The South American tapir calf is just one week old and will undoubtedly attract visitors with its striped colouring.

“This tapir calf is important because it is the first offspring of the female Taluen,” said mammal curator Pavel Brandl. “We obtained her from French Guiana in 2019 as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) breeding programme. This means she carries unique genes that are not yet present in European breeding. The calf’s father is called Tex, who also has a very interesting non-European ancestry.”

Weather permitting, the little tapir will be able to venture outside for the first time this Saturday, albeit for a short time at first to get used to the intense sunlight and outdoor temperatures. Visitors to Prague Zoo will be able to see the South American tapirs in the exhibit opposite the Darwin Crater.

Visitors can also see a recent new addition in the upper part of the grounds, where a Chacoan peccary was born a few days ago.

“This is the eighth piglet of this endangered species to be born in Prague Zoo. However, its mother is a different female from the previous cubs, which makes it even more important for us,” said Jan Mengr, the curator of ungulates.

Prague Zoo also supports the conservation of the Chacoan peccary in its natural range in the Gran Chaco area.

The two red-crowned crane chicks are already two weeks old. Although a symbol of longevity in its homeland, it is one of the most endangered bird species with a global population of around three thousand individuals. Prague Zoo has managed to regularly breed these cranes since 2011.

“The parental pair has an unusual lineage. The male, Albert, comes from Saitama Zoo in Japan. The female, Amálka, is originally from Beijing, China and is the longest living red-crowned crane in Prague Zoo, arriving here in 1998,” said Antonín Vaidl, the curator of birds, describing the reason for the rare mating.

Visitors can see the crane chicks in the Bird Wetlands exhibition.

Currently, during a visit to the zoo, the public can also look forward to babies from the eastern grey kangaroos and red-necked wallabies in the Darwin Crater, the leopard tortoises in the rock labyrinth of Africa Up Close, or the meerkats at the African House.

In the last four months, Prague Zoo has also had several important additions that are not currently visible and are being cared for by the keepers in the rear facilities. These include brown roofed turtles, palm cockatoos, the white-nosed coati and Pesquet’s parrots