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No. 2 / june 2004
s p e c i a l s u p p l e m e n t
OObbssaahh
Zooreportthe magazine for friends of the Brno Zoo
june 2004No. 2/04, volume VI
Editor: Zoologická zahrada města Brna
U Zoo 46, 635 00 Brno, Czech Republictel.: +420 - 546 432 311fax: +420 - 546 210 000e-mail: [email protected]
www.zoobrno.cz
Publisher:MiO Publicity s.r.o.
Šámalova 90, 602 00 Brno Czech Republic
tel./fax: +420 545 575 297e-mail: [email protected]
&Peleos, spol. s r.o.
Hybešova 40, 602 00 Brno Czech Republic
tel.: +420 543 128 254fax: +420 543 211 761
e-mail: [email protected]
Editor’s office address: Zoologická zahrada města Brna
Redakce ZooreportU Zoo 46, 635 00 Brno, Czech Republic
tel.: +420 - 546 432 370fax: +420 - 546 210 000
e-mail: [email protected]
Editor manager: Eduard Stuchlík
Chief publisher: Milan Olšanský
Specialist reader:Bohumil Král
Distribution: 500 pcs in the English version1,500 pcs in the Czech version
First page:Bali Mynah
Photograph: Michal Piškula
Last page:North American Porcupine
Drawing: Jan Bodeček
UNSALEABLE
The SpeechStanislav Juránek
PAGE 3
Second day after birth the porcupine climbed a treeIng. Jiří Gábriš
PAGE 4
The most famous animals kept in Zoo Košice: bear quintupletsIng. Karol Seman, CSc.
PAGE 5
The aviary in the Service Centre is completeMgr. Jana Kantorová, Eduard Stuchlík
PAGE 6, 7
During a visit to Miami Metro ZooMgr. Markéta Hodková
PAGE 8
Hot news(red)
PAGE 9
Two more packages of Feathertails arrive from PoznanEduard Stuchlík
PAGE 10
New exhibition of Green AnacondasMichal Balcar
PAGE 11
2
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Under a green arch of leavesand needles, on walks in nearby andfar away forests, in quiet clearings,I have come across many animals. Mytrue calling is a forester and I havea close relationship with nature andto all life.
I have admired the elegance of thehigh wild, I have watched herds of ruttingdeer and seen the birth of their young, withtheir knees still shaking. I have seen haresfleeing predators, witnessed the cunning offoxes and heard the songs of birds, many ofwhich are threatened with extinction. Natu-rally, I have always placed priority on animalsliving free in the wild, but I welcome and amglad that there are zoos, which in many cas-es have protected and continue to protectnearly extinct species of animals.
Zoo Brno improvesits keeping
I highly value the fact that in recentyears Zoo Brno has set out on a path toimproving the quality of their breeding pro-grams. No regular visitor could fail to noticethe huge changes that have taken place inrecent years. Runs have been expanded and
new exhibitions established, in which life forthe kept animals approximates their naturalhabitat. Also the comfort of visitors has con-tinuously improved and the zoo has intro-duced ecological electric carts to transportmothers, children and the disabled. Of therecent innovations, I am most impressed, forexample, by the designer's resourcefulnessin the beasts of prey pavilion, which is ata European and international level, by incor-porating the possibility to see directly intothe Sumatran Tiger run from the restaurant,or at the end of the North American Beaverand Wolf run they have succeeded in addinga replica of a Native American longhouse.
A place where animalsand people are at peace
I have visited Zoo Brno regularly sincechildhood. In a flood of green, the animals aswell as visitors find peace, for which theextensive area of the zoo - in such unbeliev-able close proximity to the hustle and bustleof a big city - creates a grand oasis of peaceand quiet. The garden and its near vicinity,approximating for us relatively distant alpineand sub-alpine areas, directly provides mewith a natural way of movement and, ifI have but a moment, the place makes mehappy and I am glad to step out into it. The
flowing terrain is beneficial for people froma health standpoint since every step I take innature is a step towards health. But it alsofacilitates close association with nature andits inhabitants. In my childhood - and I amthankful for it - the zoo replaced television forme. Today, it is primarily a place for rest,peace and quiet, a place to meet animalsthat in the future every person will share inthe responsibility for their preservation.
