Prague Zoo
Encyclopedia
Prague Zoo is a zoo
in Prague
, Czech Republic
. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague
. The zoo occupies 45 hectares (111 acres) and houses about 4,400 animals that represent 670 species from all around the world. Prague Zoological Garden has contributed significantly to saving the Przewalski horse. For many years it was the biggest breeder of the species in the world. In 2007 Forbes Traveler Magazine listed Prague ZOO among the world's best zoos.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The zoo occupies 45 hectares (111 acres) and houses about 4,400 animals that represent 670 species from all around the world. Prague Zoological Garden has contributed significantly to saving the Przewalski horse. For many years it was the biggest breeder of the species in the world. In 2007 Forbes Traveler Magazine listed Prague ZOO among the world's best zoos.
History
- 1881 The Idea - On the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf of AustriaCrown Prince Rudolf of AustriaRudolf , archduke of Austria and crown prince of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, was the son and heir of Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia, and his wife and empress, Elisabeth...
and Princess Stéphanie of BelgiumPrincess Stéphanie of BelgiumStéphanie was a Belgium princess by birth, and then made Crown Princess of Austria through her marriage to the heir of the Habsburg dynasty, Archduke Rudolf...
, an appeal to establish a zoological garden in Prague was published in the newspapers by count Sweerts-Spork. - 1919 At the meeting of the advisory board for mathematics and natural sciences at the Ministry of education and national enlightenment, a committee was established to start the preparatory work on the establishment of the Prague zoological garden.
- 1931 The Opening - On 28 September “The building site of the zoological garden” was opened for the public and in the sunny afternoon the first visitors entered the gate.
- 1938 The first young Andean vultureVultureVulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
in the world was hatched and reared. - 1942 The first polar bearPolar BearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
cub was artificially bred in the world (a female named Ilun). - 1959 Dr. Zdeněk VeselovskýZdenek VeselovskýProf. Zdeněk Veselovský was one of the most important Czech zoologists of the 20th century, founder of Czech ethology, very successful director of the Prague Zoo and the president of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens...
was appointed the director of the zoo. Under his leadership, the Prague zoo reached some world class successes in the area of breeding and scientific research. - 2001 The first artificial breeding of a Przewalski's HorsePrzewalski's HorsePrzewalski's Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia.At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu...
in the world. - 2002 Prague suffered the worst floods in its history. A large part of the zoo was under water and many animals died. The zoo soon recovered.
- 2007 Forbes Traveler listed Prague ZOO among the world's best zoos.