In Zoo Brno, they have started the next phase of construction of the chimpanzee exhibit

Brno – At the Brno Zoo, they have begun the next stage of construction for the chimpanzee exhibit, expanding their facilities. The third phase of work will continue from the already built outdoor enclosure. This was announced today by the zoo's spokesperson Monika Brindzáková in a press release. The interior of the exhibit will require an investment of 78 million crowns, and it will be completed within two years.

"The goal of the project is primarily to meet the requirements of the coordinator of the European primate conservation program. The new accommodation should also comply with the anticipated changes in Czech legislation, which will bring stricter rules for the keeping of chimpanzees. This will prepare us for obtaining a breeding group, and I believe that the exhibit will be one of the most attractive places in the entire garden," said zoo director Martin Hovorka.

After the construction is completed, the original exhibition space will increase from 83 m² to 160 m², and the height will rise from the original 3.7 meters to seven to eight meters. The estimated total cost is 78.3 million crowns, of which the approved grant from the city of Brno is 58.3 million. The remaining amount will be covered by the zoo from its investment fund. The construction is planned to take approximately 23 months.

The current pavilion at the Brno Zoo is one of the oldest exhibits, designed in the 1960s by the prominent Brno architect Otto Eisler. In the first phase in 2013, the zoo renovated the indoor exhibits and the lemur enclosure. The second phase – the construction of a new natural enclosure, which occupies part of the forest land adjacent to the pavilion, began in 2017. The designers aimed to provide the great apes with conditions as similar as possible to their natural environment. The outdoor chimpanzee exhibit was an investment of nearly 60 million crowns.