Information from Ostrava Zoo

At the farm

Designed primarily for children, this exhibit is home to domestic animals. Naturally, our young guests are free to enter their pens and pet them. Animals can also be fed the appropriate pellets available for small change from the feed dispensers.

This is to prevent overfeeding or any digestive problems associated with inadequate foods being given.

This petting yard has been totally refurbished, with new animal facilities being built and attractive species of domestic animals added that were new to Ostrava. In addition, the area has been enlarged and made even more accessible to visitors, including a stable containing cattle, rabbits and guinea pigs. Another attraction is a brand new playground with a rope trail as well as an interactive life-sized model of a cow. The yard is complete with a new social facility, including toilets for the physically challenged.

The creatures you can see

Goats and sheep range inside a paddock accessible by everyone, including wheelchair users and mums with pushchairs. All the animals here are very friendly and anticipate being petted and fed by children directly in the pen.

The Cameroon goat is a West African pygmy goat breed - its shoulder height measures about 45 cm. This is a sturdy animal with few demands, and is kept in Africa chiefly for meat, milk and its high-quality skin.

The Cameroon sheep hark from Africa, too. It is unusual in that it lacks a typical sheep fleece, meaning the animal is often confused with a goat.

The Cameroon goats and sheep also share a paddock with a single animal of a goat breed native to the country.

Last but not least, the yard also features Wallachian sheep, the native breed that has reappeared in the exhibit.

The new residents of Ostrava Zoo include cattle.

The heifer, almost a yearling, is an example of Czech pied cattle, a breed native to this country. This animal shares an enclosure with a five-month calf of the Jersey type, which naturally comes from the island of the same name in the English Channel. Visitors are welcome to enter the cattle stall, one which also contains rabbits and Guinea pigs.

The two breeds of domestic pig that newly reside in separate paddocks are no less attractive than the creatures mentioned above. Firstly, there is the mangalitza breed. Kept mainly in the Balkan Peninsula and Hungary, this is the only species of curly haired pig. It features a special level of resistance against adverse weather and can weigh up to 300 kg.

The other type of domestic pig is the Prestice. Of the medium size, this breed is native to the Czech Republic and shows a high rate of fertility, with 10 up to 16 piglets per sow.