Some French tried to create a cheetah walk thru exhibit in Beekse Bergen last year. You can try to replicatie that when you visit the place
Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
I am enjoying your reviews and you take a very different stance than most Europeans at least. But given cultural differences I forgive you 
.
With regards to drinking fountains, outside of Switzerland they are not normal in public indeed. But there are taps all around each zoo near toilets and restaurants... so taking refillable bottles and just using tap water is much cheaper.
.With regards to drinking fountains, outside of Switzerland they are not normal in public indeed. But there are taps all around each zoo near toilets and restaurants... so taking refillable bottles and just using tap water is much cheaper.
And the next two
Visited on July 13th.
Visited on July 10th.
Both were still present for sure on July 10th when I visited
Again, both present and signposted on the 10th
I believe they are kept indoors when it is particularly cold/wet/hot so this might explain why they were not visible for you; they were very active and visible when I visited.
ANyhuis
Well-Known Member
I'm totally with you on this! It angers me to see abusive parents blowing cancerous smoke in the faces of their kids! Any measures to stop this I am totally for!
Instead of cops with radar guns, in Europe they use cameras with radar guns. Be careful with your speed, especially in the Netherlands. On my last visit there I received 2 speeding tickets, which arrived in the mail two weeks after my trip. I never even knew I got the tickets until I got this mail.
Super cool that you improvised and added these 2 French zoos, as well as adding another nation to your lifetime list!
What they do is pay about $40/day more for an automobile with automatic transmission! I actually know a few friends and family members who have done this -- because they do not even know how to drive a stick shift! I've long strongly recommended to anyone going to Europe (and renting a car) to make sure you know how to use a manual transmission. Actually, I wonder if our hero, SnowLeopard, is driving a manual or automatic over there?
I totally agree with SnowLeopard's assessment of Antwerp! It's still a joy to tour such an old, historic zoo, but its days as one of Europe's top zoos are long over.
The okapis at this zoo are a big deal! As okapis were first discovered by Western man in the BELGIAN Congo, this zoo was the first to display them.
...and after a few short-lived attempts, has kept the species without interregnum for about 70 years now.
Let's just pretend you did not say that last part. Everybody looks for different things in zoos, but the work done over the past 10 years in this place is pushing Antwerp higher and higher, there is still work to do, but most people who have visited rank Antwerp as one of the best city zoos around. Which is an achievement given that these small monument filled zoos are probably the hardest ones to do right. It is crucial to honour he history as well as creating suitable conditions for the animals. If done well like in Vienna, Paris or increasingly also Antwerp, you get something unique. If not done properly, you get something which is mwah...
It is interesting that they get enough out-of-town visitors to justify the cost staff to check visitors and charge the out-of-towners.I've not been to Maubeuge but my experience of Lille tallies exactly with yours (right down to the parking) - the only difference being that we did get in free!
It's a very nice little zoo - we went (accidentally) on the day of the local massive antiques fair so the whole centre of Lille was heaving with people but it was still, as you say, very enjoyable.
The problem is that the European architectural solution is more normally applied to cold weather. I can speak from recent experience of stuffy hotel rooms with small windows and old portable fans applying minimal relief. Not conducive to a good nights sleep.
Thank you for reviews! I´m amazed with how many details you can remember from your visits. I never thought on count how many tanks there are on an aquarium, for example, and now I feel like I haven´t been paying enough attention when I go to zoos XD
Apart of that, is also very entertainment for me to see how you are so surprised about certain differences between North America and Europe, although I think some have certain explanation. For example, when you speak about how shocked you were to have to pay for zoo maps, I don´t know if you realize that those maps are not really for free either in North American zoos. The cost is simply added to the entrance ticket, and in fact I think main zoos are more expensive there than here. Same difference than when you look for an item on ebay, and one seller it costs 20€ plus 5 for shipping costs, and in another it costs 25, but with a big "free shipping" announcement. Same could be said about the lack of refills for drinks or infinite ketchup at restaurants.
About the lack of air conditioning, apart of climatic difference among countries, is true that here is more rarely seen, even here in the hot Spain. But I wonder if maybe the lack of them is what makes it less necessary? I mean, on any simple walk on the street on a area with air conditionings, you can feel all the hot they expel to the ambience, increasing the temperature for the people who are outside or in no-aconditioned buildings. So maybe is a circle where the more air conditioning you have, the more you need? Here we have terribly hot summers (few weeks ago my village broke all time records with 46ºC), but nights are usually fresh, and houses are built pretty well insulated, so by keeping windows open during the night, the inside is kept at reasonable temperatures.
I think things are seen from a very different perspective, not only depending from where you come, but also if you come here as a tourist, or to stay. I mean, Europe can seems a very expensive place to live if you look at how much taxes we pay or all the thing we pay separatedly instead of the "all included" that seems to be so popular in North America, but on the other hand I think we also have other great benefits. For example, I loved USA on my short trip there, but I can´t even imagine how stressing can be to live there and have a heatlh issue if you can´t afford a private insurance. Here maybe I have to pay for a zoo map in certain parks, but I don´t need to care about how to pay my otherwise very expensive vaccination treatment for my allergy.
Apart of that, is also very entertainment for me to see how you are so surprised about certain differences between North America and Europe, although I think some have certain explanation. For example, when you speak about how shocked you were to have to pay for zoo maps, I don´t know if you realize that those maps are not really for free either in North American zoos. The cost is simply added to the entrance ticket, and in fact I think main zoos are more expensive there than here. Same difference than when you look for an item on ebay, and one seller it costs 20€ plus 5 for shipping costs, and in another it costs 25, but with a big "free shipping" announcement. Same could be said about the lack of refills for drinks or infinite ketchup at restaurants.
About the lack of air conditioning, apart of climatic difference among countries, is true that here is more rarely seen, even here in the hot Spain. But I wonder if maybe the lack of them is what makes it less necessary? I mean, on any simple walk on the street on a area with air conditionings, you can feel all the hot they expel to the ambience, increasing the temperature for the people who are outside or in no-aconditioned buildings. So maybe is a circle where the more air conditioning you have, the more you need? Here we have terribly hot summers (few weeks ago my village broke all time records with 46ºC), but nights are usually fresh, and houses are built pretty well insulated, so by keeping windows open during the night, the inside is kept at reasonable temperatures.
I think things are seen from a very different perspective, not only depending from where you come, but also if you come here as a tourist, or to stay. I mean, Europe can seems a very expensive place to live if you look at how much taxes we pay or all the thing we pay separatedly instead of the "all included" that seems to be so popular in North America, but on the other hand I think we also have other great benefits. For example, I loved USA on my short trip there, but I can´t even imagine how stressing can be to live there and have a heatlh issue if you can´t afford a private insurance. Here maybe I have to pay for a zoo map in certain parks, but I don´t need to care about how to pay my otherwise very expensive vaccination treatment for my allergy.
Here are a few more of my comments on Snowleopard's reviews on the three zoos in the Belgian province of Antwerp (Zoo Antwerpen, Zoo Planckendael and Pakawi Park/Olmense Zoo).
I agree with you that the small monkey house at Antwerp is one of the worst animal houses at the zoo, if not the worst, and it is surely my least favorite animal house. It can also be really noisy in there. When it was built in the 1970s it was probably quite innovative but now it is just badly outdated and shamefully substandard when compared to monkey housing at other zoos.
I think it would be okay to house callitrichids in there in the future, but the large monkeys should really go. They should really only keep one larger species of monkey in the rocky outdoor exhibit the mandrils currently occupy. My personal opinion is that they should revamp and improve those exhibits (and do something about the glare), renovate the off-show indoor housing and improve it by connecting it to one or more of the current all-indoor enclosures, and house L'hoest's guenons (Allochrocebus lhoesti) there. This species was actually named after François L'Hoest, director of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp from 1888 to 1904 (his son Michel Senior and grandson Michel Junior held the same position between 1905 and 1930 and 1931 and 1944) and should in my opinion really be part of Antwerp's collection.
The rest of the building should probably house small creatures. Your insectarium idea is certainly interesting, but personally I would like to see this building eventually replace the current Nocturama. Sadly the Nocturama is probably set to disappear in the upcoming renovation of the Jubilee complex and I personally think the best future use of the small monkey house would be to become a house for small(er) and nocturnal mammals.
I didn't know the new guide books where that impressive for such a limited price. I might have to get myself one next time I'm there, even if I have been visiting the zoo for over twenty years and know it fairly well.
I agree with you that the okapi paddocks in front of and behind the Moorish Temple are only adequate exhibits. I like the front one better than the rear one because it has some larger trees in or near it. I do however like the third okapi paddock that sits in between the Moorish Temple and the okapi stable in the annex to the ape house. That one is the largest and the most foresty-looking of the three.
The cave looks pretty good and it is fairly well-designed, except in one area: it is a total acoustic disaster. Given that is beneath the restaurant and mostly made of concrete, and with all the play areas in there, once kids start playing or yelling it is a total noise overload in there. I personally despise the cave and always get out of there as quickly as possible because it is often horribly noisy, sadly. The cave is probably my least favorite place at Zoo Antwerpen.
I really badly need to update the species list of the bird house that I posted some time ago as there have been substantial changes earlier this year. I will try to do this as soon as possible.
I agree that none of the tanks in the aquarium is too small, but I do think that the South American freshwater megafish tank (pacu, redtail catfish and others) and the elasmobranch tank with the blacktip reef sharks and wobbegongs are only adequate or average in size, given how large these fish are.
That said, the Aquarium was restored absolutely beautifully I think and it is my personal favorite animal house at Antwerp.
The reptile house has really only recently grown on me and I have recently began to spend more time in there (at least if it isn't too hot in there, which it can be). I read that you experienced the replicated tropical thunder storm in the caiman exhibit (as I also did again pretty recently), which is a pretty unique thing at Antwerp.
Thank you for the species list, I didn't have one for the reptile house myself yet.
The skywalk thing is a recent addition that is only a few years old. It was done at the same time as the renovation of the entrance square and the moving backwards of the entrance. It is I agree a bit bizarre. Personally I also think it could do with a waterfowl exhibit of some kind, but that is just the bird person in me speaking.
From what I've read the jubilee complex was pretty innovative and modern back in 1968, but fifty years onwards it has become pretty outdated and in places is in big need of renovation. I just hope that they make reasonable decisions in the process.
There has not yet been any confirmation on the exact plans of the exact starting date of the renovation of the Jubilee complex, but what I have heard is that sea lion theater is set to be renovated and to have an outdoor pool added (as is now mandated by law).
The Nocturama is sadly set to disappear in its current form in this renovation, which I find very unfortunate. There has even been talk of an indoor playground - which is a horrible idea given this space is sandwiches between animal exhibits above and below. Other plans I've heard circulating include tigers at the ground level (current cat exhibits) and snow leopards on the top floor where currently the bird of prey aviaries are. The spectacled bears are probably only going to be moving out temporarily from what I've gathered. However nothing of this has been truly made official yet (and neither has the starting date) so we will have to see. I am however not very impressed with what has come out thus far.
Also the fact that they seem to be intent on keeping their sea lion theater and shows, despite the fact that a bunch of animal rights activist idiots already once disturbed a sea lion show and even jumped into the sea lion bassin, is something that while I understand the reasoning behind it, have difficulty looking positively upon.
I very much do as well. I certainly do appreciate the historical zoos as well, but I definitely prefer the modern zoos in natural settings.
I would agree with this assessment of Planckendael. With the tendency towards more immersive-style exhibits and projects in recent years I think Planckendael is only set to improve further in the coming years as they - hopefully - deal with their lower-quality and less aesthetically pleasing areas.
When they first implemented the loops some years ago by closing off some paths I really hated it, as I had my own route through the park back in those days and that one was completely cut up.
However, they did later add some passages in between the different continental loops. The continental loops also did grow on me to the point that I would now agree with your assessment of this loop system of layout. I have seen this kind of design also working at relatively recent zoos like Zoom Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen or GaiaZoo Kerkrade.
Did you try the tree-top walk? There is a vantage point onto the elephant exhibit way up there, however it is quite high (about 15 meters) and from a bit further away. It is not real easy to get up there though and on a hot day like last Tuesday it would have been very understandable if you didn't.
Personally I do like the view onto the elephants from the lodge and think it is pretty good but it can be really busy in that lodge.
I guess the music is meant to be atmosphere-setting, but personally I find it pretty irritating and distracting sometimes, and I agree that the volume should be toned down.
Personally I would consider the American bison a pretty charismatic marquee species for the American continent (or North America at least) but you are right that, compared to the Asian and African loops, the American one does lack a species that is played up and promoted as the major attraction of the zone.
I do agree that Planckendael could perhaps do with one or two South American camelid species less and with a mountain lion, jaguar or even spectacled bear exhibit. It would be very good fit for Planckendael I think. And maybe even throw in some smaller or medium-sized American carnivores or omnivores somewhere.
The Chilean aviary is my absolute favorite part of Planckendael both in terms of exhibit and species. Definitely an impressive exhibit where I love to spend some time. They did excellently with this one. Perhaps an underwater viewing area could have completed the exhibit even more, but it is already pretty awesome and it doesn't really need it.
Maybe a walk-through exhibit with pretty large raptors at Pairi Daiza or walk-through exhibits with large birds like pelicans, marabous or vultures (several zoos around here) would satisfy your desire for "risky" mixed exhibits?
The bonobos have yet to be let back out onto their island. They are still getting used to their new indoor quarters, which I personally think are really nice.
As a bird person I can enjoy both to a great extent as long as they are decent. A good mix of both is definitely something I can enjoy for several hours.
More like at least dozen, actually. Unfortunately Planckendael's only recently still pretty impressive herd has recently been reduced to just three females as the breeding male and one breeding female have unfortunately died due to disease and/or surgical complications earlier this year, and some of the younger individuals have left the herd. I really hope that they get another breeding male soon and will be able to build up a larger herd again in coming years.
I agree with your assessment of Planckendael nearly entirely. I too am looking forward to the future of the zoo and I hope things continue as they have been the last few years, with decent to nice projects and a gradual improvements of the weaker or less pretty areas.
These days Planckendael and Antwerp actually receive about the same number of visitors, depending on the year, and together they have about the same number of visitors as Pairi Daiza.
The membership to two very nice zoos at once is indeed a pretty sweet deal. I visit Planckendael quite a bit more often though.
I was hoping to see and photograph this species at Olmen but I guess there is very little chance of that?
Also, that does not sound at all like appropriate or visitor-friendly reptile housing.
Pakawi Park I believe has the ability to be a decent smaller/medium-sized zoo but it will have to make strides of progress before that is the case, I think. I'm glad to hear that improvements are in fact being made, but it also worries me to hear and see that it is still so shabby in some places. Hearing about things like a large number of rodents in the tropical house (Sooty mangabey in the gallery) is also worrisome. Personally I was hoping for more and faster improvement under the new management, but I guess more patience will be needed. In any case I do really hope that they don't allow themselves to slow down in their improvements or start cutting corners again, because that was part of what got them in trouble in 2017.
I was kind of thinking of visiting this zoo again pretty soon, but now I'm second-guessing that idea a little bit.
Snowleopard said:
I agree with you that the small monkey house at Antwerp is one of the worst animal houses at the zoo, if not the worst, and it is surely my least favorite animal house. It can also be really noisy in there. When it was built in the 1970s it was probably quite innovative but now it is just badly outdated and shamefully substandard when compared to monkey housing at other zoos.
I think it would be okay to house callitrichids in there in the future, but the large monkeys should really go. They should really only keep one larger species of monkey in the rocky outdoor exhibit the mandrils currently occupy. My personal opinion is that they should revamp and improve those exhibits (and do something about the glare), renovate the off-show indoor housing and improve it by connecting it to one or more of the current all-indoor enclosures, and house L'hoest's guenons (Allochrocebus lhoesti) there. This species was actually named after François L'Hoest, director of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp from 1888 to 1904 (his son Michel Senior and grandson Michel Junior held the same position between 1905 and 1930 and 1931 and 1944) and should in my opinion really be part of Antwerp's collection.