Close wishes perhapsfor all of us …
In conclusion, let me express one giantwish. Let us create in a greater degree suchan environment that preserves a natural andhealthy habitat both for us and for our ani-mal friends!
Stanislav JuránekPresident of the South Moravian Region
3
TThhee SSppeeeecchh
Ing. Stanislav Juránek (*1956)The President of the South Moravian Region. Born in Brno and after graduating from
the Brno Gymnasium on tř. kpt. Jaroše (Captain Jaroš Boulevard), concentrated in mathe-matics and physics, he worked from 1977 to 1990 for South Moravian State Forests asa worker, a master, a construction foreman and later as a department head. Then from 1981through 1986, he took external studies at the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Agri-culture in Brno and in 1987; he completed a year-long study at the Faculty of Civil Engineer-ing at the Brno University of Technology (VUT) in the highly specialised field of construction.He worked as a department head from 1990 and 1994 at the construction company Ekostav-by Brno. In 1994, he became a councillor in the Municipal Office of the Brno-Židenice area,and from January 1997 to February 2001, he was mayor of Židenice. He entered the KDU-ČSLparty (Christian Democratic Party) in 1995 and he is currently a member of the nationwidecommittee for this party as well as a member of its regional committee. He was elected Pres-ident of the South Moravian Region during a constituent meeting of the Regional Commis-sion on 20 December 2000. He is married and he and his wife, Helena, have three sons –Vojtěch (18 years old), Stanislav (16 years old) and Štěpán (13 years old).
Stanislav Juránek
TThhee CCaauuttiioonn
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A pair of North American Porcupines(Erethizon dorsatum) brought great joy tothe staff at the Brno Zoo when, at the begin-ning of May this year, they had a cub. Thebreeding of these rodents in captivity isunique. In the Czech Republic, only the DěčínZoo and the Prague Zoo keep porcupines. InEurope, their young have only appeared ina few zoos.
Already on the second day after birth,the young followed its mother and climbed
safely up a tree trunk in their enclosure. Afterjust a few days, it tried to take vegetablenourishment. In the majority of cases, thefemale porcupine in the wild gives birth toonly one cub, which is well developed, as thegestation period is unusually long – 205 to217 days. The female then nurses it for onlya few weeks. It is possible to count on thefact that already by autumn, the young por-cupine will be independent in the zoo, thesame as it would be in the wild.
North American Porcupines belong tothe family of porcupines, which includestwelve species inhabiting North and SouthAmerica. They are the largest representa-tives of the family, usually reachinga weight of 4 to 7 kg, exceptionally as muchas 18 kg. They can be found in Canada andthe USA and as far south as the border withMexico. They spend most of their time highin the treetops, where it also sleeps, tuckedbetween forked branches. They are adapt-able, able to traverse the open tundra or thedesert, but preferring forests. They live onleaves, buds, young sprigs, and roots and onbark and needles when the vegetationhibernates (i. e. winter). On the ground,they search for bones and antlers, whichthey scavenge in order to supplement theirmineral intake. For the most part, in winterthey take advantage of the hollows of treesor overhangs in cliffs and caves for coveragainst the elements.
This peace-loving animal never attacksbut has developed an effective method ofdefence. In amongst the fur on its back andtail are several thousand quills about 8 cmlong and 2 mm in diameter. When in danger,the porcupine hides its head between its frontpaws and raises the spines on its back whilewaving its bristly tail. If anyone touches theseprickly balls, hundreds of spines are releasedthat penetrate into the soft tissue of the ene-my. Unlike the Old World Porcupine, NewWorld Porcupines have prickles with barbs.When an attacker flinches its muscles, thespines dig deeper into its body up at a rate of1mm per hour. If they reach a vital organ,they could cause death. Despite this, the por-cupine has many predators, such as the foxand the lynx, but first and foremost, howev-er, the marten. This animal has learned tohunt the porcupine in such a way that itsattack flips the porcupine on its back and themarten assaults the unprotected stomach.
