-This year, we have probably had our most successful year in 19 years.
- We have become Europe's best zoo in 2015.
- The Victorian House with its very impressive animal collection was inaugurated.
- An African elephant baby and nearly 200 young animals were born.
- Over 430,000 visitors have visited the zoo in Nyíregyháza, a town with 120,000 inhabitants.
The Foundation of Anthony Sheridan, independent British zoo analyst, has divided the more than 100 zoos in Europe into three categories – under 500,000 visitors, over 500,000 visitors and over 1,000,000 visitors and rated them on the basis of 40 criteria. The Nyíregyháza Zoo, in its category, received the highest score in a tie with two Danish zoos. These categories do not indicate the size of the zoos – because our zoo with its 35 hectares and more than 5,000 animals is considered to be large - but the number of visitors as an objective number is used, as the revenues generated by the number of visitors determine a zoo’s financial opportunities.
Our zoo is not only the most visited provincial zoo and one of the most visited public collections in Hungary, but, in the light of the town’s total population, it is the most efficiently operating zoo in Hungary. If we add that no maintainer’s support is used for its operation, but the zoo finances itself, this zoo proves to be a very successful business venture among the Hungarian zoos. As a 19-year-old zoo, it is not only one of the youngest zoos in the country, but overtakes many old and renowned zoos on the European list.
Those who have already visited us are not surprised that a novelty awaits the visitors every year. This year, the visitors could discover the Victoria House, which is a great success with its collection of unique and bizarre-looking animals; the visitors have an opportunity to see the everyday life of the naked mole-rats hidden under the ground, the life of the giant anteater family and the common squirrel monkeys that live right above them. Although the Victoria House primarily shows South America's flora and fauna to its visitors, they may also see Asian and African species, many of which are on the edge of extinction, such as the Sumatran tiger, with only 400 individuals living in the wild. Together with this tiger species, four tiger subspecies can be seen in the Sóstó Zoo.
Again this year, there was a fair number of offspring: a total of 173 young animals were born. This year's star was the African elephant calf. The African baby elephant, the only one in Hungary, is a real favourite, because the visitors have followed its life from the conception; even its name was chosen from among the visitors’ proposals by our car workers. Kito, which means precious child's and great treasure in Swahili, enjoys excellent health, and its mother Kwanza jealously watches over his every move, similarly to Broutille, the pygmy hippo mother who proudly watches how her few-month-old calf swims in the park’s hippo pond. It is the second pygmy hippopotamus calf of this highly endangered species that was born in Nyíregyháza.
The seal populations have no easy situation in the nature; it is therefore a pleasure that the North Sea harbour seal family had an offspring in Nyíregyháza, under the oak trees this year. Bonifác was named by the visitors and is looking forward to this year's snowfall.If the seals are looking out of their pool, they can see the 15-member reindeer family where four calves were born in just one week this year.
The more than 430 thousand visitors have not just received a simple zoo experience this year; the luckiest ones could watch the birth of some animals. The above-mentioned baby seal and many camel colts were born in front of the visitors.
The visitors’ greatest favourites were the ring-tailed lemurs and the collared brown lemurs whose offspring resemble of tiny elves; the little ones could be seen directly, as anyone could enter the monkey forest and walk among them in the spring and summer.
Also, the world's largest cats were “visited by the stork”; Siberian baby tigers were born. The two offspring, Katja and Vladim are growing nicely, their weight was 4 kg when they were 1 month old, and as adult animals, they may reach a body weight up to 300 kg in a few years.
The building complex, presenting the world of the Andes, is technically complete. The animal show, which opens to the public in the spring, serves as a real surprise: the newly moved-in tapir mother gave birth to her offspring in her new home. Although the baby has a similar body shape than its parents, its colour is entirely different; baby tapirs have striped-and-spotted coats for camouflagein the forest undergrowth, in the nature. In a few months, this pattern will gradually disappear, and at the age of 6-8 months, it will have the same colour as the mature animals.
Awareness raising and educational activities have been going on for years. In addition to the annual forest school and the popular summer camps, together with the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, we have effectively participated in the "Pole to Pole", the international Arctic campaign. The European campaign’s logo was made by the Nyíregyháza Zoo and it contributed to the work of hundreds of zoos with numerous zoo pedagogy ideas.
And one more award in the end; we have become a Consumer-Friendly Enterprise. This award is only held by a dozen businesses in Hungary today.
