„It is a joy and at the same time an honor for me to meet with supporters of our zoo from various fields every year. It is not only about crucial help, as was the case this year during the historic first transport of Przewalski's horses to Kazakhstan, but also about seemingly small support. Every crown and every good idea counts. We are all creating the zoo together,“ said the director of Zoo Prague, Miroslav Bobek, in his speech.
The Big Richard Award was presented by Zoo Prague to the representative of the commander of the 24th Air Transport Base Prague-Kbely, Colonel of the Czech Army Milan Laniak. The award, which was received on-site by his son Marek Laniak, was given for long-term cooperation on the project Return of Wild Horses. This was highlighted this year by the very first transport of Przewalski's horses by military CASA aircraft to Kazakhstan.
The Small Richard Award was received by the company Remobil for its project of collecting unnecessary mobile phones. African ecosystems, which are home to critically endangered gorillas and pangolins, face mining for rare metals that are used, among other things, in the production of mobile phones. Their recycling thus indirectly contributes to the protection of endangered species. Zoo Prague has been cooperating with Remobil since 2023 not only on phone collection but also regularly on educational events in its area. The award was accepted by project manager Jiří Šmejkal.
The Wild Richard Award was obtained by Bidfood Czech Republic for significant support of the project Helping Them Survive and long-term cooperation with Zoo Prague. The company, for example, supported the reconstruction of the reintroduction center for Przewalski's horses in Alibi in central Kazakhstan, which was devastated by spring floods. The award for Bidfood was accepted by marketing manager Jan Kratina.
The Richard Awards were presented alongside the director of Zoo Prague, Miroslav Bobek, by the keepers of those animals that are the most popular among adoptive parents and sponsors – for example, the Humboldt penguin, the slow loris, or the lowland gorilla. Indeed, visitors will find a graphic illustrating the popularity of animals according to this measure posted at the Information Center at the main entrance. It is a so-called word cloud, meaning the larger the font size of the animal species, the more popular that animal is among patrons.
The entire event was accompanied by energetic live music performed by the Dixie Band of the City Police. More than two thousand people arrived at Zoo Prague today, who did not miss the special commentary performances and training of South African sea lions.