A male and female North American Por-cupine arrived at the Brno Zoo from the Ohra-da Zoo as an entirely new species in theautumn of last year. They settled into theirquarters near the new beaver dam on MnišíHora in the former home of the raccoons. Inthe future, the zoo is counting on the porcu-pines to add their exhibition to the wolf runsand areas for the Canadian Beaver in thecomplex for northern Beringia animals.
Ing. Jiří Gábriš
4
Adult North American Porcupine
Photo
: Mich
al Piš
kula
Young North American Porcupine
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
Young North American Porcupine
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We celebrated our eighteenth year in theKošice Zoo on 1 May 2004. In the beautifulnatural environment, 288 hectares in area, itis possible to admire 143 species of animalsfrom five continents totalling 802 individualanimals. Eighteen years ago, there were 23species, and, now, when the character of thezoo will be developed further, the number ofspecies maintained will exceed 300.
The construction of runs and housingbegan in 1981. At that time, the Zoo pur-chased the first specimens of Hucul horses,which formed the basic herd registered in thegene pool of Slovakia in 1996. The KošiceZoo bred 89 foals of this unique, autochtho-nous species of horse, which has been suc-cessfully bred in Hungary and the CzechRepublic.
In 1988, a pair of brown bears wasadded to the collection. A total of 11 younghave been born to them, of which the last,quintuplets born on 6 January 2002, havebeen registered in the Guinness Book of WorldRecords. They are the most famous animals inthe Košice Zoo. Breeding facilities for the ninebrown bears are separated from visitors by anelectric fence. With an area of more than 1hectare, and surrounded by abundant treesand bushes, but also with open field spaceand a watercourse enabling refreshment andbathing for the bears, the area is ideal for
breeding. And it is also the greatest attractionin the zoo. This has helped to increase thenumber of visitors by nearly 50%.
The original aim of the founders of thezoo was to devote first-rate attention to thecustody of predatory birds and owls, as theirnatural occurrence in the surrounding envi-ronment anticipated that conditions wouldbe optimal for establishing artificial breed-ing there. This aim was never fully realized,so they built the largest aviary in Slovakia atthe zoo and we eagerly await a pair of Impe-rial Eagles bred here to successfully nest. Inthe vicinity of these predators we keepSnowy Owls, Eagle Owls, and Buzzards, aswell as a large number of exotic birds and
waterfowl. Several Blue and Yellow Macawshave also reproduced with the help of artifi-cial breeding methods, as have a number ofrepresentatives of water avi-fauna. TheKošice Zoo has achieved success with itsantelope-breeding program, which regularlysees the arrival of offspring. The size of therun enables most of the animals to breed inconditions similar to their wild habitats, theresult of which is that every year we breedmouflon, fallow deer, zebras, ponies, andeven mountain goats.
The Košice Zoo is linked to seven EEP-projects; it is a member of the Slovak Associ-ation of Zoos (SAZZ), and the Wild AnimalsVigilance Euro-Mediterranean Society(WAVES) in cooperation with zoos in Hungaryand in the Czech Republic.
The administrator of the zoo is the citycouncil. The poor financial condition of theCity of Košice has forced the zoo to engage inits own business activities, seeking financialas well as general sponsors, adoptive par-ents, and arranging for financial revenue.One such activity has enabled the welcomingof new animals every summer under season-able conditions.
Ing. Karol Seman, CSc.,Director of the Košice Zoo
5
TThhee PPrreesseennttaattiioonn
The most famous animals in the Ko‰ice Zoo are the brown bear quintuplets born in July 2002
Photo
: Zoo
Košic
e
Himalayan Tahr
Photo
: Zoo
Košic
e
TThhee aavviiaarryy iinn tthhee SSeerrvviicceeCCeennttrree iiss ccoommpplleettee
The aviary in the Visitor's Centre hasbeen transformed into a small exhibition ofThe Fauna of Indonesia linking the hall of theU Tygra restaurant with the souvenir shop onthe upper level. Until recently, only a pair of
Prevost Squirrels (Callosciurus prevosti) waslocated there. In May of this year, however,the Brno Zoo expanded the aviary with a hor-izontal section in the hall in front of the sou-venir shop. In the new space, separated fromthe squirrels by a screen, appeared fourspecies of birds acquired from the Plzeň Zoo:among the perches and branches fly a pair ofBali Mynahs (Leucopsar rothschildi); on theartificial cliff, Red Colored-Doves (Strep-topelia tranquebarica humilis) have builtnests, and the ground floor is lively withHooded Pitta (Pitta sordida) and CrestedWood-Partridges (Rollulus roulroul). Thesmall pond in the bottom of the aviary hasbeen stocked with Spiny Turtles (Heosemysspinosa). In the restaurant salon, glass formsthe walls of the aviary with metal wire in theupper sections.
The Hooded Pitta, a songbird from thePitta family, lives in primary and secondaryforests, in mangrove growths, and alsoaround the plantations and orchards ofSoutheast Asia. It lives on insects. It is themost common species of Pitta, occasionallykept in captivity. It grows to a length ofapproximately 19 cm.
The Crested Wood-Partridge once inha-bited the primeval forests of the MalaysianPeninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra, where itcan still be found at elevations of1200 m above sea level. Its food includesseeds, fruit, large beetles, ants, and smallsnails, occasionally scrounging the leftoversof wild pigs – it eats what the pigs leavebehind. This bird, from the order gallinaceousand the family of pheasants, grows toa length of 26 cm.
The Red Colored-Dove is a subspeciesof the South Asian Dove from the order ofthe soft-billed, family of pigeons. Its habitatsare Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Burma,Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, thePhilippines, and it has been introduced intoSulawesi. It inhabits open countryside withtrees and bushes, primeval forest, and drylowlands. It feeds on grass seeds and otherplants, as well as cultivated plants, such asrice and corn.
While the three species noted above arefound in the wild, the Bali Mynah, endemic tothe northern parts of the Indonesian island ofBali, is one of the most endangered birds inthe world. These songbirds from the starling
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6
Aviary in the hall in front of the souvenir shop Head of a Crested Wood-Partridge
��
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
Crested Wood-Partridge
7
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family grow to a length of up to 25 cm andweigh up to 90 g. They were first named in1912 when the ornithologist Walter Roth-schild imported them to England. They livedin an area occupying approximately 30,000hectares and their forty-member flock couldbe seen both in the monsoon rain forest, aswell as in dry acacia savannas. They feed onvarious insects, primarily ants and termites,seeds and fruit. The number of Bali Mynahshas never been very high, but at the begin-ning of the 1960s, there were still severalhundred in the wild. Now, the wild popula-tion, surviving in an area of 4,000 hectaresin Bali Barat National Park, is critically endan-gered and strengthening the species throughbreeding in captivity has unfortunately notbeen very successful. An estimated 125 to180 birds lived in the sanctuary in 1984. Thatnumber then declined to between 12 and 18individuals in 1990. Subsequent reintroduc-tion raised the population to between 35 and55 maynahs, but another decline followed.Data from April 2001 notes only 5–6 wildBali Mynahs. In zoos and at private breeders,it is estimated that there are two and a halfthousand birds.
Their disappearance in Bali occurred imme-diately after the discovery of the species, astraders quickly satisfied the wishes of collectorslonging for rarities. Mother Nature has decoratedthis Mynah with an effective method of mark-ing, more or less in a word: the body is predom-inantly covered by white feathers, only the endof the wings and the tail are black, and a blueswath stretches across the eye. The attraction ofthe bird was also increased by the fact that it can
imitate the human voice. The decline of thisspecies has been affected by the transformationof forests and savannah into plantations.
Reintroduction efforts by the AmericanAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums began in1981. For the Brno Zoo, the Bali Mynah is the18th species to be included in EuropeanEndangered Species Programmes (EEP).
