Dogs cannot go to the zoo, except for guide dogs
Let us explain why
Our zoo has a relatively small area (less than 3 hectares) and a large number of visitors to this area (the highest of all Czech zoos in terms of the number of visitors per hectare, which includes the area of paddocks and aviaries). During the season, an average of 2 to 3 thousand people come to us during the day. If you imagine dogs in it, moreover connected with their master, often with a long leash, you will certainly understand what problems this would bring to other visitors.
Due to the number of aviaries with birds (approximately 80% of the species bred in our country are birds), which are within direct reach of visitors, there is also a risk of bilateral stress or injury to our animals during the scare. Currently, the newly designed walk-through aviaries, through which the sightseeing routes lead directly, allow our visitors direct contact with animals or. especially birds. At the same time, it is often not possible to bypass the aviary in any other way. If a dog would appear, there is a real risk of injury to the animals due to the inappropriate reaction of one of the parties. We know that this can be solved by leaving the dog in front of the aviary, as is the case in some other zoos, but we really don't have enough space for that.
In addition, a large part of our visitors are children, especially children of preschool and lower school age, who, due to their height, move in the same space as the average dog. There are certainly enough of our visitors who are afraid of dogs and do not want to move near them. Fears of other animals can certainly be experienced by dogs, especially smaller breeds, although their master enjoys visiting the zoo.
Last but not least, the reason for us to prevent dogs from entering the zoo is also veterinary. Even if the animals in the zoo (and certainly also the dogs bred by responsible breeders) are under constant veterinary control, this control cannot be so continuous that the transmission of diseases or parasites cannot occur on both sides. Some dog owners also do not want to respect the rules, however restrictive of their dog. We understand that this may not apply to you, we know that there are many responsible owners among dog owners, but advise us how the cashier should recognize who can be admitted to the zoo with a dog and who cannot.
There are also zoos in our country (in the Czech Republic) that allow a visit with a dog, but note that it is mainly a large zoo such as Brno, Chomutov, Dvůr Králové, Olomouc, Prague or Ústí nad Labem, which have conditions at least different. On the contrary, small zoos tend not to let dogs into the area (apart from us also Děčín, Hodonín, Jihlava and Liberec).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING