From Friday to Sunday, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden welcomes visitors with special programs to celebrate World Animal Day and the 200th anniversary of the birth of János Xántus, the institution’s founding director.
In connection with World Animal Day, celebrated worldwide on October 4, the Animal Love Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, where, in addition to the zoo’s inhabitants, nature conservation and sustainability will also play a prominent role. Visitors can take part in a sustainability playhouse, watch beekeeping demonstrations, and learn about the diversity of wildlife at experiential education stations.
The programs will also showcase the wildlife rescue activities of the City Park institution, and several professional partners will be present at various points in the zoo.
At the Herman Ottó Institute’s stand, visitors can learn about the mammal of the year, and at the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (MME) pavilion, they can learn about the bird and reptile of the year.
At ‘Rovarda’, a joint station run by the Hungarian Entomological Society and the zoo’s insect experts, visitors can gain an insight into the world of arthropods, while the Hungarian Nature Conservation Association will provide information on nature tourism opportunities. The Hungarian Biological Society will talk to the audience about the diversity of soil-dwelling organisms, and illustrator Ágnes Szolnoki will talk about the world of natural illustrations.
On Saturday, the program will be expanded with craft workshops, a nature photography stand, and a bat station, as well as four educational lectures in the Varázshegy Csillagterem (Magic Mountain Star Room).
This weekend also serves as a commemoration of John Xantus (János Xántus, 1825–1894), zoologist, traveler, ethnographer, and first director of the Budapest Zoo.
At 11 a.m. on Friday, a wreath was laid at his tomb in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, followed by a commemorative ceremony at his statue in the Zoo at 1 p.m. In addition, two themed walks will take place, one in the Zoo and the other in the cemetery, recalling the life and work of John Xantus.
On Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m., the Zoo Foster Parents’ Meeting will begin at the Főkapu Square, welcoming all visitors who have symbolically adopted one of the zoo’s residents. Guests will be welcomed by Director General Endre Sós and Éva Montskó, President of the Budapest Zoo Foundation. The meeting will feature fun activities, and at the “parent-teacher conference,” zookeepers will report on the lives of the “adopted” animals.
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Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Máthé Zoltán
The post World Animal Day – Unique Programs All Weekend Long at Budapest Zoo appeared first on Hungary Today.
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