Aardvarks

Hi,
Firstly I would like to find out which european zoos keep aardvarks. According to the ISIS the places there zoos keep this peculiar mammals are the followings: Antwerp, Arnhem, Colchester, Frankfurt, Kessingland, Praha, Randers.
If I know correctly, Berlin (?) and Saarbrücken also keep this species, but I’m not sure in it; and I’ve heard some years before that a former holder, Poznan plan to exhibit aardvarks, too, but I don’t know if they have them at present or not.
Do you know anything about that? Or any location where aardvarks currently exhibited in Europe? Thanks …

 

Here in the UK i'm fairly certain the only two collections keeping them have been mentioned by yourself; Colchester and Kessingland (which is known as either Suffolk Wild Animal Park or Africa Alive!).

I can't think of any other places with them.

 

This species is the personal favorite of my girlfriend so i'm rather pressured to keep track of them

The zoo's in Europe that keep them are as followed:

Rander's Regnskoven - Randers, Denmark
Saarbrücken Zoo - Saarbrücken, Germany
Berlin Zoo (West) - Berlin, Germany
Frankfurt Zoo - Frankfurt, Germany
Antwerp Zoo - Antwerp, Belgium
Colchester Zoo - Colchester, England
Africa Alive! - Kessingland, England
Praha Zoo, Prague, Czech Republic

Since a few months:
Bioparco Valencia - Valencia, Spain

The main breeder, and ESB studbook keeper is
Burger's Zoo - Arnhem, Netherlands

I'm 99,9% sure these are all.

Burger's Zoo imported a few individuals from the USA in the past and since then is the main breeder and keeper of this species in Europe. Last February they bred their 27th offspring, the seventh from mother Oq who was born at Detroit Zoo! Arnhem is now having problems getting rid of their offspring since almost, if not all collections in Europe are related to theirs.

Lately their have been additional births at Randers and Colchester...

Amazing species, we where actually fortunate enough to be allowed into their exhibit at Burger's and pet the baby only yesterday! Amazing experience! The keeper told us that a few more zoo's are interested in keeping this species, but he didn't give me (probably didn't know) any names. Without new imports on the short notice it'll be hard to keep the population genetically viable...

BTW i like your Forum name

 

Thanks for the info. Yes, I know about the ESB of the aardvarks, and the european captive population is mostly threatened with genetical problems in the near future, too. Except just a few individual, animals at present live in european collections are origin from the Burger’s Zoo. About the genetically viable population: unfortunately, if I know correctly, the cub was born in Randers is inbred, because its parents are a full-sibling pair. In the past there was a plan to import individuals from Africa. …..and certainly there is a need to most zoos which interested in exhibiting these charming animals.
And a bit another theme: What do you think about the correct solution to exhibit aardvarks: keeping in a traditional open enclosure or in a nocturnal exhibit? I have no information what technics used in Saarbrücken, Valencia, Antwerp and Kessingland.
Do you know exact data about what size enclosures in aardvarks exhibited in nocturnal exhibits? Certainly I know that is not the only important factor, but I have not to much information about that.
If anybody have information about aardvark-enclosures (size, exhibit design, etc...) please tell me about it! Thanks in advance ...

Jwer, I think you were so lucky in Burger’s Zoo!

 

Antwerp's Aardvark's are in their "Nocturama" house, a nocturnal exhibit in which they do wander about quite a lot. They have two square (GUESS: 6m by 4 m each) exhibits and as far as i know usually exhibit the male and female seperately. In the branches above them lives a nocturnal primate (pretty sure they are Potto's). As far as i know Saarbrücken's exhibit is also in a basement (thus nocturnal), but the german's on this forum (if they find this thread) will know more.

To be honest, aardvark's do seem much more active in a nocturnal house (Antwerp's aardvark's usually wander around all day). But since you can't see their colour nor the animals themselves really well i do prefer an open exhibit. Also because i'm ready to walk past the exhibit multiple times a day to find one active (usually, if you do that you'll get to see one active). I personally like prague's solution a lot, which is an open exhibit with the (still very open) burrough right in front of the visitors. When we where there, the aardvarks were all sleeping in it. Sleeping aardvarks are not that interesting but pressed up close against the glass, their still very cute

I've seen a picture of their (open, afaik) exhibit at Africa Alive! once, but i guess the english people here will do better telling how it is...

 

I read sadly that the aardvark’s enclosure in Antwerp is very small. If aardvarks have just an indoor nocturnal enclosure, in my sight its size should be at least 100 square metres, but certainly, preferably more … Are there any artificial termite mounds in aardvark enclosures what have you seen already? If yes, are these used to feeding or just decorating the place?

