save the turtle - brno zoo zooreport 1 2017.pdfspecifically to turtles, especially to our rescue...

the magazin for friends of the Brno ZooNo. 1

march 2017

Save the Turtle

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03 EditorialSo Far, the Biggest In Situ Project

04 EventWe Start the Operation of the Rescue Station for Sea Turtles

12 TutorialsNew tutorials, Spring on Hlídka

18 Newborn AnimalsThe First Baby of the Year

09 Building the Kura Kura CentreConstruction Phases

14 Rescue StationThe Animal Rescue Centre has beenOperating for Two Years

16 From Behind the SceneEnrichment helps with an animal’s welfare

19 Short NoticesWant to read about us?Try the zoo app!

10 Turtles of IndonesiaFive Species of Sea Turtles in Indonesia

06 InterviewWork on Nusa Penida is Managed by Two Builders

march 2017No. 1/17, volume XIXpublisher four times per yearMK ČR E 17723

Editor:Brno Zoo and Environmental Education Centre, semi-budgetary organizationU Zoologické zahrady 46, 635 00 Brno,Czech RepublicIČ: 00101451tel.: +420 546 432 311fax: +420 546 210 000e-mail: [email protected]

Publisher:Moravian Museum Zelný trh 6, 659 37 BrnoCzech RepublicIČO: 00094862

Editor’s office addresZoo Brno a stanice zájmových činností, p. o.redakce ZooreportuU Zoologické zahrady 46, 635 00 Brno,Czech Republictel.: +420 546 432 370fax: +420 546 210 000e-mail: [email protected]

Editorial board:Ing. et Mgr. Lenka Bochníčková, Bc. JanaHadová, MVDr. Martin Hovorka, Ph.D. (chairmanof editorial board), doc. MVDr. Jiří Klimeš, CSc.,RNDr. Bohumil Král, CSc. (specialist reader),Ing. Miroslava Piškulová, Bc. Eduard Stuchlík(editor manager), doc. Ing. Josef Suchomel,Ph.D., Mgr. Michal Vaňáč.

Emendation:Rosalind Miranda

Distribution:400 pcs in the English version1,600 pcs in the Czech version

The author of non-attributed texts and photos is:Bc. Eduard Stuchlík

First page:Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)Photo by Monika Jeglíková

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the magazin for friends of the Brno Zoo

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Editorial s

So Far, the BiggestIn Situ Project

This edition of ZooReport is devotedspecifically to turtles, especially to ourrescue station for sea turtles, which atpresent is entering into its trial opera-tion on Nusa Penida Island in Indone-sia. The new centre is the culminationof Project Kura Kura – Save the Turtlesthat our zoo developed jointly with theIndonesian non-profit foundationYayasan Kura Kura Nusa Penida in2007. The official sponsor of the projectis the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos.Recently, however, the project has beenpromoted, and is being carried out byour zoo and the aforementioned foun-dation. The University of Veterinaryand Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brnoacts as a professional partner of theproject in the Czech Republic.

In terms of the history of the rescuestation, it is important to mention theassociation agreement between theUnion of Czech and Slovak Zoos andthe foundation of Kura Kura NusaPenida. This was signed in November2007 as the default document to build,operate, and organize a rescue centrefor endangered turtles in Indonesia, aswell as leadership programs for the tur-tles' protection and reintroduction tothe wild. The agreement stated that theaim of the foundation is to build a res-

cue and education centre in the villageof Toyapakeh on Nusa Penida Island,which is part of the province of Bali.The intention of the Union of Czechand Slovak Zoos is expressed in theagreement as the decision to partici-pate with the professional cooperationof its members on programs intendedto rescue the world’s fauna.

During the conception of the KuraKura project, Brno Zoo drew supportfrom recommendations contained inthe document of the World Associa-tion of Zoos and Aquariums, knownas Strategy WAZA. According to thisstrategy, the member zoos, of whichBrno Zoo is one, should focus both onthe protection of animals in their nat-ural habitat (in situ), and of those out-side their natural habitat (ex situ; or, inother words, those in the zoo). The in-spiration for Brno Zoo also camefrom the campaign of the EuropeanAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums(EAZA) in 2004 and 2005, whichhighlighted the global crisis of turtlesunder the name “Shellshock”.

The number of tortoises and turtlesworldwide is radically decreasing. Theirhabitat is smaller, and some specieshave already completely disappeared.This is due to the collection of theireggs and to a massive amount of hunt-ing for culinary purposes. Tortoiseshellis also sought after for its use in jew-ellery and souvenirs. Although countrylaws protect most turtles, the lucrative

editOriAl

illegal trade in turtles still endures. An-other threat is the change in the naturalenvironment caused by humans.

Programs in situ are not a novelty atBrno Zoo. By the end of the last century,we were already participating in the re-turn of addax antelopes to their originalhabitat. Some of these animals, whichhad been bred in zoos and were beingtransported from Europe to Morocco in1996, were individuals born in our ownzoo. Currently, Brno Zoo participates inthe long-term conservation project forlittle owls in southern Moravia, and hasalso established a breeding base of Eu-ropean ground squirrels which is de-signed to strengthen the populations ofthis critically endangered species ofCzech fauna. We cooperate with theEurasian Association of Zoos andAquariums in two ongoing rescue proj-ects in Russia’s far east. One of these isreintroducing red-crowned cranes intothe wild. Some of the chicks in this proj-ect were bred from eggs laid in our zoo.The other is the building of a reintro-duction station for Steller’s sea eagles.

The rescue station of sea turtles onthe Indonesian island of Nusa Penidais the first major project in situ that ourzoo created.

MVDr. Martin Hovorka, Ph.D.,Director, Brno Zoo and Environmental Education Centre

Our quarterly magazine ZooReport isentering its nineteenth year, and wepresent to you, dear fans of BrnoZoo, its new format, which emergedfrom your ideas and observationscontained in the recent readers’ poll.An important change has been madeto the children’s attachment and itsnumber of pages. We are also tryingto focus more on what is happeningin the zoo itself.

MVDr. Martin Hovorka, Ph.D.

Event

The station was built on the small is-land of Nusa Penida, which is locatednear the larger and better-known islandof Bali. It is equipped with twelve reha-bilitation pools for turtles (each with avolume of around 8 m3), veterinary of-fices, and a workers’ residence. The vil-lage of Toyapakeh (toya = water, pakeh= salty), where the station is located,lies on the west coast of Nusa Penida.

In the near future, the station willhave facilities for environmental edu-cation, as well as demonstration pro-grams for the rescue of endangered tur-tles in Indonesia. The public awarenessdivision of the rescue centre will serveboth locals and tourists.

