The shipment contained protected reef-building coral species covered by the Washington Convention (CITES). Inspection revealed serious irregularities in the documentation – more than 300 specimens lacked the required permits. Thanks to the cooperation between the National Revenue Administration, the Central Animal Shelter, and Orientarium Zoo Łódź, a rescue operation was launched immediately.

The transport had taken several days and posed a serious threat to the animals’ survival. Oxygen deprivation, lack of light, and fluctuations in temperature and water parameters left the corals in a critical condition. The first animals were transported to Łódź on the very same day.

“Thanks to the cooperation of the National Revenue Administration, the Central Animal Shelter, and Orientarium Zoo Łódź, an urgent transport and rescue operation was launched. The first animals reached Łódź that very day,” says Dr. Agnieszka Czujkowska, Director of the Central Animal Shelter.

Among the secured organisms are both soft corals and over 500 reef-building corals representing nearly 30 genera. All animals are currently in quarantine in specialized tanks with a total capacity of 25,000 liters, where stabilization and recovery are underway.

“Some of them are exceptionally demanding species, including non-photosynthetic corals that naturally occur in very specific conditions,” says Michał Gołędowski, Director of Animal Care and Development at Orientarium Zoo Łódź. “This is an अत्यंत demanding operation in which every hour counts. We are doing everything possible to save as many specimens as we can. A team of specialists – aquarists, water technologists, and veterinarians – is overseeing their condition, supported by advanced technical facilities.”

The scale of the operation is striking. Until now, the largest detected coral smuggling case in Poland involved around 800 specimens. This time, that number has been significantly exceeded. It demonstrates that illegal wildlife trade operates on a massive scale – also involving marine organisms that often go unnoticed.

Corals, although frequently overlooked, are the foundation of life in the oceans. Coral reefs provide habitat for a vast number of species and play a crucial role in maintaining marine ecological balance. At the same time, they are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world, which makes every rescue operation truly significant.

The success of this mission is the result of close cooperation between state services and institutions dedicated to animal protection. Thanks to a rapid response, most of the corals were saved and now have a chance to return to stable living conditions.

“For us, it makes no difference whether we are saving a coral, an elephant, or a panda. Every life is equally important. If human activity becomes a threat, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to protect it,” adds Michał Gołędowski.

After the quarantine period, some of the rescued corals will be made available to visitors at Orientarium Zoo Łódź. The exhibition will have not only a naturalistic but also an educational

character, highlighting the scale of illegal wildlife trade and the importance of protecting coral reefs.

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To take part in the contest visit: https://zoolodz.eb2b.com.pl/ 

The modern, multi-level complex will combine nature, education, and unforgettable experiences. Visitors will embark on a journey through the four elements – earth, water, fire, and air – discovering how they shape life on our planet. Each zone will transport guests into a different, fascinating world:

· Undergrounds – hidden life beneath the surface, from wombat burrows to an interactive museum of evolution,

· Water and Fire – monumental aquariums with manatees and piranhas, alongside a volcanic realm of reptiles and giant tortoises,

· Ice Land – a unique Antarctic penguin exhibition surrounded by snow and ice,

· Tropical Forests and Air – an impressive aviary with parrots, spider monkeys, and exotic marmosets,

· Green Roof – a relaxation area overlooking the enclosures of sea lions, condors, and spectacled bears.

The Elemental Pavilion is an investment of global scale, merging architecture, technology, and education in one place. With a budget of PLN 120 million, its completion is planned for 2029. The competition aims to select a design that will best capture this vision, creating an extraordinary space for both Łódź residents and visitors from across Europe.

Architects have until December to submit their proposals. Submissions should include visualizations of the building’s form integrated into the zoo’s landscape, as well as a functional concept illustrated with three floorplans showcasing the different levels. Prizes for the winning projects are set at PLN 60,000, 40,000, and 20,000.

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Entrance vestibule and start of the journey

Guests are greeted by an interactive vestibule – touch screen visualizes the cycle of life and elemental changes. Visitors then board a stylized mine railway that takes them on a journey through the next worlds.

Underground floor – „Hidden land and life in the depths”

The first stage of the tour leads underground. The wagon glides through a tunnel with illuminated sections of soil, roots and burrows. This zone presents the following

• animals living in burrows: naked rat-moles and wombats,
• formicariae with ants and terrariums with cockroaches,
• interactive museum of evolution with skeletal reconstructions and microscopic sites.

An additional attraction is the opportunity to look through the glazing into the animal kitchen and operating room, where you can see the work of a team of caregivers and veterinarians. The culmination of this floor is a filtration center with an educational stop dedicated to water circulation.

Ground floor – „Water and Fire”

Water Zone

After entering the ground floor, visitors immerse themselves in the twilight of the water zone:

• monumental aquariums with West Indian manatees, arapaimas and piranhas, the
• sea turtle bay – a spacious pool with a beach and islands that allow you to observe the behavior of these animals up close,
• tropical sounds and wave projections enhance immersion.

Fire Zone

Next, the scenery transitions into a volcanic land of:

• terrariums with reptiles that prefer a dry, hot environment (e.g., monitor lizards, spiny-tailed lizards),
• enclosure for Galapagos tortoises, symbolizing strength and longevity,
• warm colors, sulfur scent and lighting effects mimicking volcanic eruptions.

Central zone – „Frozen and Penguins”

In the heart of the pavilion there is a unique – ice exhibition, symbolically created by the clash of water and fire.

• Antarctic penguins live surrounded by artificial snow, with access to a vast swimming pool and diving sites,
• the temperature is maintained at 4°C as a result of heat recovery system,
• the natural light enters through a volcano crater-shaped skylight, amplifying the atmosphere of the ice cave,
• the guests observe animals from the pier and underwater gallery.

First floor – „Air and tropical forests”

Air exposure

This part is dominated by light structures and high-slung platforms. Guests move between

• marmoset family aviaries – ten connected modules in which the monkeys themselves choose between the inner and outer parts,
• the exposures of Ateline, with an extensive system of ropes and platforms,
• terrariums with poison dart frogs, reptiles and insects of South America.

The singing of birds, the sounds of cicadas and lush vegetation give the place the character of an immersive jungle.

Great aviary of South America

The entire side wall of the pavilion was designed as a huge, glazed aviary.

• it is inhabited by toucans, parrots, scarlet ibis and other tropical birds,
• in the central part, the aviary is crossed by an installation for Ateline that can move in the crowns of artificial trees,
• everything is heated in winter thanks to an air conditioning system and heated windows to keep temperatures above 22°C.

Roof – „A look from above” and the outside

The culmination of the route is the exit to the green roof – educational and recreational space, with viewpoints and a relaxation zone. It is also a place from where you can observe external exposures:

• South American sea lions in large pool with beach and enclosures,
• condors soaring in a spacious rock aviary,
• a pair of (Andean) spectacled bears whose enclosure is an added attraction to the complex.

End and exit

The journey ends with a train return or a ramp descent. At the end there is a souvenir shop and a VR point where visitors can experience a simulation of animal life from the perspective of their element.

Summary

The Elemental Pavilion is an iconic facility of the new zoo in Łódź – combining education, innovation and spectacle. From underground burrows, through watery depths, volcanic lands and ice chambers, to tropical forests and a roof full of attractions – each stage of the journey shows how the elements shaping animal life.

Thanks to the combination of various – species, from wombats and naked mole-rat, through manatees, arapaimas, penguins and turtles, to Marmoset family, Ateline and tropical birds,  – complex will become a unique attraction on a European scale.

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Exposure stars – Indian rhinoceroses

The central element of the complex will be the Indian rhinoceros pavilion with a large, landscaped enclosure. It will be designed in such a way that rhinos can share space with other herbivorous inhabitants of the region, including:

• Southeast Asian deers,
• Visayan warty pigs.

This combination will allow us to faithfully reproduce the species diversity of forest ecosystems and show the relationships between animals in the natural environment.

Second enclosure – Bantengs, babyrousas and lowland anoas

The next exhibition will be devoted to other large and medium-sized ungulates. In the spacious enclosure we will see a:

• banteng herd,
• babyrousa – extremely distinctive pigs from Sulawesi,
• lowland anoa – the world’s smallest buffaloes, endemic to the islands of Indonesia.

The list of these species will show the richness and diversity of ungulates in the forests of Southeast Asia, and will be an opportunity for visitors to learn about rare and little-known species.

Smaller but unique species

The complex will also include places for smaller but extremely charismatic forest dwellers in Asia:

• red pandas in a carefully arranged enclosure with rich vegetation,
• hornbills – two large species: the rhinoceros hornbill and the Blyth’s hornbill, which will have a large aviary at their disposal, allowing them to fully demonstrate their flight and social behavior.

Aviary of pileated gibbons

One of the most spectacular elements of the complex will be a spacious aviary for pileated gibbons. The structure will be designed to allow animals to swing freely and produce distinctive, loud chants that will add a unique jungle atmosphere to the entire zone.

