Many European zoos have maps for free or very cheap (0,25-0,50 euro). Some of them are on your route: Antwerpen, Planckendael, Pairi Daiza, Apeldoorn, Amersfoort, Rotterdam, Hannover, Walsrode etc. Two euro for zoo map (even very fine) is quite expensive. For that money you can buy zoo guide in Apenheul or Dierenrijk Nuenen.
Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
Fortunately, there is no zoo in Leiden, only Naturalis Museum, so it isn’t on Snowleopard’s route.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
It's great having a snowleopard road trip through Europe as we get his posts at a reasonable time!
We (in North America) get them at around Noontime.
Perhaps people are biking to work to maintain the physical fitness level necessary to unload groceries into their apartments?
Could this be because the rules are likely stricter in Europe? Also the necessary facilities and equipment to safely house venomous snakes might not be quite so easily built into the older infrastructure that some European zoos have. I think keeping venomous snakes is likely also expensive given the need for specialized staff with special training and because of the need to have serum available in case something goes really wrong.
At least in my region the keeping of venomous snakes is banned for private individuals and requires stricter permits for institutions like zoos.
That said, some zoos do have venomous snakes but usually only a few species.
At Zoo Antwerpen for example Snowleopard will be able to see Western diamondback rattlesnake, snouted cobra and rhinoceros viper in the reptile house. In addition to three species of venomous snake Zoo Antwerpen also keeps beaded lizards, gila monsters and Komodo dragons as venomous reptiles.
As previously mentioned in other threads, the number of major European zoos keeping venomous snake species is indeed decreasing, while the diversity of venomous snakes kept and even bred in private in Europe (including species like Pseudocerastes urachnoides that currenly no zoo keeps) is increasing. There are various reasons for this. Zoos are required in various European countries to acquire an insurance covering any damage potentially caused by the animals, constant access to the necessary antivenoms as well as whatever the local administrations consider adequate tanks and security preparations. This is not always a given and sometimes you can't shed the feeling that some countries go out of their way to make it extra-tricky to keep these animals legally. Danish zoos, for example, that keep exotic venomous snakes have to get their antivenoms from Sweden, since they have none left in their country. In many countries, private keepers are also supposed to follow these rules (if private husbandry is not completely forbidden to begin with), but they are more likely than zoos to stay out of the public eye and thus can avoid these requirements.
Furthermore, one should also keep in mind that in comparison to the USA, Europe has relatively fewer native venomous snake species, and those native species (in particular Vipera sp.) are often protected by national laws.
Furthermore, one should also keep in mind that in comparison to the USA, Europe has relatively fewer native venomous snake species, and those native species (in particular Vipera sp.) are often protected by national laws.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure about the insurance laws you reference, but I'm pretty sure that USA zoos are required to keep antivenom for any venomous reptiles in their collection. I've seen this shown on various zoo TV shows. But it's interesting that European zoos are more restrictive on this particular type of animal, but much, much less restrictive on things like walk-through lemur and wallaby exhibits.
IF there's actually an antivenom available. Which isn't the case in several species, including Heloderma sp. or Aspidelaps sp. (for the latter, SAIMR at least seems to work). Like I said: the regulations regarding venomous snake husbandry differ from one country to another (and even between federal states). And any incident involving venomous snakes has the potential to make regulations worse, as Luxembourg recently exemplified.
Maybe the relative lack of native venomous snakes makes Europeans a tad more nervous around them. While the relative lack of upscale damage suits in comparison to the US might them feel more relaxed around walk-through exhibits.
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ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
I think you're right on both counts. Over here in the USA, we always know that if we go hiking, there is a chance we might see a rattlesnake or cottonmouth.
And sadly, we are the country famous for stupid lawsuits such as the lady who burned her leg with hot coffee from McDonalds -- she sued McDonalds! (Thankfully, she lost.)
I've been hanging out with my friend @sooty mangabey for the past couple of nights, and John and I have had a couple of jolly good dinners and our day yesterday consisted of two zoos and two aquariums as we drove all over the northwest section of the Netherlands...an hour or so north of Amsterdam. Before that I had a day by myself with 5 small zoos and I'm almost finished the write-ups for those facilities. However, it takes a long time to load photos from my camera onto my laptop, sort through them all and then spend hours working on trip reports. I'd rather take my time and come up with comprehensive reviews, although these tiny zoos won't have anything like the essay I wrote about Artis Royal Zoo. Plus I've been hanging out with John and so from now on I'll be at least two days behind. C'est la vie.
