Observed on April 8, Zoo Lovers Day aims to celebrate the special relationship between zoos and their visitors. A zoo visit can be a lifetime experience but so much more, too, as it is a responsible and conscious choice of value in support of the welfare of zoo animals as well as the roles of zoos in conservation, education and research. Today we are happy to announce that our Palm House, home to exotic flora and fauna from all tropics, has recently welcomed some true zoo curiosities.
One of our newcomers is a female yellow-headed water monitor (Varanus cumingi), transferred from
(Germany) as a potential mate for the individual we acquired in 2019. With her arrival, we hope to be able to breed this species, found only here in Hungary, in the future.
Those of you into the challenge of spotting hard-to-see animals will definitely want to check out our Malaysian giant leaf insects (Phyllium giganteum) after we reopen – a species we now resumed keeping after a couple years. Native to the Malay Peninsula and Northern Borneo, they are the largest member of the leaf insect family and, just like their relatives, are known for their mastery of mimicry.
Hungary’s largest zoo collection of poison dart frogs now includes five Anthony’s poison arrow frogs (Epipedobates anthonyi), transferred from ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo (the Netherlands). Relative rare in European zoos and currently found only here in Hungary, they are small poison dart frogs with a body length of 2 to 2.5 cm, native to tropical dry forests in Southwest Ecuador and Northwest Peru. Due to habitat degradation, they are included in the IUCN Red List and Appendix II of CITES.
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