Summary

The Rhinoceros Pavilion and the Southeast Asian Forest Zone are intended to be a place where visitors will feel the climate of Asia’s tropical forests. By combining displays of the region’s largest herbivores, rare – ungulates such as anoa and – babyruoses, as well as charismatic birds and arboreal primates, the complex will become one of the most diverse fragments of the zoo.

The entire project is based on the idea of presenting animals in multi-species, landscape enclosures, which not only increase attractiveness to visitors, but above all provide animals with conditions conducive to natural behavior. 

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Stage I – Semi-desert and savanna zone

• Entrance and footbridge

The tour begins near the breeding department building, where an entrance to a specially prepared footbridge is being built. This structure guides visitors over the display areas, providing excellent visibility for the animals in their spatially planned enclosures.

• First enclosure – landscape of the African semi-desert

The first part of the complex takes visitors to a vast space styled as an African semi-desert. This multi-species enclosure is home to.

• Dama gazelles,
• addaxes,
• warthogs,
• african ostriches,
• dikdik antelopes.

Visitors will be able to observe these species from the footbridge winding over the enclosure, and an additional arrangement element will be a pavilion for ungulates, designed in the style of African indigenous buildings.

• Second runway – African savannah

The next part of the exhibition is the open space of the savannah. In this zone, the main attraction will be.

• giraffes,
• zebras,
• lesser kudu antelope herd.

The footbridge will reach its highest point here (approx. 2.5 m high), enabling the organization of demonstration feeding of giraffes, which will become an unique educational and recreational attraction for visitors.

Stage II – New pavilion for zebras

Later this year, it is planned to announce the second stage of the – investment, the construction of a new pavilion for zebras. It will be built at the back of the current Africa Pavilion, allowing animals direct access to the exhibition enclosure.

Stage III – Modernization of the giraffe pavilion

The next stage will include the enlargement and modernization of the giraffe pavilion. The project assumes:

• construction of a spacious paddock for a herd in the arrangement of 1 male + 6–7 females with calves,
• creation of two separation boxes and one outpatient box for the husbandry procedures,
• merging the rest of the herd into a large common display space.

The new part will be built at the front of the current pavilion, in the place of the forerun.

Stage IV – Educational tunnel

The next step will be the construction of a tunnel connecting the complex with the second part of the catering zone. The tunnel will feature displays of nocturnal and lesser-known African species such as.

• naked mole-rat,
• aardvarks,
• springhare (or other smaller animal species if they can be obtained).

Stage V – Modernization of the Africa pavilion

The last of the planned stages is a thorough reconstruction of the existing Africa Pavilion.

• It currently houses three aged meerkats, two African porcupines and dik-diks.
• The interior of the pavilion will be converted into a space for the Drills after the upgrade.
• The existing eagle aviary, after the addition of the winter pavilion on the Africa side of the pavilion, will be adapted into an exhibition for the bonobo family group.

Summary

The „Savanna” complex will be one of the most extensive and modern African areas in the region’s zoos. The project combines modern breeding solutions, an attractive educational narrative and diverse – environments from semi-deserts, through savannah, to specialized pavilions. Thanks to the phased implementation of the investment, visitors will be able to gradually discover new exhibition areas, and the animals will receive space adapted to their behavioral and breeding needs.

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The European pond turtle is the only turtle species that occurs naturally in Poland and is the rarest Polish reptile. As early as 1935, it was placed under strict protection and included in the Polish Red Data Book of Animals in the category of “Critically Endangered.” Since the 1990s, there have been no records of turtles belonging to the native Polish genetic line in the Łódź Voivodeship; thus, the species is considered extinct in this area.

That is why Orientarium Zoo Łódź, as part of its mission to save endangered species, has taken on the coordination of a program to reintroduce European pond turtles into the Łódź region,” says Magdalena Janiszewska, the project coordinator from Orientarium Zoo Łódź. “

At the turn of September and October 2024, zoo staff and representatives of the University of Łódź brought the first batch of this year’s turtles from the Polesie National Park, where they hatched from eggs. Over the next three years, a total of 150 turtles will be acquired, and the young will be raised in a special aviary on the zoo grounds, under environmental conditions such as varying water and ambient temperatures, changing sunlight exposure with natural UVB. The only difference compared to the natural environment will be the absence of predators. Under these conditions, the animals will grow large enough to be safely released from their ‘foster home’ into designated sites in the Łódź Voivodeship,” adds Ms. Magdalena.

The Orientarium Zoo Łódź Project – Unique in Poland

The Orientarium Zoo Łódź project is innovative—for the first time in Poland, turtles intended for reintroduction will be provided with conditions identical to those found in the wild. Until now, institutions involved in restoring this species have kept young animals in heated rooms, without allowing them to undergo the winter hibernation necessary for their physiology. In contrast, Łódź’s turtles, like all their wild relatives, will spend the winter at the bottom of a water reservoir, hibernating among underwater vegetation.

“Today, Orientarium Zoo Łódź signed a long-term cooperation agreement with institutions involved in nature conservation in our region: the University of Łódź, the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Łódź, the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Łódź, and the Łódź Voivodeship Landscape Parks Complex,” says Łukasz Goss, president of Orientarium Zoo Łódź. “Thanks to future joint activities, it will be possible to conduct active species protection, including monitoring that will show us how the turtles are coping in their natural environment,” he adds.

European pond turtles spend most of their lives in water—in stagnant water bodies, ponds, and slowly flowing, overgrown streams. They come ashore mainly to bask in the sun or for reproduction. These are elusive animals: thanks to their camouflage coloration, they are experts at blending into their surroundings. They can live up to 120 years, though unfortunately, in the wild, many do not survive their first three years. It is estimated that only about 1% of young turtles escape predation. Hatchlings are tiny (about 3 cm in width) and have soft shells, making them easy prey for predators. Young turtles are hunted by animals such as foxes, raccoon dogs, otters, wild boars, badgers, as well as some water birds and birds of prey.

Every year on May 23rd, we celebrate World Turtle Day, which aims to raise public awareness of the need to protect all turtle species.

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What our guests see are fascinating animals and beautiful spaces, but behind the scenes, a large team works every day – keepers, technicians, gardeners, and many others who passionately take care of every detail. Thanks to them, every visit to the Orientarium is a unique experience.

This summer, 70% of our visitors were tourists from all over Poland, while 30% were residents of Łódź. This shows us that both travelers and locals enjoy spending their time here.

This record is our shared joy – because the Orientarium ZOO Łódź is something we create together with you.

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The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest bear species in the world. Adults typically measure around 1.2–1.5 meters in length and weigh between 30 and 70 kilograms. They are easy to recognize by the light patch on their chest, which resembles the rising sun, and by their exceptionally long tongue – reaching up to 25 centimeters – perfect for extracting honey and insects from hard-to-reach places. Sun bears are excellent climbers, spending much of their time in the treetops, feeding on fruits, seeds, and small animals. Sadly, in the wild they are a threatened species, facing habitat loss and poaching.

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The lowland paca is a nocturnal loner that can weigh over 10 kilograms. While it may look slow and clumsy on land, in the water it swims with remarkable agility, often using rivers and ponds as a safe hiding place. In the wild, it digs burrows with several exits – one of which almost always leads straight to the water, allowing for a quick escape when danger is near.

One of the paca’s most distinctive features is the rows of white spots along its sides, resembling a dotted line. These markings aren’t just decorative – they also help camouflage the animal among the dense vegetation of tropical forests. Pacas communicate with each other through grunts and by stamping their hind feet on the ground, a behavior that serves as a warning signal when stressed.

Their diet consists mostly of fruits, leaves, and other plant parts. In their natural environment, pacas play a vital role in the ecosystem as seed dispersers – often carrying fruits far from where they were found.

You can now see the new arrival in the South America Pavilion. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet a species rarely seen in European zoos!

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The new attraction will replace the current foyer and is set to officially open in November 2025. Construction is already underway, and the final result promises to be impressive. The play zone will feature slides, a climbing tower, a trampoline, a zip line, rope bridges, a ball pit, a toddler corner, a sensory wall, and many other engaging activities that inspire play and spark children’s imagination.

“The play zone has been designed with a strong educational component, giving kids a fun package of knowledge too,” says Łukasz Goss, President of Orientarium ZOO Łódź. “We want to create a place where the people of Łódź will want to return again and again.”

“We are excited to bring this project to life in Łódź – one that will spark joy and emotions among the city’s youngest residents,” adds Piotr Suskiewicz, Vice President of ARC-T Sp. z o.o. “Work is in full swing, and we invite everyone to the grand opening at the end of November.”

The project also includes a new café on the upper level of the foyer – Montag Café, where parents and children will be able to enjoy sweet treats together.

This investment is yet another step in making the zoo more family- and child-friendly. ORIENTARIUM ZOO ŁÓDŹ not only showcases the fascinating world of animals but is also developing into a modern hub of education and quality entertainment for all generations.

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