The twin polar bear cubs, 14 day old, are doing great. You can follow them through web cam live. Videogalerie | ZOO Brno and click on the text right next the polar bear pic.
Visited Brno Zoo last week. Some observations.... The Kamchatka Bear and Mackenzie Island Wolf exhibits are wonderful and both species very active. The polar bear enclosure is very odd indeed but did provide good views of a baby bear and mother. The enclosure is quite spacious but very steep....maybe more suited to spectacled bears.....and the pool is a long way from the visitors. I'm assuming there is another small off-show enclosure for the male or he is shut in while the cub is still young. Grizzled Giant Squirrel's no longer at zoo 9or at least on show).....enclosure in the Tiger House restaurant now occupied by Northern Tree Shrew. Chimpanzee Enclosure rennovations (highlighted in photos from others' visits last year) appear to have resulted in a new house which provides indoor areas for the chimps and ring-tailed lemurs. The new chimp indoor is quite nice......reminded me of Colchester if a little smaller......but this is connected to the horrific outdoor cage that was there before, and still represents the chimps only outdoor area. A new landscaped outdoor enclosure has been built next to this for the lemurs. The remaining primate cages (same as one for chimps) remain and currently house jagaurundi, olive baboon, white-fronted lemur and Binturong. The Sri Lankan leopards are no longer kept next to the tigers and the tiger area has been completely given over to Sumatran Tigers. The leopards now have their own purpose built enclosures at the eastern perimeter of the zoo....round the corner from the chimp/ 'primate' cages. These are more standard cage affairs although quite well done. Seems a bit odd that the leopards were moved when the enclosure next to the tigers was so new.....was there an issue that meant they had to move? Komodo Dragon now in tropical house in enclosure that used to house jagaurundi...quite a small specimen. Will post some pictures......
New animals exhibits under construction After many and many delays, a construction of three new walk-through animal exhibits finally started. First is an aviary for whiteheaded eagles, with adjoining pens for ursons and striped skunks. Second one is an australian pen with bennetts wallabies and/or brush-tailed rock-wallabies. The third one is an african village Samburu, with a walk-though weaver aviary, katta island and a greater flamingo colony. Opening is sheduled for summer/fall next year. Brno used to keep a small mixed flamingo flock on a pond near zoo entrance. When the construction of the new big cat house started (around 1998 I think), the pond disapeared and flamingos were sold. The new flamingos will be sourced as offspring from other Czech zoos, coming on loan. If everything runs smoothly, the next zoo project is a lion pen, building activities could start next year. Visitors are missing lions for more then 10 years and it is their common complain.
Three northern fur seals came from Russia. Brno will send a young polar bear female in exchange to Rostov on Don next spring.
Interesting; based on the fact that the collection was down to 0,1 Cape Fur Seal does this mean their final individual has now died - hence the import of a new species?
As far as I know these animals are from the wild. Zoo Brno asked our zoo some information about feeding.
The last Cape fur seal Gejša (ca 20 years old) has been sent to Leipzig zoo earlier this week, to make space for the new group. Leipzig keeps a 6 mostly older Cape fur seals so she will hopefully integrate into the group successfully. Yes, they probably came from wild. The director mentioned that the estimated ages were 6 for the male and 6 and 4 years for the girls. But he himself thinks the male is younger, not older then 4 years, considering his measures.
Today, female polar bear Kometa (born 2012) left the zoo, it goes to Rostov na Donu by a direct flight.
Separated from mom and twin brother at the age of 16 months, that is not what I do understand under animal welfare ...
The main reason (I citate here Brno zoo) for such early separation is the easiness of the transport to Russia. Kometa weights 100 kg now and can use a standart transport crate that is allowed as an cargo on regular airplanes to Russia. It will take 6-7 hours from Brno to the final destination. Kometa´s mother Cora travelled in this cage from Russia to Brno at similar age. The alternative would be to wait another 1/2 year and then use a larger crate. That would requiere to use special airplains, prohibitivelly expensive and with stopovers, the transport would take 2-3 days. Transport by truck would be much cheaper, but take at least 3 days and would require to pass Ukrainian/Russian border where nobody can predict future situation. Brno wanted to wait till autumn, the Russian side pressed on early transport.
First cubs, Bill and Tom(born 2007) left Zoo Brno at exactly same age and i never heard any compliants about it... In my opinion, it´s still better to move bear cubs a bit earlier, especially when the exhibt doesn´t allow separating more than two bears (Brno situation).Contrasts nicely with current brown bear situation: About 3 months ago, Zoo announced that brow bear cubs will be moved to some zoo in Ukraine, from that time nothing happened. The problem is that the Ukraine zoo said that "they will consider getting them" but no confirmation at all. I think that we all know how hard is placing brown bears. Only very few wants to keep them...
Always good to have a bit of population growth for the European population of this species; not sure I can recall the last time any were succesfully bred.
A female Reticulared giraffe was born last week. A set of new N.American enclosures is being unveiled this weekend: a large round aviary for white-headed see eagles, and pens for skunks and tree porcupines.
