Zoo News

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.

The one millionth visitor of this year has arrived in the person of six-year-old Simon Marci, who visited the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden with his family. Our outstandingly popular Zoo and Botanical Garden has been visited by even more people this year than usual, as it has been nearly a decade since the number of visitors reached one million by the end of October.

Following the great success of the Light Dome in March, from November 6th, our Zoo’s Biodome will once again host a light art exhibition for over a month. The Light Dome 2 presents the magical creations of domestic and foreign artists. Tickets are already available, and we even offer discounted presale tickets until November 5.

In 1956, major changes took place in our Zoo, although most of these were only partially related to the 1956 Revolution. The battles in Budapest fortunately did not cause major damage, but two hippos died under unclear circumstances.

Yesterday, we successfully returned the orphaned wildcats, which arrived at our nature conservation rescue centre in early June, back to nature. You can learn more about the mammal of the year on Saturday, as this is when we are holding the Wildcat Gala and Carnival at the Zoo and Botanical Garden.