Chomutov Zoo: Open-air heritage museum to free-roaming wildlife vistas
Chomutov Zoo is one of the youngest Czech zoos, but it can boast being the largest by area, stretching over 112 hectares. The zoo has over 1,000 animals of 161 breeds, 14 of them endangered species. Many of the animals can be viewed moving around freely in open spaces.
Chomutov Zoo, located on the outskirts of Chomutov, north of Prague, was officially established in 1975, but as many other zoos established in the regions, the foundations for it were laid much earlier, around 1932, when it started out as an entertainment park with animals. Miroslav Brtnický, head of the park’s zoology department, says the park’s transformation into a proper zoo was gradual.
“Chomutov Zoo was founded in 1975 under the name Lesopark Chomutov. It was basically part of the town’s public grounds, meaning it was freely accessible to people. Over the years, more and more animals were acquired, and since, 1996, the zoo’s management had the grounds closed off and started charging fees. It was only then that it gained the status of a zoo as we know it today. This year, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chomutov Zoo.”
Thanks to its extensive grounds the zoo has three thematic zones: a classical zoo with immersive enclosures integrated into the natural terrain, the Eurosafari section, navigable via the “Safari Express” and Stará Ves, an open-air museum showcasing traditional Krušné hory (Ore Mountains ) architecture.
Helping save endangered species
Today the zoo has over 1,000 animals of 161 breeds, mainly from the Palearctic region, covering Europe, much of Asia, and parts of northern Africa. Among them are 14 endangered species. The zoo is particularly successful in breeding the Bukhara deer, a breed that was once classed as Critically Endangered, due to loss of its natural habitat and hunting. Miroslav Brtnický explains:
“We are involved in the European Endangered Species Programme within EAZA, the Association of European Zoos and Aquariums, which coordinate breeding projects. And I am proud to say that Bukhara deer are under the care of the Chomutov Zoo Park - we are in charge of their studbook. These deer come from Central Asia, from the river basins of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya—that is their natural habitat. Those basins were once covered with swampy areas where the deer thrived. However, due to human intervention the area dried out considerably, becoming very arid. The deer still lived there, but their numbers declined sharply, partly due to hunting. Fortunately, the Central Asian republics took action, creating several reserves, and in their natural habitat the numbers are increasing. However, the same cannot be said for European zoos, where the numbers of Bukhara deer are decreasing, so we’re trying hard to at least maintain their numbers and not let them disappear from European zoos altogether. Only ten zoos in Europe now have them. Here in Chomutov we currently have the largest herd in Europe—there are around forty of them here, we breed them and send them to other zoos involved in the project – Germany, The Netherlands, the Baltics states and so on. ”
The zoo is praised for its engaging layout, conservation focus, and family-friendly attractions. There are lots of interactive facilities, a train for children, a “petting” zoo, rope climbing park playgrounds, and educational installations sprinkled throughout the grounds.
In order to generate awareness of endangered species and what the zoo is doing to help preserve the breeds, it established an Environmental Education Centre, offering ecological education programs for schools and the public. Miroslav Brtnicky says the zoo is continuously expanding, but the main accent remains of programs involving endangered species.
“Right now, our main focus is on the European bison, which came near extinction in the past. You can see bison here in two places – in the main part of the zoo, and also in the Eurosafari area, where we have a second group of lowland bison. We work closely with other Czech and Slovak zoos that keep bison, and with the Czech Landscape organisation, which, among other things, also manages a bison herd in the Milovice reserve. Just this year, we sent a young female bison to Milovice, and another young female was part of a group of six animals that were transported to a Spanish reserve. So we’re trying to contribute to programmes focused on this particular species.”
Many of the animals can be viewed moving around freely in open spaces, others have their enclosures. Visitors can admire camels, the Mishmi takin and Golden takin –endangered goat-antelopes, Eurasian lynxes, brown bears, macaque monkeys, grey seals, or yellow-throated martens. A lot of space is given to hooved animals, also known as ungulates –there are quite a few wild donkeys from Asia, wild yaks, and species of rare birds, such as the Great Bustard and the Snowy Owl. The zoo became the first in Czechoslovakia to successfully breed cormorants and pelicans.
