The Hodonín Zoological Garden is situated in the north-western part of the town, bordering with the alluvial forests of South Moravia. The site, spread over an area of nineteen acres of flat forest land, promises a pleasant and comfortable walk suitable for visitors of all ages, including the physically handicapped.
While the original zoo had only a few domestic or commonly kept exotic animals when it was first established in 1976, today’s visitors can see close to six hundred animals from about a hundred and seventy different species.
The original self-built wooden stalls have also long since disappeared, having been replaced by new animal quarters with free-range areas. A number of additional special pavilions have been built during the thirty five years of the garden’s existence, namely the exotic birds pavilion, the primates’ pavilion, the aquarium and terrarium pavilions, and the charming pavilion to house our flamingos. The garden’s greatest pride is presently the Educational Centre which includes quarters and free-range areas for large felines, built thanks to grants made by the Environmental State Fund and contributions from the town.
To make the visit more enjoyable for children, the grounds have been expanded with several playgrounds with various attractions and a very popular children’s corner with small domestic animals available for petting. A souvenir shop is situated right at the Zoo entrance and there are two refreshment stands with tables available for the visitors’ convenience. The flat roof over the large felines pavilion and the Educational Centre provides yet another place to rest and offers a nice view of the garden.
It pleases us that in spite of the overall modernization, the Hodonín Zoo, which can pride itself on having bred several rare species in captivity and displayed up to seventy endangered species of the world’s fauna, has managed to preserve the original natural state of the land.