Protection of the European Green Lizard at the Zoo

The male European green lizard is distinguished by its striking turquoise-blue throat. Photo: Tereza Mrhálková, Prague Zoo

In the 1960s, the European green lizard was still widespread throughout the zoo. However, at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s, its numbers declined sharply and the species subsequently disappeared from almost the entire zoo grounds. This was probably a result of the gradual overgrowth and shading of the zoo by trees and shrubs, which cooled the habitats below the temperature threshold required by these warmth-loving reptiles.

Efforts to restore the zoo’s lizard population have been underway since the 1990s. The first stage involved removing black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia) and regularly cutting back dense regrowth and self-seeded vegetation on the rocky promontory above the Gočár’s Houses—the last place where lizards still survived at that time. A major turning point came with the revitalisation of the millrace and the rocks around the Zakázanka Path. Between 2009 and 2013, much of the slope was cleared of locust trees and other shading vegetation, and the gradual restoration of the rocky steppe plant and animal communities began. Although at that time some parts of the slope lacked shrub cover to protect the lizards from predators, their population increased steadily and spread rapidly across the newly restored areas.

Another step to support the European green lizard within Prague Zoo was the construction, in 2016, of a small pool between the African Rocks aviary and the Barbary sheep enclosure. Although the European green lizard is not a water-dwelling species, the reshaped banks, connection to a sunny southern slope and the creation of a rocky corridor between the slope and the millrace provided it with suitable living conditions. The establishment of a vineyard on the slope above the Rákos’ House also contributed to the expansion of the lizard’s range within the zoo—the lizards quickly colonised the new area.

European green lizards in the zoo enjoy basking on tree stumps, dry stone walls, and larger boulders or rock outcrops. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

By 2020, European green lizards could already be observed along the entire slope separating the lower and upper parts of the zoo—from the Gočár’s Houses in the west to the ant sculptures on the serpentine path above the main entrance, and even on the flood barrier outside the zoo grounds. A significant portion of these sites lies within a specially protected area—the Skály v zoologické zahradě (Rocks in the Zoological Garden) Nature Monument. It is encouraging that between 2015 and 2022, the number of European green lizards in the zoo tripled. To ensure they continue to thrive, their population is being continuously monitored, and the zoo’s site management takes their ecological requirements fully into account.

Based on texts by Petr Velenský and a team of authors
for the magazines Trojský koník and Gazella