Antwerp Zoo: Difference between revisions

Antwerp Zoo
Entrance gate of the Antwerp Zoo
51°12′59″N 4°25′24″E / 51.21639°N 4.42333°E / 51.21639; 4.42333
Date opened	July 21, 1843 (180 years old) [1]
Location	Antwerp, Belgium
No. of animals	5000 [2]
No. of species	950 [2]
Annual visitors	1,100,100 [3]
Memberships	38,000
Website	http://www.zooantwerpen.be

Antwerp Zoo (Dutch: ZOO Antwerpen) is a zoo in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, located next to the Antwerpen-Centraal railway station. It is the oldest animal park in the country, and one of the oldest in the world, established on 21 July 1843.

History

Since its foundation, the park has been controlled by De Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen, a society originally called Société Royale de Zoologie d'Anvers (The Antwerp Royal Society for Zoology). This also became the popular nickname for the zoo, "De Zoologie". The initial objective was to encourage

Throughout the years, it has encouraged

In its early years, the size of the park grew from less than 1.59 hectares (3.9 acres) to more than 10.5 hectares (26 acres). Notable buildings from that period are the Egyptian temple (1856) and the antelope building (1861) in Oriental style, which now houses the okapis.^[1]

The zoo has also a cultural function. Originally, concerts were held in the garden. Later, symphonic concerts were organized. The museum building was demolished to build a concert hall. The museum collections were moved to the second floor.^{[citation needed]}

For the 1920 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted the boxing and wrestling events.^[4][5]

After

On 1 January 1983, the animal park was classified as a monument. Ten years later, its 150th anniversary was celebrated. In 1997, Vriesland (Freezeland) was opened. It houses subantarctic penguins and Alaskan sea otters. In spring 1999, the elephant compound was expanded. In 2003, many animals, including hippos, Malayan tapirs, and a number of swamp birds received a new home in Hippotopia.^{[citation needed]}

Animals and exhibits

Together with its sister park Planckendael, Antwerp Zoo houses over 7,000 animals of about 950 species. Over 1.6 million people visit the zoo and Planckendael each year, and the zoo has around 200,000 supporting members.^[6][7]

Some exhibits and species in the park include:

• Vriesland: king penguin, rockhoppers, and gentoo penguins
• Sea Lion Theatre with California sea lions
• Reptile house, renovated in 2005 with many species of snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs, as well as caimans
• Recently^[when?] renovated aquarium with many species of saltwater and freshwater fish
• Nocturama with
  senegal galagos, slender lorises, lesser mouse-deer, rakalis and Egyptian fruit bats
• Zebras and African buffalos
• Egyptian temple with
  Baringo giraffes
  ,
• Aviaries and bird house with many birds species including
  touracos, toucans, and pheasants
• Hippotopia with hippopotamus, malayan tapirs, dalmatian pelicans, and species of waterfowl
• Bearcanyon with spectacled bears, and coatis
• Cat enclosures with Amur leopard, lion, Siberian tiger, and jaguar
• Vlaamse tuin:
  Congo peacocks
• Okapis
• Monkey house with
  javan lutung, emperor tamarin, black-headed spider monkey, golden-headed lion tamarin, pygmy marmoset, mandrill, and hamadryas baboon
• Ape house with western lowland gorilla, the world's only^{[citation needed]} eastern lowland gorilla in captivity, and chimpanzees
• Birds of prey including snowy owl, spectacled owl, crested caracara, and Andean condor
• Other enclosures featuring
  Coypu, ring-tailed lemur, and sika deer

The zoo used to have a dolphinarium. At the time of its building, one of the most modern of its kind. Over the years, however, the infrastructure was considered far too small and dated. The zoo's urban location prevented any expansion and meant the society could not build a new one. At the end of the 1990s, the two dolphins were relocated to the Duisburg Zoo in Germany. The old aquariums now hold sea lions, which are much less demanding.

Architecture and garden

Antwerp Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world, established in 1843. Many buildings are very well preserved. Some of them have received new functions throughout the years.

• Entrance of the zoo (1843)
• Egyptian temple (1856)
• Moor temple (1885): it still houses okapis. Antwerp Zoo became the world's first zoo with okapis in 1918.
• Bird building (1948)
• Nocturama (1968)
• Reptile building (1901): this building looks like a Greek temple.
• Aquarium (1910): designed by Emile Thielens.
• Winter garden (1897): a tropical greenhouse.

On January 1, 1983, the entire park (architecture and garden) was listed as a monument.

Breeding programmes

Antwerp Zoo has played its role in preservation and

• In 1952, the society in control of the zoo bought the
  nature preserve De Zegge in Geel, because nature preservation is an important part of its mission statement. It is an area that spans 96 hectares (240 acres) and receives international wildlife protection.^{[citation needed}
  ]
• In 1956, the same society bought the Domein Planckendael in Muizen, near Mechelen. It covers an area of 40 hectares (99 acres) and has become a full-grown animal park.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Antwerp Zoo.

• Official website Template:Nl icon Template:Fr icon
• Website of domain Planckendael (in Dutch and French)
• Center for Research and Conservation