„The female born in mid-May is a great signal that the bison are thriving in their new area,“ says the curator of hoofed animals at Prague Zoo, Barbora Dobiášová. The Prague bison settled in the enclosure last October to help revitalize the local forest-steppe. „Large hoofed animals help create the mosaic of the habitat through their natural grazing and browsing. They also enjoy twigs with leaves and saplings. We hope that more calves will follow in the coming years. Our task will be to observe how the number of animals influences the transformation of the environment,“ explains Dobiášová.
The herd in Dolní Počernice currently consists of five individuals – the bull Oskar and the females Omega, Onelina, and Grebelle. It is Grebelle who recently gave birth. „The calf, which she is taking excellent care of, is her first offspring. She is protecting it so diligently that she is currently keeping it away from the rest of the herd and even defending it against passing birds. Although the other females tried to get acquainted with the calf in the first days, the mother will probably incorporate it slowly and gradually,“ describes the hoofed animal keeper at Prague Zoo, Milan Kamenár.
The Przewalski's horse herd from Dívčí hradů also reports a new addition. A colt was born to the experienced mother Vereda and shortly after birth, it fully integrated into the group. The May calf is still completely dependent on its mother's milk and stays close to the mare. The best time to visit Dívčí hradů is during the morning hours. Other foals can also be seen in Troja. After the filly born in April, a colt also arrived in the Gobi exhibit this month.
Photo 1: Not only the first calf in the area but also the first offspring of the female Grebelle. These giants of European nature, including the smallest addition, can be observed in Dolní Počernice from two viewpoints. Photo Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha
Photo 2: Bison are close relatives of buffalo. However, they differ from them in their slimmer body structure and longer limbs. Photo Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha
Photo 3: Bison were once considered inhabitants of deep forests. However, they had to adapt to the local life when they were pushed out of the forest-steppe landscape. Photo Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha
Photo 4: The foal was born at the beginning of May. Visitors to Dívčí hradů can observe it from several viewpoints. Photo Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha
Photo 5: In addition to last year's four foals, three colts and one filly, another colt has been added this year at Dívčí hradů. Photo Petr Hamerník, Zoo Praha
