The great beginning
The Zoo Ohrada was set up by a personal initiative from Dr. Adolfa Schwarzenber and his wife in the park near the hunting lodge Ohrada. Its owners haven't used the hunting lodge for the purpose it was built for some time and therefore they opened it for a period of time to the public as a museum with naturalistic collections, mainly in relation to forestry and hunting. The building of the zoo began soon after the decision was made, in the autumn of 1937 and during the following year, it was opened with number of aviaries and runs including a terrarium. The zoo was opened for the public on 1st May, 1939 and during that year the zoo was visited by 33 076 visitors.

Period of stagnation and its fall
The Second World War interrupted the development of the zoo, but even after the war the right conditions for its expansion did not come about. The hunting lodge including the zoo came under the jurisdiction of the national administration and during the following 25 years number of managers changed hands in running the zoo, without being able to give it the specialised treatment it required. Because the zoo continued to be under the management of the hunting lodge, where main interest was in forestry and hunting, the managers were also interested in this field. The administrators from the end of the Second World War to 1971 were the following organisations:

+ The forestry department of Hluboka nad Vltavou
+ Section for hunting from the forestry department of Hluboka nad Vltavou regional
    administration for national forests.
+ Section of farming and forestry museums from the department of scientific
and technical information of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Agriculture from (1961)
+ Agricultural museum from the department of scientific and technical information
    ČSAV (from 1962)

The conditions for breeding animals were not the best and the zoological garden was isolated from other Czechoslovakian zoological gardens. From information available on the state of the animals kept and the technical situation of the zoo's facilities, it seemed apparent that the zoological garden was falling behind the rest of the zoological gardens, which were at that time being renovated. The zoological garden was mainly kept in a form of a zoo corner, without breeding ambitions, during this time the size of the garden (approx. 0,5ha) had not really changed since the beginning. Towards the end of the 50's there were around 80 species of animals bred in the zoo. Apart from a new enclosure for the bears, no new buildings or exhibitions were built. Only a maintenance of the existing facilities took place and unfortunately all the greenery was removed including fully grown trees, but even for the low standard of facilities of the zoo and its small size, there was great public interest in it and in the 60's the number of visitors was around the 150 000 per year.

The last administrator during this time, the Agricultural museum of Prague - respectively the Forestry, Hunting and Fishing Museum Ohrada, by whom the zoo was managed, was not able to secure the safe running of the zoo. Their Chief Administrator, from the department of scientific and technical information, had no interest in maintaining the zoo, because this did not form part of their workload. Therefore, the zoological garden started to deteriorate gradually. This showed in the reduction to the number of visitors, during 1969 it dropped down to 73 000 visitors per year. The administrator wanted the garden to either close or to hand it over. In 1971 the zoo, was nearly in liquidation, thanks to the lack of interest of the administrator the whole compound was in a state of disrepair. Animals that remained were in bad health condition, and the breeding facilities did not conform to the basic requirements.

The light at the end of the tunnel
The general public of South Bohemia protested against the closure of the zoo, which offered them a pleasant opportunity for outings to a place with tradition. Some of the towns and regional offices also showed interest in keeping the zoo open. In 1971, discussions were held regarding the possibility of handing over the zoological garden, and the possibility of its future. The discussions were held not only with the existing administrator but also with other organisations including the Ministry of Culture for the Czech Republic under which the remaining zoological gardens belonged. Big influence on the result of the discussions had also, at that time the director of the zoological garden in Prague, professor Veselovsky, who supported the statement, to keep the Zoo Ohrada open, this was also required by the Ministry of Culture.

In the second half of 1971, it was decided that the zoological garden Ohrada should be taken over by South Bohemian Regional Council and that it should be listed amongst the network of zoological gardens under the Ministry of Culture for the CR. By the decision of the council of JcKNV on the 7.3.1972, it was possible to set up a new contributory organisation for the zoological garden Ohrada, from the 1st April 1972, with its headquarters in Hluboka nad Vltavou. Because at that time zoological gardens were regarded as cultural facilities, the direct management of the zoo Ohrada fell under Department of Culture of JcKNV.