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Unique Focus

In Indonesia and many other countries,there are quite a lot of facilities that dealwith the rescue of sea turtles, but theyare mostly devoted to rearing theyoung, releasing them into the wild,and protecting marine beaches wherethe eggs are laid. The rescue stationKura Kura on Nusa Penida is conceiveddifferently, as it deals with the treatmentand rehabilitation of sea turtles whichhave suffered various injuries associatedwith illegal trade. Rehabilitated turtlesgo back into the wild, where – due totheir longevity – they can still give birthto several more generations.

The newly opened station receivesturtles that the Indonesian governmentconservation organization BKSDA

(Balai Konservasi Sumber Dava Alam)has confiscated from smugglers in theprovince of Bali. After treatment andrehabilitation, workers of the stationand BKSDA reintroduce the turtles tothe sea. At the station, there are twoveterinarians (one Czech and one In-donesian), along with students of vet-erinary medicine from the Universityof Denpasar in Bali and from Brno’sVeterinary and Pharmaceutical Uni-versity. Volunteers help, too.

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treatment, rehabilitation,reintroduction

The most frequent patients of the res-cue station on Nusa Penida are logger-head sea turtles (Caretta caretta),hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys im-bricata), green sea turtles (Cheloniamydas), and olive ridley sea turtles(Lepidochelys olivacea).

After having been treated as if theywere inanimate objects by smugglers,turtles arrive at the station in poorhealth, often with numerous superficialor deep injuries, or with inedible mat-ter in their digestive tracts. On the softparts of the body, there are sometimes

We Start the Operation of theRescue Station for Sea TurtlesAfter many years of lead up, Brno Zoo, together with the indonesiannon-profit foundation Yayasan Kura Kura Nusa Penida, recently laun-ched the trial operation of its sea turtle rescue station in indonesia.

The sea turtle rehabilitation pool in KuraKura rescue centre at Nusa Penida, with stafflodging in the background.

Photo by Jana Hadová q

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lacerations and strangulation groovescaused by the excessive pressure of fullfishing nets. We even encounter brokenturtle shells with some regularity. Tur-tles often ingest plastic bags (whichclosely resemble jellyfish, a favouriteprey of sea turtles), rags, plastic andglass bottles, and other garbage, and wefind this debris in their stomachs. Theyoften have hooks of various sizes andpieces of rope stuck in their oral cavi-ties and oesophagi.

Each turtle is given a detailed exami-nation by the vet, and is put into one offour categories according to the severityof its injury. Turtles with acute illness re-quiring immediate treatment, includingsurgery, fall into the first category. In theanimal’s weakened and dehydrated body,an infusion containing soothing anti-inflammatory drugs will complementthe much-needed water. After the oper-ation, during which general anaesthesiais administered, the turtle will stay at theveterinary infirmary for a few days underconstant observation. Then it is given aclear mark on its front flippers to identifyinto which category it belongs, and pro-ceeds to the seawater rehabilitation pool.Each day, workers at the station admin-ister antibiotics, analgesics, and food.

The second category also consistsof seriously injured turtles, but onesthat can afford to have several days ofrest to stabilize their condition beforesurgery. Treatment, along with preoper-ative and postoperative care is similar tothat of the turtles in the first category.

The third category comprises run-down turtles that do not, however, re-quire surgery. If it is possible to elimi-nate bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasiticinfection, they can be treated directlyin the rehabilitation pool.

The fourth category is reserved for tur-tles whose condition cannot be stabilized,making it necessary to destroy them.

Withered bodies are also examinedby veterinarians, both in the station atNusa Penida and in the laboratory ofBKSDA on Bali.

Further rehabilitation of cured tur-tles continues in a fenced section of thenearby bay. Only when the turtlesreach peak physical condition can res-cuers from BKSDA transport them inboats to the open sea.

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the Association of Czech ZoosSupported the Construction of the Centre

The Civic Association of Czech Zooshas significantly contributed to thefinal phase of the implementation ofProject Kura Kura mainly with its fi-nancial support. And Jaroslav Svoboda,the Association’s founder, “lent a hand”at the rescue station without pay duringthe autumn of 2016. The station alsogave himself a major sponsor gift.

The Civic Association of Czech Zooswas founded in 1994. It tries to empha-size the role of zoos in maintaining bio-diversity and averting ecological catas-trophe in today’s society. Since then,with the help of sponsors, it has beensupporting and promoting the work ofbreeders in fourteen zoos included inthe Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos. Italso promotes new exhibitions that thezoos open to the public, mainly through

its White Elephant competition, whichis organized annually in two main cat-egories: Rearing of the Year, and Expo-sition of the Year. In 2013, Brno Zoo re-ceived the White Elephant Prize inboth areas: for their breeding of Kam-chatka brown bears, and for the con-struction of Beringia (the Nordic faunaexposition).

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The rehabilitation pools, with the veterinaryhospital behind them. Photo by Jana Hadová

Loggerhead turtles, an adult at the bottom anda juvenile above. Photo by Petr Šrámek

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Interview


q How did you get acquainted withProject Kura Kura, and what did youdo before?

Jiroušek: As President of the Union ofCzech and Slovak Zoos, I supported theproject plan. It was adopted by a generalmeeting of the Union and, in 2007, I signeda contract with the Indonesian foundationfor our cooperation on the project.

Caha: I started to participate in ProjectKura Kura naturally, so to speak. The res-cue station and our diving base are im-mediately adjacent. Living side by side,we gradually became acquainted, and wefinally “got on the same boat.” I first vis-ited Indonesia 13 years ago, continued tovisit this country every subsequent year,and eventually began working as a divemaster (guide for amateur divers) for

a Czech diving base on Nusa Penida. Atthat time, I met MVDr. Martin Hovorka,Ph.D., director of the Brno Zoo, andProf. MVDr. Zdeněk Knotek, CSc., headof the Department of Disease of Birds,Reptiles, and Small Mammals at the Vet-erinary University in Brno. In 2014, theyinvited me to cooperate in building thestation. I was glad to accept the offer.

q Was there something there before, or didyou start on undeveloped sites?

Jiroušek: There are no natural clearingson Nusa Penida, and where we started tobuild looked like a junkyard; but the div-ing centre in the neighbourhood workedwell. It was, and still is, a good partner.

Caha: At the time I joined the work atNusa Penida, only the unfinished com-plex of the rescue centre stood there. Thepools for turtles were not roofed, and thesewer drain and supply of seawater hadn’tbeen installed.

q How hard was it to make contact withlocal institutions that deal with theprotection of nature, and to persuadethem to cooperate?

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Ing. Vladislav Jiroušek. Photo by V. Jiroušek archive Milan Caha. Photo by M. Caha archive

Work on Nusa Penida isManaged by two BuildersSince 2015, construction work at the tortoise rescue centre on the is-land of Nusa Penida, carried out under Project Kura Kura, has been di-rected by the former president of the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos,ing. Vladislav Jiroušek. However, he was not there alone. every threemonths, he was relieved for a time by traveller and photographer MilanCaha from Zlín. Caha, a builder by profession, is currently acting asa guide for the diving centre on Nusa Penida. At the conclusion of thesuccessful completion of the rescue station, the two men eagerly an-swered the following questions:

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Interview


Jiroušek: Despite my work of develop-ing the station from the start, I did not haveto negotiate with the local authorities.

