Nyíregyháza Zoo

Nyíregyháza Zoo was opened in 1974 as “Nyíregyházi Vadaspark” (Wild Park of Nyíregyháza). It was built 5 kilometers from Nyíregyháza in the Sóstó recreation area of Hungary. Owned and sponsored by the local government, Nyíregyháza Zoo is governed by the city area of Sóstó-Nyíregyháza.

Upon first opening for visitors in 1974, its main purpose was to exhibit native species of Hungary and the Pannonian Basin. It has a unique exhibition system in which the giant exhibits are separated from the paths with ditches filled with water. Some European species were replaced with their close relatives; for instance, there are American bison exhibited instead of those found in Europe. The greatest spectacles of that time were the European carnivores, the bears, and the timber wolves substituting their European relatives. Despite this, the number of visitors decreased due to the lack of exotic animals.

The year 1996 the new director László Gajdos took up his duties in the park and decided to create a real zoo in Nyíregyháza. János Szánthó received the rank of deputy manager. Szánthó personally brought up a number of smaller animals.

This year, the redenomination of the zoo has occurred. It received the new name "Nyíregyházi Állatpark." The Állatpark is the richest zoo in mammals (especially primates and pachyderms) in Hungary. The once 14-hectare area is now 32 hectares large and home to 500 species and over 5000 animals that can be seen by the visitors.[2] It has grown out to be the biggest animal collection in the country. The zoo is a member of the Hungarian Association of Zoos (MÁSZ), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

A short summary of what has happened since 1996:

• 1996: The year of African species at the zoo. The exhibit of lions was completed, and the country's biggest exhibit, Afrika Panoráma (Africa Panorama), opened, where zebras, ostriches, common elands, and wildebeests cohabited. The aviary, home to the richest parrot and cockatoo collection in Hungary, was also completed that year. The exhibit for tigers also opened.
• 1997: The expansion of the zoo continued. The llama and kangaroo exhibit opened to the public, and the construction of the giraffe shelter finished. A giraffe couple from the Emmen Zoo in the Netherlands gave birth to a baby the same year.
• 1998: More and more species were given a place in the zoo, some of which were a real curiosity. Uniquely in Hungary, the parrots laid eggs throughout the year, and several scarce antelope calves were born (including waterbucks and black wildebeests). New species arrived at the zoo, including skunks and red kangaroos from Budapest.
• 1999: The zoo became the first provincial zoo to feature a seal exhibit, where visitors could watch the calves swim. Construction of the rhinoceros shelter also began that year.
• 2000: Hungary's first saltwater aquarium in the countryside opened. Among many other animals, its most important inhabitant is a requiem shark.
• 2001: The exhibit and aviary for European animals were rebuilt and named Magyar Őspark (Hungarian Primeval Park). Besides the animals, a small open-air museum found a place. The most interesting novelty was the long-awaited European bison.
• 2002: The opening of the Tropical House occurred. Some sharks and monkeys were moved to the newly built house, and the collection was expanded with new species. The most precious inhabitants are the Bornean orangutans. The outdoor portion of the house, home to Monkey Forest and the Mediterranean Garden, also opened the same year.
• 2003: Around the former seal exhibit, Polar Panorama was built. Penguins and polar bears were exhibited for the first time in provincial Hungary.
• 2004: The educational hall was built but has since been closed. A wax museum presenting human evolution also opened that year. The sensation of the year was the arrival of the white tiger.
• 2005: Finally, the first pachyderm, a young male white rhinoceros, arrived. The Siberian tigers and Kamchatka brown bears received larger exhibits.
• 2006: It was the year of the pachyderms. A new lion exhibit was built, and the pygmy hippopotamus and elephant houses were finished. Two white rhinoceroses and one pygmy hippo, along with three African elephants and two Indian rhinos, arrived. Hungary's first in-zoo hotel, Hotel Dzsungel (Hotel Jungle), also finished construction.
• 2007: An exhibit was built for the zoo's California sea lions. The birth of the first Hungarian-born African elephant calf, named Jumanee, occurred this year.
• 2008: The South America House (Dél-Amerika Ház) opened to the public. Its most well-known inhabitant is Pedro, the tapir. Additionally, dromedaries, moose, and Grévy's zebras were introduced.
• 2009: New spectacled and sun bears arrived along with three Indian elephants and a white lion. The construction of a significant project began in 2009. The Green Pyramid (Zöld Piramis) now introduces visitors to the mysterious world of Asia. As another part of the same project, Tarzan's Path opened, providing visitors with an African adventure. Construction of the Indonesian Oceanarium and Rainforest House began as well.
• 2010: The entire project from 2009 opened to the public in 2010. Komodo dragons, pufferfish, triggerfish, several species of sharks (including reef sharks and grey nurse sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks), a six-member orangutan family, and a siamang arrived. Marmosets (now numbering 18), the first Cameroon goat kids, a dromedary, and tortoises were born during the year.47°59′58″N 21°43′30″E

• (in English) Sóstó Zoo
• Media related to Nyíregyháza Zoo at Wikimedia Commons