The Budapest Zoo (popularly known as the Zoo) is Hungary's oldest and largest zoo with the largest collection. It is located in the XIV district of Budapest, in the City Park, at 6-12 Állatkerti körút, and covers an area of 18.4 hectares, which has been a nature reserve since 1986.
It was the only zoo of its kind in the country from its opening in 1866 until the 1950s, when the first rural zoos were established. Today, it is one of Hungary's most visited public cultural institutions, with 1-1.1 million visitors a year.[2] Like most modern zoos, its main activities include conservation, education, nature-related leisure activities and scientific research. Because of its history and related specificities, it also has the additional objective of protecting and enriching cultural heritage.
It has been known by several names throughout its history.
The Budapest zoo exhibits
around ten and a half thousand species of 1,067 animals[61] It offers a broad overview of the diversity of the Earth's fauna, with animals from every continent. The large number of species makes the collection internationally significant, with reptiles, amphibians, fish and a rich collection of invertebrates, in addition to the most popular mammals and birds in zoos.[62][63]
The following groups of mammals can be seen in the garden:
marsupials (e.g. monochrome couscous, brush-tailed kangaroo rat, western grey kangaroo)
Western golden echinoderms (western golden echidnas, western western golden echidnas, western western golden echidnas)
insectivores (e.g. eastern hedgehog)
bats (e.g. Nile flying fox, Lyle's flying fox)
primates (e.g. red shag, ring-tailed lemur, dwarf marmoset, red-handed tamarin, jumping tamarin, golden lion monkey, eastern night monkey, common squirrel monkey, hooded capuchin, golden-bellied mongoose, black langur, orangutan, gorilla)
carnivores (e.g. polar bear, coati, red cat bear, wolverine, wolverine, giant cervid, Asiatic wild dog, Pushtu cat, lion, Siberian tiger, Persian leopard)
pinnipeds (grey seal, California sea lion)
snouts (Asian elephant)
odd-toed ungulates (e.g. Boehm's zebra, broad-mouthed rhinoceros, plains tapir)
Paired-fingered ungulates (e.g. Nile hippo, mhorr gazelle, plains nyala, red buffalo, takin, southern pygmy hornbill, bicorn camel, giraffe)
rodents (e.g. gundis, capybaras, great mara)
Among the birds, there is a very rich collection of parrots (with specialities such as the hyacinth macaw, the red-eared macaw and the kea), but also the regularly breeding roseate flamingos, the helmeted cassowaries and emus, the pope's-eye penguins, the waterfowl of the Great Lake and the tropical bird species on display in the Palm House and the interior of the Aviary.
Reptiles include crocodiles (Mississippi alligator, Nile crocodile), turtles (e.g. Bornean river turtle, red-bellied hippopotamus, horned turtle, spiny-necked turtle) and several species of so-called scaly-bodied reptiles (e.g. rhinoceros iguana, Madagascar day gecko, white-bellied python, Gabon viper, steppe monitor lizard).
Amphibians are represented by several species of frogs (e.g. African clawed frog, American bullfrog) and tailed amphibians (e.g. ribbed newt, Mexican axolotl). A speciality is the breeding population of spotted salamanders.
Most of the marine fish can be seen in the Aquarium under the Palm House. Tropical fish species that have been very popular since the release of the animated film Nemo, such as the roseate clownfish and the palette doctorfish, are among the 200 marine species on display in the tanks, along with the brown bamboo shark, the cowfish, the Picasso's arrowfish and the moon mackerel. Freshwater fish are also on display in several parts of the garden, with a rich collection of tropical freshwater fish, in addition to species found in native waters (such as goatfish, viza, carp, carp, European catfish).
Most of the invertebrates are arthropods. The spiders are represented by several species of bird spiders and various scorpions, but there are also twin spiders and many insects. In particular, significant progress has been made in the breeding of exotic species of rose chafer. A special attraction is the Vesparium, a wasp exhibit where the public can observe the life, feeding and building activities of southern paper wasps. Other groups of invertebrates include the agate snails and many species of invertebrates in the Aquarium, including corals and waxworms.
For the metropolitan public, the Hungarian domestic animal species on display in the courtyard of Holnemvolt Castle are a real exotic. The 2018 installation will showcase the Hutsul horse, Hungarian spotted cattle, Gyimes racka sheep, Mangalica pigs and various domestic poultry breeds (such as Transylvanian bald-necked hens and Hungarian geese).
If you need a tour guide in Budapest: budapestmylove@gmail.com
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