Prague Zoo joins efforts to ensure survival of rare insects once considered extinct
Prague (AP) – The Prague Zoo joins international efforts to ensure the survival of rare insects considered extinct for more than 80 years.
The Zoo is one of six institutions around the world who are able to create living conditions for the largest flying-free insect species, with Hoy Island rod insects up to 15 cm (5.9 inches). They are on display, which is a rare opportunity only London and San Diego also offer.
This insect, also known as the Hoo Loy Island, is native to a remote island in the Tasman Sea, Australia.
The uninhabited archipelago of the archipelago was discovered in 1778. In 1918, the rats arrived at ships stranded by a ship appeared to destroy the insect population.
Climbers found signs of insects in the 1960s on a rocky island 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the sea of Lord Howe. In 2001, the specimens were confirmed to survive there. The two pairs were brought to Australia to reproduce, which was a necessary step to endanger endangered species.
“They had to put in a tremendous effort to survive in a difficult place like the pyramid for 100 years,” said VojtěchVít, an expert goalkeeper at the Prague Zoo.
The zoo must create air-conditioned buildings at the entrance for keepers to use disinfection equipment to protect insects that are vulnerable to bacteria and virus infections and obtain approval from Australian authorities to reproduce.
The purpose of the breeding program is to return the insects to their natural environment after the rats are eliminated in 2019.
