Zoo News

The Zoo’s latest botanical attraction is now complete: Budapest’s first tea plantation, located at the foot of the hill in the Japanese Garden. The roughly two hundred frost-tolerant tea shrubs planted here could, within a few years, yield enough leaves to make around one hundred cups of tea per harvest.

Samu, our young elephant, is celebrating his fourth birthday today. However, we’ll hold the actual birthday event on Saturday at exactly 11:30 AM. Visitors are warmly invited to join the celebration.

Over forty years ago, UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – designated April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. The protection of monuments and cultural heritage is important for any society, but it is especially relevant for our institution, as most of the buildings at the Zoo are under historical preservation.

A female zebra shark is currently residing at our Shark School. This female zebra shark is staying with us, while her home at the Tropicarium is being refurbished. She is easy to distinguish from our own zebra shark, as she is visibly lighter in colour.

The two anacondas in the Palm House, nicknamed “the two graces” by their caretakers, are among the biggest snakes at our zoo. The longer anaconda is slightly over four and a half meters, with only one of our reticulated pythons coming close in size.

We have housed Luzon giant cloud rats at our Zoo for more than twelve years. These remarkable animals, which are native to the Philippines, have been successfully bred at our Zoo on numerous occasions. You can spot the giant cloud rats in the Magic Mountain.

Bird photography enthusiasts are once again invited to compete in the “Birdo – Bird Photographer of the Year” contest, with entries being accepted until May 17, 2025. As the main sponsor of the Birdo competition, our Zoo will be represented by one of the jury members.

This year, at the 23rd Website of the Year competition, our Zoo’s website was nominated in three categories. We are proud to announce that it received special prizes in two of them: Culture and Tourism.

The giant hooded katydid is one of the giants of the insect world, with a wingspan that can exceed 25 centimetres. Native to New Guinea, this remarkable species has been living at the Zoo for three years, housed within the Magic Mountain inside the Great Rock.

It’s double birthday time for our golden takins! Bao, the older of the two calves born last year, is celebrating his first birthday today, and it’s also the birthday of his father, Janek, who turns seven.

Now that his quarantine is finally over, everyone can meet Ottó, our new male wolverine. We’ve been keeping this species at the zoo since 2015. Our previous male, Igor, has been replaced by this young animal as part of the European zoo breeding program.

At our exhibit, the Australian Trail, at least five of our red-necked, or Bennett’s kangaroos, are carrying joeys in their pouches. The older joeys even peek their heads out now and then.