Visitors to the Bratislava Zoo near the boar enclosure. (source: TASR)
Bratislava Zoo was forced to shut its gates on Saturday, 22 March, on the eve of its 65th season opener, after a sudden outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Slovakia triggered emergency measures to halt the spread.
It remains unclear how long the zoo will stay closed.
On its website, the zoo later admitted that it was facing another difficult situation in just six months. Last September, severe flooding forced it to close, leading to a significant revenue shortfall. A fundraiser was launched to support the zoo, which had suffered damage due to the extreme weather. It reopened two weeks later.
In financial difficulty again
Now, the zoo is facing another revenue shortfall, amounting to several hundreds of thousands of euros — not to mention the additional costs of protective measures, maintaining operations, and animal care. Zoo director Matej Dobšovič told Sme daily that the damage from the first month of closure could reach €350,000. If the zoo remains shut for four months, losses may climb to around €1 million.
Will the state step in to help?
"At this point, we don’t know. The prime minister said — and I’m paraphrasing — that all those affected by the outbreak would be compensated. We hope to be among them, and we are actively working towards that,” Dobšovič said.
Meanwhile, the zoo is appealing for public support. There are several ways to help, such as symbolically adopting an animal, buying an annual pass, or making a donation.
Animals in peril
Moreover, many animals are also at risk, including several rare species in its care: antelopes, giraffes, bison, deer, wild boars, fallow deer, goats, sheep, mouflons.
"We could lose all of them if the infection spreads into the zoo," warns the zoo.
Last Saturday, the zoo had planned to unveil a new enclosure for Eurasian lynxes and open a large new habitat for pygmy hippos, among other things.
"We were looking forward to the new season, especially after last year’s success — apart from the flooding that disrupted our plans," the director said.
