In Prague Zoo, the construction of the gorilla pavilion has begun, and it will be completed in 2021

Prague - Construction of a new gorilla pavilion has started at the upper part of the Prague Zoo. The work is being carried out by the company Strabag, which won the tender. The pavilion will be built for nearly 210 million crowns excluding VAT, and it should be completed by the end of 2021. Following this, there will be planting of greenery, finishing works, the implementation of an information system, and other necessary steps, the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek, informed CTK today.

"The company has 700 days," Bobek added. Given the additional necessary work, he did not want to predict when the pavilion would be open to the public. In the new facility, in addition to gorillas, there should also be pangolins, which the zoo was promised as a gift from Taipei.

The gorilla pavilion is being built on an unused, undeveloped plot of land in the Prague Zoo, partly on an area currently used as an enclosure for giraffes and other animals from the African savanna. According to the project, the predominantly single-story building should blend in as much as possible with the surrounding environment, also thanks to a green roof. It should create the impression of a grassy hill.

Several access paths will be created to the building. Near it, the zoo will have a new entrance built from Pod Hrachovkou Street. Visitors will also reach the pavilion via a new footbridge that will run south of Pod Hrachovkou Street to the planned viewpoint above the outdoor gorilla enclosure. Another access will be from the giraffe pavilion. Paths to the new facility will lead through an outdoor amphitheater designed for relaxation and observing the gorillas in the outdoor enclosure. The zoo also plans to hold educational and festive events there.

The Prague Zoo decided to build a new gorilla pavilion due to experiences from the floods in 2002 and 2013. The current pavilion is located in the lowest part of the zoo, which was flooded during the floods in 2002, forcing the evacuation of the gorillas. During the floods in 2013, the zoo relocated them to a flood-proof tower, and keepers would go feed them by boat.