DAY 20: Friday, August 2nd (5 zoos)
You guys don't even need me because this thread has a life of its own. Ha! Nevertheless, I have 5 more zoo reviews from August 2nd.
Here was a day with 5 small Dutch collections, with many surprises along the way. Reading through this report and learning about some of the species that I saw today, it’s obvious that small zoos across the globe quite often have the most unusual animals and exhibits. That’s one of the reasons why I like to balance out my road trips between the world-class, bigger places and then the little gems.
Zoo/Aquarium # 61: BestZOO (Best, NL)
This zoo has been known as BestZOO since 2007 and it is located in a rural area with essentially no parking in sight…unless one is willing to park along a nearby dirt road. At least I found somewhere that didn’t gouge more money out of me in parking fees, which was a nice bonus. Apparently, this tiny zoo receives 40,000 annual visitors (I asked at the front) and its star attractions would perhaps be the 9 Sri Lankan Leopards and 3 Jaguars (including at least two melanistic ones) that are on-site. Of course, most of those cats are behind-the-scenes in small quarters, as this tiny zoo simply does not have the capacity to showcase more than a few cats at a time. Other species found here include: Ring-tailed Lemur, Southern Tamandua (including a tiny baby and at least 3 other Tamanduas), Striped Skunk, Alpaca, Binturong (on a log that goes over the heads of visitors), Meerkat, Banded Mongoose, Raccoon, Small-clawed Otter, Coati, Tufted Capuchin, Rhesus Macaque, Golden-headed Lion Tamarin, Black Howler Monkey, Black-headed Spider Monkey, Serval, Eurasian Lynx, Parma Wallaby and Eastern Wallaroo. There are maybe 10 aviaries around the grounds and a few reptiles near the entrance. An hour is easily enough time to see everything at this small, privately-run Dutch zoo. Zoo nerds are drawn to BestZOO because of a few rare species: Northern Yellow-throated Marten (a pair of them in separate shoebox-sized enclosures), Dwarf/Chacoan Mara and especially Dorcopsis (I saw at least 4 including a baby). This zoo has nothing on ZieZoo…my final stop of the day.
I then drove 20 minutes to a famous art gallery…just joking! Another zoo was on the horizon.
Zoo/Aquarium # 62: Zoo Veldhoven (Veldhoven, NL)
Zoo Veldhoven is essentially a bird park, with a few mammals tossed in for effect. What is shocking is that the main building has approximately 25 aviaries along one side (outdoors) that are all very tiny and seemingly not at all adequate for the innumerable macaws, cockatoos and other squawking birds on the premises. The zoo is incredibly noisy, whether from the consistent shrieks of parrots, chirping of other birds, or the loud whoosh of planes nearby as Veldhoven has an airport in the vicinity. The other side of the building also has around 25 aviaries that are each quite narrow and small, with either a single perch or two perches in the forms of sticks through the wires. It seems to be an incredibly functional way to maintain aviaries, with loads of parrots sitting on their one or two sticks and with very little flight space. There are some large, walk-through aviaries with a staggering number of birds. One aviary must have more than 100 budgies and cockatiel-type birds, another aviary has at least 25 African Grey Parrots all together (rescue birds?) and a third (not a walk-through) has a lot of macaws.
Mammals at the zoo are represented by only a few species, such as Bactrian Camels, Ring-tailed Lemur (one island and one walk-through cage), Black and White Ruffed Lemur, Coati, Reeves’ Muntjac, Burchell’s Zebra, a few random wallabies and Alpine Ibex. The bird of prey area at Veldhoven is astonishing and my favourite part, with a number of aviaries all over the grounds but one section in particular has an incredible number of large-scale aviaries. In the entire zoo I counted 12 Steller’s Sea Eagle aviaries, a species very rare in North American zoos. At this zoo I probably saw 24 of those eagles in the space of an hour! “Oh brother, not another darn Steller’s!” There are also at least 8 Verreaux’s Eagle aviaries and at least 3 Bald Eagle aviaries. Wow. I wasn’t a big fan of Zoo Veldhoven (loud, messy, with many aviaries that are too small) but the birds of prey area is worth seeing just for the sheer numbers on show in aviaries that are of a decent size. How many European zoos have a Short-toed Snake Eagle?
Species list for the birds of prey zone (14 species): Steller’s Sea Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle, Bald Eagle, Black-chested Buzzard Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, Red Kite, Griffon Vulture, Spectacled Owl, Ural Owl and Tawny Owl.
After a morning filled with views of a handful of Dorcopsis and a Short-toed Snake Eagle, I then drove 30 minutes to the next museum…erm…zoo!
