What can your children enjoy the most? If you take them for an all day long trip to see animals. A weekend after holiday is very suitable for this activity. And what are the possibilities in the Vysočina Region?

Jihlava Zoological Garden
Jihlava Zoological Garden celebrated the 50th anniversary of its existence last year and visitors can find it just in the centre of the town, in the pictoresque valley of “Březinovy sady“ park. The ZOO Jihlava breeds about 100 animal species. You can find Sumatra tiger, which is the smallest tiger kind, and on the contrary the biggest rodent – a capybara. Next to beasts and reptiles, the ZOO Jihlava is specialized in monkey breeding, so that you can see the smallest monkey in the world – a marmoset. An Amazonian pavilion, where you can hear jungle sounds and see a sloth family above your head, is the most attractive place. The biggest attraction for visitors is an African village Matongo, which means “a village in a desert“ in Swahiili. It is a complex of ten huts, some of them are inhabited by animals – lemurs, mangustas, turtles or Gabun vipers.
Vampire bats spend their days in a dark nocturnarium. The most beautiful place is a lagoon with a glass dormitory for elegant pink flamengos, which can be seen on a small island. In a children corner the children can caress with little Cameroon goats. One of the huts is an African school where exhibitions are being held. A part of the village is a bar Okavango with refreshment, and a light building on piles serves for various thematic performances. In summer you can enjoy commented feeding of animals – seals, pelicans, suricattas or tapirs. A favourite is also so called Summer Night in the ZOO, which offers its visitors non-traditional look at the life here after dark.

 

Contact: Zoo Jihlava, Březinovy sady 10, 586 01 Jihlava, tel.: 567 573 730, www.zoojihlava.cz

Where the little otter Vydrýsek was raised
Otter male, the hero of the series for children, was raised in The Centre of Fauna Protection in Pavlov at Ledeč nad Sázavou in Havlíčkobrodský Region. He got there as a found young and spent more than a year with film shooting. These days the otters Stix, Beskydka and Žolík are living here. The Centre workers specialize in handicapped animals care, and in endangered mammals and birds saving. Regular shows with a qualified guide you can enjoy each day till September 30, off-season it is necessary to order visits for groups beforehand. In the area of the you can find for instance eagle-owl and other owl species, also birds of prey, kestrels, buzzards, falcons; our hawk‘s name is Pepina and eagle‘s Ady. Water birds have found their home here as well, martens‘ names are Kulička and Franta, American mink is called Karel.

Contact: The Centre of Fauna Protection (Stanice ochrany fauny), orders of visits 569 721 293, 724 329 583, www.havlickuvbrod.ochranaprirody.cz


 

 

Ants Kingdom
In the forest of the natural park Šebeň at Dobrá Voda near Křižanov in the Žďár Region, there is a unique locality with more than twelve hundred anthills of the ant kind of Formica polyctena. According to the specialists it is the greatest presence of this ant species in the Czech Republic. There is an educational path in the 135 ha large area – it is the only path specialized in ants in this country, as a chairman of the unit of Czech Union of Nature Protection in Bory says. It is three kilometres long and has ten stops. During two-hour long walk the visitors can know what ants eat, how they breathe, how they mate, that millions of them can live in one anthill and that they manage to build it in a single month. And also how their lives influence forestry, and how important their protection is.

Contact: http://csopbory.unas.cz
 

 

Bisons in a Western Town
A part of the Western Town are animals – herds of the cattle in the spacious pastures, bisons or horses performing in theatres and shows. Animal training has several year long tradition in the Western Town. Eskarda is a brave mare, a stallion Neo obeys his trainer at a distance, Domino likes to pretend he is dead, a pony Majkl loves children and a mule Mustafa rides in the area. You will know many more interesting animals in “Šiklův Mlýn“, for instance a raven, racoon, or a choosy black pig Joe. Šiklův mlýn is open only during holiday time, but perhaps you will find time for its visit next year. All summer there is an interesting programme prepared for its visitors.

Contact: Western Town Šiklův mlýn, Zvole nad Pernštejnem, tel.: 566 567 400, http://www.western.cz
 

 

Stone Horse and Mamoth
A favourite Hamer hiking tour starts in Hamry in the western part of Žďár nad Sázavou town, and will lead you to the rock formations Peperek and Rozštípená skála, to the solitary romantic quarry Štěnice, along 12 ponds and offer numerous beautiful views. You can also ride a bike in this 15 km long tour. You can have a rest at “The Wold‘s End“, on the former country border between Bohemia and Moravia where an old Austrian border watching shelter with an impressive guard figure. Four grandiose statues by Michal Olšiak are also very impressive. Two of them are “animal“ – a statue of a horse drawing out a carriage from the river can be found at the turning to the horse ranch, and under the Rozštípená skála rock children can climb a mamoth.