I've uploaded a whack of photos from Artis and a handful of smaller establishments, but for now I'll just address a few comments before John and I head out for another 'zoo day'.
- Yes, in a place like McDonald's in North America a family can go in and take 20 ketchup packages, a half-dozen sauce containers for nuggets and buy a single large drink and then refill it 6 times so that each family member can guzzle whatever they like to their heart's content. At almost all McDonald's in North America the customers are given a cup and then they can refill it with whatever they like as often as they like before they leave. In the Netherlands each extra ketchup costs money, each sauce for nuggets costs money, each time someone has to go to the washroom in a convenience store or gas station it costs money and there are no free refills anywhere. I'm not actually complaining as I've yet to pay to use a washroom anywhere, but I'm simply pointing out a few facts and I struggle to think how expensive it would be for my wife and 4 kids to join me here. We'd have to buy six drinks instead of the usual one...yikes! Higher-class restaurants would be not worth the time due to the enormous cost of food in comparison to Canada or the USA.
- John, aka @sooty mangabey , and I have been corresponding for years and we've become great friends and so it was fantastic to finally meet up with him in person. He's my non-identical twin! We are both in our 40's, both married, both with 4 children, both teachers, both huge Bruce Springsteen fans, both collect thousands of zoo maps, guidebooks and animal books, both have visited at least 400 zoos and we've been having a great time. A couple of nice meals, a handful of zoos, and good company to chat with while we putter around this corner of the Netherlands. The plan is for 3 nights together before he heads back to the U.K. and I then head south to Belgium...to eventually meet a few more zoo nerds along the way!
- @jwer thanks for your generous offer of accommodation and I'll send you a private message. Also, that is interesting that Amsterdam is suffering from a 'garbage disposal crisis' and would certainly explain the mess that was seemingly everywhere.
I've uploaded a whack of photos from Artis and a handful of smaller establishments, but for now I'll just address a few comments before John and I head out for another 'zoo day'.
- Yes, in a place like McDonald's in North America a family can go in and take 20 ketchup packages, a half-dozen sauce containers for nuggets and buy a single large drink and then refill it 6 times so that each family member can guzzle whatever they like to their heart's content. At almost all McDonald's in North America the customers are given a cup and then they can refill it with whatever they like as often as they like before they leave. In the Netherlands each extra ketchup costs money, each sauce for nuggets costs money, each time someone has to go to the washroom in a convenience store or gas station it costs money and there are no free refills anywhere. I'm not actually complaining as I've yet to pay to use a washroom anywhere, but I'm simply pointing out a few facts and I struggle to think how expensive it would be for my wife and 4 kids to join me here. We'd have to buy six drinks instead of the usual one...yikes! Higher-class restaurants would be not worth the time due to the enormous cost of food in comparison to Canada or the USA.
- John, aka @sooty mangabey , and I have been corresponding for years and we've become great friends and so it was fantastic to finally meet up with him in person. He's my non-identical twin! We are both in our 40's, both married, both with 4 children, both teachers, both huge Bruce Springsteen fans, both collect thousands of zoo maps, guidebooks and animal books, both have visited at least 400 zoos and we've been having a great time. A couple of nice meals, a handful of zoos, and good company to chat with while we putter around this corner of the Netherlands. The plan is for 3 nights together before he heads back to the U.K. and I then head south to Belgium...to eventually meet a few more zoo nerds along the way!
- @jwer thanks for your generous offer of accommodation and I'll send you a private message. Also, that is interesting that Amsterdam is suffering from a 'garbage disposal crisis' and would certainly explain the mess that was seemingly everywhere.
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sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
@snowleopard may be reasonably good company - reasonably good - but he is the worst navigator I have ever experienced. His switching of the North Sea coast of the Netherlands to the east of the country is indicative of this. God alone knows how he’s found his way round America over the past few years....
That's so funny! Okay, I've edited my post to read northwest coast of the Netherlands as that is where we spent yesterday. Now I have to go and sit in a car with a damn Portsmouth fan. Oh, the embarrassment...maybe I'll wear a disguise while with @sooty mangabey .
