It's a little odd to me that Walsrode doesn't keep Southern and complete the trifecta.
~Thylo
Walsrode already has so much, they can't keep every bird in the world. Especially when it comes to large species...
Anyways, as far as ratites go, I think Snowleopard will have to do with captive ones, as I doubt he would have time for birding trips on one of his massive zoo road trips with their packed schedules. Also, I believe Lübeck is quite a ways out of Snowleopard's general direction of travel, as in, like 7 hours of driving from the Walsrode area.
Also, concerning Walsrode: the park was recently acquired by a Spanish company that also owns several (non-animal) theme parks so it remains to be seen what that will mean for the park and its rich bird collection. Hopefully Snowleopard will still be able to see the park at the highest level of diversity.
In any case he won't be seeing any greater flamingos, as by the time of his visit they should have been moved to GaiaZoo in Kerkrade, the Netherlands (all 400 or so of them).
@snowleopard
First of all thank you for the two big updates on your journey.
Also, I agree with your choice of zoos that deserve a whole day to visit and explore. I would say those zoos certainly deserve your time as they are some of the top facilities you can find in Western Europe.
The Artis membership would actually offer you not just a discount for Antwerpen and Zoo Planckendael, but actually would allow you free entry, I have read at this page:
Ledenvoordelen en prijzen
I don't have that much else to add to be honest, only a few little things.
First of all I'm still very much willing to meet you and join your for your a part or the entirety of your visits to my two local zoos, Zoo Antwerpen and Zoo Planckendael, as I would be very interested in hearing what someone who has seen so many (American) zoos would think about them. I'm sure we can make the appropriate arrangements when we get closer to the summer.
I would even be willing to (help) cover some of your costs like food and/or souvenirs when you visit, it is the least I could do for someone who has provided so much to this site.
As far as approaches to visiting zoos go, I'm not someone who likes to storm through a zoo and just view everything as quickly as possible, so we might clash somewhat in that area, but I also do not generally spend great amounts of time viewing a single exhibit or species. I like to see as much of a zoo and as many species as possible but also to see things well, and to make plenty of photos. I guess I'm the most likely to get carried away when taking photographs or when viewing birds or rare(r) species.
Regarding sleeping in your rental car in truck stops et cetera: there have been safety issues here in Belgium, mostly with truck stops next to or near the highways, especially those that run towards the coast and towards France, concerning illegal migrants trying to get to Great Britain. Some of those stops/parkings have actually been closed or are closed at night for safety reasons. So do keep in mind the aspect of your safety when doing these kinds of things, please.
Concerning fuel costs, it could help you save some if you don't just wait till you need to to fuel up and watch which gas stations or chains of gas stations offer lower prices. Yes, they won't be lower by much, but given how much fuel you'll be burning during this trip, it could be useful to watch for differences in price.
Lastly if you have any questions regarding Antwerpen, Planckendael or other Belgian or even Dutch zoos, or with regards to Belgium in general, please do not hesitate to ask or to contact me and I'll try and do my best to provide you with an answer. I know I have kind of ground to halt with posting photos lately due to lack of time and mostly energy, but I'll still around if you need any information.
Another friend down in Texas wasn't really into reptiles and amphibians, while I wanted to spend at least an hour inside MOLA at Fort Worth Zoo, surely a contender for the best Reptile House anywhere. So meeting people is something that I'm excited to do, but I'm also more than content to spend time alone and go at my own pace in zoos. I'm sure that at some point I'll meet up with a few zoo nerds.
