ZAGREB, March 31, 2019 - The Zagreb zoo's refurbished "The spirit of monsoon forests" enclosure, which will house a Komodo dragon and a king cobra, the first in the zoo's history, was inaugurated earlier this week.

The enclosure has eight new terrariums housing ten species which were not visible to visitors until now, said Damir Skok, the zoo's manager. "Two are especially magnificent, the king cobra, the world's longest venomous snake, and the Komodo dragon, the world's biggest lizard."

Zagreb's zoo "is one of the best in the world in terms of reptiles," he added.

The zoo's curator for fish, amphibians and reptiles, Ivan Cizelj, said the king cobra and the Komodo dragon would mean a lot for the education of people about endangered species.

"Our Komodo dragon is included in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria project which encompasses the breeding and display of the species, visitor education and the zoo's participation in programmes for the protection of the dragon on the island of Komodo," said Cizelj.

The king cobra, a 230-centimetre-long male, arrived in Zagreb from the Plzen zoo in the Czech Republic. The Komodo dragon came from Pierrelatte, France in 2016. It is a 170-centimetre-long, six-year-old male weighing 29 kilos.

More news about Zagreb Zoo can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Visitors to the Zagreb Zoo participated recently in the celebration of the International Day of Red Pandas, which includes the selection of the name for a cub of this endangered animal species. The currently most popular inhabitant of the zoo was named by singer Mia Dimšić. Citizens have proposed about 300 names through social networks, and Dimšić chose her favourite and named the red panda cub Grga, reports Jutarnji List on November 15, 2018.

The Zoo’s jury first reduced the 300 proposals to twelve candidates, and Mia chose the name she liked the most. Grga defeated Baltazar, Bongi, Boo, Elmo, Ernest, Felix, Fulir, Maks, Ma, Zooki and Vatroslav. “Grga immediately became the most attractive proposal, and the additional reason is that the name is related to this region. Another finalist was Vatroslav,” Mia Dimšić explained.

Her choice was met with approval from the visitors to the zoo, where they celebrated the International Day of Red Pandas.

“The love between red pandas Popi and Ema began three years ago. Since Mia’s songs can often be heard in the zoo, maybe they also contributed to the romance which occurred. We are happy that our red pandas now have a cub. In five months, Grga has developed into a talented and energetic boy who enjoys life. He likes to have fun but also to eat a lot,” said Damir Skok, the director of the Zagreb Zoo. He added that Grga was a perfect name since the cub’s father and grandfather were also born in Zagreb.

The zoo presented the singer with a red panda toy and congratulated her the 26th birthday which she celebrated three days earlier.

On the occasion of the International Day of Red Pandas, the visitors enjoyed a comprehensive educational programme on the protected species.

For more on the Zagreb Zoo, click here.

Translated from Jutarnji List.

Send your proposals.

In addition to patients, bats can increasingly be seen in hospitals in Zagreb.

Visit the ZOO and carve Halloween pumpkins for your favourite animals!

One of the smallest types of antelopes can be seen at the ZOO for the first time in its history!

Zagreb's Modri are now the official sponsors of Zagreb ZOO's lions.

The beloved zoo had a summer vacation in the city centre back in 1928

The adorable pup is ten days old

Adults can attend one of the 600 events during Zagreb Cultural Summer this year, but our little citizens have various interesting events to look forward to as well