 

As jwer already has mentioned the exhibit in Prague, I will make some comments. The current exhibit in giraffe house was built as a box for white rhino, but plans changed and it is now used for aardvars. This room is not so spacious (for 3 animals) but they can use an outdoor pen (during the night).

the inside exhibit


Few months ago a new feeding place was built. A fake termite castle, with one side from glass. A portion of mealworms is placed there at 10am to show the animals "alive" to the visitors.

 

At Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo the aardvarks are kept in the "Africa Cave", a nocturnal exhibit. Here they share their exhibit with African brush-tailed porcupines and yellow-spotted rock hyraxes.

Even though it's a nocturnal house, the visitors see the aardvarks through a mesh instead of glass, so you can get lucky here and get some rare close contact with one of the cutest and most fascinating animals on the planet.

Here are some pictures from Randers, taken just after the last baby was born in September 2006:

The female "Maxima"
Maxima with young
The baby
The baby

 

Thanks for the photos!!!

Jana: I don’t understand this entirely… so aardvarks in Praha are closed in the inside enclosure in the daytime and have acces to the outside area only during the night?
I like this feeding idea in Praha …

Toddy: I think that the aardvark’s enclosure in Randers is pretty good … Do you now its size, just approximately?
"one of the cutest and most fascinating animals on the planet"…I think you are right …
But I don’t really understand why yellow-spotted hyraxes housed in a nocturnal exhibit …as far as I know, these animals are mostly diurnal …

 

Have you been to Randers yourself? I'm affraid I don't have any information as to how big the enclosure is. My guess would be about 15-20 meters in length, and 4-5 meters in width. It's hard to tell though.
The enclosure is divided into several cave rooms, that can be seperated if needed. There is also a room and some burrows where the aardvarks can get some privacy.

That's the beauty part . The Africa Cave is situated within the Africa Dome. On op of, and all around the cave, is rainforest with all the other African animals.
The rock hyraxes have acces to the dome through small holes the roof of the cave, where neither the aardvarks or porcupines can get to.
During the day the yellow-spotted rock hyraxes live free in the rainforest, and then they find their way to the cave at night to sleep.

 

There are 2 inside exhibits - for aardvarks and red river hogs, but only 1 outside pen. This pen is used in shifts (aardvarks in night till ca 9am and the pigs are let go there during visitors hours).

 

Toddy, Jana thanks again!

Unfortunately I have never been at Randers, but I would like to. About the "hyrax-theme": so the Africa dome in general work like a hyrax walk-thru? Or do the hyraxes have separated area from visitors inside the dome, above the cave?

This kind of use of the outside enclosure in Praha (the red river hogs’ and aardvarks’ shift), I ’m not convinced of this is the best solution, but interesting from the aspect, that rotating these species ….

 

Randers Regnskov consists basically of three huge glass domes with tropical rainforest inside. They are themed Asia, Africa and South America.

In the Africa dome lives lots of different animals from the tropical rainforest. Mostly birds, but also red-bellied lemurs. In a seperate enclosure lives eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys and swamp mongooses. T

he rock hyraxes are one of the two mammals that live completely free within the dome, and the visitors can get really close to them (though not to close since they are quite shy). The hyraxes can mostly be found in the dense vegetation along the visitors pathway on to of the dome, right next to the central waterfall.

So the hyraxes can choose the "privacy" of the cave, or running around in the rainforest vegetation as they please. Even though they probably get more privacy in the dense vegetation than in the cave.

 

Hey Toddy, this kind of exhibiting hyraxes for visitors sounds amazing! I think I should go to Randers to see that with my own eyes!
By the way according to the ISIS Randers Regnskov is the only zoo which keep this hyrax species.

Do you know exactly what kind of fish species (or any other animal species) are exhibited together with manatees in Randers? Or somewhere else?

 

Would it be legal to import aardys into australia if you got the right permits or would it be too risky.

 

If you (or anyone else) ever comes to Denmark, let me know!
Yes, Randers is the only one to keep small-toohed rock hyraxes (Heteohyrax brucei), which makes them even more exiting. They also breed these loveable creatures.

I know of pacu (Myleus pacu),silver arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) and guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

 

I think import aardvarks to Australia is entirely legal, it depends on the zoo decision. Aardvarks are categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, and Appendix II by the CITES. So if the legal permits are received, it would be solvable. But, it would not be a good solution to import just a few animals I think, so in ideally case not just one australian zoo should exhibit aardvarks.

 

Toddy, thanks for the info. I think if I will decide to visit Randers Regnskov in the future, I surely ask for you a guide! Certainly if it is not a problem for you ... and if I will once be at Denmark, I would like to visit Copenhagen Zoo, too

 

Thanks for that......Who gives a **** about asian elephants, lets get some aardvarks.

 

Melbourne Zoo kept some aardvarks in the late '70s. They were kept in the old pens (since been knocked down) where one would have found wombats, echidnas and prairie dogs. Probably where the new elephant housing is.