Only jellyfish pavilion in Czechia
Since the zoo keeps animals from the Palearctic region, most of them are used to a moderate-to-cold climate, so they do not require special care and can handle the local climate without problems. However, other areas present a major challenge. In 2023, the zoo opened a jellyfish pavilion – the only zoo in the Czechia to that offers this treat. Miroslav Brtnický explains how this uncharacteristic exposition for a landlocked country came about.
“The reason at the outset was very pragmatic. We had a space we didn’t know what to do with - a relatively small area, with no connection to outdoor spaces or natural daylight. Then we remembered seeing a jellyfish pavilion at the zoo in Berlin and we thought, well, maybe jellyfish could work here as well. Only, for us, it was completely uncharted territory. In the Czech Republic, no zoo has what I’d call a larger exhibit – in fact, no one has more than two tanks with jellyfish – so we had to start from scratch. We got in touch with a Czech breeder who keeps jellyfish, and in January 2023, we opened a small exhibit with eight tanks. We now have seven species on display and I think I can safely say that we have handled the challenge well and we were pleasantly surprised by the public’s reaction and interest.”
Animal enclosures, especially for seals, bears, and macaques, are spacious and thoughtfully integrated into the landscape, often among the largest of their kind in Central Europe. Miroslav Brtnický says that the seals’ pavilion is particularly popular with visitors.
“Seals are, of course, a major attraction in any zoo. Here in Chomutov, we have grey seals, which we’ve kept since 1992. Last year, we had to put down our male, Kašek, who had a big fan following. He was the oldest living male in the European breeding program and at 41 years had reached a truly remarkable age. Right now, we have just two females, who are very active. Tomina especially wows the crowds by her prowess and her ability to catch birds just for the fun of it. It’s happened a few times that an unsuspecting wild bird landed in the enclosure and she just snapped it up. So even if it’s just the two females here, they’re still well worth seeing. “
Aboard the Eurosafari train
Given the steadily increasing visitor numbers in the new millennium, which have now reached 250,000 a year, the zoo introduced train rides to facilitate movement around the zoo grounds. Miroslav Brtnický says the trains are a major attraction for children
“Around the year 2000, we opened a 30-hectare area known as the Eurosafari - a part of the park that visitors normally cannot enter on foot. The route first takes them through the classic part of the park, and then into the Eurosafari, where large hooved animals roam freely. The route is about 1.5 kilometers long, and during the ride you can see herds of bison, wild horses, mouflon, and various species of deer.”
In view of the zoo’s extensive grounds, much of the animal feed needed is grown on the premises. It has fields and meadows used to make hay for the ungulates as well as for growing crops and vegetables. Some things are also acquired from local farmers.
Since 2005, a large part of the zoo park has been protected as a European Site of Community Importance (SCI) making it part of a European ecological network, established to protect biodiversity within the European Union.
The zoo is also part of the National Network of Rescue Stations for Injured Wildlife and cares for permanently handicapped animals that cannot be returned to the wild after treatment.
Info in brief:
Number of animals: 1,016 , primarily from the Palearctic region
Number of species: 161, among them the European bison, Bactrian camel, Mishmi takin and golden takin, Alpine ibex, Eurasian lynx, brown bear, Macaque monkey, grey seal, yellow-throated marten, Pallas’s cat .
Area: 112 hectares
Endangered species: 14 breeds
Institutional Affiliations: Chomutov Zoo belongs to the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoological Gardens (UCSZOO) and holds memberships in EAZA, WAZA, and other global zoo networks
It is also part of the National Network of Rescue Stations for Injured Wildlife
Related
-
Protecting endangered species: stories from Czech zoos
Czech zoos are more than just a place to observe wildlife, they play a crucial role in protecting endangered species.
-
Ústí nad Labem Region
This region boasts the natural beauty of the Ore Mountains, the Elbe waterway. The sandstone rocks of Bohemian Switzerland.
