Petr Fejk recalls 13 years at the head of the Prague Zoo: Beginnings, floods, changes
In 2009, visitors to the zoo would be surprised by the neglected condition of the garden, which is incomparable to the present. By profession, Petr Fejk was a teacher of literature and history, then next to his own rock club. “It simply came to our notice then. The garden was in deep crisis and did not need a zoologist, it needed a manager. “ the former director tells how the municipality preferred him.
Angry visitor
“I didn’t win because I was the best, but because almost no one else reported,” laughs Fejk. Terrible conditions prevailed for the animals at that time. Even the visitor did not expect kind treatment – they were nicknamed “ksichti” in the garden at the time. “I went to the audition as an angry visitor,” he adds. He now publishes his memoirs. He wrote them for 7 years.
The head of the Prague Zoo was Petr Fejk from 1997 to 2009
Author: Foto Blesk – Zbyněk Pecák
Difficult beginnings
It seemed to the former director that he had found a “camp” in the Prague Zoo instead of a beautiful nature park. Without exaggeration. “Hundreds of animals were locked in cages and nothing more, “He says. After the revolution, the area grew rapidly, attendance decreased, but costs increased. The employees were afraid that the situation would be even worse, because a “no-name” layman, no expert, had taken on the position of director. His predecessor, Bohumil Král, was a naturalist and zoologist.
The garden was stolen in places where no one would have expected it. Workers routinely took bananas and oranges in their bags home. Work ethic faltered. There were no punches, but attendance was recorded in a notebook. “The result was that everyone went when they wanted to.” adds.
One day the director of the garden walked along the fence and in some parts of the permanent fronts. The people of Prague wanted to get inside. “These were exactly the holes that the employees went through late,” he adds. “I found that a lot of people were very good, they just had bad habits,” says Fejk. People who can communicate with animals are said to have a certain sense of talent. They just had to learn other habits.
King Richard
“I am a great admirer of the Cape Rattlesnakes,” says Fejk. When he started, they didn’t stick their noses out of their beds. They were lazy and didn’t want to go out anymore. Fejk once ordered that the animals be sent out, but she was too accustomed to greenhouse life. It is said that it is important to set up a regime in the garden that will be fair and especially natural for animals. The male gorilla Richard is said to have become Petr Fejk’s unrivaled male role model. As he sat behind the glass, the men faded with envy, the women fainted, and the children were not angry. “That is called natural respect, “ says the former director.
“I am convinced that some animals should not behave at all in the zoo,” Fejk thinks. Some are too complicated – elephants, big cats and bears or apes. For example african elephant lives in herds over a vast area. He travels a lot of kilometers. The zoo will not give him such freedom. TThe Siberian ygr daily traverses the territory of the city of Brno. “And you give him a paddock the size of an onion bed in a gardening colony at the zoo“Fejk doesn’t understand.” He also remembered the most difficult moments.
Flood 14 August 2002
“Within a few hours, we faced the evacuation of the entire zoo,” recalls the former director. It is said to be one of the most painful memories that wakes Petr Fejk out of his sleep. Unfortunately, he had to spend five animals because it was a general threat to humans.
For example, one Lentilka hippo would have escaped from the paddock, because the water was rising too fast for them to evacuate. The paddock was ready for a hundred years of water, not five hundred years. Lentilka could emerge, for example, at Kralupy from the river and attack, for example, a mother with a child. 134 animals could not be saved. Among them is the sea lion Gaston, which has become a symbol of devastating floods.
The Prague Zoo complex during the flood in 2002.
Author: David Malík
Gorillas fought for their lives
The extreme situation occurred in the monkey pavilion, which was the first to be flooded. The former director had to get to the pavilion on a boat with expert Marek Žďánský. It was extreme stress for gorillas. They are naturally afraid of water, but they still jumped into it. “It was not their brain that decided them, but their emotions, “Says Petr Fejk. Fortunately, the expert had already sunk below the water’s surface to close the goal. As the gorillas plunged headlong into the filthy water, they eventually bounced off the closed lattice, saving their lives.
The main gorilla, the male Tadao, behaved like a lion. As he was stressed, he tore the bars three times harder than normal. The gorillas had to fall asleep. He managed three times the dose. As soon as Tadao felt his strength, he began to fight with his head. He pulled out one arrow and passed it through the vet’s bars. The vet wanted to grab her, but Marek Žďánský stopped him sharply. Tadao would shake his hand. After the monkeys fell asleep, the breeders and volunteers were transported by rafters on inflatable boats to land.
Conclusion after the disaster
After the water receded, it was said that it was not easy to explain to the public why they had to spend the animals and why they made a decision. Fortunately, there were reportedly 600 volunteers who put on their boots, picked up the tools and began to clear the damage. Volunteers also contributed to the flood account. People also gave contributions to the director on the street.
One lady in his retirement gave him two hundred for Gaston’s descendants. The zoo is said to have been lucky. Rbefore the flood, the former director insured movable and immovable property. The garden paid a million, received over 160 million from the insurance company.
The reconstruction eventually cost about 400 million crowns. The flood destroyed the garden, but on the other hand it provided it the possibility of a whole new beginning. “After 13 years in the field, I hate those zoos that are not respectful of animals,” says Petr Fejk.
Zoo: History of gorilla breeding Videohub
The head of the Prague Zoo was Petr Fejk from 1997 to 2009
Author: Ladislav Křivan, David Malík, ČTK