“I perceive our return to the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos as both a factual and a symbolic step. Strengthening ties with our natural partners, which the other domestic and Slovak zoos undoubtedly are, is one of the priorities of my mandate,” says the director of Zoo Prague, Lenka Poliaková. “Together we are simply stronger, and I look forward to Zoo Prague collaborating with other zoos not only at the level of keepers and curators but also now at the level of directors.”
The president of UCSZOO, David Nejedlo, adds: “We believe that there is strength in unity and that this return will be beneficial for all our zoos. The Metropolitan Zoo should be a natural member and one of the leaders of the national zoo association, especially since it has such a great level of expertise, and moreover, it is the zoo with the highest number of visitors and the largest number of employees and a huge media impact.”
UCSZOO has existed since 1990, and Zoo Prague is one of its founding members. Two of its directors have even served as presidents of the Union. However, in 2022, the Prague zoo withdrew under the previous director, and cooperation was limited. Following a recent change in the leadership of Zoo Prague, a decision was made to once again apply for membership in the Union, which was approved at the general assembly on May 21, 2026.
The main task of modern zoos is primarily large-scale activities aimed at nature conservation. For this reason, zoos need to cooperate, among other things, on coordinated efforts to save animal populations and their gene pools. Cooperation occurs at many levels. Not only for this reason do zoos join professional organizations. At the national level, in our case, it is the Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos, which was originally established in Bratislava as the Union of Czechoslovak Zoos. Today it includes institutions from both countries.
The Union of Czech and Slovak Zoos currently brings together nineteen zoos, of which fifteen are in the Czech Republic and four in Slovakia. Several million people visit them annually. Through their activities, they strive to contribute to creating a positive public perception of nature conservation, the environment, and biodiversity preservation. Member zoos are conservation-oriented institutions that focus on breeding populations of endangered animal species. They breed around 5,000 species of animals with approximately 35,000 individuals. In addition, they lead or support dozens of in situ conservation projects around the world, as well as themed events and educational projects.
UCSZOO is the most significant professional association of its kind in both countries and a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and also the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Photo: A snapshot taken during the meeting regarding Zoo Prague's return to UCSZOO. From the left: curator of primates at Zoo Prague Jan Mengr, curator of mammals at Zoo Prague Pavel Brandl, zoological deputy of Zoo Prague Jaroslav Šimek, vice president of UCSZOO Radomír Habáň, director of Zoo Prague Lenka Poliaková, president of UCSZOO David Nejedlo, senior keeper of ungulates at Zoo Prague Aleš Doležal, and keeper of sea lions and penguins Helena Rosypalová. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Zoo Prague
