the East (depending on your definition of Eastern Europe), one of Europe’s (world's?) finest and solely reason enough why you should visit Czechia, all that while being consistently in top 3 most visited tourist attractions in the country. A zoo that became European heavyweight relatively recently, pretty much due to efforts of the last two directors (who, funnily enough, hate each other with a passion) but still with a rich history a long-term role in species conservation (see Przewalski horse). Destroyed twice in a span of 10 years by floods, but both times rising stronger and better. The massive financial advantage they have over other zoos is obviously a big factor, but that shouldn’t diminish their achievements in any way. Zoo with a good but not perfect all-round collection, where everyone can find something that takes his fancy (bad news if you’re into aquariums, but luckily “Sea World” is only cca 15 minutes away). The newest developments (Darwin’s Crater, Elephants, Parrots joined by Pangolins, and new Gorilla house from this season onwards) are the main stars, but even older exhibits have their own charm. Wonderful view at Prague from the upper part of the zoo included as a bonus. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Absolutely, although in the summer, traffic jams can make walking an attractive option as well Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? There is a bunch of solid smaller institutions (Sea World, Crocodile Zoo Prague, Jellyfish World,…) in the city. Rarities - Brown hyena, Barred laughingthrush, Helmeted friarbird, Mechow's mole rat. Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? 100% YES Zoo Plzeň Is it a great zoo or just a sub-average one overstuffed with a massive collection built pretty much single-handedly by one madman? Or both? Pages and pages were written while discussing this, but it’ll be probably best if you come and see for yourself. Size-wise, Plzen isn’t a big zoo, but you’ll need a whole day, as you want to see as much as possible, especially when it comes to birds, other stars of the show are the small mammals and reptiles collections, the Venomous snakes exhibit being one of the highlights. The zoo is also a botanical garden, so the whole zoo is lushly planted, giving some exhibits “the extra bit.” Part of the zoo was changed to DinoPark, but some bird and small mammals exhibits are there as well. In the main season entering DinoPark requires an extra fee, but in the off-season, the entry there is free. To zoo belongs also an AkvaTera exhibit in the city center. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Yes. Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? The aforementioned AkvaTera in the city center and alright-ish Zoo Plasy, being 30 minutes away by car. Rarities – A f***ton Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? Czechia yes, Europe depends on your priorities SafariPark Dvůr Králové What a roller-coaster history of this zoo is…entering the golden era during Josef Vagner’s reign and thanks to his imports becoming the place to visit if you wanted to see a huge number of African ungulates, only to have whole giraffe herd killed a few years later after very shady order of veterinary authorities. Established itself as the top 3 Czech zoo, only to be kicked out of both WAZA and EAZA due to mismanagement, causing the zoo to fall behind. However, all that is long gone, and things are now looking brighter than ever for Dvur, with steady development happening, rebranding to completely African collection is almost complete (only Orangutan female remains from non-Africans) and visitors’ numbers rising. You won’t see Northern white rhinos there anymore, but the zoo still has a lot of other species to offer, and from non-animal things, they have even their own brewery. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Yes, but it’s quite complicated, a car is a much better option. Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? Not really Rarities – South African ratel, Mountain reedbuck, Twig snake, Southern springhare. Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? In both cases depends on whether safari and African orientation is your thing. To avoid running long and boring you, my post will for now end here, with part two coming tommorow and then possibly bonus part at the end of the weekend
Praha Zoo is so fascinating. I have visited the Zoo in 2018 and i did not have the time to see everything. I did like the Rainforest, African Savannah and Nocturnal House, big Cat House, Bird Aviarys.....
