Zoo News

Tomorrow marks the 30th birthday of our zoo’s oldest penguin, who is also one of the oldest African penguins in the world. Her remarkable age is comparable to that of a 90-100-year-old human. Despite her advanced years, this female enjoys relatively good health.

From time to time, the public can see our Zoo’s youngest resident, a zebra foal born last week. At this young age, the foal’s coat is still fluffy and features soft, brownish stripes that differ slightly from those of adult zebras. Romy, the experienced mother, has successfully raised numerous foals in the past.

Cockroaches are rarely mentioned in a positive context, largely due to the presence of certain species in human habitats. However, not all cockroaches are pests; in fact, some are even strikingly beautiful.

Our zoo is home to several majestic trees of impressive size and age. Among them, the largest and oldest are mostly plane trees and poplars. However, the most ancient-looking of all is the massive plane tree standing on the lakeside promenade.

In our zoo, visitors can encounter many species that are increasingly rare in their natural habitats. The red-eared macaw in the picture, for example, is critically endangered. In its native Bolivia, located in South America, the wild population is estimated to be less than 300 individuals.

Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden is famous for its Nile hippopotamuses. Famous because of the long and rich tradition of hippo management and husbandry here, and also because of our hippos can bathe in medicinal thermal water.

Endangered African penguins breed regularly in our zoo. Peti (or Péter), the youngest member of the colony hatched in mid-October. Zoo visitors will only be able to see this young penguin in a few weeks, so until then we can show Peti just in a photo as a preview.

It is well known among our visitors that we are not only a zoo, but also a botanical garden, with numerous interesting plant species. One of our most interesting botanical exhibits is the Japanese Garden that is established in the 1960s. The Bonsai pavilion is also located in this Japanese Garden together with the National Bonsai Collection.

In the Magic Mountain, the leaf cutter ants can be seen carrying leaves with true ant diligence to the mushroom garden deep in their home. These animals actually cultivate fungi, because unlike leaves, they are able to digest fungi. Our visitors can admire the entire process.

Everyone has heard that brown bears hibernate for the winter. But it should be known that their winter sleep is not such a deep hibernation as it is, for example, in the case of hedgehogs, badgers or even bats.

To celebrate Halloween, the caretakers at the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden treated many of our animals to carved pumpkin lanterns. Of course, the inside of the pumpkins did not contain a light source, but rather delicious treats that the animals in question enjoy eating.

At our Great Lake, designed for waterfowl, the public can observe several different species, from cormorants to grey herons, all the way to the seagulls that start to visit here in late autumn. The pelicans, who usually live here, however, will have to be temporarily absent.