Caha: That is a question for the repre-sentatives of the Foundation Kura KuraMonika Jeglíková and Komang. Fora long time, they prepared the ground fornegotiations, which they then led withthe authorities, Dr. Hovorka, and Profes-sor Knotek. Bureaucracy is rampanteverywhere and, from my small partici-pation in their visits to the authorities,I know that Indonesia is no exception.The applicant for a building permit onNusa Penida required negotiations notonly with the municipality of Toyapakeh,but also with a regional office in the seatof the district of Klungkung, the provin-cial administration of Bali in its capital(Denpasar), and the central authorities inthe country’s capital (Jakarta). It wasa very difficult task for those involved.

q Did the locals help you? What weretheir reactions to the building of thestation?

Jiroušek: Local people are very friendly,and our activities are perceived positivelyhere.

Caha: We employed several local peo-ple in the reconstruction and construc-tion of new facilities, and we could nothave done it without them. Of these, themost helpful was a man named Eko, whobecame our long-time friend. He got re-liable construction workers, taught mehow to buy materials for a good price,dealt with shipping and payment ofworkers, and performed many othereveryday needs for me.

q Was it easy to get professionals, or didyou have to teach them? Do Indone-sians have some habits that surprisedyou and caught you out?

Jiroušek: Skilled, diligent Indonesianswork with primitive tools and adhere totraditional building methods. SometimesI had to convince and compel them to usea different procedure.

Caha: Indonesians are hard working.They have their habitual procedures, butthey can quickly learn new ones. Some-

times they were so quick that, for in-stance, they laid the new sewerage systemand partly covered it even before I wasable to photograph and document theworkflow. But they had to learn not toadopt new procedures in their own tra-ditional way, as it would turn out badly ifthey did. But the workers and I basicallycame to an understanding.

q And what about the language bar-rier?

Jiroušek: Many people in Toyapakehknow a few Czech words, and some evenspeak a little Czech. Of course, this doesnot eliminate the language barrier; butI have good “explanatory” hands.

Caha: Surprisingly, it is not so difficultas one would imagine. Many Indonesiansspeak at least some English, and thosewho helped for years in the constructionof the rescue station on Nusa Penida evenknow a few Czech words. And some fel-low Czechs were able to learn a little In-donesian. Where that didn’t work, weused our hands and feet. At the end of theday, you always work it out. We drew newideas in the sand with a stick, or laid outthe sewerage fittings on dry ground first.

q Do they know anything about theCzech Republic?

Jiroušek: Those with whom we work,definitely yes. One of them visited ourcountry and told the rest all about it.

Caha: They know us primarily becauseof football, which is Indonesia’s numberone sport. They know Nedvěd, Čech,Rosický... Lots of locals know that ourstate (which they still think of as Czecho-slovakia) is situated in Europe. Other-wise, they do not know much about theCzech Republic. In their minds, there isa sense that anyone who is white is rich.

q How do the locals perceive the rescuework, and how do they relate to theturtles?

Jiroušek: I think most of them perceiveus positively. The people of Nusa Penidaare quite poor, and have their troubles.

They understand our efforts, but few ofthem are active in nature conservation.

Caha: Most locals know what will behere, and they know that as long as tur-tles are in the sea, tourists will come,from which they can benefit. They nowhave a different relationship to the turtles,which previously were simply food tothem. Some would not hesitate to eata turtle.

q The contract with the Indonesian par-ties on the establishment and opera-tion of the Czech rescue station wassigned two years ago. What has beenbuilt in that time?

Jiroušek: In short, we built a veterinarydispensary, sufficient accommodation,and repaired and roofed the pools.

Caha: Twelve quarantine pools wererepaired and roofed; and a one-storybuilding near the pools, originally de-signed for teaching and outreach, had an-other story added and was remade intoa boarding station for employees and vol-unteers. We also repaired the veterinarypractice facility. Essentially, the entire in-frastructure is new. For example, it wasnecessary to redo the electrical wiring sothat the network was operational and hadno failures. We also had to create a supplyof salt water to the pools, as well asdrainage back into the sea.

q How hard it is to get supplies andequipment to construction sites in In-donesia?

Jiroušek: Some things are manufac-tured on Nusa Penida; for others you

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Interview??????????


must go to Bali; and some things are un-available. Instruments were especiallyhard to get: For example, we had to re-place a vice with a setup operated by ourown two feet.

Caha: Great effort is required to finda suitable vendor of supplies and equip-ment. Large stores such as our OBI orBaumax exist also on Bali, but mostlythey offer insufficiently specializedgoods. It is necessary to search for a longtime in back alleys or garage-style smallbusinesses, where you can sometimesfind, for example, a small electrician’sparadise.

q They say the biggest problem at the lo-cation is water. Why?

Jiroušek: Our station is located at a sitesituated only about 100 meters from thesea, but the strip of land between us andthe shore is privately owned by a companycalled Quiksilver. How to solve it? Ulti-mately, after lengthy negotiations, the pres-ident of Quiksilver agreed with the instal-lation of pipes through the company area.

Caha: The situation with water, whethersalt or fresh, is really complicated. Sweet

water is abundant on Nusa Penida, butyou must run it from springs to the vil-lages. At the station, we managed to builda separate water connection. Salt waterfor the pools had to be brought from thesea. It’s not far, but we could not lay thepipe down in a direct line. It had to berun along property borders with the con-sent of the owners, and their agreementwas not given quickly.

q What is your relationship to Indone-sia? How has it changed in the timeyou lived there?

Jiroušek: I love Asia so much. I havea warm relationship with Hinduism, andI also found that the practice of Islam inIndonesia is very moderate.

Caha: I love Indonesia: amazing na-ture, beautiful sea, wonderful people.Just as the world changes, Indonesiachanges as well. I luckily had enoughtime to get to know it when many placeswere still unmarked by mass tourism.Today, although the country is still beau-tiful, I could live without a lot of thingsthat have occurred with the advent oftourism.

q What do you most like in Indonesia andwhat annoys you most there?

Jiroušek: I like the happy, smiling peo-ple of Indonesia. If I had not known whatI was getting into, I would have been an-noyed that there is no smaller unit oftime than one day in Asia.

Caha: I most like the local people,who are great. If you’re on good termswith them, they will do anything foryou. The litter across the environment– all kinds of waste, especially plasticbags and plastic bottles – bothers memost. It is unfortunately the case that itwas we who brought these things tothese lands. The locals are slowly start-ing to understand that plastic is nota banana leaf, and that it will not justdecompose in nature. So we must notonly teach them to use plastic, but alsoto dispose of it properly. But it seems tome that in the last two or three years,the situation is taking a little turn forthe better.

