Recently, on November 17, Budapest celebrated its birthday, and on this occasion several of our colleagues at the Zoo received recognition from our maintainer, the Budapest City Council: Mónika Mikó and Attila Márton Budai were named Heroes of Budapest, while Zoltán Hanga was honored with the “For Budapest” award.
The Budapest City Council first awarded the Heroes of Budapest prizes in 2023, on the 150th anniversary of the city’s founding. The aim of the award is to recognize outstanding work by those who contribute daily to Budapest through their roles in companies or institutions. Previously, one of our zookeepers, Martina Sztankó, was included among Budapest’s Heroes. This year, Mónika Mikó and Attila Márton Budai were honored on behalf of the Zoo.
Mónika Mikó, head of the Human Resources Department, has been working at the Zoo since September 2012. Her work not only helps the organization run efficiently, but her empathetic, patient, and always helpful personality also contributes to the growth of our community.
Attila Márton Budai, head of the Procurement and Supplies Group, has been ensuring for 40 years that the Zoo’s collection—currently nearly 700 species and 7,000 individual animals—always has the right quality and quantity of food available. His colleagues greatly value his quiet but unwavering work ethic.
Also connected to Budapest’s birthday, the “For Budapest” awards were presented. Each year, the City Assembly grants this prize to recognize exemplary, high-quality work in science, the arts, development, research, healthcare, education, sports, business, or contributions to the community and the city of Budapest. In 2021, the Hungarian Bird Rescue Foundation, founded by our Zoo, received the award. This year, Zoo spokesperson Zoltán Hanga was among the recipients. As noted in the ceremony held in the ceremonial hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he received the “For Budapest” award “in recognition of his more than two decades of charismatic work, scientific contributions, and public education efforts to introduce and promote the Zoo.”