@snowleopard
I am glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself on your trip and I hope you continue to do so.
I think I can speak for myself and others in saying that I don't think anyone will really mind you being a few days behind with the reviews. Personally I would rather have you take your time to write up your high-quality, very enjoyable and at times hilarious reviews and while I am excited for them, I don't mind waiting a couple more days. I want to add to this that I am also enjoying your observations on the differences between Canada and the United States and Northwestern Europe. In any case once more, my utmost appreciation for all your efforts in posting images and reviews.
If you have any questions regarding Belgium don't hesitate to post them. Also, regarding heading to Belgium, if you do so the coming weekend you should probably try to avoid Brussels as much as possible. This Sunday is Belgian national day and there are a lot of events and festivities in Brussels that might cause some traffic issues, even on the highways surrounding the city.
I am glad to hear that you are enjoying yourself on your trip and I hope you continue to do so.
I think I can speak for myself and others in saying that I don't think anyone will really mind you being a few days behind with the reviews. Personally I would rather have you take your time to write up your high-quality, very enjoyable and at times hilarious reviews and while I am excited for them, I don't mind waiting a couple more days. I want to add to this that I am also enjoying your observations on the differences between Canada and the United States and Northwestern Europe. In any case once more, my utmost appreciation for all your efforts in posting images and reviews.
If you have any questions regarding Belgium don't hesitate to post them. Also, regarding heading to Belgium, if you do so the coming weekend you should probably try to avoid Brussels as much as possible. This Sunday is Belgian national day and there are a lot of events and festivities in Brussels that might cause some traffic issues, even on the highways surrounding the city.
Wow, this really bugs you doesn't it? They're not really free you know they're just subsidised by other "less greedy" customers.
Maybe, the Netherlands/Europe's sense of fair play doesn't consider that reasonable. Also, on the flip side:
Maybe not giving away food so readily/cheaply leads to less gluttony/obesity (surely you've noticed the tall, lithe beauty of the average Dutch person compared with the typical US citizen -I can't speak for Canadians, you're harder to differentiate though experience is you're good eggs.
Similarly, maybe not giving away so much "free" stuff helps foster better wages for staff (I'm fairly sure comparable wages for fast food jobs in Europe exceed the US) and leads to a more equal and happier society?
That's the wonder of travel, noticing the differences.
Love the thread by the way, I'm in the "take your good time and get it right camp". Have fun on the rest of your journey.............
Now we know the truth - he never intended to visit hundreds of zoos in god-forsaken corners of the New World, he just got really, really lost on his way down the street to buy a pint of milk.
To offer another North American's experience, I have found this to be largely true but not always. Especially in urban areas, many businesses only allow bathroom use for paying customers; often the door to the bathroom will require a code that is given out at the register or on your receipt. I've found this to be the case in San Diego, Los Angeles, and New York to name a few. Additionally, in a few dense urban locations I've visited like San Francisco, many or most businesses don't even have restrooms for customers. I once searched around a dingy and rather unsafe neighborhood in SF for nearly two hours before a sympathetic storekeeper let me use their staff bathroom.
Even when I *can* use a business's bathroom without buying anything (which I've had to do many times), I try to buy something small or schedule my bathroom breaks for when I need gas or food. The fact is that bathrooms are not free; cleaning and stocking them costs money. Even public restrooms are ultimately paid by us in taxes, but I do think this is a better option because it's far cheaper for the individual and prevents the public urination issue that you mentioned, which occurs frequently in the aforementioned cities.
... Is this actually true? I have never assumed or been told that refills at McDonald's or any fast food place are free. Water is almost always free, though.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
Yes, almost any North American fast food place (especially McDonalds) offers free refills on soda. But actually, I believe that technically the free refill is "supposed to be" only for one customer at a time, not for an entire family. Sorry, SnowLeopard.
DAY 4: Wednesday, July 17th (5 zoos)
After Artis Royal Zoo and Dierentuin Animal Farm yesterday, it was time for a one-hour drive to The Hague. That city, with a population of one million people, is the third largest in the Netherlands…but how can it be a great city without a major zoological collection? Ha! In truth, Rotterdam has a large zoo and the facility is located only 30 minutes south of The Hague. That’s a write-up for another day, but for now I’ll turn my attention to a pet shop.
