Origin

Meloun’s life opened with a rather eventful episode. Born on June 13, 2002, he was only two-months old – a time when he was supposed to be familiarizing himself with the watery element – when things became very watery indeed and the big flood of August 2002 struck. To be on the safe side, Meloun was taken from his mother Julinka and moved to a place of safety in the upper zoo. He had to wait a couple of days before his mom, who had fled into the swollen Vltava River, could be captured and brought back. We should add that this separation did not harm the pup in the least. After all, in the wild, mothers go away to hunt, leaving their pups on the shore for several days. Fur seal milk is extremely fatty, so pups can accumulate sufficient fat reserves. Our hero was living proof of this: as a little pup he was so round as to earn the nickname of Melounek (Little Melon). He was able to get so round, because when Julinka returned from her swim in the swollen waters of the Vltava, she put the adventure behind her and, settling down to her duties, suckled her pup like a perfect mother.

Temperament
As a pup, Meloun was always rather timid. He would stay near Julinka as much as he could and rather than come close to people, he would withdraw to a private place. But as time passed, he became less and less timid – surely the natural curiosity typical of any fur seal pup must have played a part.
When Meloun was two years old, his caretakers would, with increasing frequency, attempt to get him used to their presence. And only at that point did it become apparent that Meloun had inherited all the traits that had made his father Gaston such an animal celebrity. He is as playful and as quick to learn, and he takes his father’s gentleness to the next level.
Today, Meloun is an extraordinarily communicative and friendly creature. Training and any contact with his caretakers is a matter of fun and enjoyment for him. He readily learns whatever there is to learn and is a very obliging, one could even say eager, student. His greatest passion are exercises during which he gets to jump, and he is especially happy when he can frolic in the water. He also loves to kiss – both the females that keep him company in the enclosure and the people who come to visit him.

Life in Zoo
Today, Meloun is living in conditions similar to those in which Cape fur seals live in the wild. He occupies an exhibit that includes a large swimming pool whose imitation shoreline resembles the rocky shores on which he would be fighting for his harem if he lived in the wild. In a zoo, Meloun does not have this problem, so he spends all his energy training and frolicking in the pool – where the females Abeba, Bára and Julinka keep him company.