Jiřík the Black Bear cherishing every moment

The male ursid was transported to the Ostrava Zoo at December 18, 2024. Until then, he was living in a moat of Konopiště Castle in Central Bohemia. However, the National Heritage Institute decided to end a centuries-old tradition of keeping bears at Czech castles. During his first trip to the outdoor forest-like habitat, Jiřík was introduced to the group of langurs, the coinhabitants of the Chitwan, the very same enclosure. „The alpha male langur was vigilantly watching Jiřík exploring the enclosure, driving the other langurs away back to their facility attentively whenever the new bear approached too close. At some point, the alpha male approached Jiřík in order to greet him and to sort out finally whether he was a threat to his family or not. At first, the alpha male threatened the bear, resulting in Jiřík clacking his teeth, a common sign of ursids to show someone is too close, making it nervous. After a couple of moments, both of the mammals parted their ways. Yet, the alpha langur kept watching the bear. Overall, the introduction of the species to each other went really well,“ explained Pavla Slavíčková, a zoologist in the Ostrava Zoo.

Later that day, the bear examined thoroughly the rest of the habitat, being interested in trees especially. Also, Jiřík frequently wandered to the gate of the inner habitat of the other black bear living in the Ostrava Zoo. Several hours have passed and the hirsute newcomer deliberately returned to his inner quarters, providing the other bear an opportunity to spend some time outside as well. „For now, the new bear is going to be accustomed to his new environment little by little. Once he will feel safe and secure in his new surroundings and to sharing it with the monkeys, we will introduce him to the other bear in person. To give them some time to familiarize each other, the both bears share neighboring quarters, separated safely by steel bars,“ Pavla Slavíčková added.