Director Jan Vašák told journalists today. Visitors can also gift the animals, bringing them pumpkins, zucchini, rose hips, dry corn ears, acorns or beech trees.
Most people go to the zoo in the summer, fewer come at this time when it is dry and dark early. “We want to entice the visitor to discover that the zoo has its charm even in autumn,” said Vašák. He added that many of the animals are more active than in the hot summer and it is more peaceful to visit.
Fruits for the animals can be left at the zoo ticket office. For example, hippos, bears, gibbons and all kinds of pigs like pumpkins. “We also buy courgettes for lazy people. We discovered this essentially by accident when we started taking unsold surpluses from markets,” said Vašák. But there is no point in wearing chestnuts. “We don’t have an animal that feeds on them,” he said.
Children can also spend the autumn school holidays at the zoo, the suburban camp will be there on October 26 and 27. The first Thursday appointment is already almost taken, there are still free places for Friday, said deputy director Pavla Jarošová. On these days, there will also be commented animal feeding for the public, on Friday the zoo will celebrate Lemur Day. The richest program with autumn workshops and craft markets will be on Saturday, October 28.
People can visit the zoo in the dark for a reduced entrance fee from October 30 to November 3. When entering between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., they pay 50 crowns, while a regular ticket for adults costs three times as much. The pavilions will be open until 18:00 and the entire area until 19:00.
The zoo is a subsidized organization of the city. Last year it had a record attendance, over 353,000 people came. In the first nine months of this year, over 320,800 visited the zoo, compared to the same period last year by 7,300 more. According to the director, August attendance was weaker than usual, but September was successful. He assumes that the total number of visitors this year could be comparable to last year.