Questions were asked by: Mgr. Michal Vaňáč,Head of External Relations of Brno Zoo

The island of Nusa Penida emergesfrom the waters of the Indian Oceanat a distance of about 25 kilometres offthe southeastern coast of Bali. Thecoast of the island, roughly oval inshape, measures about 70 km, with theisland’s widest point being less than20 km between coastlines.

The north coast of Nusa Penida ismade up of white-sand beaches with

About Nusa Penida maerl beds; on the eastern coast, cliffsalternate with beaches; the south coastis decorated with monumental lime-stone cliffs; and on the west, the 250-metre-deep Toyapakeh Channel flowsbetween the rocky shores of NusaPenida and Nusa Ceningan. There,along with coral reefs, we can observefish, turtles, sharks and many other an-imals, including giant oceanic mantarays (Manta birostris) and the largestfish in these waters, the ocean sunfish

(Mola mola). Five ocean currents bringnutrients to Nusa Penida and providethe waters with a rich biodiversity.

Inland tourist attractions includea waterfall and several Hindu temples.The island is hilly and partly wooded,its highest peak being Mundi, at 503metres. The rainy season (from No-vember to late March) is interruptedby periods of drought, and the overallclimate on Nusa Penida is markedlydrier than on Bali.

p Toyapakeh Bay. Photo by Jana Hadová p Nusa Penida Insel. Map by Wikimedia

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Building the Kura Kura Centre


2006–2009 On August 11th, 2006, the South Mora-vian Regional Authority issued a certifi-cate for the period from 10/9/2006 to10/8/2009 enabling Brno Zoo to hold apublic collection for the purpose ofbuilding an educational centre and rescuestation for turtles on Nusa Penida Islandin Indonesia. In 2007, the foundationKura Kura Nusa Penida acquired landfrom the religious community in Toya-pakeh for this purpose, and constructionstarted in September of that year. In Jan-uary 2008, we began building pools andfencing off the area; and in September2008, we started the construction of aneducational centre with accommodationfor the staff of the station, with laborato-ries and technical facilities. e culmina-tion of the first phase of Project KuraKura, the inauguration of the trainingcentre in a single-story building locatedclose to the quarantine pools, took placeon August 5th, 2009.

2009–2014 e next five years were marked by stag-nation caused by protracted negotiationswith the Indonesian authorities. BrnoZoo and the foundation Yayasan KuraKura Nusa Penida finally received a li-cense from BKSDA to handle wild ani-mals in Indonesia in November 2014.Only then could work begin on the con-struction of a rescue and rehabilitationcentre. e South Moravian RegionalAuthority then gave Brno Zoo a permitwith effect from 1/2/2015 to 1/2/2018 tohold another public collection for thesame purpose as before.

2015–2017 e second phase of construction of therescue station began in March 2015 withthe reconstruction of the pools, whichhad eroded as a result of termites andtime. Cracked, leaking tanks were re-paired, and the termite-infested roofingwas replaced. (In the tropics, rehabilita-tion pools cannot be open to the sky be-cause the water temperature would gettoo hot.) Columns supporting the roof ofthe pools had concrete footings to pre-vent the penetration of termites. It wasnecessary to establish a supply of saltwater to the pools, as well as an outlet tothe sea. Although Toyapakeh Bay is onlyabout a hundred metres away, the pipeinserted into the trench had to be muchlonger because it had to be built along theborders of the land of different owners. Itwas also necessary, among other things,to install electrical wiring to light thetanks.

e floor plan of the training centrewas expanded in May 2015. An addi-tional floor was added, and the entirebuilding was adapted as a hostel for thestaff of the station. Also in 2015, webegan the construction of a second build-ing, where a veterinary clinic, warehouse,and office are situated. Surgery rooms

were equipped with surgical and labora-tory instruments during the followingyear, while office workers received com-puters, printers, scanners, internet access,and audiovisual capability. Other impor-tant equipment to be provided to the res-cue centre will include a small all-terrainvehicle which will transport turtles con-fiscated by inspectors of BSKDA to therescue station from the boats moored inToyapakeh Bay.

Brno Zoo’s management signed a con-tract with BSKDA for regular delivery ofseized tortoises in early 2017. is March,we began a trial operation. e inaugu-ration of the rescue centre is expected totake place in May 9 in the presence of po-litical leaders of the province of Bali.

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ConstructionPhasesConstruction of the sea turtles’rescue centre on the island ofNusa Penida was performed in twostages. Nearly ten years havepassed since the start of the trialoperation.

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Construction of the staff lodging at the rescuecentre. Photo by Jana Hadová

The education centre was adapted as stafflodging with the addition of one storey.

Photo by Jana Hadová u

10 www.facebook.com/ZooBrno

Turtles of Indonesia

During their phylogenetic develop-ment, sea turtles separated from tortoisesabout 110 million years ago. They werecontemporaries of the dinosaurs, butcontinued to survive at the end of theMesozoic Era and exist to this day as arepresentative of one of the oldest lines ofanimals. The seas and oceans are cur-rently inhabited by seven species of seaturtles. While it may seem that they areperfectly adapted to life on this planetand that their existence is not threatened,the reality is unfortunately different.Once people appeared on the stage, theybegan directly and indirectly to alter theenvironment. With the numbers of tur-tles declining and their occurrence areasshrinking, some species have completelydisappeared in certain places and othersare on the brink of extinction.

Sea turtles inhabit tropical and sub-tropical seas and oceans around the

world, and some species marginally ex-tend into temperate zones. We classifythem in two families: Cheloniidae, withsix species; and Dermochelyidae with justone. The members of the first family havea bony carapace, whereas the carapace ofthe leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelyscoriacea) is covered with a firm elasticskin. It is an adaptation which enablesthem to remain at great depths.

The leatherback is the largest sea turtle,reaching a length of up to two meters andweighing about 600 kg. It inhabits all con-tinents except Antarctica, and is the rep-tile species with the largest inhabited area.It can dive to a depth of 1,280 meters,deeper than any other reptile. It eats jelly-fish almost exclusively. Throughout thewestern Pacific, it is critically endangered.As the Indonesian population ofleatherbacks is very small, our rescue sta-tion at Nusa Penida sees very few of them.

In Indonesia, you can also see fourother species of sea turtles: The olive ri-dley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea),which feeds on crabs, molluscs, jellyfish,and algae; the green sea turtle (Cheloniamydas), which eats sea grass growing onsand bars not far below the water surface;the loggerhead sea turtle (Carettacaretta), which consumes crabs; and theone with the most beautiful shell, thehawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbri-cata), which eats only sea sponges(Porifera). The hawksbill inhabits alltropical and subtropical seas and oceans,and is critically endangered all across itshabitat.

