Diergaarde Blijdorp

Diergaarde Blijdorp

Old entrance of the Diergaarde in Blijdorp.
Date opened	1857
Location	Blijdorp, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Coordinates	51°55′37″N 4°26′53″E / 51.9269605°N 4.4481325°E / 51.9269605; 4.4481325Coordinates: 51°55′37″N 4°26′53″E / 51.9269605°N 4.4481325°E / 51.9269605; 4.4481325
Memberships	NVD[1] and EAZA[2]
Website	www.diergaardeblijdorp.nl/?lang=EN

Diergaarde Blijdorp (Official Dutch name: Stichting Koninklijke Rotterdamse Diergaarde, Foundation Royal Zoo of Rotterdam) is a zoo in the northwestern part of Rotterdam, one of the oldest zoos in the Netherlands. In 2007 it celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Diergaarde Blijdorp is a member of the Dutch Zoo Federation (NVD) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

History

Giraffes and monumental building

The original Rotterdam Zoo was lost in the bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, which destroyed most of the city centre. Some streetnames, such as Diergaardesingel (Zoolane), still recall the old zoo. Blijdorp was rebuilt slightly to the north, where it opened to the public in its current location on December 7, 1940. The new zoo was designed by Dutch architect Sybold van Ravesteyn, who designed the central railway station in Rotterdam, as well. In 2001, 'Blijdorp' became almost twice as large when it opened a new western part, called Oceanium, with its main attraction an aquarium. In April 2004, the whole zoo was declared a national monument.

In May 2007 the zoo appeared in the news when Bokito, Blijdorp's silverback gorilla, escaped from his enclosure and seriously injured a female visitor. Before the attack, the woman was a regular visitor of the zoo (on average 4 times per week) and claimed to have a special bond with Bokito, regularly touching the glass between her and the gorilla, making eye contact and smiling to him.^[3]

In October 2010, the city of Rotterdam decided to reduce its yearly funding of Blijdorp from nearly 4.5 to about 0.8 million Euro until 2015^[4]. The zoo and its supporters protested the decision, claiming it is unclear if the zoo can continue to operate with the reduced budget^[5].

Breeding programs

A Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) in Diergaarde Blijdorp. Blijdorp coordinates the international breeding program for this species.

Diergaarde Blijdorp participates in about 70 breeding programs and studbooks, and coordinates a couple of them, including the international breeding program for Red Pandas, EEPs for Asian Elephant, Komodo Dragon, Red-crowned and Siberian Crane, Visayan Warty Pig and Egyptian Tortoise, and the ESB for the Crowned Pigeons.^[6]

Botanical garden

Blijdorp also houses a botanical garden and manages both the Dutch National Bromelia Collection and the Dutch National Primula Collection.^[7]

Oceanium

Main article: Oceanium

The Oceanium is an aquarium that opened in the zoo in 2001. The Oceanium lies in the expansion area of the zoo, which includes a new entrance and parking area, and was the biggest project to date for the zoo. The area around the Oceanium is home to projects depicting the Americas.

Animal list

Asia

Chinese garden

• Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus)
• Francois' Langur (Trachypithecus francoisi)
• Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)

The Amur

• Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
• White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
• Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
• Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
• Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa)
• Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)
• Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
• White-naped Crane (Grus vipio)

Malayan forest edge

• Visayan Warty Pig (Sus cebifrons)
• Visayan Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi)
• Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)
• Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
• Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus)
• Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko)
• Banteng (Bos javanicus)
• Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
• Crestless Fireback (Lophura erythrophthalma)
• Wreathed hornbill (Aceros undulatus)

Asian swamp and batcave

• Manchurian Crane (Grus japonensis)
• Demoiselle Crane (Anthropoides virgo)
• Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus)
• Sulawesi Crested Macaque (Macaca nigra)
• Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
• Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
• Egyptian Fruit Bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

Mongolian steppes

• Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus)
• Onager (Equus hemionus)
• Pallas Cat (Otocolobus manul)
• Gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)

Takin rock

• Takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana)
• Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Taman Indah

• Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
• Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
• Greater Indian Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
• Indian python (Python molurus bivittatus)
• White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
• Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus)
• Prevost's Squirrel (Callosciurus prevostii)
• Malayan Civet (Viverra tangalunga)
• Sika deer (Cervus nippon dpseudaxis)
• Asian Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)
• Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus )

Tiger Enclosure

• Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)

Europe

• Eurasian Wolf (Canis lupus lupus)
• European Otter (Lutra lutra)
• Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo)
• Finnish Forest Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus)

