“The new Gorilla House will open on September 28th and a pair of Chinese pangolins will be arriving in the near future," said Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo’s director, and then went on to thank all the visitors. “Your interest in our zoo, not only helps overcome this difficult period following our closure during the covid-19 pandemic, but also contributes to the protection of endangered species.”

The Mayor of Prague, Zdeněk Hřib, and his deputy, Petr Hlubuček, were also present and wished Prague Zoo all the best for the new season.

“I am especially looking forward to the arrival of a pair of rare and endangered Chinese pangolins, which we will soon be able to see in the nocturnal exhibition of the Indonesian Jungle. The arrival of these new inhabitants from the zoo in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei is part of the cooperation between the two metropolises,” explained Mayor Hřib.

“Prague Zoo is constantly evolving, and its authentic exhibitions bring the natural life of animals closer to the public. The new Gorilla House is one more thing that makes it quite unique. It will transport visitors to a Cameroonian landscape full of plants and the sounds of the local wildlife,” said Deputy Mayor Hlubuček, as he outlined the atmosphere of the new exhibition.

Apart from the aforementioned plans, Prague Zoo’s activities to help war-threatened breeding facilities in the Ukraine and refugee Ukrainian women and children were also a key topic at the launch. The We Help Them Survive collection has a special sub-account that has so far managed to collect over CZK 3,170,000. Prague Zoo has already used some of the funds raised to send a total of three transports loaded with food and essential equipment to Ukrainian zoos, while other funds have been donated directly to Mykolaiv Zoo, Kharkov Zoo and Berdiansk Safari Zoo.

These endeavours were greatly appreciated by the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Yevhen Perebyjnis, who received a symbolic cheque for €10,000 from Miroslav Bobek during the opening ceremony. The money will go to help Mykolaiv Zoo.

“I want to thank Prague Zoo. In these difficult times it is thinking of its colleagues and the animals in Ukrainian zoos and those families with children who were forced to flee the horrors of war. Prague Zoo’s activities are an admirable example of Czech solidarity with the Ukrainian people and animals,” said Ambassador Perebyjnis as he expressed his gratitude.

During the afternoon programme there was a fashion show of Prague Zoo’s uniforms in children’s sizes, which could be purchased during the event. Furthermore, there was a presentation of a special collection of shirts with pangolin motifs and authentic African robes. This block of the programme culminated in restarting the operation of the children’s tram.

Visitors also had the opportunity to finally learn the sex and name of the baby silvery gibbon, an endangered species, that was born on November 20th last year. Prague’s Deputy Mayor, Petr Hlubuček, together with Patrik Fejtek, Director of the Volkswagen Passenger Car Division, baptised the four-month-old male with the name Claire. Volkswagen has become Prague Zoo’s new main car partner.

Visitors could also look forward to an eclectic programme, including the opening of the Gentle Giants exhibition and the launch of the eponymous calendar, whose godparents were the popular actress Veronika Khek Kubařová and the well-known film director F. A. Brabec.