Prague Zoo director accused again of failing to stop bullying — this time the whistleblowers are the ones losing their jobs

A new bullying scandal has erupted in the quarantine department of Prague Zoo: three keepers complained about systematic pressure from their direct supervisor, yet the zoo's new director, Lenka Poláková, decided not to renew the contracts of the women who filed the complaint — while the head of the department who was accused kept her job, merely losing her managerial title.

A story dating back to 2020

The problem goes back to the tenure of former director Miroslav Bobek, who himself once resigned over accusations of bullying subordinates. Back in September 2020, a keeper named Šárka fainted on the zoo grounds and was diagnosed with a panic attack. She said the cause was bullying by her senior colleague, Martina — constant scrutiny, shouting, insults, and lies told to management about the quality of her work. After Šárka's complaint, she was transferred to another department, while Martina kept her supervisory position.

Later, another former employee, who worked in the department from 2021 to 2023, gave similar testimony, describing daily psychological breakdowns and even passive suicidal thoughts. She eventually quit without even trying to resolve the conflict with management.

New complaints and a staff survey

Another employee, who joined the department in 2023, says she faced gossip and deliberate withholding of work-related information. In May 2025, she filed an official complaint about insults, aggressive interrogation-style questioning, lies and manipulation. Repeated meetings with management led nowhere, and in December 2025 the complaint was resubmitted — this time to the zoo's newly formed HR department.

According to a staff survey conducted in early 2026 covering the period of Miroslav Bobek's leadership, 80% of respondents said fear had been the prevailing atmosphere in the team. During the transition period, the zoo was promised the help of an external mediator, but the mediator didn't actually start work until May. By then the situation had escalated so far that the third complaint to HR was signed by all three keepers in the quarantine department.

The outcome: the whistleblowers get let go

In July this year, at a meeting with management, director Poláková told two employees on fixed-term contracts that their contracts would not be renewed, while the third, who had a permanent contract, was advised to resign voluntarily. Martina, the senior keeper at the centre of the complaints, was removed from her managerial role but kept on working in the same department.

Asked about the recurring bullying accusations against her, Martina replied: "It's simple, really. I could accuse them too" — adding that she would be taking her own steps in response. One of the dismissed keepers admitted: "I'm leaving disappointed. I wanted to show my colleagues that it's worth standing up to bullying, even when the odds are against you. This decision showed the opposite."

Director Poláková explained her decision by citing the external mediator's conclusion that relations within the team could not be repaired through ordinary means, including six months of mediation, so she decided to overhaul the department's staff as much as possible. However, according to the keepers themselves, the mediator's report never stated that the complainants should be the ones to leave — on the contrary, it recommended changing the team's leadership.

Two of the employees also lodged a complaint with Prague City Hall, addressed to Deputy Mayor Jana Komrsková. The keepers say the meeting was difficult, with officials discouraging them from pursuing the matter further, citing the risk of damaging relations with the zoo and harming its reputation. Komrsková describes the conversation differently — as calm and friendly — and notes that City Hall simply isn't equipped to closely monitor interpersonal conflicts within a workplace, though she confirmed the written complaint had been accepted for review.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz