Prague Zoo Praha Prague Zoo News 2017

The zoo has registered it's best year ever for visitor numbers, with 1,448,353 visitors in 2016.

Prague zoo attracts record number of visitors in its history | Prague Monitor

 

On the day of my visit, September 7th, I noticed that by the entrance there was a screen displaying the day's visitor total. It was almost exactly 3000 when I left (after closing time of course). It would be an interesting exercise for a Prague local to record this regularly throughout the year.

 

FunkyGibbon that would actually be subaverage value for a day attendance, since if we divide the number of those 1,448,353 total visits in 2016, with 366 days from 2016 (If we suppose that the zoo was opened all-year round), we get average number for day attendance of 3,957 visits ! I guess the number of visits during Sundays is a lot of bigger, and in other days of the week smaller than this number.

 

A few days ago a Guanaco was born at Prague .

 

17 Komodo dragons have hatched.

 

17 Komodo dragon babies, that's increasing for about 17% of the approximate population of Komodo dragons in European zoos of 100, (now + these 17 babies = 115 to 120 individuals).

 

The youngest batch of babies is result of newly estabished breeding trio that lives off-show. Both females are young. With increasing age and body mass, the number of eggs they produce will grow.

It gets increasingly harder to find new interested holders for Komodos in Europe and overseas. Maybe Prague shoud stop breeding for some time.

 

I always thought that there is a shortage of, or high demand for Komodos in Europe; the American population is bigger.
It is weird enough that there is not big interes in this species as for example there are just 2 zoos (!) in Germany with Komodo dragons (ZTL).
What are the reasons for such low interes? Maybe not enough available space for Komodo dragon enclosures?

(First time I saw Komodos in Attica zoological park in Greece, they had 2 dragons, kept in not-so big, sandy enclosures looking from the outside, to inside the enclosure. Their enclosure was not part of bigger complex reptilarium building.)

 

Elephant female Donna with her daughter Sita will move to Osnabrück. According to the zoo director, Donna became extremely aggressive to other members of herd. Zoo also confirmed that Donna is pregnant again.

 

Are prague's dorcopsis still kept off-show? On my visit in July of last year they sadly were, but since they have been kept on-show before this, that might have been a temporary thing?

 

AFAIK still kept off-show...

 

The north american population is not very much bigger-its equal with 67.57.5 at 62 Institutions.
Dragons needs very large exhibits. Most Us-Zoos do offer them also an outdoor exhibit, also in states with a cold winter. I find this very interesting in fact that some Us-Zoo keep large mammals year round indoors.....

The keeping of Komodo dragons is very expensive and only EAZA members can get them. I know some german institutions want to keep Komodo dragons since years, but they are no EAZA members-so they can forget it.

 

Danke for info.
I just think that it is very unfavourable for non-EAZA zoos of not having opportunity of getting some zoo animals, not to say unfair, also it is not very resourcefull (in other words today we wouldn't have very numerous populations of many zoo animals (ring-tailed lemurs, lions, ....) if they were not shared in as many as zoos as possible), despite some small non-EAZA zoos may have excellent enclosures. Also, EAZA is association for mostly big or giant zoos in Europe, and I think that another European association in wich members will be those zoos that can't become EAZA members, is a great idea. Or at least regional associations, if not on a continental level, like already there are (national associations). Actually, EAZA supports establishing regional associations of zoos.

 

I do not think that is completely true, the Vivarium in Lausanne used to keep them and I am quite sure they were not eaza members.

 

Are you sure about Komodo Dragons at this Place ? There are no Komodo dragons at Lausanne listed in the European Studbook.

 

@lintworm.

You're right, there was a Komodo dragon at Vivarium Lausanne, what was defenitely EAZA member. The male"Naga"hatched at Prague Zoo in 2011 and came in 2014 to Lausanne-so no wonder he isn't in the Studbook-it is from 2010. Komodo dragons will be kept at the new Aquatis Vivarium, what is due to open in summer.

 

I do actually believe the Vivarium is still somehow a EAZA member and participant in several EEP's / ESB's. But if you check the new EAZA website no mention of them on the accompanying members' map. So, it is not quite clear.

 

A first for the zoo, 7 smooth coated otters have been born.

 

Very nice breeding success. Hopefully all of them will grew up.

By the way-where are the smooth coated otters are kept in the Zoo ?

 

In the indonesian jungle pavilion.