Good news from GaiaZoo today. A pygmy hippopotamus (Hexaprotodon liberiensis) calf was born at GaiaZoo in the night of March 31st. Gender as of yet unknown. A livestream in the pygmy hippopotamus stable will be shared later today. The calf will not go outside until it has learned to swim in the shallower indoor pool. Source: GaiaZoo Facebook post with pictures
Arrival of 12 southern bald ibis. They are placed in the flamingos aviary. https://www.facebook.com/pg/GaiaZOOKerkrade/posts/?ref=page_internal
European turtle doves (Streptopelia turtur) have hatched in the Taiga aviary at GaiaZoo. Source: GaiaZoo Facebook post with image
According to Zootierliste GaiaZoo has both Barren ground and Greenland musk oxen and that is all I know. Honestly I cannot help you with this one, I'm sorry.
2019 the Hammerhead was obtained to find a new home in the enormous new Flamingo-aviary. This year the pair started to build a large nest typical for this species and now the first young has left the nest .
I visited Gaiazoo again after seven years this week. I was impressed by all the new developments (in 7 years time about 1/4-1/3 of the park got a make-over). With the addition of multiple aviaries and the Limburghuis (local small rodents, amphibians, fish) the zoo is getting a better more-rounded collection. All the additions were of a high level and fit in well with the original zoo. A lot of things in this zoo are done in a simple, but attractive way and it would be a good zoo to visit for zoo designers on a budget. The original zoo (opened in 2005) cost roughly 20 million euros and I can't imagine much more than that amount was spent on developments in the 15 years since. Some notes: - Over 50 Greater Flamingo chicks have been born already and there are many still on the nest. On first sight it is hard to believe that they have 400+ birds there, but when you start counting them it is easy to see how quickly flamingoes disappear in the flock. - The last Canadian Beaver has left the zoo and will be replaced by European Beavers. - The African Wild Dogs were fed a whole Forest Reindeer (no head though), which was a great sight with very active dogs early on the day and a stripped carcass and lazy dogs later on. I am curious how this zoo will develop in the future, there are only four possible locations for new small enclosures, but I think there was at least a possibility for extending the zoo a bit further. As it is now there are still a number of crowd-pleasers missing.
I am glad they replaced the Canadian beaver for the more fitting European species. That way they can draw attention to and support the reintroduction and reestablishment of the species in our home country. This apart from all the potential hybridisation with Canadians.
I do not carry nationalist sentiments (or resentments) for the N.American species Canadian beaver, I just honestly belief the interests of animal and ecosystem conservation, public awareness nature connections as well as captive-breeding programs are best served if and when Canadian beavers have the attention of AZA/ZAA accredited zoos and that the European beaver is the focus of EEP/EAZA + EARAZA programs.