Zoo/Aquarium # 6: Avonturia de Vogelkelder (The Hague, NL)
This is a pet shop of epic proportions, with an entire room devoted to cat products, then another room full of at least 40 fish tanks, then a stack of invertebrate terrariums with many tiny critters for sale, then at least 40 species of lizard, a few snakes, loads of birds that includes a trio of flamingos, and even a wall of probably a dozen frog species in vivariums. The store is immense, and it is easy to get lost inside, but just the store itself wouldn’t qualify as a ‘zoo’ in my mind. However, near the back is a proper little zoo that costs 6 Euros to enter and there is even a zoo map that is handed out to patrons.
The zoo is very kid-friendly, with the map geared as an adventure into different themed zones. There is an archaeological excavation site, with a sand box and dinosaur bones to uncover but no live animals. There is the Empire of Pharaoh Choepuluku area, with species such as Meerkat, Fennec Fox, Dwarf Mongoose, Siberian Chipmunk and Yellow Mongoose…all spectacularly themed in a desert-like setting with many caves and crevices all over the place. The whole thing is unique and very well done although many of the exhibits are on the small side. Next up is the Adventure Tree, with the native tribe known as the ‘Zoopies’ and this area is weak and mainly dolls in bizarre dioramas. Expedition Bombay has a play area amidst a cargo ship and the walls are Disney-like in their attention to thematic detail.
An offshoot from Expedition Bombay is a really odd room that has a long list of intriguing displays that range from a rhino’s head on the wall to a woman’s silhouette moving in a shower to a Penguin Academy…with 6-foot penguins set in a wacko classroom. There is ‘The Hague Rat Sewer’ with a couple of rat enclosures set in the walls of a gloomy, dark tunnel with sounds of toilets flushing and even water shooting out of a pipe in one section. Again, very well done and if I had my 4 kids along then they would have had a blast. There is even a ‘Bad Monkey Cave’ which is essentially a nocturnal hall with an exhibit for Egyptian Fruit Bats, a Panther Chameleon, a couple of White Tufted-ear Marmosets, a Philippine Sailfin Lizard and then a group of at least 5 Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs (they just had babies). Finding the appropriate passageways and exits was almost as intriguing as locating the various species in the dark. This is clearly not a North American zoo, as there is even a dimly-lit section where the tops of rocks protrude over a shallow stream of water; I took the route and for a 6-foot man it was slightly tricky to navigate what has clearly been designed for younger people. The perils of getting old!
I then drove approximately 30 minutes to the seaside.
Zoo/Aquarium # 7: Sea Life Scheveningen (The Hague, NL)
This is the most disappointing of all the Sea Life aquariums that I’ve been to, which consists of this Dutch facility and a handful in the USA. Finding the establishment in The Hague was tricky because it’s literally right on a boardwalk overlooking a wide and sandy beach, but my GPS/SATNAV and Google Maps on my phone led me to intriguing locations slightly off-course as most people park their vehicles in a side street and trek up the hill to the beach. Once there I felt a Coney Island vibe as there are plenty of restaurants along a scenic boardwalk, with stunning vistas in both directions and Sea Life Scheveningen waiting for me with anticipation. Or that’s how I saw it.
Like all Sea Life aquariums, I paid too much money to enter and I was done after approximately 45 minutes. There is a Dutch Waters section that has pirate flags everywhere (as does most of the entire aquarium) and it’s all a bit boring. The typical ‘Bay of Rays’ shaped-pool like at all 50+ Sea Life franchises is also present here, and my favourite section was the Amazon part. A rather decent and very dark Broad-snouted Caiman exhibit is here, plus species elsewhere such as Pacu, Shark Catfish, Tiger Shovelnose Catfish, Red Piranha, Spotted Gar and Axolotl. Moving on, there is a Chambered Nautilus tank, Dragon Moray Eels and a Longhorn Cowfish before I walked through the underwater tunnel section that was the shortest tunnel experience I think that I’ve ever had in an aquarium. A couple of Blacktip Reef Sharks, a single Green Sea Turtle, a couple of Guitarfish (labeled as ‘Blackchin’) are the main inhabitants. A seahorse section is well-themed, with a trio of species (Short-snouted, Big-belly and Longsnout) and even a tank full of dead seahorses is there to highlight the plight of those animals. Then I was past the Mudskippers and outside in a netted area that has Small-clawed Otters and Humboldt Penguins that was adequate but nothing to get a seasoned zoo enthusiast jumping for joy.
I then drove about 30 minutes to the small town of Leidschendam (pop. 35,000).
Zoo/Aquarium # 8: Vlinders aan de Vliet (Leidschendam, NL)
This is a very nice butterfly-greenhouse-type place that has two large walk-through buildings with a plethora of butterflies in all directions. The smallest walk-through butterfly area that I think I’ve ever been in was at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the largest was at Butterfly Wonderland near Phoenix, Arizona, and Vlinders aan de Vliet was somewhere between those two and of a generous size. The first room is a jungle-like environment that at times has foliage growing over the pathway so that I had to brush aside plant life on my journey. There are perhaps 3 bird species, plus some turtles, but the main focus is on butterflies and as these things go it is very well done. As a nice bonus, near the entrance area is a decent African Dwarf Crocodile tank, plus several terrariums with poison dart frogs and even what was labeled as a ‘Taiwanese Beauty Snake’. A massively fat Green Iguana, free-roaming in a tiny, separate walk-through section, was also a tad surprising and added to the allure of this place.
I then drove approximately 30 minutes north to Alphen aan den Rijn.
Zoo/Aquarium # 9: Stichting Schildpaddencentrum (Foundation Turtle Center) (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL)
This facility has only turtles and tortoises and is a rescue sanctuary that covers two levels of a very modern-looking building. One enters through a gift shop jam-packed with every kind of turtle/tortoise artifact that can possibly be crammed into a fairly small area, and then a picnic zone leads into the actual animal display area. The main floor has only three tanks, but that scarcely describes the layout as the first tank is enormous and stretches the length of the room and then around the corner. It is an exhibit that is packed with all kinds of turtles and I’ve seen many otter enclosures that are not as large. All three of the tanks on the main floor contain crystal-clear water and are full of turtles either sunbathing under large heat lamps or swimming in their pools.
The second level has some more turtle species but is mainly devoted to tortoises and the exhibits are once again of a high quality. In fact, this whole establishment makes for a pleasant outing and at 10 Euros is not exactly cheap but here is an example of a ‘sanctuary’ that is making a positive contribution to society by caring for chelonians. The animals have spacious exhibits, the general upkeep of the facility looks to be of the highest order, and when I spoke with the one staff member that was there, she told me that over the two levels there are 2,000 turtles and tortoises of 80 species. There certainly aren’t 80 different signs, but everything is in Dutch with no English on any of the pedagogical material. If anyone is even remotely interested in chelonians, then this is an educational ‘zoo’ that has many species interacting in modern tanks and it’s fun to try and identify as many chelonians as possible during a visit.
I then drove perhaps 7 minutes down the road.
Zoo/Aquarium # 10: Vogelpark Avifauna (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL)
This bird park opened in 1950 and is of a fair size as it took me a full two hours to see everything. The place isn’t entirely birds, as there is a beautiful Red Panda habitat where I saw one of the inhabitants nestled very far up in the crook of a mature tree. Also, there are some tamarins and marmosets (and even some White-faced Sakis) in a small area where the monkeys are free-roaming, and they are marvelous to see bouncing around in the bushes and they are contained via tiny moats. Elsewhere in the zoo is a walk-through lemur exhibit where I saw perhaps 4 Red Ruffed Lemurs and more than a dozen Ring-tailed Lemurs. This is not the Calgary Zoo in Canada, where a staff member gives a speech about what to do inside a walk-through lemur exhibit, or where there is another staff member at the exit, or two more staff members inside the area. Sheesh! This is the Netherlands, which means that there isn’t a staff member around for 40 miles and I had the lemurs all to myself with some other families there for company. Kids were sitting on benches petting the lemurs, people were pulling out cameras and taking close-up photos, some little girl pulled out a banana (where did she get that from?) and a lemur grabbed it from her hands. There was zero supervision and in many ways it was great…although hopefully nobody ever does anything mischievous to the animals.