Africa

Gorilla exhibit

• Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
• Greater Spot-nosed Monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans)

Congo

• Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
• Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus)
• Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci)
• Kirk's Dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii)

Savanna

• Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
• Chapman's Zebra (Equus quagga antiquorum)
• Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
• Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus)
• Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)
• Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
• Yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata)
• Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
• Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
• Serval (Leptailurus serval)

Crocodile river (Opened 2008)

• Nile Crocodile(Crocodylus niloticus)
• Slender-snouted Crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus)
• Sudan Plated Lizard (Gerrhosaurus major)
• African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata)
• Pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)
• African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)
• Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus)
• Desert hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus)
• Short-eared Elephant Shrew (Macroscelides proboscideus)
• Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)
• Rock hyrax (Procavia capensis)

Others

• Von Der Decken's Hornbill (Tockus deckeni)
• Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis)
• Pygmy Hippo (Hexaprotodon liberiensis)
• Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)
• Addax (Addax nasomaculatus)
• Mhorr gazelle (Gazella dama mhorr)

Rivièrahal

• Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
• Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)
• Corsican Fire Salamander (Salamandra corsica)
• Crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus)
• Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)
• Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus)
• Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus)
• Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)
• Alaotra Lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis)

South America

• Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
• Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna)
• Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata)
• Greater guinea pig (Cavia magna)
• Southern pudu (Pudu puda)
• Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
• Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata)
• Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)
• Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

North America

Prairie

• Bison (Bison bison)
• Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Arctica

• Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
• Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus)
• Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus)
• Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus)
• Steppe lemming (Lagurus lagurus)

Oceanium

Bass Rock

• Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
• Common Guillemot (Uria aalge)
• Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
• Common eider (Somateria mollissima)

North Sea

• European Lobster (Homarus gammarus)
• Nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris)
• Small-spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)
• Blonde ray (Raja brachyura)
• Thornback ray (Raja clavata)
• Herring (Clupeus harengus)
• Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)
• Thicklip grey mullet (Chelon labrosus)
• Different species of wrasse
• Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita)

Atlantic Ocean

• Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)
• Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americana)
• Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)
• Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus)

Caribbean

• Green Moray Eel (Gymnothorax funebris)
• Scribbled filefish (Aluterus scriptus)
• Longsnout seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

The Antilles

• Cuban Hutia (Capromys pilorides)
• Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)
• Aruba Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus unicolor)
• Cuban boa (Epicrates angulifer)
• Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons)
• Utila Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)
• Red-bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)
• Black Pacu (Colossoma macropomum)
• Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus)
• Bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo)
• Rhinoptera bonasus (Cownose Ray)

Falklands

• King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonica)
• Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua)

Galápagos

• Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone nigra)

Sea of Cortez

• Swift Fox (Vulpes velox)
• Rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)
• Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
• Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia)
• Chuckwalla (Sauromalus species)
• Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)
• Eastern King Snake (Lampropeltis getulus)
• Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius)
• Different kinds of fish, including Oxycirrhites typus (long-snouted hawkfish)
• Scorpion

Californian Kelp Sea

• North Pacific Giant Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)
• Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata)
• Horn Shark (Heterodontus francisci)
• Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
• Californian Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus)
• Sea stars, sea urchins and others

Other animals

• Asian Lion (Panthera leo persica)
• Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens)
• Heliconius and other Butterflies
• Slender-tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)
• Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

Blijdorp Magazine

The quarterly magazine of Blijdorp Zoo is called Blijdorp Blad. The first edition of the jubilee year 2007 included articles on the history of the zoo to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Notes

1. ^ "General". nvdzoos.nl. Dutch Zoo Federation. http://www.nvdzoos.nl/?pageAlias=nvd&mainId=23. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
2. ^ "EAZA Member Zoos & Aquariums". eaza.net. European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. http://www.eaza.net/membership/Pages/Zoos%20and%20Aquariums.aspx. Retrieved 8 October 2010. 
3. ^ News story on the aftermath of Bokito's escape
4. ^ Pleidooi tegen voorgenomen subsidiekorting Diergaarde Blijdorp, homepage of Blijdorp zoo, 2010-10-25 (in Dutch)
5. ^ Blijdorp moet blijven!, homepage of "Vrienden van Blijdorp", a club supporting the zoo, retrieved 2011-02-06
6. ^ EAZA list of EEPs and ESBs
7. ^ Website Rotterdam Zoo, botanical garden

External links

• Official website
• Dutch Zoo Federation (Dutch)
• Zoo Magazine: