Chleby ZOO

Located northeast of Prague and spreading over an area of just under 1 hectare, the Chleby Zoo in central Bohemia will welcome you with a friendly, almost family-like atmosphere. The goal of the zoo is to provide the best zoo experience to its visitors – to enable both children and adults alike to have close contact with animals and to educate them via information boards and lectures. The zoo was established in 1997 thanks to the zeal of its director, René Franěk, who found Chleby, close to Nymburk, to be the most suitable place to move his constantly expanding menagerie of exotic animals to. The Chleby Zoo now specializes in rare and endangered bird species, and visitors can see about 100 animals from some 40 different species. Rare woody plants are grown here as well, allowing visitors to admire more than a dozen species of bamboo plants and more. Children will certainly be excited about the part of zoo where they can pet domesticated animals such as goats and sheep, as well as antelopes and even a porcupine, or have a picture taken of themselves with a parrot of the Ara genus. To mark the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the zoo, a unique monkey pavilion was designed, drawing inspiration from the renowned Cambodian temple Angkor Wat, and was subsequently opened much to the delight of visitors. The most popular animals in the zoo are the black-and-white ruffed lemur, the ocelot and the red kangaroo, but the most beloved of all are the gibbons. Despite its size, the zoo has experienced world-renowned success with its repeated successful breeding of the Rhinoceros Hornbill and the first breeding of the Caucasian Grouse in the world. Another important activity of the Chleby Zoo is that it employs people with disabilities, who can often find it difficult to gain employment, and who often experience a new meaning of life at the zoo. The opening hours of the zoo change with the seasons, so be sure to see the zoo's website for current opening hours and more information about the latest exhibits.

Chleby 1, 289 31, +420 723 237 571 (Zoo Director), www.zoochleby.cz