Antwerp zoo » Antwerp Zoo

13-08-2008

Like I said, idd.


The Zoo has a lot of classic animals, idd, but also many specials like okapi, sea otter, cape buffalo, anoa, eastern lowland gorilla, babiroussa, large spotted genet, amu leopard, and many, many others. I don't start at the birds and reptiles.. That's too much to name.

Every zoo who is part of the RZSA has her own fine collection with classics and specials.

13-08-2008

I ment more that the Zoo will be a Classical zoo because the most breedingprojects will be in Planckendael. So the audience will experience it, but the Zoo will keep a lot of breedingsprojects in his own zoo ofcourse...

But the "big eyecatchters" are in Planckendael later for the breeding, the Elephants, the Girafs, ... The Zoo is then more a Zoo like the other city Zoo's according to me... except his sometimes unique collection, but that is something that the ordinary people don"t need according to themselves...

But what counts is there location, that leads to many visitors, day after day...

14-08-2008

I visited Antwerp in early Spring 2007 and really enjoyed my visit . I must admit to enjoying a traditional zoo with its immaculate and beautiful gardens and interesting historic buildings . I would say that Bristol in the UK is similar in many ways .

My visit was made special by the sea otter and Eastern lowland gorillas as well as lots of other rarities .

I agree that some species could be better housed - the monkeys and apes , big cats and elephants amongst others . It does seem that future plans will address this to at least some extent . The standards of keeping did appear very good throughout the collection .

14-08-2008

Glad you liked it! Upcoming projects at the zoo are a new lion exhibit (finaly) at the place where hoofed animals are now and the enlargement of the giraf exhibit. These projects should be finished in 2009.

I think the enclousure of the Eastern lowland gorillas is way too small and they should use much more natural materials. Hope this will change in future!

14-08-2008

The okapis will get also two extra exhibits, so they will have 5 exhibits for an maximum of 10 animals (now we have 4 (1.3) okapis). This is probably for the end of this year or also in 2009.

The great apes (possible the chimpansees) will get bigger enclousures at the current Kids Zoo and 'Stokstaartje' Restaurant (so was the plan a year ago ).

14-08-2008

Yes idd I we saw the plans... I'm sooo cerious how they gonna handle this!

20-10-2008

Hello,
at the beginning of the March 2009 I'd like to visit the Antwerp Zoo and would like to ask anybody for some informations.

1)Is it possible in this time ( about 10 March) observe all animals in their outdoor enclousers? When the weather would been gone wrong, what animal's houses are accessible for the visitors?

2) Does the zoo still keep the great blue turacos?

3) Which subspecies are the gorillas ? I have heard, that zoo holds all 3 subspecies.

4) What kind of duiker is you kept in the zoo? Regarding at ISIS they hold Maxwell's duiker, is it true? Or do all the duikers belong to hybrids among blue and Maxwell's duikers?

Thank you for your answer

20-10-2008

1. most interesting house (in my opinion ) is the nocturnal house. But there is the reptile house, the aquarium, "vriesland" (=penguins and sea otters), the temple, the hippo-house, the great ape house, monkeyhouse, birdhouse... So even when it's raining there is a lot you can do and see in antwerp

2. In my last visit (about 1,5 months ago) there was still a couple in an aviary next to the zebras

3. That seems to change almost yearly. The male is definately western Old female victoria (the smaller, skinnier female) is definately eastern. The other female (the big one that looks a lot like a male), amahoro could be mountain, could be eastern. She looks so different from victoria that i am inclined to say she is a mountaingorilla.

4. They don't have a pure maxwell. Perhaps there is still a suviving blue x maxwell hybrid, they used to keep. About a year ago they got some blue duikers from burgers zoo in arnhem. I believe those are the only ones in antwerp today. (burgers changed to pure schultzei blue duikers. The blue duikers burgers used to have were "zoo-mix" and had a lot of miscarriages, possibly because of not being pure bred animals. Those animals now live in antwerp so i don't think they have the plan of breeding with duikers soon)

22-10-2008

I must admit i love Antwerp as well and especially since a couple of years started to appriciate the collection more.
I live right between Antwerp and Rotterdam so I visited both of them a lot already from being very young and I remember how surprised I was that an other zoofreak told me he would die to see Okapi's as I considered to be a standard animal for a zoo .
But with years more insight in reality came and i must admit I started to enjoy both more and more.

22-10-2008

"The zoo's bird house is world famous for it's ability to keep bird trapped in by light alone"

What does this mean?

22-10-2008

the visitor area of the bird house is kept darkened while the open-fronted aviaries are brightly lit, hence the birds remain within their aviaries

22-10-2008

The systems looks like this:


(picture thanks to Brebart.be: Planckendael en Zoo Antwerpen anders bekeken)

It's not that impressive but it's a nice system . The visitors area is much darker than in this picture.

22-10-2008

it's indeed not that impressive and most species kept in it arent either.
Just ones I saw there some oryzoborus angolensis but most of the times it s just goulds or lonchura species there

31-12-2008

I would have a question to the Antwerp-Fans, I have heard about the rebuilding of small mammal house to the enclouser for the congo peacocks, does the reconstruction already start up? And what will happen with duikers and babyroussas, will they been given to the other zoos or do they remain at the zoo? Thank you

31-12-2008

Yes, the reconstruction is already start up, see the pictures below .
The duikers will housed by the okapi's and the babirusas will get a new home on the extension place of the zoo in 2009.