Zoo accepting branches from the storm

Prague Zoo was closed Oct. 29 and 30 due to the high winds and the subsequent damage. It will reopen Oct. 31.

All of the animals survived the storm, but there was some damage to a building's corrugated metal roof.

The good news is that many of the zoo's animals love to eat tree branches and are helping to clean up the debris. The zoo is accepting certain branches from the public if they are inedible condition and from the proper trees.

Elephants, giraffes, deer, bison, tapirs, gorillas, orangutans and other primates will have a special ration of their favorite branches.

“They prefer the willow tree, fruit tree branches, oak, and beech,” Prague Zoo director Miroslav Bobek said. “If you also have broken branches or toppled trees in your garden that we could offer to the animals, it can be brought to us. "

People who want to see how the animals take care of the consequences of a strong wind can visit Prague Zoo on Tuesday. The gorillas will feast at 10:30 am, the bison at 11.30 am and the elephants eat their favorite branches at 1:15 pm. The branch feast will continue in the coming days.

The zoo this year welcomed its 60 millionth visitor since it opened 86 years ago. Last year the zoo had 1,448,353 visitors in total.

Prague Zoo was ranked the fifth-best in the world by users of the travel site TripAdvisor this year.

So far this year the zoo has seen the births of a litter of cheetahs, a litter of wolves, a rare white-bearded tamarin and several Komodo dragons. Last year saw the birth of two baby elephants, who are still huge attractions. The zoo in 2016 saw a total of 1,191 juveniles in 223 species.

Prague Zoo currently covers 58 hectares with 50 hectares used for exhibits. It has over 4,700 animals from 681 species, including 144 species listed as threatened. The zoo has 12 pavilions and over 150 exhibits. It has been particularly active in the preservation of the Przewalski's horses, which are slowly being returned to the wild.

The zoo as of May 31 is entirely non-smoking and has several WiFi spots.

For more information about bringing branches visit www.zoopraha.cz (CZ).