@GerbenElzinga I was told today by a curator of birds that there are still two pygmy kingfishers in the zoo currently being kept off-show...
This week, cornerstone for one new elephant pen has been laid, this pen will have 3 ha (=7 acres) and should be completed next year. In year 2020, also second new pen will be built together with new house of 3600 m2 (=0,9 acre). Práce na velkém rozšíření zlínské zoo odstartovaly novým sloním výběhem - iDNES.cz IA attempt with elephant cow Kala was not successfull.
The zoo published a short overview about activities last year and plans for 2018. 2017: - attendance was 630.000 - less than in year 2016, Slovak visitors make already 13% of total. - one chick of Wattled Crane was reared - one Cassowary chick was hand-reared - one Cinereous vulture, one Egyptian vulture, 2 Rüppell's vultures, 4 European griffon vultures and 4 Secretary birds were reared. The griffon vulture chicks were sent to Bulgaria to be released into the wild. - mammal youngs include Mrs Gray's lechwe, Gelada baboons, Great Kudu, Red Panda - new species in the zoo are: Pied Tamarins, Spotted wood owls, Lesser Adjutants, Asian forest tortoises - the old elephant house indoor room was separated into 3 boxes - the new kivi exhibit is successfull, and the male Gery is often seen by visitors in morning hours 2018: - Amazonie area is being refurbished, for "mixed groups of birds and small mammals". New exhibits should open before summer season. Tamanduas are mentioned. - the new outside pen for elephants should be finished - new outside pen for Mississippi Aligators should open in summer - planning and start of construction of new enclosure for Jaguars
The zoo announced that one chick of Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) is currently being hand-reared in off-show room. It hatched on 20th March. Link with pics: Link
The hornbill chick was on-show this wednesday. The parents were not however. Amazonia: Tamandua enclosure is finished and the species is signed, although I didn't see any. Still construction works going on in the area. Regarding the new species mentioned a few posts back: Saw the adjutants, tortoises and spotted wood owls. Did not see pied tamarins nor were they signed. The single Burmeisters seriema is on-show (ZTL mentioned it being offshow) and was very showy, being outside all day.
The zoo has a new pair of Knobbed hornbill. Two chicks of Capuchinbird hatched in October and were reared.
Saddle-billed stork hatched in February. It's (yet another) first breeding of this species in Czech and Slovak zoos.
Two new aviaries are being buildt in Africa section, one will house some hornbill species, second will be for Crowned hawk-eagles
The zoo announced a birth of an silvery gibbon on 9th February this year. Here is nice video (minute 1:07) and it also has sloth bear cub as a bonus.
New species is on show - bongo antelopes in former kudu enclosure. Kudu herd moved into giraffe house. Another AI attempt happened with African elephants and they wait for results.
Building works on new jaguar exhibit should start in autumn and the exhibit should be open in summer 2020. The exhibit should be over 2 000 square meters big. Zoo wants to import pair of Jaguars from Brazil. This exhibit will also include aviary for Andean Condors and exhibots for Marmosets and Tree porcupine. Costs will be around 1m €
