CZECH REPUBLIC: Statue at Prague Zoo commemorates the sea lion who lost his life after an epic journey during 2002 floods

Zoo staff and fans of the sea lion Gaston, who once lived at the Prague Zoo, gathered on Wednesday (November 11) for the inauguration of a statue created in his honour. Gaston had lived at the zoo for most of his life, after he was bought from a Namibian businessman as a pup. Prague Zoo director, Petr Fejk, said he had been a favourite among visitors. "Gaston was one of our most popular animals....above all due to his joyful and friendly character, when he entertained thousands and ten of thousands of people and children with his, what we could call 'performances' at the zoo," Fejk said. But when severe floods battered Prague in February 2002, Gaston was among three seals who took advantage of the rising waters to make an escape. The level of the River Vltava rose more than ten metres, and more than a thousand animals were forced out by the water. The seals saw the rising waters as their ticket to freedom. They swam out on the floodtide, and while two were re-captured, Gaston avoided all attempts to lure him home. He rode the waters for nearly a week, crossing the border into Germany and travelling 200 kilometres from the zoo. He was finally trapped near the German city of Dresden. But it was not a happy ending. "At that time we were euphoric that we had succeeded in saving him. But as he was being brought back to the Czech Republic he died due to the exhaustion and stress," said Zoo spokesman Vit Kahle. Gaston has not been forgotten by the Czech people, who followed his escape with interest as they desperately looked for something to smile about as the floods ravaged their country. Applause greeted the unveiling of Gaston's statue on Wednesday, which commemorates his epic journey.

ITN Source | November 17, 2005

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