The rest of the building should probably house small creatures. Your insectarium idea is certainly interesting, but personally I would like to see this building eventually replace the current Nocturama. Sadly the Nocturama is probably set to disappear in the upcoming renovation of the Jubilee complex and I personally think the best future use of the small monkey house would be to become a house for small(er) and nocturnal mammals.
Snowleopard said:
I didn't know the new guide books where that impressive for such a limited price. I might have to get myself one next time I'm there, even if I have been visiting the zoo for over twenty years and know it fairly well.
Snowleopard said:
I agree with you that the okapi paddocks in front of and behind the Moorish Temple are only adequate exhibits. I like the front one better than the rear one because it has some larger trees in or near it. I do however like the third okapi paddock that sits in between the Moorish Temple and the okapi stable in the annex to the ape house. That one is the largest and the most foresty-looking of the three.
Snowleopard said:
The cave looks pretty good and it is fairly well-designed, except in one area: it is a total acoustic disaster. Given that is beneath the restaurant and mostly made of concrete, and with all the play areas in there, once kids start playing or yelling it is a total noise overload in there. I personally despise the cave and always get out of there as quickly as possible because it is often horribly noisy, sadly. The cave is probably my least favorite place at Zoo Antwerpen.
Snowleopard said:
I really badly need to update the species list of the bird house that I posted some time ago as there have been substantial changes earlier this year. I will try to do this as soon as possible.
Snowleopard said:
I agree that none of the tanks in the aquarium is too small, but I do think that the South American freshwater megafish tank (pacu, redtail catfish and others) and the elasmobranch tank with the blacktip reef sharks and wobbegongs are only adequate or average in size, given how large these fish are.
That said, the Aquarium was restored absolutely beautifully I think and it is my personal favorite animal house at Antwerp.
Snowleopard said:
The reptile house has really only recently grown on me and I have recently began to spend more time in there (at least if it isn't too hot in there, which it can be). I read that you experienced the replicated tropical thunder storm in the caiman exhibit (as I also did again pretty recently), which is a pretty unique thing at Antwerp.
Thank you for the species list, I didn't have one for the reptile house myself yet.
Snowleopard said:
The skywalk thing is a recent addition that is only a few years old. It was done at the same time as the renovation of the entrance square and the moving backwards of the entrance. It is I agree a bit bizarre. Personally I also think it could do with a waterfowl exhibit of some kind, but that is just the bird person in me speaking.
From what I've read the jubilee complex was pretty innovative and modern back in 1968, but fifty years onwards it has become pretty outdated and in places is in big need of renovation. I just hope that they make reasonable decisions in the process.
There has not yet been any confirmation on the exact plans of the exact starting date of the renovation of the Jubilee complex, but what I have heard is that sea lion theater is set to be renovated and to have an outdoor pool added (as is now mandated by law).
The Nocturama is sadly set to disappear in its current form in this renovation, which I find very unfortunate. There has even been talk of an indoor playground - which is a horrible idea given this space is sandwiches between animal exhibits above and below. Other plans I've heard circulating include tigers at the ground level (current cat exhibits) and snow leopards on the top floor where currently the bird of prey aviaries are. The spectacled bears are probably only going to be moving out temporarily from what I've gathered. However nothing of this has been truly made official yet (and neither has the starting date) so we will have to see. I am however not very impressed with what has come out thus far.
Also the fact that they seem to be intent on keeping their sea lion theater and shows, despite the fact that a bunch of animal rights activist idiots already once disturbed a sea lion show and even jumped into the sea lion bassin, is something that while I understand the reasoning behind it, have difficulty looking positively upon.
Snowleopard said:
I very much do as well. I certainly do appreciate the historical zoos as well, but I definitely prefer the modern zoos in natural settings.
Snowleopard said:
I would agree with this assessment of Planckendael. With the tendency towards more immersive-style exhibits and projects in recent years I think Planckendael is only set to improve further in the coming years as they - hopefully - deal with their lower-quality and less aesthetically pleasing areas.
Snowleopard said:
When they first implemented the loops some years ago by closing off some paths I really hated it, as I had my own route through the park back in those days and that one was completely cut up.
However, they did later add some passages in between the different continental loops. The continental loops also did grow on me to the point that I would now agree with your assessment of this loop system of layout. I have seen this kind of design also working at relatively recent zoos like Zoom Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen or GaiaZoo Kerkrade.
Snowleopard said:
Did you try the tree-top walk? There is a vantage point onto the elephant exhibit way up there, however it is quite high (about 15 meters) and from a bit further away. It is not real easy to get up there though and on a hot day like last Tuesday it would have been very understandable if you didn't.
Personally I do like the view onto the elephants from the lodge and think it is pretty good but it can be really busy in that lodge.
Snowleopard said:
I guess the music is meant to be atmosphere-setting, but personally I find it pretty irritating and distracting sometimes, and I agree that the volume should be toned down.
="Snowleopard" said:
Personally I would consider the American bison a pretty charismatic marquee species for the American continent (or North America at least) but you are right that, compared to the Asian and African loops, the American one does lack a species that is played up and promoted as the major attraction of the zone.
I do agree that Planckendael could perhaps do with one or two South American camelid species less and with a mountain lion, jaguar or even spectacled bear exhibit. It would be very good fit for Planckendael I think. And maybe even throw in some smaller or medium-sized American carnivores or omnivores somewhere.
Snowleopard said:
The Chilean aviary is my absolute favorite part of Planckendael both in terms of exhibit and species. Definitely an impressive exhibit where I love to spend some time. They did excellently with this one. Perhaps an underwater viewing area could have completed the exhibit even more, but it is already pretty awesome and it doesn't really need it.
Snowleopard said:
Maybe a walk-through exhibit with pretty large raptors at Pairi Daiza or walk-through exhibits with large birds like pelicans, marabous or vultures (several zoos around here) would satisfy your desire for "risky" mixed exhibits?
Snowleopard said:
The bonobos have yet to be let back out onto their island. They are still getting used to their new indoor quarters, which I personally think are really nice.
Snowleopard said:
As a bird person I can enjoy both to a great extent as long as they are decent. A good mix of both is definitely something I can enjoy for several hours.
Snowleopard said:
More like at least dozen, actually. Unfortunately Planckendael's only recently still pretty impressive herd has recently been reduced to just three females as the breeding male and one breeding female have unfortunately died due to disease and/or surgical complications earlier this year, and some of the younger individuals have left the herd. I really hope that they get another breeding male soon and will be able to build up a larger herd again in coming years.
Snowleopard said:
I agree with your assessment of Planckendael nearly entirely. I too am looking forward to the future of the zoo and I hope things continue as they have been the last few years, with decent to nice projects and a gradual improvements of the weaker or less pretty areas.
These days Planckendael and Antwerp actually receive about the same number of visitors, depending on the year, and together they have about the same number of visitors as Pairi Daiza.
The membership to two very nice zoos at once is indeed a pretty sweet deal. I visit Planckendael quite a bit more often though.
Snowleopard said:
I was hoping to see and photograph this species at Olmen but I guess there is very little chance of that?
Also, that does not sound at all like appropriate or visitor-friendly reptile housing.
Snowleopard said:
Pakawi Park I believe has the ability to be a decent smaller/medium-sized zoo but it will have to make strides of progress before that is the case, I think. I'm glad to hear that improvements are in fact being made, but it also worries me to hear and see that it is still so shabby in some places. Hearing about things like a large number of rodents in the tropical house (Sooty mangabey in the gallery) is also worrisome. Personally I was hoping for more and faster improvement under the new management, but I guess more patience will be needed. In any case I do really hope that they don't allow themselves to slow down in their improvements or start cutting corners again, because that was part of what got them in trouble in 2017.
I was kind of thinking of visiting this zoo again pretty soon, but now I'm second-guessing that idea a little bit.
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DAY 11: Wednesday, July 24th (1 zoo)
Settle back with a drink and a snack, as this is a 3,700-word essay:
Zoo/Aquarium # 31: Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE)
Scarcely anyone could have predicted that a bird garden that opened in 1994 (as Parc Paradisio) would become one of the largest and most outrageous zoos on the planet. I plodded around for 8.5 hours on a sweltering hot day of 37 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit), but I was determined to view every last exhibit as the zoo is spectacular. I loved Pairi Daizi, and other than San Diego and Omaha I would call it the best all-around zoo I’ve ever seen. I honestly went into the zoo a little ambivalent, as I wasn’t sure if the theming would be too excessive, or the exhibits not up to modern standards, or the whole thing reminiscent of a Disney-like experience with maybe some rides hidden around corners. Photos on ZooChat don’t really convey the whole story of this special zoo, as it is genuinely filled with top-notch, first-rate animal habitats. The zoo does not resemble a theme park and there are no rides or ‘cast members’ in costume or anything else of such silliness. It is not even close to a traditional zoo, and thus truly unique in every sense of the word. Everything gives off the appearance of being shiny and brand-new in all directions. There are flaws, just like with every zoo, and the labelling in a couple of buildings is downright shoddy, but overall Pairi Daiza is now my #3 zoo of the almost 500 that I’ve visited. I haven’t been to Chester, or Prague, or Singapore, or Vienna, but I have been to this Belgian zoo and it’s revolutionary.
I had friends along for this trek in the form of a trio of British zoo nerds from colder climes. We spent 8.5 hours at Pairi Daiza, saw everything with no shows or presentations included, and the heat was overpowering at times as western Europe is currently undergoing a record-setting heatwave. Linda Waterworth is the main photographer for the magazine Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News, Mike Grayson is species identifier extraordinaire and editor of that same magazine, and then there is Tim Brown. He founded the IZES (Independent Zoo Enthusiasts Society) in 1995 and has been a terrific friend of mine for a good number of years now. We met in Belgium for the first time ever, even though we’ve written a book together (America’s Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums) that is due to be published later this year. Ever since I initially suggested to Tim that we pool our considerable zoo-visiting knowledge together to write a book (that was way back in 2012) we have been emailing back-and-forth almost daily and I forward innumerable emails to him about worldwide zoo events or information about our book. To meet Tim face-to-face for the first time, after at least 2,000 emails, was heartwarming. He is a fount of knowledge and even bought the four of us a delightful lunch on the balcony of one of the zoo’s many quality restaurants.
Pairi Daiza, back in 2010, had just over 700,000 annual visitors but the growth in that area has been nothing short of phenomenal in just under a decade. The zoo is projected to surpass two million visitors this year, more than TRIPLING its visitor numbers in 9 years. What will Polar Bears and penguins add next year? It’s mind-boggling. There are very few zoos on the continent that will be as popular, and even if one were to combine visitor numbers for Antwerp and Planckendael, then Pairi Daiza still has more people pouring through the turnstiles each year. The fact is that those zoos will simply never catch up. The craziest thing of all is that Pairi Daiza is only open 8 months a year, including a brief stretch over Christmas. Within the zoo are the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey of Cambron, which was founded in 1148 and was eventually abandoned in 1789. That is the oldest human-made structure, but even though Pairi Daiza has built a Bonsai garden, a full-size Buddhist Temple, a Chinese garden and enough human buildings to create a mini-city, it is easy to forget that some elements are hundreds of years old. For example, the entrance is extremely unobtrusive and a far cry from many more grandiose zoo entrances. Arriving at the zoo is also a bizarre experience, as there is nothing but farmer’s fields for many miles and the town of Brugelette only has 3,000 inhabitants. Brussels is an hour away from the zoo, Antwerp is an hour and a half away, and yet Pairi Daiza is one of the most popular zoos on the planet. It’s all kind of surreal; ‘if you build it, they will come’.
On 4 separate occasions during this road trip I have seen billboards in Belgium (plus one in France!) extolling the virtues of Pairi Daiza and calling it ‘Europe’s Best Zoo’. That statement is even on the zoo’s own website, which is one form of advertisement/braggadocio. The park is divided into ‘worlds’ on its 173 acres/70 hectares and one really nice thing is that even with hundreds of people lined up before the 10:00 opening time (which really is too late for a zoo of this girth), once the floodgates were opened everyone dispersed and at no point during the day were we crowded or having to jostle for position except for a few minutes inside the Reptile House.
This is honestly a zoo for everyone, and I think that it a key theme to remember when reading this review. The masses are going because Pairi Daiza really has become one of the best zoos in Europe, if not the world. There are 7,000 animals and 700 species, bolstered by having an Aquarium but nevertheless it seems at times as if the entire animal kingdom is present. There are elephants galore (22 of them of two species), giraffes, rhinos, hippos, gorillas, orangutans, loads of primates and big cats, an Aquarium with 47 tanks, an extensive Reptile House, birds in every corner, and there will be 5 species of bear once the Polar section opens next year. Zoo nerds should adore this place. There are rarities for the general public such as Giant Pandas and Koalas and very few zoos on Earth have both of those, but then for the zoo nerds there are Spix’s Macaws, Lear’s Macaws, Bulwer’s Pheasants, Golden Takins and a Sulawesi Bear Cuscus. It’s all rather extraordinary.
Let’s take a tour through the zoo and its 8 ‘worlds’:
The Last Frontier: What kind of zoo can casually open a brand-new area that is 20 acres/8 hectares in size? I’ve visited hundreds of zoos that are smaller than that and yet The Last Frontier is only a small slice of the whole Pairi Daiza experience, and it opened for the zoo’s 25th anniversary. There are Eurasian Brown Bears and Grey Wolves together in an exhibit that is about the size of a Tolkien forest, and in a separate exhibit there are more Brown Bears with American Black Bears and the whole thing is spectacular although one of the bear exhibits is very open and lacking tree cover. These are spacious exhibits with tons of natural-foraging behaviour happening and with copious amounts of water. There is also a fantastic Steller’s Sea Lion exhibit with underwater viewing, numerous lodges to stay the night if you have the desire, a massive restaurant, a Canadian-themed gift shop, Moose, Wapiti, a huge Puma exhibit and a Native American theme throughout. Even with a few quibbles here and there, this is a world-class addition and it will likely look even better once the undergrowth kicks in a little.
Cambron-Abbey: This is the older section of the zoo, with not much in the way of theming and more of an old-school zoological approach. That being said, it’s a rewarding first experience when one passes through the entrance gate. There is a large Tropical House that contains a restaurant, some of the usual suspects like Meerkats, White-faced Sakis, several hornbills and various parrots, but then zoo nerds begin to salivate as there are species such as Sulawesi Bear Cuscus (a fascinating creature), Bulwer’s Pheasant, St. Lucia Amazon Parrot, St. Vincent Parrot and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. A good half-hour or more can easily be spent admiring denizens of the tropics.
Outside are large aviaries for Spix’s Macaws and Lear’s Macaws and then a series of fantastic birds of prey aviaries which includes a walk-through exhibit with a host of species inside. This whole area is top-notch, with some obvious birds, but yet again there are uncommon types for a Canadian zoo nerd such as Long-crested Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Booted Eagle, Lanner Falcon, African Harrier Hawk and Bearded Vulture. Arguably the highlight of the entire day occurred just past this point, with a trio of Lowland Tapirs resembling river dolphins as they plunged into their mini-lake and surged through the water. It was memorable, with the tapirs practically breaching like Orcas as they would sink beneath the surface and then shoot up out of the water 10 feet away. Even a simple tapir paddock is large and with ample enrichment for the South American species at this zoo.
The towering Abbey is home to a walk-through bat exhibit that is extremely dark and quiet, until the whisk of bat wings practically strokes one’s face in the dim surroundings. A fantastic experience and an eerie one, with Egyptian Fruit Bats everywhere and even roosting next to their identification sign. We were within inches of a particularly large one, but we resisted the urge to pet it seemed too risky. It is an incredible exhibit, and elsewhere is a nocturnal section with Naked Mole Rats and Grey Mouse Lemurs (which we saw). This part of the zoo also has some barnyard animals and several more aviaries.
Cambron-By-The-Sea: This is a small, central zone, with penguins free to roam a substantial exhibit (although they stay in one section when visitors are about) and Harbour Seals having what is probably one of the zoo world’s largest pinniped exhibits as their enclosure encompasses part of a lake. The whole thing is very close to a full-on walk-through, complete with a massive white lighthouse and with visitors able to get relatively close to the animals. Across the sandy path is a nice exhibit with underwater viewing for South African Fur Seals, giving Pairi Daiza a trio of pinniped species.
The zoo’s Aquarium is a grand old building that dominates the skyline, and it is a major source of animals as I counted 47 tanks inside. However, some of those exhibits are very tiny, most are average-sized and honestly quite boring, and the largest tank is for some sea turtles and Blacktip Reef Sharks that is an awkward shape and partly goes over the heads of visitors. The Aquarium is probably my least favourite part of the entire zoo, mainly because it is a colossal missed opportunity. There are plenty of tanks, but easily 15 of those tanks have zero signs. We didn’t know what kind of fish we were looking at, many of the exhibits are dull, and the whole building needs an overhaul. There is a lot of potential with the space in what could be a revelatory Aquarium, but as things stand right now it’s a major dud. It’s a real shame, as the zoo’s signs are gorgeous and with hand-drawn animal images on each of them instead of a photograph.
The Land of the Cold: This area is very tiny and currently consists of only 3 species (Raccoon, Reindeer, American Bison) until next year, when another multi-acre, gazillion-Euro complex will open. There are a trio of enormous construction cranes on the site, plus an unlabeled new exhibit going up just behind a frontier-type shop, and 2020 will herald the arrival of Polar Bears and Antarctic penguins with some enormous buildings already well under construction.
Southern Cape: This is an excellent walk-through Australian zone, with a nicely themed aviary, the usual assortment of macropods and parrots, but then also Koalas, Long-nosed Potoroos and even Tasmanian Devils.
The Middle Kingdom: This section has a labyrinth series of pathways through an incredibly detailed Asian zone. There are pagodas and temples that are not mock-creations but full-size, fully-functioning structures that serve as restaurants, a place for prayer or decorative backdrops. From start to finish, the animal exhibits in this part of the zoo are all excellent and it’s a mini-zoo-within-a-zoo. The mammal species list is sensational and includes Giant Panda (three exhibits plus a viewing cave area), Red Panda (two exhibits), Snow Leopard (two exhibits), Golden Takin, Binturong, Giant Otter, Southern Yellow-cheeked Gibbon, Japanese Macaque, Francois Langur and Asiatic Black Bear. There is a walk-through aviary with at least 20 species, including Greater Bird-of-Paradise, and we saw three Lesser Bird-of-Paradise roaming free in the visitor walkthrough jungle. How often does that happen at a zoo? A Chinese-themed area has a Koi pond in the middle and then a pair of rare species (Chinese Alligator, Chinese Giant Salamander) and then yet another area has Clouded Leopards on one side and Lyle’s Flying Foxes, Indian Flying Foxes and Pallas’s Squirrels all moving around in another walk-through zone with zero barriers. Whether one likes the idea of being dwarfed by ethnocentric buildings or not, if one strips away the human-related elements of the Asian zone then it is easy to see that just about every single exhibit is of an extremely high quality. I know that some zoo enthusiasts aren’t big fans of Pairi Daiza because they get too bothered with the buildings and structures. If one were to remove all the extra ‘stuff’ from the Asian zone, it would be a zoo area filled with fantastic exhibits. The pagodas and temples are the icing on the cake in making the area more exciting and different from a thousand other Asian zones at a thousand other zoos. We’ve all seen an African Savanna or Asian Forest part of a zoo on so many occasions that I found Pairi Daiza to be a breath of fresh air; it has vision and desire to reach for the stars. Its uniqueness should be applauded.
The Land of Origins: The zoo’s African zone has a dusty, large African Elephant exhibit (for 3 elephants), White Rhinos mixed with Warthogs in a standard-sized enclosure, and Common Hippos with underwater viewing and a substantial sandy land area that they have full access to off to one side. There is a spacious African Lion exhibit that can be seen from several vantage points, Spotted Hyenas and a crashed plane that looks great, Giraffes, a walk-through lemur exhibit and the infamous Gorilla ‘volcanoes’. The two volcanoes work much better in person than they do in photos, and while I do think that it is a bit of a waste of space, the Gorilla exhibits are actually good ones for the apes and the indoor quarters are filled with climbing opportunities and deep layers of mulch. Blijdorp’s indoor Gorilla accommodation, and that at many other zoos, is scandalous by comparison to what Pairi Daiza has done. Again, the exhibits are very good, and the volcanoes simply add to the appeal, although it would be cool if a species or two had access to the steep cliffsides of the structures.
The zoo was obviously not content to have one large Shoebill Stork aviary as there are two of them (in separate areas) and one of those aviaries contains some Openbill Storks…yet another zoological rarity that are a treat to see. Other species here are Cheetah, Mantled Guereza, Pygmy Hippo, Common Zebra, Cape Buffalo, Ankole Cattle, Brindled Wildebeest and Blesbok. The African zone is arguably somewhat conventional, but the exhibits are spacious, and the African Village is a nice central location to relax.
There is a Reptile House near the African zone that is set inside a massive, full-size ship called the Mersus Emergo. It’s quite something to behold and starts off with a few standard-sized terrariums in a couple of rooms and then progresses into larger exhibits and there are many ‘rescued’ creatures of all shapes and sizes. I did not compile a species list as I just wanted to chat with Tim and the idea of a species list at Pairi Daiza is too daunting. Another reason is that the labelling here is horrid, as for example in one room there are 6 exhibits with zero signs whatsoever. Just like the sprawling Aquarium, the Reptile House seems to go on forever and near the end there is a massive wall with approximately 26 invertebrate terrariums laid out almost like portholes on a boat. It’s a major building with the potential to be world-class, but at the very least the zoo needs to radically overhaul its signs and labels inside the ‘ship’. Here there is a small South American loop, in the form of a walk-through Squirrel Monkey exhibit that contains 8 of the monkeys, then a spider monkey island and a walk-through Black Howler Monkey exhibit. Listening to one of those animals crashing from tree to tree with no barriers is a little unnerving! The indoor quarters for the primates is actually inside the hull of the Reptile House boat.
The Kingdom of Ganesha: The orangutan complex here is probably the best I’ve ever seen. Yes, the orangs are in a marble temple that is eye-catching and loved by the public (check out the crowds in there!) but, once again, if an individual were to analyze all the space available to the red apes then one should be mightily impressed. There is thick mulch on the floor which many other zoos simply never do, many climbing opportunities via hundreds of feet of ropes, hammocks, little shelters, etc., and even some Small-clawed Otters for company. The two Sumatran Orangutan exhibits, not connected in any way, are far superior to almost any other zoo in working hard to get the orangs off the ground. Oh yeah, there is still an amazing marble temple! I’ve always liked Woodland Park Zoo’s orangutan exhibit, but it is not even in the same ballpark as the one at Pairi Daiza. Now, Woodland Park’s seems tiny outside, lacking brachiating opportunities with not many ropes or hammocks, cement floor within the tiny interior, etc. Pairi Daiza is leagues ahead in quality.
There are a couple of Asian Elephants on-show with a big sign about their lives, and then behind the ornate, ridiculously grandiose barn (that one is over-the-top) is a viewing area for another trio of Asian Elephant exhibits that are literally at the very back of the zoo. To recap, there is an enclosure for 3 African Elephants, plus at least 5 additional exhibits for 19 Asian Elephants to give Pairi Daiza a grand total of 22 elephants in at least 6 enclosures. There are also Sulawesi Crested Macaques, Common Wombats (!!), and Indian Crested Porcupines in this steep, hilly, back-breaking part of the zoo that stretches to approximately 10 acres/4 hectares.
Recap:
The Aquarium and Reptile House are a pair of large buildings that really do need a good scrub and upgrading done to the signs. If the zoo can continue to spend millions of Euros on mega-budget mammal complexes, then a comprehensive update of both the Aquarium and Reptile House could easily be done for a pittance. Those are the two major flaws of the zoo, which is a shame as those buildings, with renovations, could be spectacular as not every major zoo even has an Aquarium and a proper Reptile House. There are other flaws around the place, just like at every other zoo in the world, such as the Javan Leopard exhibit in The Kingdom of Ganesha (which is large but not really suited to a leopard), or having Common Wombats surrounded by Asian temples. However, for the most part the animal exhibits are ones that most other zoos can only dream about, and it must cost an absolute fortune to maintain such a diverse and staggering collection of animals. Probably 80% of all the animal exhibits have been built since 2000, giving the zoo a ‘new’ feel and a modern touch to the enclosure designs.
After all was said and done, and we’d truly ‘broken the back’ of the mighty zoological beast that is Pairi Daiza, Tim and I reflected on the experience. With the sheer volume of species in what are almost universally excellent exhibits, I have Pairi Daiza at #3 and surpassed only by San Diego and Omaha. If you’ve been following along on ZooChat while I’ve reviewed hundreds of zoos since 2007, then you’ll know what I generally look for in a zoo. Tim looks down at my 500-zoo total and sits there with his 800-zoo mark and grins. He has been amazingly consistent over the years by never once deviating from his Top 5 favourite zoo list of Berlin, San Diego, Omaha, Bronx and Berlin Tierpark. Those are the 5 that stand above the rest in Tim’s mind. He acknowledges that the work down by the Wildlife Conservation Society is enough to put Bronx in the Top 5, regardless of the fact that the zoo hasn’t added a major new exhibit in more than a decade. “It’s still a world-class zoo”, he tells me over some roast chicken and beer at lunch. After thinking about it all day, and now that Tim has been to this particular Belgian zoo on 4 occasions, he told me that Pairi Daiza would crack his Top 8 zoos of all-time. He wouldn’t be drawn into specifics as to what those other zoos would be outside of his well-established Top 5, but he loves Pairi Daiza as much as I do and we each have different things that we like about zoos. Any zoo nerd that is unsure about whether to make the effort to head into the Belgian countryside can see that Tim, zoo nerd author from England with 800 zoos under his belt, and myself, a zoo nerd author from Canada with 500 zoos under my belt, both think that Pairi Daiza is outstanding. It’s a full-day out, with a dizzying array of animal life and a staggering quality to the whole production. Are we both fools for loving it? I think not.
It was quite the trek to visit Antwerp Zoo, Planckendael Zoo and Pairi Daiza on back-to-back-to-back days, especially with the temperature pushing close to 40 degrees Celsius, and who can forget about Harry Malter Familiepark and Pakawi Park? I've got a couple more Belgian zoos up next, before heading back into the Netherlands.
Settle back with a drink and a snack, as this is a 3,700-word essay:
Zoo/Aquarium # 31: Pairi Daiza (Brugelette, BE)
Scarcely anyone could have predicted that a bird garden that opened in 1994 (as Parc Paradisio) would become one of the largest and most outrageous zoos on the planet. I plodded around for 8.5 hours on a sweltering hot day of 37 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit), but I was determined to view every last exhibit as the zoo is spectacular. I loved Pairi Daizi, and other than San Diego and Omaha I would call it the best all-around zoo I’ve ever seen. I honestly went into the zoo a little ambivalent, as I wasn’t sure if the theming would be too excessive, or the exhibits not up to modern standards, or the whole thing reminiscent of a Disney-like experience with maybe some rides hidden around corners. Photos on ZooChat don’t really convey the whole story of this special zoo, as it is genuinely filled with top-notch, first-rate animal habitats. The zoo does not resemble a theme park and there are no rides or ‘cast members’ in costume or anything else of such silliness. It is not even close to a traditional zoo, and thus truly unique in every sense of the word. Everything gives off the appearance of being shiny and brand-new in all directions. There are flaws, just like with every zoo, and the labelling in a couple of buildings is downright shoddy, but overall Pairi Daiza is now my #3 zoo of the almost 500 that I’ve visited. I haven’t been to Chester, or Prague, or Singapore, or Vienna, but I have been to this Belgian zoo and it’s revolutionary.
I had friends along for this trek in the form of a trio of British zoo nerds from colder climes. We spent 8.5 hours at Pairi Daiza, saw everything with no shows or presentations included, and the heat was overpowering at times as western Europe is currently undergoing a record-setting heatwave. Linda Waterworth is the main photographer for the magazine Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News, Mike Grayson is species identifier extraordinaire and editor of that same magazine, and then there is Tim Brown. He founded the IZES (Independent Zoo Enthusiasts Society) in 1995 and has been a terrific friend of mine for a good number of years now. We met in Belgium for the first time ever, even though we’ve written a book together (America’s Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums) that is due to be published later this year. Ever since I initially suggested to Tim that we pool our considerable zoo-visiting knowledge together to write a book (that was way back in 2012) we have been emailing back-and-forth almost daily and I forward innumerable emails to him about worldwide zoo events or information about our book. To meet Tim face-to-face for the first time, after at least 2,000 emails, was heartwarming. He is a fount of knowledge and even bought the four of us a delightful lunch on the balcony of one of the zoo’s many quality restaurants.
Pairi Daiza, back in 2010, had just over 700,000 annual visitors but the growth in that area has been nothing short of phenomenal in just under a decade. The zoo is projected to surpass two million visitors this year, more than TRIPLING its visitor numbers in 9 years. What will Polar Bears and penguins add next year? It’s mind-boggling. There are very few zoos on the continent that will be as popular, and even if one were to combine visitor numbers for Antwerp and Planckendael, then Pairi Daiza still has more people pouring through the turnstiles each year. The fact is that those zoos will simply never catch up. The craziest thing of all is that Pairi Daiza is only open 8 months a year, including a brief stretch over Christmas. Within the zoo are the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey of Cambron, which was founded in 1148 and was eventually abandoned in 1789. That is the oldest human-made structure, but even though Pairi Daiza has built a Bonsai garden, a full-size Buddhist Temple, a Chinese garden and enough human buildings to create a mini-city, it is easy to forget that some elements are hundreds of years old. For example, the entrance is extremely unobtrusive and a far cry from many more grandiose zoo entrances. Arriving at the zoo is also a bizarre experience, as there is nothing but farmer’s fields for many miles and the town of Brugelette only has 3,000 inhabitants. Brussels is an hour away from the zoo, Antwerp is an hour and a half away, and yet Pairi Daiza is one of the most popular zoos on the planet. It’s all kind of surreal; ‘if you build it, they will come’.
On 4 separate occasions during this road trip I have seen billboards in Belgium (plus one in France!) extolling the virtues of Pairi Daiza and calling it ‘Europe’s Best Zoo’. That statement is even on the zoo’s own website, which is one form of advertisement/braggadocio. The park is divided into ‘worlds’ on its 173 acres/70 hectares and one really nice thing is that even with hundreds of people lined up before the 10:00 opening time (which really is too late for a zoo of this girth), once the floodgates were opened everyone dispersed and at no point during the day were we crowded or having to jostle for position except for a few minutes inside the Reptile House.
This is honestly a zoo for everyone, and I think that it a key theme to remember when reading this review. The masses are going because Pairi Daiza really has become one of the best zoos in Europe, if not the world. There are 7,000 animals and 700 species, bolstered by having an Aquarium but nevertheless it seems at times as if the entire animal kingdom is present. There are elephants galore (22 of them of two species), giraffes, rhinos, hippos, gorillas, orangutans, loads of primates and big cats, an Aquarium with 47 tanks, an extensive Reptile House, birds in every corner, and there will be 5 species of bear once the Polar section opens next year. Zoo nerds should adore this place. There are rarities for the general public such as Giant Pandas and Koalas and very few zoos on Earth have both of those, but then for the zoo nerds there are Spix’s Macaws, Lear’s Macaws, Bulwer’s Pheasants, Golden Takins and a Sulawesi Bear Cuscus. It’s all rather extraordinary.
Let’s take a tour through the zoo and its 8 ‘worlds’:
The Last Frontier: What kind of zoo can casually open a brand-new area that is 20 acres/8 hectares in size? I’ve visited hundreds of zoos that are smaller than that and yet The Last Frontier is only a small slice of the whole Pairi Daiza experience, and it opened for the zoo’s 25th anniversary. There are Eurasian Brown Bears and Grey Wolves together in an exhibit that is about the size of a Tolkien forest, and in a separate exhibit there are more Brown Bears with American Black Bears and the whole thing is spectacular although one of the bear exhibits is very open and lacking tree cover. These are spacious exhibits with tons of natural-foraging behaviour happening and with copious amounts of water. There is also a fantastic Steller’s Sea Lion exhibit with underwater viewing, numerous lodges to stay the night if you have the desire, a massive restaurant, a Canadian-themed gift shop, Moose, Wapiti, a huge Puma exhibit and a Native American theme throughout. Even with a few quibbles here and there, this is a world-class addition and it will likely look even better once the undergrowth kicks in a little.
Cambron-Abbey: This is the older section of the zoo, with not much in the way of theming and more of an old-school zoological approach. That being said, it’s a rewarding first experience when one passes through the entrance gate. There is a large Tropical House that contains a restaurant, some of the usual suspects like Meerkats, White-faced Sakis, several hornbills and various parrots, but then zoo nerds begin to salivate as there are species such as Sulawesi Bear Cuscus (a fascinating creature), Bulwer’s Pheasant, St. Lucia Amazon Parrot, St. Vincent Parrot and Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. A good half-hour or more can easily be spent admiring denizens of the tropics.
Outside are large aviaries for Spix’s Macaws and Lear’s Macaws and then a series of fantastic birds of prey aviaries which includes a walk-through exhibit with a host of species inside. This whole area is top-notch, with some obvious birds, but yet again there are uncommon types for a Canadian zoo nerd such as Long-crested Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Booted Eagle, Lanner Falcon, African Harrier Hawk and Bearded Vulture. Arguably the highlight of the entire day occurred just past this point, with a trio of Lowland Tapirs resembling river dolphins as they plunged into their mini-lake and surged through the water. It was memorable, with the tapirs practically breaching like Orcas as they would sink beneath the surface and then shoot up out of the water 10 feet away. Even a simple tapir paddock is large and with ample enrichment for the South American species at this zoo.
The towering Abbey is home to a walk-through bat exhibit that is extremely dark and quiet, until the whisk of bat wings practically strokes one’s face in the dim surroundings. A fantastic experience and an eerie one, with Egyptian Fruit Bats everywhere and even roosting next to their identification sign. We were within inches of a particularly large one, but we resisted the urge to pet it seemed too risky. It is an incredible exhibit, and elsewhere is a nocturnal section with Naked Mole Rats and Grey Mouse Lemurs (which we saw). This part of the zoo also has some barnyard animals and several more aviaries.
Cambron-By-The-Sea: This is a small, central zone, with penguins free to roam a substantial exhibit (although they stay in one section when visitors are about) and Harbour Seals having what is probably one of the zoo world’s largest pinniped exhibits as their enclosure encompasses part of a lake. The whole thing is very close to a full-on walk-through, complete with a massive white lighthouse and with visitors able to get relatively close to the animals. Across the sandy path is a nice exhibit with underwater viewing for South African Fur Seals, giving Pairi Daiza a trio of pinniped species.
The zoo’s Aquarium is a grand old building that dominates the skyline, and it is a major source of animals as I counted 47 tanks inside. However, some of those exhibits are very tiny, most are average-sized and honestly quite boring, and the largest tank is for some sea turtles and Blacktip Reef Sharks that is an awkward shape and partly goes over the heads of visitors. The Aquarium is probably my least favourite part of the entire zoo, mainly because it is a colossal missed opportunity. There are plenty of tanks, but easily 15 of those tanks have zero signs. We didn’t know what kind of fish we were looking at, many of the exhibits are dull, and the whole building needs an overhaul. There is a lot of potential with the space in what could be a revelatory Aquarium, but as things stand right now it’s a major dud. It’s a real shame, as the zoo’s signs are gorgeous and with hand-drawn animal images on each of them instead of a photograph.
The Land of the Cold: This area is very tiny and currently consists of only 3 species (Raccoon, Reindeer, American Bison) until next year, when another multi-acre, gazillion-Euro complex will open. There are a trio of enormous construction cranes on the site, plus an unlabeled new exhibit going up just behind a frontier-type shop, and 2020 will herald the arrival of Polar Bears and Antarctic penguins with some enormous buildings already well under construction.
Southern Cape: This is an excellent walk-through Australian zone, with a nicely themed aviary, the usual assortment of macropods and parrots, but then also Koalas, Long-nosed Potoroos and even Tasmanian Devils.
The Middle Kingdom: This section has a labyrinth series of pathways through an incredibly detailed Asian zone. There are pagodas and temples that are not mock-creations but full-size, fully-functioning structures that serve as restaurants, a place for prayer or decorative backdrops. From start to finish, the animal exhibits in this part of the zoo are all excellent and it’s a mini-zoo-within-a-zoo. The mammal species list is sensational and includes Giant Panda (three exhibits plus a viewing cave area), Red Panda (two exhibits), Snow Leopard (two exhibits), Golden Takin, Binturong, Giant Otter, Southern Yellow-cheeked Gibbon, Japanese Macaque, Francois Langur and Asiatic Black Bear. There is a walk-through aviary with at least 20 species, including Greater Bird-of-Paradise, and we saw three Lesser Bird-of-Paradise roaming free in the visitor walkthrough jungle. How often does that happen at a zoo? A Chinese-themed area has a Koi pond in the middle and then a pair of rare species (Chinese Alligator, Chinese Giant Salamander) and then yet another area has Clouded Leopards on one side and Lyle’s Flying Foxes, Indian Flying Foxes and Pallas’s Squirrels all moving around in another walk-through zone with zero barriers. Whether one likes the idea of being dwarfed by ethnocentric buildings or not, if one strips away the human-related elements of the Asian zone then it is easy to see that just about every single exhibit is of an extremely high quality. I know that some zoo enthusiasts aren’t big fans of Pairi Daiza because they get too bothered with the buildings and structures. If one were to remove all the extra ‘stuff’ from the Asian zone, it would be a zoo area filled with fantastic exhibits. The pagodas and temples are the icing on the cake in making the area more exciting and different from a thousand other Asian zones at a thousand other zoos. We’ve all seen an African Savanna or Asian Forest part of a zoo on so many occasions that I found Pairi Daiza to be a breath of fresh air; it has vision and desire to reach for the stars. Its uniqueness should be applauded.
The Land of Origins: The zoo’s African zone has a dusty, large African Elephant exhibit (for 3 elephants), White Rhinos mixed with Warthogs in a standard-sized enclosure, and Common Hippos with underwater viewing and a substantial sandy land area that they have full access to off to one side. There is a spacious African Lion exhibit that can be seen from several vantage points, Spotted Hyenas and a crashed plane that looks great, Giraffes, a walk-through lemur exhibit and the infamous Gorilla ‘volcanoes’. The two volcanoes work much better in person than they do in photos, and while I do think that it is a bit of a waste of space, the Gorilla exhibits are actually good ones for the apes and the indoor quarters are filled with climbing opportunities and deep layers of mulch. Blijdorp’s indoor Gorilla accommodation, and that at many other zoos, is scandalous by comparison to what Pairi Daiza has done. Again, the exhibits are very good, and the volcanoes simply add to the appeal, although it would be cool if a species or two had access to the steep cliffsides of the structures.
The zoo was obviously not content to have one large Shoebill Stork aviary as there are two of them (in separate areas) and one of those aviaries contains some Openbill Storks…yet another zoological rarity that are a treat to see. Other species here are Cheetah, Mantled Guereza, Pygmy Hippo, Common Zebra, Cape Buffalo, Ankole Cattle, Brindled Wildebeest and Blesbok. The African zone is arguably somewhat conventional, but the exhibits are spacious, and the African Village is a nice central location to relax.
There is a Reptile House near the African zone that is set inside a massive, full-size ship called the Mersus Emergo. It’s quite something to behold and starts off with a few standard-sized terrariums in a couple of rooms and then progresses into larger exhibits and there are many ‘rescued’ creatures of all shapes and sizes. I did not compile a species list as I just wanted to chat with Tim and the idea of a species list at Pairi Daiza is too daunting. Another reason is that the labelling here is horrid, as for example in one room there are 6 exhibits with zero signs whatsoever. Just like the sprawling Aquarium, the Reptile House seems to go on forever and near the end there is a massive wall with approximately 26 invertebrate terrariums laid out almost like portholes on a boat. It’s a major building with the potential to be world-class, but at the very least the zoo needs to radically overhaul its signs and labels inside the ‘ship’. Here there is a small South American loop, in the form of a walk-through Squirrel Monkey exhibit that contains 8 of the monkeys, then a spider monkey island and a walk-through Black Howler Monkey exhibit. Listening to one of those animals crashing from tree to tree with no barriers is a little unnerving! The indoor quarters for the primates is actually inside the hull of the Reptile House boat.
The Kingdom of Ganesha: The orangutan complex here is probably the best I’ve ever seen. Yes, the orangs are in a marble temple that is eye-catching and loved by the public (check out the crowds in there!) but, once again, if an individual were to analyze all the space available to the red apes then one should be mightily impressed. There is thick mulch on the floor which many other zoos simply never do, many climbing opportunities via hundreds of feet of ropes, hammocks, little shelters, etc., and even some Small-clawed Otters for company. The two Sumatran Orangutan exhibits, not connected in any way, are far superior to almost any other zoo in working hard to get the orangs off the ground. Oh yeah, there is still an amazing marble temple! I’ve always liked Woodland Park Zoo’s orangutan exhibit, but it is not even in the same ballpark as the one at Pairi Daiza. Now, Woodland Park’s seems tiny outside, lacking brachiating opportunities with not many ropes or hammocks, cement floor within the tiny interior, etc. Pairi Daiza is leagues ahead in quality.
There are a couple of Asian Elephants on-show with a big sign about their lives, and then behind the ornate, ridiculously grandiose barn (that one is over-the-top) is a viewing area for another trio of Asian Elephant exhibits that are literally at the very back of the zoo. To recap, there is an enclosure for 3 African Elephants, plus at least 5 additional exhibits for 19 Asian Elephants to give Pairi Daiza a grand total of 22 elephants in at least 6 enclosures. There are also Sulawesi Crested Macaques, Common Wombats (!!), and Indian Crested Porcupines in this steep, hilly, back-breaking part of the zoo that stretches to approximately 10 acres/4 hectares.
Recap:
The Aquarium and Reptile House are a pair of large buildings that really do need a good scrub and upgrading done to the signs. If the zoo can continue to spend millions of Euros on mega-budget mammal complexes, then a comprehensive update of both the Aquarium and Reptile House could easily be done for a pittance. Those are the two major flaws of the zoo, which is a shame as those buildings, with renovations, could be spectacular as not every major zoo even has an Aquarium and a proper Reptile House. There are other flaws around the place, just like at every other zoo in the world, such as the Javan Leopard exhibit in The Kingdom of Ganesha (which is large but not really suited to a leopard), or having Common Wombats surrounded by Asian temples. However, for the most part the animal exhibits are ones that most other zoos can only dream about, and it must cost an absolute fortune to maintain such a diverse and staggering collection of animals. Probably 80% of all the animal exhibits have been built since 2000, giving the zoo a ‘new’ feel and a modern touch to the enclosure designs.
After all was said and done, and we’d truly ‘broken the back’ of the mighty zoological beast that is Pairi Daiza, Tim and I reflected on the experience. With the sheer volume of species in what are almost universally excellent exhibits, I have Pairi Daiza at #3 and surpassed only by San Diego and Omaha. If you’ve been following along on ZooChat while I’ve reviewed hundreds of zoos since 2007, then you’ll know what I generally look for in a zoo. Tim looks down at my 500-zoo total and sits there with his 800-zoo mark and grins. He has been amazingly consistent over the years by never once deviating from his Top 5 favourite zoo list of Berlin, San Diego, Omaha, Bronx and Berlin Tierpark. Those are the 5 that stand above the rest in Tim’s mind. He acknowledges that the work down by the Wildlife Conservation Society is enough to put Bronx in the Top 5, regardless of the fact that the zoo hasn’t added a major new exhibit in more than a decade. “It’s still a world-class zoo”, he tells me over some roast chicken and beer at lunch. After thinking about it all day, and now that Tim has been to this particular Belgian zoo on 4 occasions, he told me that Pairi Daiza would crack his Top 8 zoos of all-time. He wouldn’t be drawn into specifics as to what those other zoos would be outside of his well-established Top 5, but he loves Pairi Daiza as much as I do and we each have different things that we like about zoos. Any zoo nerd that is unsure about whether to make the effort to head into the Belgian countryside can see that Tim, zoo nerd author from England with 800 zoos under his belt, and myself, a zoo nerd author from Canada with 500 zoos under my belt, both think that Pairi Daiza is outstanding. It’s a full-day out, with a dizzying array of animal life and a staggering quality to the whole production. Are we both fools for loving it? I think not.
It was quite the trek to visit Antwerp Zoo, Planckendael Zoo and Pairi Daiza on back-to-back-to-back days, especially with the temperature pushing close to 40 degrees Celsius, and who can forget about Harry Malter Familiepark and Pakawi Park? I've got a couple more Belgian zoos up next, before heading back into the Netherlands.
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Just a quick amendment from a brief skim (will read in more detail later) - half of the 10 zoos in Europe that have giant pandas also have koalas! All of the recent new holders actually (Berlin, Ahtari, Copenhagen, Moscow and Ouwehands) are the ones lacking koala
Thanks for that information and it genuinely surprises me to hear that. I think that both Koalas and Giant Pandas, while obviously still not common species, are in far more zoos now than probably at any other time in history. Even a relatively obscure zoo in Finland has both species. Wow!
I think heatstroke has affected your reading comprehension
All of the recent new holders actually (Berlin, Ahtari, Copenhagen, Moscow and Ouwehands) are the ones lacking koala
I think heatstroke has affected your reading comprehension
All of the recent new holders actually (Berlin, Ahtari, Copenhagen, Moscow and Ouwehands) are the ones lacking koala
Ahhh, you are correct. 'Dank je'
I agree that it would be very appropriate to display L'Hoest's guenon again in Antwerp Zoo.
It is interesting that the type specimen of this monkey was acquired by London Zoo in 1898 and the species was first described in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. London Zoo obtained the type specimen from Antwerp Zoo which is why the species was named in honour of L'Hoest.
I think this is one thing that is absolutely undeniable - there is truly nowhere like Pairi Daiza.
This is something that I really enjoyed as well. Odd that with so many seldom-seen species and such overblown and elaborate enclosures everywhere, one of the very most effective displays there is just giving some tapirs a massive lake.
I reallly struggle to place Pairi Daiza in my vague rankings. It's amazing (in the most literal sense) - almost overwhelming. I absolutely enjoyed all the days I've spent there immensely - I'd almost defy anyone to do otherwise - but something in its brash, money-no-object, in-your-face style stops me truly loving it as a zoo. I think it's an underlying feeling that the living animals might not actually be more or less a prop than the seaplane or the giant opal or the jade statues - which, to be honest, is exacerbated for me by the limited and often poor-quality signage. The ease, regularity and suddenness with which new exhibits and areas appear also makes it feel a little unreal - like you're watching a computer game played in sandbox mode and can't really compare the player's performance to someone playing by the 'real' rules.
I also think part of what makes me struggle to rank it as highly as you and Tim is precisely that it is unique, and so naturally hard to compare. But the aspects that are different to San Diego or Berlin or Prague or Miami are largely ones that don't do a lot for me, so it slips.
I think I can summarise best in these terms: I don't know how much I like it as a zoo, but it's an incredible one of whatever it is!