The chick of Pesquet's parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) hatched last year has been officially presented to the press. Hand-reared, sex yet unknown. The chick 48 days old. The adult pair living in Rakos´ Pavilion (not the parents of the chick, this is the second pair)
Resident Marabou pair has currently 2 half-grown chicks. This pair consists of male Vilík who came 2013 from Vienna zoo and female Ema who came from Emmen and this is sixth consecutive winter when they have got chicks so it´s now a very reliable breeding pair, but I think it gets a little over-represented genetically. The zoo announced also hatching of 3 male Brown Roofed Turtles. This is a small vegetarian turtle species living mixed with gharials at Prague zoo. Its eggs need to experience a winter cooling period similar to weather in its Indian home range, thus spending few weeks at temperature of 14 Celcius before they get placed into normal incubator. The zoo produced 30 youngsters since year 2008. An older video clip:
Yeeey, not good. Now the zoo starts to test other animals in these pavilions as well as personel. We might get much more virus positive results soon. In other news, palm cockatoo chick hatched in January and is doing great under parents.
Not good? How, when the vast majority of animals in other zoos who tested positive had little to no actual problems...? As of today, a pair of Amur Leopard cats is positive as well and the director threw a massive spectacle about that in media and on his Facebook account, where he even straight-up admitted that they are negotiating about the possibility of zookeepers being vaccinated earlier (what is even worse is that some people actually sees it as good and useful idea)...
If you were wondering as I was - new gorilla house is still growing, in february zoo director posted on his facebook two photos... (no additional info about future of old house or about opening of new one)
And if you were STILL wondering, there was a tv report from zoo showing also new gorilla house interior and outdoor paddock Studio 6 Víkend — Česká televize
The zoo will re-open on Monday 12th. All local zoos and botanical gardens can re-open again, however under strong measures. Only 20% of max capacity of visitors is allowed. All indoor spaces must stay closed. Food/drinks can be sold only as take-away or from automats. Visitors must wear respirators all the time. Prague zoo will allow max 4.000 visitors at any given time within its areal (turnover will be counted on all entry and exit points). It urges public to voluntarily plan for half-day visits during weekends so that more people can go though its gates. It will refrain from selling alcohol. The dangerously bad financial plight of local zoos has resonated within public and popular media within last ca 2-3 weeks. Just today morning during my commute, I have heard 2 really popular radio stations asking its listeners to visit zoos once they re-open to help them out.
Bikira the Western lowland gorilla has sadly died at the age of 26: Gorilla dies in Prague Zoo Bikira was born 12/08/1995 and had one offspring at Prague Zoo - Tano, born 08/11/2011. Her death reduces the troop to 4.3 gorillas: 1.0 Richard (1991) 0.1 Kamba (1972) 0.1 Shinda (1991) 0.1 Kijivu (1993) 1.0 Kiburi (2010) Richard x Kijivu 1.0 Nuru (2012) Richard x Kijivu 1.0 Ajabu (2016) Richard x Shinda The two blackbacks will presumably be moving on soon, possibly in another year or so when Ajabu is old enough to leave with them to form a bachelor troop.
Well there is possibility they stay - there was at least considered that new gorilla house which is in construction, could contain two groups - one of them being bachelor. But that could change meanwhile, of course (in tv spot I posted they said, as far as i remember, just that no gorillas from another facilities should move in) Gorillas from their "old" home should move there next year (or maybe this?)
Whose stupid idea was it to castrate the only offspring of a female that took a decade to breed (and will probably never breed again)! Are the other two young males (whose mother comes from two very well represented lines) castrated?
Przewalski’s horses: Four rare central Asian wild horses, whose breed was once near extinction, are now roaming a meadow overlooking Prague as the city’s zoo expands a breeding program that aims to rebuild their numbers in the steppes of Asia. The Prague Zoo released four Przewalski’s horses on a 20-hectare (50-acre) plain that provides a breeding ground for the short, stocky animals while the zoo rebuilds their permanent stables and enclosure. “This whole project aims to recreate a steppe environment here with its original fauna and flora with the horses’ help,” Prague Zoo director Miroslav Bobek said on Thursday as the four mares grazed with the city in the background. The Prague Zoo has first relocated four mares named Khamiina, Xicara, Lana, and Gruhne, choosing them to ensure the greatest possible genetic diversity for future breeding. The zoo will later introduce a stallion. Read more: Prague zoo opens new home for rare wild horse species
That’ll be the studbook who are struggling to find places for surplus males and who saw the overwhelming representation of Ajabu’s cousins in the breeding programme and decided maybe it’s not a smart idea to leave a male who will never get the chance to breed intact...by castrating him, he can remain in the group longer, and when Prague inevitably wish to acquire a different breeding male he can go and live in a bachelor group with his dad and his brothers with little issue...
The fact that Ajabu has well represented half cousins is ultimately of little consequence when the point of a breeding programme is to endure all founders are equally represented. Ajabu descends from a wild born female named Mintha, who is poorly represented compared to females like Mouila (from which Kijivu descends), who have a multitude of descendants. If there were no desire to pass on Mintha’s genes, I doubt Taronga would have bred her daughter Frala again at the age of 38 years. Males have remained in the troop (intact) up until the age of 12 at Taronga without issue; and Australasia has two bachelor troops with all intact males that get along fine.
Nuru and Kiburi are probably not castrated, at least I haven´t come across any info suggesting it. The decision of the EEP to mass castrate young males came probably too late for them.
