If you’re going to disregard the rest of the zoo with the status of being the best in the Netherlands (which I can assure you it did not get for having a pair of blue duiker and a now bachelor pair of ringed seals) then as people are saying above perhaps you shouldn’t visit at all. There’s no use in complaining to the zoo about it as they will have made up their minds, and for all you know the animals will move to another zoo in the Netherlands. So relax.
@Kakapo I think it's very important to learn the difference between things you should and shouldn't directly contact a zoo about or not. If a zoo genuinely inconveniences you in an unresponsible and unprofessional matter, then you can complain. Not for a few animals moving out of their enclosures to potentially better enclosures in other zoos. That's just the zoos doing their job. Besides, this move does not get rid of the only large mammals present in 5 or less European collections; their Eastern white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus) are still around.
I'm sad too about the seals leaving @Kakapo, but realise that the enclosure was outdated. It was acceptable, maybe even adequate, but nothing more than that. It lowered the standards for the collection as a whole, and the fact that almost all other exhibits are fantastic made the enclosure stand out (in a negative way) even more. Every zoo enthousiast has his or her misses, being it historic enclosures demolished before they can see it or rare species moving out. I for example never made it to Cologne in time to see the saiga and I was too late for Blijdorp's sea otters. You'll still enjoy the fantastic Bush filled with rare birds (darter, piha and the like), the unique Desert where you'll find a collection of rare rodents and ringtails, while the Safari has some uncommon hoofstock along the more standard species. The Pheasantry has a good selection of birds, while the Mangrove and Ocean have their own rarities in de form of fish and inverts. The Rimba has less odd species, but still golden jackals are found closeby and main paddock too has an interesting collection. I could go on and on about the fact that Burgers' collection is still very good without two rare animals. But I would rather advice you to enjoy the zoo because of its exhibits, which are unique and absolutely stunning. Burgers' is more that the sum of it's parts (in this case the species kept), and saying it is "pure rubbish" now is absolutely nonsense. Please don't let the absence of two species ruin you entire holiday.
A special little deer (bovid actually) and a special seal are not the only, but yes the main reason to visit. Without them, for my interest, it just passed from be a "special" zoo to a "normal" zoo. Yes I know that there are much more rare species than those. But those was the most exciting for me. Since I has been in California, ringtail and bighorn are not novelties for me, despite how rare are them. I also have photo of beisa oryx. Other species are nice, but not all animal groups are equal for me... a distinctive pinniped and a distinctive hoofstock are much more wished to me than rodents and small birds. I don't share your point of view, Vision. Zoo staff and directors are persons too! Really do you think that nobody should contact them for whaterver reason except inconveniences caused to people???? That sounds weird to me... Many times a zoo don't reply for bannal questions (for example I asked Pairi Daiza if Bulwer's pheasants will be off exhibit or not, before knowing that not, but they didn't replied). You know than a wildebeest subspecies from a species that I already have, have not the same value than a distinctive species from the point of view of a species photo collector Anyway, the zoo already replied me. I asked them to please don't move these jewels of the crown, but they told me that they already did. The seals will go to Ecomare, and the duiker to Flamingo Land in UK. Nothing can be done now for retain them. They abandoned the place.
Sorry for replying in the moment when I was blind with sadness for this lost chance just at time for my travel. I apologize. But I never said that Burgers is "pure rubbish". I just said that squirrel monkeys and coatis are "rubbish" species compared with the ones that left. Maybe I was too rude in calling an animal "rubbish" (of course I don't think it in my heart, but I wast just desperated in the moment), but I didn't disrespected the zoo itself.
Then think about including a day to the island of Texel to your trip. Ecomare has porpoise and now the seals, along with a nice display of native species. Texel Zoo has some nice bird species, and maybe you could visit one of the amazing and very accessible bird sites on the island. There's even a shop where you can rent or borrow binoculars. The island itself too, is worth a visit.
Thanks! Looks useful. Tough it don't tell the costs, just what trains you must catch. No worries, I wil see asking the station staff. P. S. please Batto don't burn Lintworm, he's a good guy
That is really tempting to me. The problem is that the public transport is very difficult to reach this place (from The Hague). That's why I choosed Harderwijk instead Ecomare, despite being much more expensive. If was not by this problem, for sure I would substitute Harderwijk by Ecomare and then adding the beloved ring seals!
Texel Zoo also keeps Virginia opossums, next to a good collection (although less than some years ago) of tropical birds and birds-of-prey (yellow-headed caracara is probably the rarest species of them). You can take the train to Den Helder, then the ferry to Texel and rent a bike in the ferry harbor. The island is very accessible on bike with good cycling roads to all towns.
Again, learn when to contact a zoo and when not to. Asking if an animal is on-show is of course fine and completely logical because you're travelling a long distance for it. Demanding a zoo has to keep an animal just because you want to see it, and encouraging others to send similar e-mails is not okay, and honestly quite ridiculous.
I was looking at Zootierliste and blue duiker is also kept in your home country @Kakapo, although I'm not sure how doable a trip to Fuengirola is for you.
I know. In fact that's what I replied to the Burgers's zoo's reply. I has been in Fuengirola when teen, but the blue duikers was hidden in their exhibit. Maybe I should revisit some year, tough at the moment is not my priority. Substitute the blue duiker by a red duiker (Antwerpen) is not a bad trait tough.
I thought the ringed seal enclosure was the worse enclosure at Burgers, so I am happy they are going somewhere else. You will get to see them at some point in the future I'm sure