The life of a sea turtle begins on landas an egg in a nest dug by the female in alayer of sand on a beach. This is exactlythe same secluded beach where she her-self had hatched many years ago. Thisability to find her birthplace after years oftravelling vast stretches of ocean is reallyextraordinary. Males never return tosolid ground. The female lays severalclutches during the season, after whichshe rests for a year or two before the lay-ing cycle repeats. Young turtles seek outcoastal meadows of sea grass in whichthey can hide from predators. Only whenthey reach roughly the size of a dinnerplate do they enter the sea and begin to

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Five Species of Sea turtles in indonesia, including twowhich are Criticallyendangered

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Green turtle (Chelonia mydas).Photo by Monika Jeglíková


Turtles of Indonesia

feed as adults. They grow very slowly,reaching sexual maturity at between fif-teen and fifty years of age, dependingupon the species. It is estimated that theycan live up to a hundred years.

The numerous dangers that turtles facebegin even before they hatch, as manyclutches are attacked by predators such asants or crabs. Predation continues duringhatching and on the turtles’ way from thenest to the sea, with many young ones be-coming food for birds and crabs. In thesea, other enemies lurk. After manyyears, most of these cease to be a threatonce the turtles are larger, by which timeonly sharks can occasionally harm them.

The sea turtles’ drastic population de-cline is related to people. Turtle eggs andmeat represent an important source ofprotein for many natives, who long agostarted consuming turtle eggs. Addition-ally, while the female is on the beachburying her eggs, she is often killed forher meat. Natives also traditionally huntturtles in the sea. In many countries, thecollection of turtle eggs is illegal but, un-fortunately, these are often countries withinadequate law enforcement in whichyou can normally buy turtle eggs in themarket.

The remaining parts of the turtle body(shell, bone, cartilage, etc) are eventuallyutilized, too. Used for hundreds of yearsfor making jewellery, the beautiful cara-pace of the hawksbill sea turtle is one ofthe most prized decorative articles, andillegal trade in its shell is the main culpritfor its radical decline. Many tourists are

still buying souvenirs made from tor-toiseshell, sometimes unknowingly, andso are supporting the collapse of thisspecies.

Sea turtles are also significantly threat-ened by fisheries, although mostly unin-tentionally. Hundreds of thousands ofturtles are annually caught up in the netsof small-scale fishermen or in the hugetrawl nets of fishing corporations. Mostof the trapped animals are injured or die,often since they are unable to come to thesurface to breathe when they are entan-gled in a net.

It has been a long time since seas andoceans were considered symbols of pu-

rity. Nowadays, it is estimated that, everyyear, thousands of sea turtles die fromhaving swallowed plastic bags. (Turtlesoften confuse these with their naturalprey, jellyfish.) Sea turtles can also be-come entangled in garbage such as thefloating remnants of nets, lines, bags, orpackaging materials. In addition, oil, pes-ticides, fertilizers, and household chemi-cals today can contaminate seawater. Another factor adversely affecting thelives of turtles is ambient light at nightfrom extended urban areas. This discour-ages the females from laying eggs, andalso can disorient hatchlings. They in-stinctively move towards the naturalbrightness over the ocean once they areout of the egg; but if the beach is illumi-nated by a stronger artificial light, the dis-oriented young often head inland andcan fall victim to predators, or end upunder the wheels of cars, or die of ex-haustion.

It may seem that negative factors, thelist of which is not complete in this arti-cle, will soon cause the extinction of seaturtles. However, this does not have tohappen. People still have time to changetheir lifestyles; but such a change can onlybe brought about by a widespread aware-ness of the biology of these turtles and bya decision by each of us to lessen ourpressure on the ecosystem.

Mgr. Petr Šrámek,Curator of Reptiles

p Juvenile leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea). Photo by Petr Šrámek

p The most endangered sea turtle, the hawksbill, has the most ornamental carapace.Photo by Petr Šrámek

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12

Tutorials


One of these is a tutorial programnamed Dubious Souvenirs. It is aimed atelementary school pupils in the 6th to 8thgrades, and is presented as an air travelgame. Children are seated in the cinemahall of the administration building of thezoo. Suddenly, a tall, slim “flight atten-dant” in uniform enters and welcomesthem to having landed at Prague’s VáclavHavel Airport. Aer “landing,” the “pas-sengers” go through customs control. e“customs officer” scans the contents oftheir luggage and explains to the some-what surprised passengers that someitems inside are not permitted. Glitteringsouvenirs made from coral or shell, orsculptures made of ivory and other natu-ral objects, even if commonly offered bytraders in foreign countries, are not per-mitted to cross state borders, they aretold. In addition, when a “customs offi-cer” finds a live animal in a trunk, a sim-ple fine is not sufficient, since this is a se-rious criminal offense.

is tutorial program is helped by theuse of many items. Besides mock-ups ofluggage, imitations of natural objects, andstuffed animals, students are suppliedwith a large world map, which they spreadon the floor to mark the route throughwhich illegal imports of live animals oranimal derivatives are secretly moved: Il-legal traders are even more involved in thelucrative smuggling than are tourists. Forexample, shipments of turtles for con-sumption in "luxurious" restaurants aresent out across Southeast Asia to China.Smugglers’ corridors can even be longer,sometimes across continents.

Participants of this tutorial programalso get smaller maps and stickers withpictures of animals so that they can pro-duce an information leaflet about how weshould behave when travelling abroad,which can be then be hung in theirschool, for example. e children can alsocreate posters while they watch audio-vi-sual recordings from Prague airportshowing a range of suspicious souvenirs.ese include bottles of liquor with asnake from a protected species floating in-side. e buyer of such products has beentold that the snake makes the liquid a mir-acle drug. e question of how the buyercould know that the snake is protectedcan come up easily. e answer is simple:“Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

A video recording of customs officersfrom Prague Airport also shows some ofthe harsh practices of smugglers. We cansee, for example, cockatoos with tapedbeaks packed in plastic bottles, eggs ofbirds of prey wrapped in stockings andfastened under a smuggler’s shirt, or livehummingbirds sewn into the small spacebetween the smuggler’s body & his (orher) underclothing. In this tutorial pro-gram, children are taught about the Con-

vention on International Trade in Endan-gered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,known by the acronym CITES, and thenthey can see some of these species duringtheir excursion in the zoo.

As part of another tutorial program,named Animals at Risk, pupils work witha map onto which they put images of var-ious endangered species in the area oftheir natural habitats. is program wascompiled for primary school pupils in the5th to 7th grades. ey learn how animalscan adapt to different natural environ-ments while they gain insight into thehistory of zoos, and are told about a zoo’srole in the contemporary world.

e third tutorial program, namedForest on Plate, points to the shrinkingareas occupied by tropical rain forests,which are being replaced by plantationsof the African oil palm (Elaeis guineen-sis). With the increasing demand forpalm oil, many forest species are losingspace in which to live, and are threatenedwith extinction. is program was com-piled for elementary students in grades 6to 9. Program participants are always sur-prised at how many products containpalm oil, and realize that even smallchanges in consumer behaviour can helpthe animals of the forest.

Mgr. Jana Galová,Head of the Education Department

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New tutorials

The educational programme called Questionable Souvenirs is a game imitating air travel.

Since the beginning of this year, educa-tors from Brno Zoo have introducedthree new educational programs, themain purpose of which is to show howit might be possible to slow or halt theloss of biodiversity.

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13

Tutorials


e program named Spring Awakeningbegins in one of the classrooms of the Cen-tre. e Spring Fairy Tale About Bird Songintroduces the topic, immediately aerwhich the children chat with the instructorabout the changes that occur in nature dur-ing springtime. On the interactive white-board, preschoolers show and name themost common spring flowers, while olderschoolchildren try to assign the correctnames of flowers to their photos.

e first messengers of spring are notonly budding and flowering plants butalso insects. Bees and butterflies appear,as well as the very popular firebugs, andwe observe these through cup magnify-ing glasses. We talk about the spring ar-rival of birds, and about their nesting.Children are shown how complex and la-borious nest building is for the birds, andthey then have the opportunity to build anest from materials that they find in thevicinity. ese are diverse, consisting ofgrass, straw, clay, and twigs. Children can

also play with their parents, and “attack”predators while they learn to appreciatehow important it is for the birds to hideand disguise their eggs in the nest.

Another part of the program helpschildren to get to know young domesticanimals as well as the most common wildanimals. Kids play the roles of young an-imals and their parents, and they learnhow the mothers recognize their off-spring using different senses such assmell or hearing.

Winter sleepers who emerge from theirhiding places in spring also include am-phibians. Croaking frogs communallymove to streams and ponds for food andreproduction. We explain to the childrenhow they can help the frogs to move safely.

Programs of the Environmental Edu-cation Centre are not all focused on na-ture protection. Some are also devoted tofolk cras and traditional ways of life. Itthus helps children to acquire knowledgeabout modern-day holidays and culture.

e program Spring and Traditions be-gins with Ash Wednesday, taking thechildren through the Lenten period up toEaster. e program introduces folk cus-toms and traditions relating to variousspring festivals. Children learn first-handhow to enjoy these days. ey get toknow that fasting is not starvation, butinternal cleansing, where people not onlystay away from delicacies but also fromall pleasures, dedicating themselves tocleaning up both dwelling and body priorto the most important Christian festival.

On the first Sunday of Lent, the chil-dren enjoy looking for pretzels. On Pas-sion Sunday, they look out for Moran (theGrim reaper), learn that spring treessymbolize the onset of the season, and getfamiliar with traditional Lenten dishessuch as “jidáše,” “pražma,” or “pučálka.”ey learn about Good Friday: When thechurch bells start to ring, they know thatthe sound symbolizes the truth of thecrucifixion of Christ. We also explain tothem that even pagan celebrations ofEaster are dedicated to the glory of God,so we paint Easter eggs and try to makeeverything merry and beautiful.

Mgr. Vladimíra Dolejšová & Mgr. Monika Chudárková,Lectors of the Environmental Education Centre Hlídka

Spring on Hlídka

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Also, movement games are part of the educatio-nal program Spring and Traditions.

Spring and Traditions is another educational programme, and includes carrying an effigy of Moranato be destroyed. This Slavic ritual represents the end of the dominance of the death goddess.

the educational programs that theenvironmental education Centre of-fers for children from kindergartensand primary schools can be dividedinto two groups: year-round pro-grams; and those that change sea-sonally. From March to June 2017,children can sign up two programsthat are geared toward this season –Spring Awakening, and Spring andtraditions.

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Rescue Station


During 2015, employees of the sta-tion carried out 169 interventions inthe field, and 227 animals were admit-ted to the station. Twenty-nine animals(mostly bats and hedgehogs) winteredat the centre and were returned to thewilderness in April of 2016. In the sec-ond year of the station’s operation,there were 281 interventions in the in-terest of animals in distress, and thecentre received 545 animals. By the endof 2016, these included 69 differentspecies. Among them were: animalsthat had suffered various injuries; orwere stuck in areas from which theycould not escape; or were chicks thathad been separated from their parents.

So far, the rarest animal received wasa Kuhl’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii),which is an endangered species in theCzech Republic. A lame male was dis-covered on November 15th, 2015 in an

apartment in Brno-Žabovřesky. Thepeople living there opened a window,and thought he flew away. However,three days later they found him still inthe room! After being transported toJinačovice, he recovered and winteredin our kennel. We set him free on May5th, 2016.

Bats often seek shelter in humandwellings and then cannot get out. Atthe end of the summers of 2015 and2016, we extricated about 200 commonpipistrelles (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)from unoccupied buildings in the citycentre. We set them free on the sameday at another, more suitable, location.

More unusual in our current practicewas the capture and rescue of anothergroup of the same species on July 26th,2016. They were stranded in the rain-water reservoir at a family home inVysoké Popovice. These inexperienced

young bats had chosen a slot under theroof of the house as their shelter. Dur-ing a storm, water flooded them intothe eaves and, from there, to the reser-voir. Thirty-eight of them drowned andanother seven died later; but we saved37. Once we rescued them from thereservoir, we kept them warm, gavethem antibiotics and fluids, fed them,and later set them free.

Four times in 2016, female Europeanhedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) andtheir cubs were disturbed by peoplewho were working on their land. It wasthen not possible to leave those hedge-hog families in peace on the ground, sowe adopted them. Although most ofthe breeding of these cubs at the stationis successful, in one case the female wasin such great distress that she refusedto care for her cubs. The lesson to belearnt here is that people should workin their gardens with great caution, al-lowing animal mothers to rear theiryoung, or transferring the animals to amore deserted place.

For the first time, we cared for youngred foxes (Vulpes vulpes). A self-ap-pointed keeper found a cub and took ithome from the forest to tame it, lock-ing it in a kennel. Please note that it isillegal to take animals from the wild toyour home. They all have the right tolive in the wilderness. Thanks tofriends of the capturer of the cub, wemanaged to take it into our care; andwith the help of the Prague Rescue Sta-tion for Wild Animals, we were able tobreed it and set it free.

In the spring of 2016, we were calledout to care for some chicks that hadbeen abandoned. First, in the woodsnear Rosice, people showed us a youngtawny owl (Strix aluco) that was sittingon the ground. It was useless to take itto Jinačovice – but when we put it on atree branch, the adult tawny owlpeeked out of its hole in the tree! Next,in the Brno preserve of Holedná, wehad the same experience with a younglong-eared owl (Asio otus). When wepicked it up and put it on a branch, the

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the rescue Station for Wild Animals which Brno Zoo operates in Jinačovice(in the district of Brno-Country) has now been active for two years, havingopened its doors on February 2, 2015. its area of influence includes Kuřim,rosice, and the Brno boroughs of Bystrc and Kníničky. Station workers areoften involved in other parts of Brno, too.

