Anonymous Donor Gifts Millions to Prague Zoo Gorilla Pavilion

Between a visit from Dr. Jane Goodall and the arrival of a miracle baby it's been a good year for gorillas in Prague

Expats.cz Staff Jason Pirodsky

Written by Expats.cz Staff,  Jason Pirodsky Published on 01.02.2017 17:08:27 (updated on 01.02.2017) Reading time: 1 minute

Culture Daily News

Last year the Prague Zoo, considered one of the best in the world, saw 1,448,353 visitors; a record attendance year in the history of the zoo. 

It’s likely that a number of those visitors came to see the zoo’s resident superstar. On April 23, lowland gorillas Shindy and Richard welcomed a newborn infant into their midst.

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The baby, a boy later named Ajabu, (meaning miracle in Swahili), was dubbed a “miracle” due to his unexpected arrival and celebrated worldwide.

In December, legendary primatologist and wildlife activist, Dr. Jane Goodall visited the Prague Zoo where she took a particular interest in the gorilla pavilion. She even shot an interview for the Na Plovárně series, one of the most popular shows on Czech TV. 

Now the famous Prague gorillas are making headlines again.

Prague Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek announced yesterday on the zoo’s Facebook page that an anonymous donor had gifted a large sum toward the building of a new gorilla pavilion at the zoo:

“Today our account was credited [in the] amount of EUR 4 000 000 CZK from Mr. XY to the new gorilla pavilion,” Bobek wrote.

However, iDnes is reporting that despite the generous donation, plans for the pavilion are currently at a standstill; winning designs were chosen in 2015 for a 2016 build date. In the meantime, the municipality is asking for more time to approve the plans.

The aim of the new space is largely to protect the gorillas from future flooding—a gorilla named Pong died during the devastating floods of 2002. The gorillas were also affected by the 2013 floods.

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Bobek added in the iDnes interview that he is grateful for donations of any size.

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