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PRAGUE, Wednesday (AFP)

Kadir the film star elephant has become the latest victim of the Czech republic's rising floodwaters, along with a female hippo.

The two giant attractions at the popular Troja zoo in a northwest Prague suburb, were put to sleep on Tuesday by zookeepers who were unable to save them from the floodwaters of the overflowing river Vltava, the zoo's director Petr Fejk said

Adored by generations of Prague children, Kadir also appeared in several Czech films.

"Kadir lost strength and was beginning to drown despite our efforts," said Fejk.

"We had no choice but to put an end to his suffering," he added, unable to stifle his tears.

The floodwaters reached the elephant house despite four-metre-high (13-foot) barriers which had been erected.

Three female elephants, Kadir's longtime companions, managed to escape the rising waters, said Fejk. However a female hippopotamus also had to be put down.

The Troja district, one of the first parts of Prague to be hit by the rising waters of the river, is dominated by a 17th century baroque chateau, built by French architect Jean-Baptiste Mathey, which houses art collections from the national Gallery.

Around 200,000 people have been evacuated by rising floodwaters in the Czech Republic that submerged parts of the picturesque capital and threatened to swamp residential areas Tuesday, claiming nine lives across the country in the worst flooding in the country in a century. 

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