The rest of Vogelpark Avifauna is birds, birds and birds. There are Ostriches and a couple of Cassowary exhibits, two enclosures for North Island Kiwis (shared with intimidating Australian Magpies) plus a darkened Kiwi House that has visitors peering in from the outside. I didn’t see any Kiwis, naturally, but I did really enjoy the nearby Night Safari with an exhibit for a Eurasian Eagle Owl set in old ruins (not themed but actual ruins such as can be found at Artis with their Snowy Owls) and then a short walk-through zone with 4 owl species out and about. Little Owl and Northern Long-eared Owl were nowhere to be found, but I did see a Barn Owl and a couple of Tawny Owls peering through the foliage.
There is a Tropical House that stretches on through several large rooms, at least 5 or 6 species of Turaco throughout the zoo, at least 5 or 6 hornbill species (including some brilliantly coloured Rufous Hornbills), Saddle-billed Storks and various cranes and even a Secretary Bird. A large lake is set at the back of the zoo and this walk-through area has pelicans, cranes and storks all inside with the visitors and walking around with people everywhere. Again, no staff members were anywhere in the vicinity and all of the visitors were behaving well. All of the Dutch citizens that I have come across on this trip have been well behaved, pleasant individuals.
After visiting my 5th zoo of the day (Vogelpark Avifauna), I checked in at Hotel Avifauna and then met John (aka @sooty mangabey ) as he and I are sharing a very nice hotel room for the next three nights. As I mentioned before, John and I have been corresponding for many years and we email and text all the time. Therefore, it was a delight to meet him in the flesh and we had a lengthy discussion about zoos, teaching, our families and football/soccer late into the evening. Of note is that we are surely the youngest people in this hotel, even though we are both in our forties. My best estimate is that the average age of the visitors to this hotel is 110 for women and perhaps 115 for men. Folks staying here are ancient and at the Avifauna Restaurant I know for sure that no one was eating there under the age of 60 except for John and myself. It’s all rather bizarre, especially because the adjacent bird park was packed with families and people of all ages.
After Artis Royal Zoo and Dierentuin Animal Farm yesterday, it was time for a one-hour drive to The Hague. That city, with a population of one million people, is the third largest in the Netherlands…but how can it be a great city without a major zoological collection? Ha! In truth, Rotterdam has a large zoo and the facility is located only 30 minutes south of The Hague. That’s a write-up for another day, but for now I’ll turn my attention to a pet shop.
Zoo/Aquarium # 6: Avonturia de Vogelkelder (The Hague, NL)
This is a pet shop of epic proportions, with an entire room devoted to cat products, then another room full of at least 40 fish tanks, then a stack of invertebrate terrariums with many tiny critters for sale, then at least 40 species of lizard, a few snakes, loads of birds that includes a trio of flamingos, and even a wall of probably a dozen frog species in vivariums. The store is immense, and it is easy to get lost inside, but just the store itself wouldn’t qualify as a ‘zoo’ in my mind. However, near the back is a proper little zoo that costs 6 Euros to enter and there is even a zoo map that is handed out to patrons.
The zoo is very kid-friendly, with the map geared as an adventure into different themed zones. There is an archaeological excavation site, with a sand box and dinosaur bones to uncover but no live animals. There is the Empire of Pharaoh Choepuluku area, with species such as Meerkat, Fennec Fox, Dwarf Mongoose, Siberian Chipmunk and Yellow Mongoose…all spectacularly themed in a desert-like setting with many caves and crevices all over the place. The whole thing is unique and very well done although many of the exhibits are on the small side. Next up is the Adventure Tree, with the native tribe known as the ‘Zoopies’ and this area is weak and mainly dolls in bizarre dioramas. Expedition Bombay has a play area amidst a cargo ship and the walls are Disney-like in their attention to thematic detail.
An offshoot from Expedition Bombay is a really odd room that has a long list of intriguing displays that range from a rhino’s head on the wall to a woman’s silhouette moving in a shower to a Penguin Academy…with 6-foot penguins set in a wacko classroom. There is ‘The Hague Rat Sewer’ with a couple of rat enclosures set in the walls of a gloomy, dark tunnel with sounds of toilets flushing and even water shooting out of a pipe in one section. Again, very well done and if I had my 4 kids along then they would have had a blast. There is even a ‘Bad Monkey Cave’ which is essentially a nocturnal hall with an exhibit for Egyptian Fruit Bats, a Panther Chameleon, a couple of White Tufted-ear Marmosets, a Philippine Sailfin Lizard and then a group of at least 5 Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs (they just had babies). Finding the appropriate passageways and exits was almost as intriguing as locating the various species in the dark. This is clearly not a North American zoo, as there is even a dimly-lit section where the tops of rocks protrude over a shallow stream of water; I took the route and for a 6-foot man it was slightly tricky to navigate what has clearly been designed for younger people. The perils of getting old!
I then drove approximately 30 minutes to the seaside.
Zoo/Aquarium # 7: Sea Life Scheveningen (The Hague, NL)
This is the most disappointing of all the Sea Life aquariums that I’ve been to, which consists of this Dutch facility and a handful in the USA. Finding the establishment in The Hague was tricky because it’s literally right on a boardwalk overlooking a wide and sandy beach, but my GPS/SATNAV and Google Maps on my phone led me to intriguing locations slightly off-course as most people park their vehicles in a side street and trek up the hill to the beach. Once there I felt a Coney Island vibe as there are plenty of restaurants along a scenic boardwalk, with stunning vistas in both directions and Sea Life Scheveningen waiting for me with anticipation. Or that’s how I saw it.
Like all Sea Life aquariums, I paid too much money to enter and I was done after approximately 45 minutes. There is a Dutch Waters section that has pirate flags everywhere (as does most of the entire aquarium) and it’s all a bit boring. The typical ‘Bay of Rays’ shaped-pool like at all 50+ Sea Life franchises is also present here, and my favourite section was the Amazon part. A rather decent and very dark Broad-snouted Caiman exhibit is here, plus species elsewhere such as Pacu, Shark Catfish, Tiger Shovelnose Catfish, Red Piranha, Spotted Gar and Axolotl. Moving on, there is a Chambered Nautilus tank, Dragon Moray Eels and a Longhorn Cowfish before I walked through the underwater tunnel section that was the shortest tunnel experience I think that I’ve ever had in an aquarium. A couple of Blacktip Reef Sharks, a single Green Sea Turtle, a couple of Guitarfish (labeled as ‘Blackchin’) are the main inhabitants. A seahorse section is well-themed, with a trio of species (Short-snouted, Big-belly and Longsnout) and even a tank full of dead seahorses is there to highlight the plight of those animals. Then I was past the Mudskippers and outside in a netted area that has Small-clawed Otters and Humboldt Penguins that was adequate but nothing to get a seasoned zoo enthusiast jumping for joy.
I then drove about 30 minutes to the small town of Leidschendam (pop. 35,000).
Zoo/Aquarium # 8: Vlinders aan de Vliet (Leidschendam, NL)
This is a very nice butterfly-greenhouse-type place that has two large walk-through buildings with a plethora of butterflies in all directions. The smallest walk-through butterfly area that I think I’ve ever been in was at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the largest was at Butterfly Wonderland near Phoenix, Arizona, and Vlinders aan de Vliet was somewhere between those two and of a generous size. The first room is a jungle-like environment that at times has foliage growing over the pathway so that I had to brush aside plant life on my journey. There are perhaps 3 bird species, plus some turtles, but the main focus is on butterflies and as these things go it is very well done. As a nice bonus, near the entrance area is a decent African Dwarf Crocodile tank, plus several terrariums with poison dart frogs and even what was labeled as a ‘Taiwanese Beauty Snake’. A massively fat Green Iguana, free-roaming in a tiny, separate walk-through section, was also a tad surprising and added to the allure of this place.
I then drove approximately 30 minutes north to Alphen aan den Rijn.
Zoo/Aquarium # 9: Stichting Schildpaddencentrum (Foundation Turtle Center) (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL)
This facility has only turtles and tortoises and is a rescue sanctuary that covers two levels of a very modern-looking building. One enters through a gift shop jam-packed with every kind of turtle/tortoise artifact that can possibly be crammed into a fairly small area, and then a picnic zone leads into the actual animal display area. The main floor has only three tanks, but that scarcely describes the layout as the first tank is enormous and stretches the length of the room and then around the corner. It is an exhibit that is packed with all kinds of turtles and I’ve seen many otter enclosures that are not as large. All three of the tanks on the main floor contain crystal-clear water and are full of turtles either sunbathing under large heat lamps or swimming in their pools.