Independence

Year 1972 - 1989
The independence from the Forestry, Hunting and Fishing Museum which was governed from Prague, brought to the regional facility possibility of development which up to then wasn't available. Limitation agreement has been signed by the end of March, 1972 between Head office of the Science and Technical Information, Prague and JčKNV in České Budějovice, which gave precedence for the usage of part of the farm-buildings in the area of the Hunting Lodge Ohrada as a zoological garden. Straight at the beginning new changing rooms and sanitary facilities were built for the employees of the zoo, a room for the preparation of food for animals, a feed store, isolation and quarantine area for animals, workshops, stores for material and also offices for the director of the zoo. Gradually work took place on the renovation of the electrical supply, water supply, drainage, roads and fencing. During that time the missing over-winter accommodation for animals and a house, a prefabricated building for the employees, were erected..

Gradually, the individual breeding facilities were renovated and a gradual expansion to the exhibitions took place. In 1982 new enclosure for cloven-hoofed animals and water birds were opened on the shore of the Munick lake, this meant that the area of the zoo was greatly increased. In addition, the number of animals grew (from 1972 to 1985 the number of bred animals was nearly treble to 103 species, and the number of individual nearly quadrupled to 330 pieces). The zoo Ohrada started to fulfil its function of a zoological garden - apart from the recreation facilities to the public also the breeding qualities of animals improved, which was shown on the breeding successes. The zoological garden also joined the scheme for protection of the nature. At this time the first project was set up, which was to expand the area of the zoological garden outside the existing boundaries - to interesting parts of the shore of the Munick lake away from the hunting lodge and as far as the village Munice. This expansion did not take place. In the grounds of the zoo a small theatre was built in 1978 it was under the open sky, and a Children's day performances tradition came into being, this tradition continues to this day. A month of theatre performances directed towards the smallest spectator takes place before the end of the school year, the content is centred on animals and lately to relationships between humans and animals, an indirect form of ecological education.

Together with the increasing size and the standard of the zoo also the number of employees increased and the number of visitors. By the end of 1972 there were 106 847 visitors to the zoo and in 1973 the number went up to 138 959 visitors. In 1978 the number of visitors went for the first time, over the 200 000 mark. This number was achieved four more times during the 1981, 1982, 1987 and 1989, and even the other years the number of visitors did not fall below 180 000.

Year 1990 - 2001
In 1990 after the abolishment of Regional People's Committee, the management of the Zoological garden Ohrada was taken over by the District Council of České Budějovice. Zoo Ohrada stayed together with Eastern Czech Zoo in Dvůr Královy, as the only zoos that were under the state management, while all other remaining zoos were transferred under the management of each individual town. Zoological gardens play an important part in protection of nature and in ecological education therefore they came under the government department of Ministry of Environment.

The first three years of the new management were marked with a great reduction in number of visitors, this was also seen in other zoological gardens, the number reduced down to 150 000 visitors. By the 1995 the number of visitors again increased above the 200 000 due to modernisation and expansion of the zoo, where it is maintained to date (as per graph number of visitors). During this time a large part of the existing exhibition in the zoo was modernised, for example the rail fencing or wire fencing was replaced with glass frontage, reconstruction and enlargement of the ponds, that house water birds along the shore of the Munic lake, to a large, modern and interesting exhibition. The zoological garden obtained into its ownership other 3 hectares of land for further expansion. A modern breeding section was developed which is also used during winter for housing thermopile animals, a greenhouse and shaded area, they are used to supply the exposition with plants and greenery. Other important move towards modern approach of building exhibitions, came during year 2000 and 2001, where new biotope exhibitions were built for tortoises, otters, flamingos, Australian fauna and part exhibition of an American fauna and were opened to the general public, also the over wintering facilities were modernised and part of them were changed into new workshops. This offered new area, which was needed for the zoo, mainly for the expansion of breeding facilities for insects and rodents that were used for feeding zoo animals, also enlargement and modernisation of the quarantine accommodation, which also houses a modern veterinary surgery.

At present time the total ground area of the zoo is 6 hectares but only 1,8 h. forms the exhibition that is accessible to the general public and approximately 1,2 h. is used for technical and farm buildings. The remaining 3 h. is set aside for future development. Now a large hay barn is built here and a preparation is taking place for the first building work building of roads and the establishing of engineering network.