The release of the common pipistrelle which wascaptured along with 196 other bats which gotstuck in little-used quarters in downtown Brnoin August 2015.

Photo by Pavel Karast

the Animal rescue Centre hasbeen Operating for two Years

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Rescue Station


adult owl immediately called to it.And near the playground in Brno-Jundrov, we set free two young com-mon chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs).Prior to our arrival, they had spent thenight in a bucket that had been hungon a tree, even though they had previ-ously moved freely around in theirnest. At the time of our arrival, theirparents were still guarding the site.

Great spotted woodpeckers (Dendro-copos major) and hawfinches (Coc-cothraustes coccothraustes) were admit-ted to our station with injuries afterhitting glass panels. Some needed onlya few days of peace and quiet and couldthen return to the wild. Two Eurasiansparrow hawks (Accipiter nisus) alsosuccessfully recovered at our stationafter hitting obstacles. And a commonbuzzard (Buteo buteo) who had eaten apoisoned rodent also recovered with us.

We also encountered less-routine sit-uations when receiving injured ani-mals, such as the case of a northernwhite-breasted hedgehog which had arubber band cut into its skin behind itsfront legs. The wound healed slowly inour station. Some animals love togather garbage from all around.

We however still do encounter eventsthat could easily be prevented: Humansare not always kind to animals, thoughsometimes they are not acting withmalice. A pregnant female Europeanhedgehog was brought to us after a col-lision with a car. Shortly afterwards, shedied at our station. We therefore askdrivers to drive cautiously. We alsowarn against the careless mowing ofgrass: Baby deer suffered from this nearJinačovice. Before mowing, we shouldalways walk through the plot withoutthe mower.

While the coexistence of people andwildlife may be complicated, one canoften find a simple solution satisfactoryto all. Anyone who cares about the is-sues of animals in distress and whowould like to help may pick up a leafletwhich contains basic advice from ourrescue station. We are also alwayshappy to give advice on our standbytelephone number: 702 137 837.

Mgr. Jana Švaříčková,Head of the Rescue Station

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This red squirrel, which was only some three weeks old upon admission, was the youngest hand-reared individual of that species at our rescue centre.. Photo by Petr Šrámek

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The rarest animal admitted to our rescue centre so far was this Kuhl’s pipistrelle. Photo by Petr Šrámek

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A collared flycatcher, which was exhausted when it came to us, was released back into the wild afterseveral days of recovery. Photo by Martina Karasová

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From Behind the Scene


Almost all zoos enrich animals’ lives byidentifying what each one needs for itspsychological and physiological well-being, and then by providing what is nec-essary. In Brno Zoo, this type of enrich-ment is an almost daily job of ourbreeders and zoo staff.

Here is an example of how this worksin our zoo: A crowd of visitors in front ofthe kea aviary watch, fascinated, as thisparrot attacks a cardboard box with itslong curved beak. His well-developedsense of smell is telling him that he wants

what is inside. When he breaks the wallof the box, though, he finds a smaller box,which he must also peck through. Oncehe has torn through that inner cardboard,he can push his head through it to extractthe pods of groundnuts (peanuts) thathave been hidden there. He brings thesepods to a corner of the aviary, where hecracks them and swallows the seeds be-fore he continues to hunt for more food.

Keas evolved in their homeland as ob-servant and resourceful parrots, so wehave provided ways for them to keepneeding these skills in captivity. e kea’sbeak serves as a powerful tool. It canopen a padlock or unscrew an antennaon the hood of a car or on a roof. In New

Zealand, where keas come from, peoplemust lock their garbage containers well.Otherwise, their contents may be foundlying all over the ground the next day.

Keepers at our zoo hide the parrots’favourite foods – for example, low-fat an-imal biscuits, beetle larvae (mealworms),and carrots – in various places, forcingthem to use their initiative and to exertenergy, and thus mimicking the kind oflifestyle they might have in nature. Some-times they will find food in a drawerwhich our handy carpenter has made forthem. ey must pull it out to find pump-kin seeds inside.

Many other species that we keep inthe zoo also benefit by our hiding their

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helps with ananimal’swelfare

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Leafy twigs are a welcome dietary changeeven for chimps.

enrichment

Enrichment in many cases can ensureanimal welfare, but not all welfareprinciples constitute what is known asenrichment. In the wild, animals areusually active for most of the day. Notonly do they expend their energy for-aging, breeding, and rearing pups, butalso travelling over rugged terrain, ei-ther fleeing and hiding from enemiesor, vice-versa, chasing prey. In a zoo,hiding food in various places so thatthe animal has to search it out or put-ting it into their runs in a frozen statereplaces, at least partially, the varietyof stimuli with which they interact inthe wild. Offering them toys helpswith this, as well. This is enrichment.

From Behind the Scene


even with the so-called “processing” offoods themselves. For instance, tigers liketo chew thin branches thrown into theenclosure; or we fill a paper sack with hay,straw, and poultry feathers. e tigersthen chase the bag around their enclo-sure, trample it, and chew it. Eating canalso easily be enriched when we deployfeed at different places in the enclosure,either in the open or in natural hidingplaces; or the food may also be frozen inice or baked into a “cake.”

e life of zoo animals can also be di-versified also by introducing differentsmells to their exposure. Our Sumatrantiger was interested when he found thefaeces of a lowland tapir transferred to his

cious and very rugged. is, unfortu-nately, is not always ensured. Additionalhelp is provided by incorporating differ-ent materials into the enclosure such asold textiles and carpets as well as naturalmaterials: hay, straw, leaves, bones,stones, coconut or other nuts, woodwool, feathers, ears of corn, whole cornstalks, etc.

Zoos try to achieve the highest levelof welfare and satisfaction for their ani-mals by providing conditions that are asclose as possible to the animals’ wild en-vironments. Enrichment represents onlyone of many different parts of welfarethat is not able to substitute the lack ofothers.

This kea parrot is digging into a carton to getits food.t

A Sumatran tiger enjoys chewing a bambootwig. By doing so, it not only entertains itself butalso ingests valuable vitamins and minerals.t

Big hairy armadillos also enjoy finding foodhidden in a box. . q

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The common squirrel monkey will soon find outhow to get to the mealworms which we put in aclosed bottle.

enclosure by the breeder from our SouthAmerican exhibit. Although it came froman animal of a different zoogeographicalarea, the tiger enjoyed rolling around init. Beasts do this to overlap their scentwith the smell of their prey in order to beable to approach closer to whatever ani-mal they are hunting.

