A short-tailed nuthatch cub was born in the Prague Zoo on Thursday in the early hours of the morning. It is the first young nutcracker in Europe. Photo: Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

“We are very happy, but at the same time we realize that the next few days may be critical,” warns the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek. “However, the female Run Hou Tang we have from the Taipei Zoo has already successfully raised a cub, so the chances of the cub’s survival should be quite high.”

The short-tailed lemurs, the female Run Hou Tang and the male named Guo Bao, were acquired by the Prague Zoo from Taiwan last April. It thus became only the second zoo in Europe that keeps these bizarre and at the same time highly endangered mammals.

The female Run Hou Tang has been living in the Prague Zoo together with the male Guo Bao since last April. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

“The birth of a little nutcracker in the Prague Zoo is an important and cute fruit of economic diplomacy. We only have rare nuts in Prague thanks to a close partnership with the Taiwanese metropolis of Taipei, which we established three years ago.” says Zdeněk Hřib, mayor of m of Prague.

Breeding pods is very demanding, it is necessary to prepare a special porridge for them, the basic ingredient of which are the larvae of drone bees. Run Hou Tang’s pregnancy was also closely monitored.

“Since the fourth month of pregnancy, we have been doing regular ultrasound examinations on Run Hou Tang,” introduced by breeder David Vala. “Therefore, we had a special bar made for Run Hou Tang to rest her front legs on during these examinations.”

The ultrasound examination of the shelling female Run Hou Tang took place on a specially made trestle, on which the female could comfortably lean. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Shellfish are the most illegally traded mammals in the world, and Prague Zoo advocates for their protection in both Africa and Asia. The Prague Zoo will keep you informed about the possibility of seeing the current cub.