Košice Zoo, Wildlife park in Kavečany district, Košice, Slovakia.
Košice Zoo occupies 289 hectares in the Čierna Hora forest above the Kavečany borough, with nearly 75 hectares open to visitors. It keeps more than 350 species, among them Humboldt penguins, which the zoo coordinates as a European breeding programme, and the largest brown bear enclosure in Central Europe. A 5-hectare DinoPark opened on the grounds in 2013.
Construction of Košice Zoo began in 1979 on the Čierna Hora hillside in Kavečany, but the site opened to the public only in 1986, with 23 species on 7 hectares. From 1985 to 1991 the zoo also ran a vivarium on Popradská Street, then the largest collection of fish, amphibians and reptiles in Czechoslovakia. It has been run by the city of Košice since 1993.
The zoo displays animals native to Slovakia, particularly in a section representing the Carpathian region. Visitors can see which creatures naturally inhabit this part of Europe.
The zoo is accessible during colder months with shorter opening hours, while it stays open later in the evenings during warmer months. It is worth checking the opening times before your visit since these vary by season.
In 2002, the zoo gained international recognition when a European brown bear gave birth to five cubs at the same time. This rare event was even recorded in a record book.
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