Three Amur cubs born to Vlada x Kitan https://twitter.com/bellewaerde https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKqWje13Sno
Amur Leopard, Abus is moving on to Tobu Zoo in Japan this week Le léopard de l'Amour Abus déménage au Japon | Bellewaerde
Wisent (Bison bonasus) Ipolite (female), born at Bellewaerde in 2015, has become part of a reintroduction program in Shahdag National Park in Azerbaijan. Together with other wisents from European zoos she is now staying in a 10 hectare acclimitization zone before being released into the national park. Bizon uit Bellewaerde vrijgelaten in grootste nationaal park van de Kaukasus
Bellewaerde received 4 new amur tigers (the older bengal-tigers died last year), Zeya, Onon, Nanai and Tynda from the Hluboká Zoo (Czech Republic). The park has stopped with Geoffrey cats, both animals are moved to Jihlava Zoo. There will be a new rollercoaster near to the area of this exhibit. The futted capuchins are moved to the Czech Republic. This exibit has been used for the squirell monkey's (which also moved because of the rollercoaser, but they remain within the parc). Once the squirell monkey's have a new exhibit, the park wil take gold bellied capuchin in the collection. The last elephant (Fahim) will move to the Netherlands (Rotterdam Zoo), Rotterdam Zoo's elephantbull Timber will move to Wildlands in Emmen. Elephantbull Mekong from Emmen to Swiss (Knies Kinderzoo). Amur leopard Freddo has arrived from Tallin Zoo. Amur leopard Kitan has already moved to the Rotterdam Zoo.
Yes. They want to renovate the current facility, but they also want to keep (according to the park in 2019) elephants in the collection. At this moment they are looking more into detail at all animal-exhibits, and wants to update these. The tiger-facility has already been updated last winter. The European bisons will also move away from a rollercoaster, to a more 'silent' location within the parc. Unfortunaly they did't receive a permit to build a new stable/ re-locate the animals at this time. The goal was to locate the bisons next to the birds of prey.
Apparently they have since changed their minds and have decided to end the keeping of Asian elephants at Bellewaerde. Last night/early this morning Asian elephant bull Fahim was transferred to the Rotterdam Zoo for breeding purposes. According to the articles linked below he was the final Asian elephant at Bellewaerde, as the park has chosen to focus more on breeding programs in which they participate with their own breeding groups (the article mentions Rothschild's giraffes, Amur leopard, Wisent and Red ruffed lemur). The elephant indoor housing and outdoor paddocks will be modified and used as additional space for the Rothschild's giraffes living at the park, a critically endangered species the park wants to focus more on now they have been given the opportunity. They have a breeding pair and had a successful birth last year. Conjecture on my part: perhaps they want to expend their giraffe herd? One of the pictures with one of the articles also showed that they crate they used to transport Fahim was the crate owned by Antwerp Zoo. Aziatische olifant Fahim uit Bellewaerde pakt zijn koffers richting Nederland | Het nieuws van West-Vlaanderen Aziatische olifant Fahim verhuist uit Bellewaerde naar Nederland | Themeparkfreaks While I understand their choice, it does take away a facility to house young bull elephant from the breeding program - and such facilities are quite needed. Also, on a different note: Bellewaerde will reopen on July 1st. Until now both the theme park and the animal collection have remained closed because of Covid-19. The reopening will be with limited capacity and on reservation only.