Mgr. Jana Kantorová,Eduard Stuchlík
Hooded Pitta A couple of Bali Mynahs
Red Colored-Dove (background: Bali Mynah)
��
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
kPh
oto: E
duard
Stuc
hlík
VViissiittiinngg tthhee MMiiaammii MMeettrroo ZZoooo
For visitors from the post-communistregions of Europe, a tour of a North Americanzoo is still an excursion into the future. Assoon as they arrive, there is a huge parkinglot stretching as far as the eye can see. Eventhough here in the Czech Republic almosteveryone has a car, so many parking spaces,for example at the Brno Zoo, is only a dream.
The way to the Miami Metro Zoo, cov-ering 290 acres of land in southern Florida,consists of a twisting road gradually openingup onto views of the animal runs. One cansee everything without any visual obstruc-tions, only the Imperial Eagles behind theirnetting. The other species – antelope, lions,bears, Komodo dragons, Indian and Africanrhinoceros, as well as elephants, tapirs, hip-popotami, okapi, koalas, and more – inhabit
runs separated from people by narrow anddeep but almost invisible moats. The viewersenses a broad landscape full of animals, inwhich, for example, an elephant is perfectlyat peace next to a white Indian Tiger. Thefeeling of expansive views is even reinforcedin relatively small runs. Where animals can-not completely hide, they can be seen as if inopen, natural scenery though they are sepa-rated by an inconspicuous moat.
Although there are countless species ofbirds on branches in the giant walk-throughaviary, down below they are also in thewater. In the bat pavilion, we searched invain for anything flying. We gazed at fig-urines relating to legends about vampires asin a mini house of horrors and at the nearly1.5 m high mock-up of a Fruit Bat, which,upon touching a button, displays varioustypes of larger than life bats in a smallrefuge under its wings and head. Somethingis always screeching and buzzing, but no realanimals can be seen. In the end, I sawa clump of furry bodies in an artificial caveand, after patiently observing whether or notthey were breathing, I guessed that thesewere the only live bats.
Every 50 metres or so, there is a cov-ered, wooden bench and drinking water. Chil-dren could spend the whole day here. They
can dig for dinosaur bones, sit in a weaver-bird nest, learn something by playing with awide variety of educational gadgets, or climbon the back of a camel or rhinoceros partial-ly buried in the sand, where they can alsoenjoy just playing in the sand.
The Miami Metro Zoo has been opensince 1980 and maintains more than 800mammals, birds, and reptiles of 260 species.It also offers four climate controlled pavilionswith educational rooms, two gift shops,refreshments with hamburgers, a chil-dren's zoo with regular programmes, a chil-dren's playground with a merry-go-round,a natural amphitheatre with performancesthree times a day, an education program forschools, guided tours and facilities, dailyfeedings with commentary in many areas ofthe zoo, arrangements for birthdays or otherparties, etc.
When walking through the MiamiMetro Zoo, we frequently felt that this zoowas here just for us and that the staff dideverything so that we were comfortablewhile we were there. The effort to preparesuch luxury for zoo visitors seemed to be car-ried to an excess, almost to the extreme.However, I think that in the Czech Republic,we could also get used to such a well-devel-oped system.
Mgr. Markéta Hodková
TThhee CCoonntteemmppllaattiioonn
8
Young tapir in the swamp
Photo
: Mark
éta H
odko
vá
Runs in the Miami Metro Zoo give the impression of an open landscape (foreground: Arabian Oryx)
Photo
: Mark
éta H
odko
vá
Green Iguana on the garden wall of itsadoptive parents
Photo
: Mark
éta H
odko
vá
9
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Five Barbary Sheeps (Ammotraguslervia), a male and four females, werebrought to Mniší Hora from Sweden's Borasby employees of the Brno Zoo in May lastyear, and they joined the resident pair. Theimport means a significant strengthening ofthe gene pool of the Barbary sheep popula-tion bred in the Czech Republic. During Marchand April of this year, five young were bornand the Brno herd of sheep now stands ateleven members. A significant morphologicalcomponent of sheep is a long mane growingon the neck and limbs, which can reach to theground in the females. In the wild, the sheepare rare. Its habitat is in North Africa, whereit lives in barren mountain areas with sparseground cover. They have been artificiallytransplanted to the USA.
