The Bratislava Zoo (Slovak: Zoologická záhrada Bratislava) is a zoo in Bratislava, Slovakia. It is located in the area of Mlynská dolina in the borough Karlova Ves. Opened in 1960,[1] it is the second oldest zoo in Slovakia. The zoo covers an area of 96 hectares (240 acres), out of which 35 hectares (86 acres) is open to the public. The zoo receives on average around 300,000 visitors annually.
As of 2020, it is home to over 1150 specimens of 169 animal species and is open every day of the year, with the exception of 1 January.[2] Major attractions include white lions, white tigers and DinoPark, featuring moving life-sized sculptures of dinosaurs. ZOO Bratislava was one of the first zoos in Europe that was successful in breeding Eurasian lynx in captivity.
Description
The Bratislava Zoo is an independent organization of the city of Bratislava (Slovak: Príspevková organizácia Hlavného mesta SR Bratislavy). It focuses on the breeding and conservation of endangered animal species, scientific and research work, education of the public, and providing recreational facilities in the city. It offers educational programs for children and students and allows the public to symbolically adopt an animal from the zoo for a fee.
Breeding facility for South African lions, Tigers (white form), Jaguar and Sri Lankan leopards
Primate House for Common chimpanzee and Sumatran orangutan
Terrarium and exhibit of exotic species with Slender-tailed meerkats, tropical monkeys, sloths, armadillos, and two new fresh water Malawi and Tanganyika aquariums
Enclosures of rhinoceroses and kangaroos
Enclosures of zebras and giraffes
Enclosures of antelopes and pygmy hippopotamuses
Lakes in a natural style with flamingos and pelicans
History
DinoPark was opened in the central part of ZOO Bratislava in 2004.
Annual visitor numbers history
Year
Visitors total
2002
143,759
2003
139,483
2004
219,131
2005
202,954
2006
237,046
2007
250,396
2008
301,383
2009
274,718
2010
302,074
2011
336,661
2012
287,070
2013
280,359
2014
308,806
2015
303,365
2016
310,121
2017
287,991
2018
316,597
2019
315 008
2020
252 565
A proposal to establish a zoo in Bratislava first appeared in 1948. The first intention was to build a zoo corner within the area of the Park of Culture and Relaxation on the Danube riverfront but later on, taking into consideration the importance of Bratislava as the capital of Slovakia, it was agreed to build a separate breeding and educational institution.[3] At first, in 1949, it was considered to build a zoo in the area of Železná studnička, part of the Bratislava Forest Park. But the experts’ reports had confirmed this location as unsuitable. A new alternative was therefore accepted – to build a zoo in Mlynská dolina which originally covered 9 hectares (22 acres) and was later expanded to 90 hectares (220 acres).
Construction began in 1959 with the help of volunteers and students,[4] and part of the zoo was officially opened on 9 May 1960. During the first decade of the existence of the zoo, there was already some achievement regarding breeding of macaques, baboons, porcupines, nutrias, leopards, pumas and dingos.
The zoo has undergone two major reductions, the first in 1981–1985, as a result of sewage system and motorway feeder construction, which reduced the area of the zoo to one-third, destroying two-thirds of the original exposition area and causing animal relocation within the zoo. As a consequence, a modern enclosure with the largest collection of exotic birds in Czechoslovakia had to be demolished and the birds were sent to other zoos. In 1991, a tiger escaped during the night and was shot within the zoo area. No person was harmed in the incident. In 2002-2003, the new enclosure for Turkmenian kulans, Bactrian camels and Shetland pony was constructed in the forested part of the zoo and the building of a breeding facility for Heptner's markhor and Barbary sheep had begun.
The second reduction was in 2003, when construction for the D2 motorway access road to the Sitina Tunnel forced a relocation of the entrance gate. Subsequently, the zoo had been closed to the public from December 2003, until the building of a new entrance, parking lot and noise barrier wall was finished. In 2004-2005, development plans of the ZOO Bratislava were accepted by the Bratislava municipal government and the construction of a new enclosure for big cats became one of the city priorities.
In 2004, an exhibition of Central European Mesosoic reptiles—DinoPark—was opened in the central area of the zoo, becoming a major attraction for ZOO Bratislava. At the area of almost 3 hectares (7.4 acres) DinoPark features life-sized sculptures of dinosaurs that are animated during the summer season. It also features a 3D cinema, educational trails and a paleontological playground with fake fossils for children. Since 2006, the area also features a specimen of the rare plant Wollemia.
In 2006, the new big cats pavilion was opened to the public, housing leopards, jaguars, tigers and lions. In 2007, development of the Primate House was started with the official opening in spring 2010. In the spring of 2008, the zoo shop and two playgrounds for children were constructed. Since 2009, ZOO Bratislava is allowed its own commercial business activities. In 2011, the zoo hit a record of 336,661 visitors during that year.[5]
