About the ZOO - history
Zoo Chleby was founded on the 5th of June 1997. The zoo was built on the foundations of a previous private collection of animals, which Dana and René Franěk used to have in Úvaly near Prague. As the collection was expanding with attractive exotic species (Red-tailed Amazon, Hyacinth Macaw, Great Indian Hornbill, Green-billed Toucan, etc.), the public interest seemed to grow. Many often visited to watch rare Pheasants, Cranes, Parrots, Toucans, etc. The small garden area by the family house was soon not large enough and it was necessary to look for a new place - not for private breeding, but with the goal of building a full-scale zoo.
In 1997, a long uninhabited and unused, heavily damaged manse in a small village called Chleby (near Nymburk) was chosen. With intense work of the Franěk family and the help of their friends, the zoo was gradually built up. Pheasants (including Crested Fireback, Great Argus, Tragopans...), birds of prey (Rhinoceros Hornbills, etc.). Since the beginning a wide range of flora has also been present.
Many visitors quickly found their way into the zoo and the number of them kept increasing. In 2004, the zoo became a full member of EARAZA (Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and was the first post-revolutionary private zoo in the country to obtain a license by the Ministry of the Environment. Already in the first years of its existence, the zoo achieved remarkable successes in breeding - for example repeated breedings of Rhinoceros Hornbill, the first breeding of Temminck’s Tragopan in the country, a breeding of See-see Partridge and Caucasian Grouse (the first in the world).
In the following years the zoo, thanks to its own efforts as well as the efforts of numerous volunteers, dynamically expanded. Species of animals were diversificated and added were a children’s zoo, a pavilion “Angkor Wat” (for Gibbons), a giant freshwater aquarium “Elbe”, a cheetah pavilion “Livingstone House”, and a collection of concrete sculptures displaying recently extinct animals, displays of Meerkats, Ring-tailed Lemurs, etc. Significantly improved was also the infrastructure and customer service.
Zoo with its area of only 0.6 hectares, was among the smallest in the country. However, that has changed, too. In 2008 a parcel of land with a size of 3.7 hectares was bought, located just across the road from the zoo. Administrative processes took a few years before it was possible to build and expand the zoo. First a parking lot was built, thousands of trees and bushes were planted, engineering sites were realized, and by the end of 2012 the first animals were added - Camels. In the following year, thanks to a grant received by the Ministry of Agriculture, constructions of a modern environmental center in traditional barn style and of a large playground began. More work is still ongoing. The zoo is constantly growing and still keeps visitors satisfied with a friendly, even family-like atmosphere. More than 70 species from all continents (except Antarctica) and numerous plants (i.e bamboos) are to be seen there.
ZOO throughout time:
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5th June 1997 |
founding the zoo |
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2004 |
entering EARAZA (Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums) |
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2004 |
obtaining license by the Ministry of the Environment (as the first private zoo in the country after the revolution) |
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2006 |
opening a souvenir store, a children's zoo, and a food stand. Renovation of the entry gate |
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August 2007 |
new website of the zoo |
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9th June 2007 |
opening of a unique gibbon pavilion “Angkor Wat”, in style of the world famous Cambodian sight |
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10th - 11th May 2008 |
hosting of the student’s World Championship in asian board game Go |
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2008 |
obtaining 3.7 hectares of new land |
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June 2008 |
opening giant freshwater aquarium “Elbe”, which with its volume of around 45 m3 belongs among the largest in the country and displays over 20 Elbe’s fish species |
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27th April 2009 |
Yellow-cheeked gibbon newborn |
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21st June 2009 |
start of the Facebook page of ZOO Chleby |
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2009 |
reconstruction of the main administrative building (roof and facade) |
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2010 |
the creation of a bee exposition |
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25th September 2010 |
the opening of a cheetah pavilion “Livingstone House”, in the style of the house in which the famous traveler was found dead |
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2010 - 2012 |
the creation of a series of concrete sculptures displaying recently extinct animals and several indigenous people - altogether 29 sculptures (15 species). The only similar collection in the country and of such size in Europe, probably even in the world |
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July 2011 |
the creation of a photo nook „Mascarenes“ with 3 sculptures of extinct animals (Dodo bird, Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise, Mascarene Parrot) and a sculpture of a woman of local ethnicity, Cafres. Included is a vending machine with souvenir coins displaying the Dodo bird. |
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September 2011 |
the creation of a Coypus enclosure |
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2012 |
the creation of a Camel enclosure |
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February 2013 |
a new (temporary) website of the zoo |
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2013 |
the creation of an enclosure and a house for Ring-tailed lemurs |
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21st June 2013 |
opening of an enclosure and a house for Meerkats, including two sculptures of Bushmen |
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2013 |
the beginning of a construction of an environmental center and of a children's playground |
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November 2013 |
a new modern and extensive website of the zoo, including engaging quizzes (on the basis of a computer game) |
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12th April 214 |
the grand opening of the New ZOO |
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2014 |
the commissioning of the e-ticket system (electronic cash boxes) |
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2015 |
the beginning of the construction of a house for the red-shanked douc |
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6th August 2016 |
the grand opening of the Mendel Ecocentre |
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26th August 2016 |
the arrival of 2 red-shanked doucs - most beautiful primates of the world and currently the rarest animals kept in the Czech Republic |
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1st October 2016 |
the grand opening of the red-shanked douc house, which was named Doc. Jebavý's Pavilion - in honor of the deceased ethologist, zoologist, primatologist and a longtime member of the board of directors of Zoo Chleby, doc. ing. Lukáš Jebavý, PhD. |
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November 2016 |
The zoo attained a third territory near the both current ones. It is an area of the former collective farm with an area of 0.35 hectares, where there were technical facilities (garages, administrative buildings, various workshops, a hall, a boiler room, a courtyard etc.). The area is outlined to be a technical (non-public) base of the zoo and a reserve parking lot, but even possible future exhibitions are not entirely outside the realm of possibility. |
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17th May 2017 |
Zoo Chleby became the 20th member of UCSZOO (Union of Czech and Slovak zoological Gardens) |