Zoos of the Czech Republic part 2: Zoo Zlín Moving from Bohemia to Moravia and starting off with a bang here. Over the years, Established in the gardens of chateau Lešná, Zlín grew over the years from the little modest zoo to what some call “the most beautiful zoo in Czechia” and becoming uncontested number 2 in terms of yearly attendance. Being one of the first zoos in the country to adopt the policy of the geographically divided section, using pretty much the same concept in every section – one big exhibit with a popular species joined by a bunch of aviaries (director’s specialty). Another director’s specialty is that he doesn’t like keeping animals in on-show animal houses, which obviously means the zoo is kind of weaker in winter months when there are big parts of the zoo where you can hardly see anything. In terms of future developments, all eyes are on Karibuni – a massive African complex with a big elephant exhibit being the main star of the show. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Yes, but a car is the better option. Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? Nope Rarities - Black-legged seriema, Black-spotted barbet, Northern screamer, Spotted wood owl Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? Czechia yes, Europe I would certainly recommend it. Zoo Ostrava Another facility that combines zoo and botanical garden, but in a bit of a different way than Plzen does, here are botanical exhibits tucked a bit to the side away from the main visitor paths and are visited only by a) dedicated visitors b) botanical nerds c) people who go there by accident and d) teenagers seeking some…ehm…privacy… The theme of the zoo itself is focused a lot on evolution with models of extinct species being placed throughout the zoo. In recent years Ostrava is slowly but steadily getting rid of old hideous concrete exhibits and is replacing them with modern naturalistic exhibits, with the Hanuman langur exhibit being the obvious highlight. Sadly, two years ago was Ostrava hit by a tragedy – the death of director Petr Čolas, who left a massive legacy and even more dreams and plans. Hopefully, his successor will be as successful as Mr. Čolas was. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Yes Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? On the Polish side Rarities - Western tree hyrax, Tarai grey langur, Southern Luzon giant cloud rat, Southern tree hyrax. Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? Czechia yes, Europe probably not. Zoo Jihlava Had a huge dilemma about which zoo to choose as the final one for this part, but in the end, the heart won. Hidden in a valley near the city center, Jihlava is (as other Zoochatter said) “a small zoo that tries to act like a big one.” I like this description a lot because I see it as very fitting. Even though small in size, Jihlava gives out a very confident vibe of a much bigger zoo. With such limited space, the zoo needs to utilize every possible bit, so some of the areas are literally packed with exhibits. Circa 12 years ago, the zoo got a massive amount of money from EU’s funds that allowed it to build five new exhibit complexes – the current main stars of the zoo. However, there are still some old and barely acceptable exhibits in dire need of renovation, which with limited space and EAZA’s requirement being stricter and stricter each year, makes for an interesting mix in terms of what the future will bring. Jihlava always specialized in three groups – Cats (big and small), monkeys, and reptiles. Those species are represented by a solid number of species and the zoo wants to keep it that way even in the future. Accessibility - Is it accessible by public transport? Yes. Proximity - Is it near any other good zoos? No. Rarities – Ganzhorn's mouse lemur, Garnett's greater galago, Lowe's monkey, White-tailed antsangy Priority - Should it be a priority for someone visiting Czechia and Europe? In Europe not, in Czechia it depends on your program, it is good as a "transit zoo" when you move from west to east, or the other way.
Here's a little interlude before we continue - just a small note on Cyprus. Cyprus There's only one zoo that is remotely worth visiting in the entire country really, as the second largest collection in the country is in fact a pet shop (no, for real...). Just as a heads up for those looking for a sunny place to go on holiday with a quick zoo outing on the cards, Cyprus should probably be pretty high up there on your list. Some amazing ruins and mosaics, plus some lovely landforms and mountains, amazing beaches, some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean and great food. Pafos Zoo On top of that is the Pafos Zoo, a relatively new but quickly-developing place which holds a fairly dear place in my heart and I'd think is probably one of the best zoos in Southwestern Europe (mind you, there's not much to choose from). The zoo has a fairly standard ABC collection in terms of mammals but what it lacks there it makes up for with its bird and snake collections in particular. While the birds are not exhibited in the most naturalistic or spacious of circumstances, I understand that it is in the zoo's plans to change this as soon as possible. It's also been working on several projects of late and has also gone through a baby boom of sorts recently, so shows signs of being one to watch, even if the visitor pool is limited on such a small island. It does have its shortfalls of course - the giraffe, zebra and elephant exhibits aren't large enough and the few primates they have also appear to have the short end of the stick, but it has come a long way in recent years, so hopefully that trajectory will continue. P.S. The enclosure images in the gallery are for the most part really quite outdated and do not represent the zoo's current exhibits - I should be visiting in the Easter so I will make sure to get some photos for the gallery. Accessibility - from Pafos quite easy with and without a car - I understand there is a bus service directly to the zoo. Proximity - nowhere near any other half-decent zoos unfortunately. Rarities - Great spotted cuckoo, Cream-bellied fruit dove, Grey-breasted francolin, Cyprus whipsnake. Priority - Not a priority for someone visiting Europe, but honestly if you want a beach holiday, Cyprus or Tenerife are the two places you should be thinking zoo-wise imo.