FFiirrsstt sstteeppss ttoowwaarrddtthhee rreettuurrnn ooff ggrroouunndd ssqquuiirrrreellss
The Rescue Station of the Zoo took intwo European Ground Squirrels (Sper-mophilus citellus) found in southern Moraviaafter a predator had seized their parents.Now, the already fully grown, orphanedyoung could form the basis of a reintroduc-tion breeding program after we obtain anoth-er individual in cooperation with the PlzeňZoo, something which the Brno Zoo hasaspired to for quite some time now. Theground squirrels are currently located in theexperimental breeding facility.
PPrraaiirriiee DDooggss aaggaaiinn bbeeggiinnttoo rreepprroodduuccee
Another increase this spring is sixyoung that appeared in the exhibition ofPlains Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus),
formerly inhabited by a male and twofemales. The first two Prairie Dogs were bornsometime at the end of April, but becausethese rodents from the squirrel family spendtheir initial weeks of life underground, peo-ple didn't see them until the middle of May.At the end of May, four more young madetheir appearance. These are younger andcome from the other female. Three yearsago, we genetically strengthened the groupof Prairie Dogs with individuals from a for-eign breed, and there was conflict amongthe animals – Prairie Dogs are used to livingin family clans. Therefore, last year we didnot have any offspring, but this year the gifthas confirmed that relations in the grouphave been restored. The Prairie Dogs exhibi-tion is located on Mniší Hora at the coveredpool, which is an advantage – they wereunable to dig out, as has happened in atleast one Czech zoo, where they escapedinto an adjacent garden colony. Prairie Dogslive on the prairies of the central regions ofthe USA from Canadian to Mexican borders.They subsist on various grass species andother plants and dig systems of warrens andburrows where they live in giant colonieswith millions of individuals.
(red)Young Plains Prairie Dog with its mother
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
kPh
oto: E
duard
Stuc
hlík
Group of Barbary Sheeps
Female Barbary Sheep with its young
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
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At the exhibition of Feathertail Gliders(Acrobates pygmaeus) in the London Zoo,a visitor may, or at least until recently could,read a warning that these miniature flyingmarsupials could only be seen in two Euro-pean zoos, in London and Poznan. But formore than a year already, it has also beenpossible to see them in Brno.
In December 2002, the Brno Zoobrought a group of twenty-four individuals
from the Poznan Zoo. Local zoologistsimported the first marsupials from the Syd-ney Zoo to Europe, and they successfullyreproduced. The mixed group consists only offemales and that is entirely intentional: ini-tially, the Brno staff wanted to verify, in prac-tice, all of the particulars for breeding. At thebeginning of this April, fourteen femaleFeathertails arrived in Brno from Poznan.
The Feathertails live in one of thevivaria of the Tropical Kingdom pavilion, andsince they are nocturnal animals, they havea reverse regime: at night we light the build-ing, and they climb into their nests andsleep. During the day, the exhibition is litsparingly by blue light, simulating moon-light, and the Feathertails are active to thedelight of visitors.
Feathertails live in eucalyptus forests onthe eastern shores of Australia. They live intrees, feeding on the sap, but they also eatfruit and flowers by extracting nectar. Theydon't even look askance at insects or smallanimals. They grow to a length of only6.5–8 cm and a weight of 10–14 g. Theiradaptation to the environment is perfect:their semi-prehensile tail aids them whenmoving on branches. In particular, the broad
pads on the toes of their feet are somewhatsticky and enable the animals to climb up anddown along the smooth trunks of Australiantrees effortlessly, while in captivity they easi-ly walk along the vertical glass walls of theirhousing. Furthermore, Feathertails areequipped with a flying membrane linking thefore and rear limbs. In the sparse Australianforests, when leaping from tree to tree, or tothe ground, they cover up to 20 metres. Thesurface of the tail, which resembles the formof a bird feather, aids them in flight. Themethod of flight appears effortless – the ani-mal climbs to an elevated point and leaps intoopen space. It immediately stretches out thelength of its body allowing the membranebetween the knees and the elbows to tightenand the Feathertail glides like a delta plane.