Simply finding ingenious ways of pre-senting the food or putting in varioustoys is not very effective if it is the onlystrategy of enriching the zoo animal’slife. How the actual exposure is shapedis also very important. It should be spa-

Armadillos in Brno Zoo can have theirfruit, mealworms, and other food hiddenin a cardboard box. Common squirrelmonkeys mine mealworms from plasticbottles by drilling a small hole with theirfingers; or they must bore a larger hole ina coconut to collect the chopped fruit andvegetables we placed inside; or theymight have to extract worms stuck incardboard boxes or in tubes of bamboo;or they must find the fruit we have stud-ded on skewers and hung at differentplaces in their enclosure.

Many other animals can find pleasure

favourite foods in various ingenious ob-stacles. But the hideout must not be dan-gerous: Metal clamps must be removedfrom cardboard boxes, for example, be-cause the animals could swallow them.

It is necessary to diversify and reinventchallenges as time goes on, or eatingwould become routine. Animals are mostengaged when they have to confrontchanging situations. For instance, greenseedlings are served as a seasonal diet di-versification for small marsh birds whenseeds germinate in winter.

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the First Baby of the YearThe first baby born in 2017, on January26th, was a woylie (Bettongia penicil-lata). Visitors can see it in the Exotar-ium pavilion with its mother, who wasalso born in our zoo, on December 7th,2014; and she gave birth to her first babyhere, a female, in 2015. That youngwoylie was later moved to another zoo.

This critically endangered species, wehave kept since 2003. In the wild, theyhave a life expectancy of four to six years;in the zoo, they can live longer. They be-come sexually mature at the age of lessthan one year. They differ from mostother kangaroo species mainly by theirsmall size (they grow on average toa body length of only 33 cm), and by theirprehensile tail. Before the colonization ofAustralia, woylies occupied sparse forestsand savannas across most of Australia,but now they are found only on the is-lands of Wedge and Saint Peter in theAdelaide Gulf and in several reserves onneighbouring parts of the continent.

Wolverines Have triplets A pair of Siberian wolverines (Gulogulo gulo) in Brno zoo have reproducedagain this year. The female, Nataša,gave birth to triplets. Last year, she gavebirth to a male which we named Vasil.

Initially, we did not know that we hadthree new wolverines. They were discov-ered by chance by breeders when theywere trying to catch Vasil before histransfer to another zoo on the morningof February 7th. The cubs lay curled up atthe bottom of a shallow lair, and were

quite easy to see from outside, as wolver-ines are born with white fur, and thetriplets were almost entirely white. Judg-ing from their appearance, they musthave been born very recently, perhaps theday before their discovery.

Nataša ferociously attacked the breed-ers and veterinarians who were trying to

immobilize Vasil, and she began to trans-fer her cubs to different places to protectthem, which is instinctive behaviour. Thebreeders and the vet quickly gatheredVasil in their net and carried him to thebreeding facilities. In the afternoon,Nataša calmed down and rehid her cubsin a small ditch near the pond.

In the following days, we separated thefather, Ivan, from his cubs. A malewolverine does not participate in the careof the offspring. Ivan remained in theinner quarters while Nataša continuedhiding her cubs in a den. (The wolverineshad dug a few dens in the paddock.)Nataša had the freedom of the paddock,the yard, and part of the inside of the en-closure. The passage into the nextinner area, where Ivan had been put, wasclosed to her. After six days, on February13th, Nataša transferred the cubs from thepaddock to the breeding facilities, decid-ing to place them in the box where shegave birth to her first cub.

Newborn Animals

t A female woylie with her young.

p Our wolverine triplets shortly after birth. Photo by Michal Vaňáč.

p A six-week-old wolverine.

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19

Short Notices


Want to read about us? q

Try the zoo app! A free application for smart phonesand tablets is a new service we offerfor visitors to Brno Zoo. Since Janu-ary 2017, it has been offering engag-ing information about seventy-threeanimal species whose breeding facili-ties are located around the main visi-tor route.

At any one of these enclosures, an in-quisitive visitor can scan the QR codewith a reader on his phone. They’ll beable to read funny and exciting storiesabout the animals inside the enclosure,browse information about the placeand time of feedings, or check out thelatest news and events in the zoo. Thebasic facts given on the standard labelson panels at each exposure are now en-riched in this way.

The staff of the Institute of the Czechlanguage of Masaryk University andstudents of this faculty, the Czech Lan-guage with Orientation on Computa-tional Linguistics, under the leadershipof Mgr. Dana Hlaváčková, Ph.D., alongwith Mgr. Marek Grác, Ph.D., and de-signer Kevin Scherrer have signifi-cantly contributed to the creation anddevelopment of this application, whichhas been a success in our zoo andMasaryk University. These students

came to us after their last year’s visit toBrno Zoo with the idea of establishingthis service. They completed two dif-ferent versions of the texts, one forchildren and one for adults. Their goalwas to provide readable content writ-ten in an unconventional style. To helpwith this, they consulted with BrnoZoo’s breeders and curators.

The staff of Brno Zoo intend to ex-pand the application in the near future.Visitors will be able, for example, to an-swer quiz questions, listen to an audiorecording of stories about animals, orread linguistic information from thefield of zoology.

A new species in our zoo q

Since February 17th, 2017 a pair ofsouthern three-banded armadillos(Tolypeutes matacus) has been living atBrno Zoo.

This species had not previouslybeen kept by us. They are sharinga space with our blue-and-yellowmacaw in the Exotic Pavilion. Ricardo,the male, came from Antwerp Zoo inBelgium, where he was born last year;and the female, who is the same age,comes from Heidelberg Zoo in Ger-many. When in danger, southernthree-banded armadillos can roll up

into an almost complete ball whichprotects them with its bony armour.Their native home is in the savannasof the Gran Chaco area in SouthAmerica.

Public Events’ q

– Spring 2017 Day of Nature Sciences, May the 1st

Our friends, students of Brno Chem-ical College, will introduce new infor-mation from nature sciences to our vis-itors in the zoo for the third time. Thisyear, they will concentrate on coloursand shapes. But you need not worry,you will not be made to feel like a smallschoolchild!

Children’s Day in the Zoo, June 3rd

On Saturday June the 3rd, our zoowill be full of colours, funny figures,and attractions. Popular commentedfeedings of bears, tigers, seals, giraffes,and other animals will be presented byBrno celebrities together with ourbreeders.

International Giraffes’ Day, June 21st

These beautiful animals with theirlong necks have their feast on thelongest day of the year. Specializedcommented feeding of giraffes andcompetitions will be prepared in BrnoZoo.

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p Visitors can scan the QR code from a billboard located at the lower turn of the zoo train orat certain animal exhibits to access our zoo application.

p A southern three-banded armadillo.Photo by Michal Vaňáč

save the turtle - brno zoo zooreport 1 2017.pdfspecifically to turtles, especially to our rescue...

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