The second level has some more turtle species but is mainly devoted to tortoises and the exhibits are once again of a high quality. In fact, this whole establishment makes for a pleasant outing and at 10 Euros is not exactly cheap but here is an example of a ‘sanctuary’ that is making a positive contribution to society by caring for chelonians. The animals have spacious exhibits, the general upkeep of the facility looks to be of the highest order, and when I spoke with the one staff member that was there, she told me that over the two levels there are 2,000 turtles and tortoises of 80 species. There certainly aren’t 80 different signs, but everything is in Dutch with no English on any of the pedagogical material. If anyone is even remotely interested in chelonians, then this is an educational ‘zoo’ that has many species interacting in modern tanks and it’s fun to try and identify as many chelonians as possible during a visit.
I then drove perhaps 7 minutes down the road.
Zoo/Aquarium # 10: Vogelpark Avifauna (Alphen aan den Rijn, NL)
This bird park opened in 1950 and is of a fair size as it took me a full two hours to see everything. The place isn’t entirely birds, as there is a beautiful Red Panda habitat where I saw one of the inhabitants nestled very far up in the crook of a mature tree. Also, there are some tamarins and marmosets (and even some White-faced Sakis) in a small area where the monkeys are free-roaming, and they are marvelous to see bouncing around in the bushes and they are contained via tiny moats. Elsewhere in the zoo is a walk-through lemur exhibit where I saw perhaps 4 Red Ruffed Lemurs and more than a dozen Ring-tailed Lemurs. This is not the Calgary Zoo in Canada, where a staff member gives a speech about what to do inside a walk-through lemur exhibit, or where there is another staff member at the exit, or two more staff members inside the area. Sheesh! This is the Netherlands, which means that there isn’t a staff member around for 40 miles and I had the lemurs all to myself with some other families there for company. Kids were sitting on benches petting the lemurs, people were pulling out cameras and taking close-up photos, some little girl pulled out a banana (where did she get that from?) and a lemur grabbed it from her hands. There was zero supervision and in many ways it was great…although hopefully nobody ever does anything mischievous to the animals.
The rest of Vogelpark Avifauna is birds, birds and birds. There are Ostriches and a couple of Cassowary exhibits, two enclosures for North Island Kiwis (shared with intimidating Australian Magpies) plus a darkened Kiwi House that has visitors peering in from the outside. I didn’t see any Kiwis, naturally, but I did really enjoy the nearby Night Safari with an exhibit for a Eurasian Eagle Owl set in old ruins (not themed but actual ruins such as can be found at Artis with their Snowy Owls) and then a short walk-through zone with 4 owl species out and about. Little Owl and Northern Long-eared Owl were nowhere to be found, but I did see a Barn Owl and a couple of Tawny Owls peering through the foliage.
There is a Tropical House that stretches on through several large rooms, at least 5 or 6 species of Turaco throughout the zoo, at least 5 or 6 hornbill species (including some brilliantly coloured Rufous Hornbills), Saddle-billed Storks and various cranes and even a Secretary Bird. A large lake is set at the back of the zoo and this walk-through area has pelicans, cranes and storks all inside with the visitors and walking around with people everywhere. Again, no staff members were anywhere in the vicinity and all of the visitors were behaving well. All of the Dutch citizens that I have come across on this trip have been well behaved, pleasant individuals.
After visiting my 5th zoo of the day (Vogelpark Avifauna), I checked in at Hotel Avifauna and then met John (aka @sooty mangabey ) as he and I are sharing a very nice hotel room for the next three nights. As I mentioned before, John and I have been corresponding for many years and we email and text all the time. Therefore, it was a delight to meet him in the flesh and we had a lengthy discussion about zoos, teaching, our families and football/soccer late into the evening. Of note is that we are surely the youngest people in this hotel, even though we are both in our forties. My best estimate is that the average age of the visitors to this hotel is 110 for women and perhaps 115 for men. Folks staying here are ancient and at the Avifauna Restaurant I know for sure that no one was eating there under the age of 60 except for John and myself. It’s all rather bizarre, especially because the adjacent bird park was packed with families and people of all ages.