After its first experience with Feather-tail Gliders, the Brno Zoo now offers theopportunity to establish their own breedingprogram for the smallest, gliding-capable ani-mal in the world. Breeding may be successfulonly with larger groups, as reproduction doesnot occur in isolated pairs. Then, as soon asthe Zoo successfully adapts the cellar of thePermanent Aquarium Exhibition, the Feather-tails could become a welcome species in thelocal planned nocturarium. Of course, theywill also not be missing from the Australianpavilion, which according to the new exhibi-tion concept will appear on Mniší Hora afterremodelling the exotic bird pavilion.
Eduard Stuchlík
TThhee RReessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy
10
Feathertail Glider
Photo
: Lub
omír S
tehlík
Head of a Feathertail Glider
Photo
: Lub
omír S
tehlík
One of the female Feathertails imported from Poznanhad young in its pouch
Photo
: Lub
omír S
tehlík
NNeeww eexxhhiibbiittiioonn ooff GGrreeeennAAnnaaccoonnddaass
In the spring of this year, the Brno Zoo-logical Gardens enriched its collection of rep-tiles with the addition of six Green Anacondas(Eunectes murinus), the heaviest snakes inthe world. Their maximum weight is between180 to 200 kg, but the two hundred kiloweight threshold of this giant snake may beexceeded. The circumference of the GreenAnaconda's body can be comparable with thechest of an adult human.
Along with Reticulated Pythons, theseanacondas are also the longest snakes, grow-ing to more than nine metres in length. Cur-rently, the longest established measuredspecimen was 9.15 m long (and weighed227kg!). It should be noted that a snakelonger than ten metres has never beenfound, although in the USA in the nineteenthirties, a significant financial reward wasannounced for the discovery of such a speci-men.
The Green Anaconda is grey or olivegreen to yellow with black or red framed yel-low spots. The six Brno anacondas were bornlast year on May 15 from a single brood.Their parents were born in the Plzen Zoo,which thus far has been the only Czech zoo tokeep Green Anacondas. The year-old young
measure around two metres and are locatedin one of the largest vivaria of the TropicalKingdom pavilion.
Green Anacondas live in the tropicalforests of South America near rivers andspend most of their time in the water. Theycan be found in Brazil, Columbia, Peru,Venezuela, Guyana, and Trinidad. It huntslarge fish, turtles, and caiman and ambushesbirds and mammals such as peccary andcapybara. Before swallowing its victims, theAnaconda suffocates them. It then digests itsprey, depending on its size, for a week ora month. They can go for a year withoutfood.
The tank for the Anaconda inMniší Hora is equipped with a heavy, curvedbranch and a heated pool, the air tempera-ture is maintained between 26–32 °C witha slight decrease at night. They are fed withfish, chickens, and small mammals. The ana-conda is aggressive but not poisonous. It isimportant to follow every safety precautionwhile handling them.
The Zoo plans that the anacondas willlater be moved to an even larger exhibition.But not all of the reptiles will remain in Brno.The zoo has arranged for two to go to theVienna Zoo. These snakes will apparently be
transferred during the transport of cariboufrom Schönbrunn. In the Czech Republic, inaddition to Brno, only the Dvůr Králové Zoocurrently breeds Green Anacondas.
Green Anaconda falls under CITES II pro-tection, which means that trapping in thewild is only possible for a limited number ofspecimens. An adult anaconda has no preda-tors – only humans can harm it. For natives,anacondas are a great delicacy. They are alsogreatly sought after because the demand forsnakeskin continues to outpace supply.
Michal Balcar
11
TThhee FFuuttuurree
Green Anaconda
Detail of the body of a Green Anaconda
Photo
: Otto
Ballo
n-Mier
ny
Photo
: Edu
ard St
uchlí
k
Green Anaconda
Photo
: Otto
Ballo
n-Mier
ny
