News

Czech officials report an increase in poaching last year. While in the whole of 2013, 86 cases were investigated, in the first 11 months of 2014 the figure was 90, a spokesperson for the police presidium told the Czech News Agency. However, a representative of the Bohemian-Moravian Hunters’ Union, Martin Horálek, said that problem was in fact far more widespread. Mr. Horálek said in most cases poachers killed animals for meat, which they sold directly to restaurants.

The West Bohemian City of Plzeň has officially launched its year as European Capital of Culture 2015. One of the main events marking the launch on Saturday was a “symphony of bells” in the city’s churches at 17:30. Other events being planned as part of the ongoing three-day festivities are a show on the main square náměstí Republiky involving a large video mapping project, acrobats, musicians and other artists. An extensive exhibition dedicated to legendary, locally-born animator Jiří Trnka also began on Saturday.

Developers are planning to create a new district on the Prague island of Rohanský ostrov in the next 15 years. The director of the Sekyra Group told the Czech News Agency it plans to invest up to CZK 15 billion into the project on the borders of the city’s Karlín and Libeň districts. The firm expects to buy the site, measuring around 200,000 square metres, from the city for around CZK 1.7 billion before beginning construction in 2016. The island has been largely neglected since being submersed during flooding in 2002.

Czech ornithologists are this weekend conducting a count of waterbirds as part of an annual International Waterbird Census being held for the 50th time. Environmentalists and scout groups are also taking part in the Czech census. As weather conditions are similar, the ornithologists expect the results to be in line with those for 2014, when a record number of sea ducks were registered; 110 greater scaups and 50 velvet scoters were seen, mainly at large Czech reservoirs.