The number of bred animals grew to 360 individuals in 115 species by 1999 and in 2001 to more than 550 individuals with more than 150 species.

Professional organisation membership
Zoological garden Ohrada, after it became independent, gradually obtained recognition amongst other zoological gardens and in 1991; it became the founder member of the Union of Czech and Slovak zoological Gardens. It was followed later by memberships in important international organisations - from 1997 it is a member of European Association of zoological gardens and Aquaria's (EAZA), in 2001 it became a member of Euro Asian Regional Association of zoological Gardens and Aquaria's (EARAZA) and it is also represented in International Association of Educational Workers for zoological gardens (IZE). The zoo Ohrada also fulfils its function of a Rescue station for handicapped animals within the national network of rescue stations in the ČSOP.

Breeding activities and specialisation of Zoo Ohrada
At the beginning the concept for the zoo was specially formed. Even before the onset of the zoological garden the Swarzenbergs had in their park, where the present zoological garden stands, great number of different kinds of animals, like bears, coati, parrots, small foreign birds and different kinds of Asian pheasants. During the time the zoo was open to the public, different foreign species of animals were added, like ducks, ostriches, and several kinds of parrots, red guenon, and traditional species of game animals. Some species of reptiles, for example a large group of seventy European Pond Turtles. During the war a traveller Bedřich Machulka, in connection with the management of the zoo, talked about the possibility of specialisation of the zoo, apart from our animals to African fauna.

In the post-war period, the selection for breeding animals was more by chance, from the available documentation, it shows that they were breeding animals like bears, porcupines, emus, seven kinds of monkeys and later on beavers.   

Under the management of Agricultural Museum, and under the new concept for zoos from 1962, exotic animals were being removed from the zoo apart from some exceptions and were being replaced with members of fauna that was found living in Czechoslovakia, including animals that have been extinct or newly reintroduced.

After the zoo became independent the council of JčKNV approved new concept, by which the zoo should familiarise the general public with the life of our animals but mainly with the fauna found in South Bohemia, partially also with fauna from other parts of the world, and to participate in the education and popularisation of zoology and protection of nature. Even then, one of the aims of the zoo was to breed animals in surroundings nearest to their natural habitation, even though they were able to fulfil this part of aim in practice only in the past decade. The specialisation of zoological garden to breed animals living in the CR persists to this date. Generally, it is possible to say, that great representation of fauna belongs to species found across the whole Europe (approximately 2/3 of bred animals). However, you will also find other representation of animals whole Palaearctic or Nearctic Zoogeographic regions of (Euro-Asian and North America) and some representatives of genuine exotic fauna (Africa, tropical Asia, Australia, South America).
Due to the small size of the zoo and to its specialisation, Zoo Ohrada breeds mainly small and medium sized animals, which in many cases are not bred in other zoos, either for its "commonness" (for example red squirrel, jaybird, magpie, hair, partridge etc.) or "rarity" (river otter).

To interesting and exceptional breeding successes of the Zoo Ohrada after 1972, belongs the regular breeding of bears (from 1981, 14 cubs in total), wolfs (from 1975 altogether 23 cubs) and the wild cats (from 1976 in total three litters) or badgers (4 young in total). From the bird kind, it is in particular the repeated breeding success of Curl-crested Aracari which the zoo Ohrada reared during the 1996 and 1997 as probably the first zoo in the world, but also rearing of Shoveler, Blue-and-yellow Macaw or regular breeding of weaverbird. Important breeding experience obtained the Zoo Ohrada with breeding of tortoises (Hermann's Tortoise and European Pond Turtle) in (1998, 1999 and 2001).

Towards the end of 70's and at the beginning of the 80's, they reared 9 ravens, they were let free into the wild under the general agreement to strengthen the population of this kind, at that time a rare kind of bird. At present, the Zoo Ohrada participates in a programme to reintroduce Ural Owls into Šumava forest, between 1995 and 2001 14 fledglings were bred in the Zoo Ohrada and were let free into the wild. The zoo also participated in a project to strengthen the population of red squirrel in the district of Česka Lípa, where, the young bred in zoo Ohrada, are sent.

Union of Czech and Slovak zoological Gardens
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA)