ZOO Plzeň Plzen zoo news

That's fantastic!

 

One of the giraffe bulls Borek who lives in the bachelor herd moved to Dvur Kralove in last few days. He should become the new breeding bull there. Pilsen has not signalised any intention to switch from bachelor to breeding herd thus I guess they now have empty space available for a new young bull.

Nord Chinese leopard pair had their first litter in May - two sibblings. They got babtized by names Chen and Chang (1,1). Parents are Amadu and Tika.

Zoo´s FB shows also pics of 2,0 bobcat sibblings born in May this year.

 

1,0 Kirks dikdik arrived from Zamosc in June and now lives in mixed exhibit with rock hyrax, common dwarf mongoose and several small African birds. Link

The New Guinean Short-beaked Echidna pair living backstage has another surviving puggle, it hatched in February 2021 and is doing more than fine. Link

 

A new species is on show for visitors - 1.1 Marsh mongooses (Atilax paludinosus). Came from private German breeder 3 weeks ago.

 

Project work has begun on a new pavilion for indian elephants. Unfortunately, enclosures for orangutans and tapirs were excluded from the project. So the rest of new area will be dedicated to the botanical exposition and domestic animals from Asia (Yakc goat, camel). The estimated price for the new comlex is huge, more than 30 mil euro. Construction should start in about 4 years.

 

Pity about orangs and tapirs (weren´t planned also comodo dragons? they were once main atractions of Pilsen zoo) but its great to see that project, even if reduced, is still on way...
May I ask about source?
Only article I found mention orangs and tapirs (even if as later phase)

 

Source is tendering procedure for project docmentation. Documentation will be made by the same company as for project for african elephant in zoo Zlin. I think that exhibit for comodo dragon is excluded as well. In my opinion it cost so much money only for elephants, restaurant and botanical exposition.

 

A waste of space in project and design. I think at so high investment it would have been better to create a SE Asian area with a lot more species and diversity. Elephants and domesticated animals does not cut it.

 

And thus we are one step closer to the end of Plzen zoo as we know it and love it...

AFAIK the cost is so high because the finances needed to buy out the land where it will be built, to construct a fence around a new area and to build whole networking (electricity, water, gas,...) there counts into it as well and especially the land was super pricey.

 

That may be, but to then have built on it what they propose now is totally underwhelming. I would not mind to wait a few more years for the original plans to get realized. BTW: chances for a breeding herd Asiatics given the current new policy lines in EEP highly unlikely. So, why not have Malayan tapir, orangs, clouded leopard, banteng et cetera.

 

Huh, sounds pretty grim...

 

It's not highly unlikely, it's already decided that the breeding herd won't be there... the new EEP policy has to do something with indoor areas being off-show right?

Money, easy as that. (And possibly the director being close to retirement and his urge to have "memorial" in the zoo, so he is pushing even for the more simple option). The current camel exhibit is cca 10 years old and works alright, but they will get a new one as part of this in the next ten years?! (And I actually fully expect this resulting in not moving camels to new exhibit but having two camels exhibits) Meanwhile, Chimpanzees will have to rot in their hideous indoor areas from the 80s or so for 10+ years, unless something (EEP, legislation changes on EU/national level) forces zoo to act quicker.

Honestly, I am a big critic of this plan (and I am not alone, also there isn't much support for it even between zoo employees FWIH). I know it is a director's lifelong dream to have elephants in Plzen. But his ego and urge to actually fulfill this have blinded him...That building doesn't make sense at all, it doesn't fit in Plzen's concept, it's not for animals Plzen is known for and has results with them, the construction costs will halt any other possible and more sensible plans for many, many years.

The upkeep costs when the house will be finished will completely ruin zoos finances, and those are already not in a great place and I fear this will lead to cuts in another part of the collection... This is probably what annoys me most about this whole stuff, the current director can plan all this, he may even pose with the founding stone, but he certainly won't be paying the first bill, once the house starts functioning...

Also (and I can't stress this enough): WHY ARE THEY BUILDING DOMESTICS AREA THERE, PLZEN ALREADY HAS DOMESTICS AREA!

I could rant about this for much longer, but I'll save something for later, when this goes more ahead

 

Thanks for little insight, even if its not jolly reading, especially that Pilsen is one of my favourite zoos...

 

I'll be more than happy to be wrong in this case, but there is very little hope in me...

 

A new bird species is on show in rhino house - Golden-headed manakin (Ceratopipra erythrocephala).

 

This year, two Lac Alaotra Bamboo Lemur babies were born. The newest one on 19th July and was given name MAILO.
Article

The pair of Western Tree Hyrax that arrived last year from Ostrava experienced second birth and this time, the youngster born in the middle of August, has survived. Its gender is still unknown.
Article

Today, the zoo celebrates 95 years since its first opening. New book has been printed and can be bought in zoo shop - with name "95 let Zoo Plzeň".

 

A batch of newly metamophed Tomato frogs (Dyscophus antongili). An attractive and endangered species from Madagascar. Available. FB

 

One of expositions/aviaries in australian sections will be refurbished for... kiwis!

 

Kiwi mixed with moreporks. Should be finished before end of this month.

 

Other news : the pair of kinkajous arrived in 2018 is now on show in the amazona house.