Zoo Ostrava The Annual Report 2009

Studbook # /
name
Sex
Date of
birth
Dam/Sire
Date of
departure/
death
Place of destination/death
T1021 ♂ 30.4.1996 Katka / Honza 1.5.1996 Ostrava
T1039 - Jitous ♂ 5.1.1997 Katka / Honza 5.8.1997 Circus
T1060 ♂ 16.5.1998 Katka / Honza 17.5.1998 Ostrava
T1073 ♀ 29.1.1999 Katka / Honza 11.2.1999 Ostrava
T1094 - Maruska ♀ 29.12.1999 Katka / Honza 15.11.2002 Prague Zoo
T1162 ♂ 13.9.2001 Katka / Honza 23.9.2001 Ostrava
T1163 - Adelka ♀ 8.8.2003 Katka / Honza 9.7.2006 Lahore Zoo (Pakistan)
T1195 ♀ 16.8.2005 Katka / Honza 16.9.2005 Ostrava
T1232 - Hugo ♂ 29.5.2007 Katka / Honza 3.11.2009 Warsaw Zoo
T1332 ♂ 3.8.2009 Katka / Honza 3.8.2009 Ostrava
In 2005, Ostrava Zoo changed its logo, with the hippo serving as a flagship species from this year on. Ostrava
Zoo team's efforts were greatly awarded in 2006, when the zoo was tasked to keep and compile the European
Studbook (ESB) for the common hippo, which has been published on a regular basis as of 2007. Parallel to this
was changing the zoo's animal acquisition and disposal policy so that Ostrava is now aware of not only the
final destination, but also even conditions of the location when sending hippo out of the zoo, and once there
are any substandard conditions, the transfer is cancelled.
Another major change in hippo breeding in Ostrava happened in July 2007, when the neighbouring outdoor
enclosure of 347 m2, the former tapir exhibit, was made available to hippos as well over the period of the
main season, meaning that the total area of outdoor enclosures accessible to hippos at Ostrava Zoo is now 733
m2. While ranging in the new enclosure, the animals can graze over the summer period.
In 2009, there were three updates in the hippo collection. This started with the female Katka that gave
birth to its most recent calf. The birth, which began on 3 August and ended as late as the next day, was very
difficult, and the calf (male) was born dead to our regret. Two months later, on 7 October, the death of the
stock founder Roza followed, caused by intense inflammation of lower jaw and related complications. Finally,
the most recent calf produced - a male Hugo - left for the zoo in Warsaw, who had built their new hippo house.
The events above left Ostrava Zoo with just a breeding pair, Honza and Katka.
In a near future, the hippo collection is about to enter another major development - grand rebuilding of the
hippo house is planned, to produce in particular a rebuilt roof and constructed filtering plant. The zoo team
hopes this will be the outset of another remarkable era of common hippo breeding in the zoological park of
Ostrava.
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