Zoo/Aquarium # 63: Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Nuenen, NL)
This one shocked me, as yet again I didn’t know what to expect and I have deliberately not been looking up these zoos on ZooChat beforehand as I want to go in ‘cold’. I researched all of the zoos many times over, but not for months now and so I like going in without a recent update and I don’t know what I’m going to see at smaller, lesser-known zoos. Dierenrijk took me two full hours without stopping and it has a lot to recommend about it. The focus is on large mammals in good enclosures, with a bird collection situated mainly in the middle of the zoo. There are essentially no reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates or fish anywhere aside from a few forlorn terrariums near the indoor playground.
Before visitors even enter the zoo there is a spacious macaw aviary and a Meerkat exhibit with beautiful, grey slate bricks. Moving along the numbered walking trail on the map, the very first exhibit is a mixed-species habitat for Asiatic Black Bears and Corsac Foxes. It’s a large, grassy, modern enclosure but unfortunately one of the bears was showing extreme stereotypy and it was going around and around a small tree without halting its progress. There are species such as Small-clawed Otter, Nutria, my daily walk-through with Ring-tailed and Red Ruffed Lemurs, and a nice walk-through aviary with Chilean Flamingos, Eurasian Spoonbills and Cattle Egrets. A small Parma Wallaby yard and a White-cheeked Gibbon island are up next, before I came across a huge, multi-acre exhibit for at least 5 Asian Elephants, a few Red Deer, a herd of Chital/Axis Deer and a troop of Crab-eating Macaques! That’s something you’d never see in an American zoo, which is a shame as the mixture is fascinating to watch. Truthfully, the elephants naturally dominate with the other animals off to the side, and I’m not sure that a massive paddock is really a good exhibit for the macaques. It would be interesting to look up all of the different sizes of elephant exhibits, as this one would certainly be larger than others I’ve seen at bigger, more famous zoos.
There is a Red Panda/Reeves’ Muntjac exhibit, Raccoon Dogs, a small but excellent aviary for Pied Imperial Pigeons and Java Sparrows, and then a trip through the big elephant barn and all of the behind-the-scenes elements that, once again, is almost never shown in an American zoo. Up next are species like European Wild Boar, Reindeer, Bactrian Camel, Alpaca, Rhea, a mountain for Alpine Ibex and a large Grey Wolf exhibit. This whole zoo is filled with good exhibits, and that continues with a mammoth walk-through aviary with the likes of Greater Flamingo, Black Kite, Goliath Heron, White Stork, Black Stork, Grey Crowned Crane, Northern Bald Ibis, Scarlet Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Little Egret and Pink-backed Pelican. There are also some birds of prey aviaries in this general vicinity.
If I was shocked to see such a large elephant habitat, I had to do a double-take when I next came across a pair of very large Polar Bear exhibits. There is no underwater viewing but the pools in both are extremely large and it was gratifying to see the bears (I saw one adult and one youngster – separated) with grassy meadows with rocks and natural substrate in all directions. Great stuff! On one side is a big yellow school bus and when I eventually made my way around the corner it was jammed with kids looking in at the bears. The trend of big-name, marquee animals continues with a large new habitat that is so new that the signs weren’t even up yet! I saw three Greater One-horned Rhinos (a young male and two older females) and they shared their exhibit with Visayan Warty Pigs, Nilgai and Indian Hog Deer (according to the zoo’s map). To have elephants with three other species, and then to also have rhinos in with three other species in a terrific, brand-new habitat that even allows visitors into the barn, is astonishing for a relatively obscure zoo. The rhino barn has a decent-sized pool in the middle, with stalls on either side.
The zoo wasn’t done, as a spacious European Brown Bear exhibit is to be found near adequate but not great enclosures for Cheetahs, Amur Tigers, Eurasian Lynx and Arctic Foxes. Heading towards the exit, there are exhibits for African Lions, North American Beavers and a Raccoon/Striped Skunk exhibit. There is also a nice Chimpanzee exhibit and a Barbary Macaque habitat that is borderline spectacular and much greener now than what old photos show on ZooChat. I was impressed with Dierenrijk and it’s a zoo that is showing real signs of progress, as evidenced by the new rhino habitat that literally just opened this summer. The zoo is apparently about 40 acres/16 hectares in size and only just opened in 2004, explaining why there isn’t a really poor exhibit to be found anywhere. I found one website that claims that the main aviary is 2.5 acres/1 hectare in size, possibly making it one of Europe’s largest aviaries at any zoo. For families the zoo is great, because the whole thing can be seen in two hours, there is a little farm area for toddlers and then a huge indoor play area right near the entrance. For the general public the zoo is still really good, with elephants, rhinos, 3 species of bear, 4 species of cat, 6 species of primate and many other animals. Even for zoo nerds this is a good zoo, if just for the idea of seeing at least 4 engaging, mixed-species habitats. The zoo could use a building to keep visitors longer, such as a Reptile House, and maybe update their signage, but without a doubt this is basically a very new, very good, modern zoo to keep a watchful eye on.
I then drove 30 minutes to a small tropical house.
Zoo/Aquarium # 64: Klein Costa Rica (Someren, NL)
This place was likely my quickest visit of this entire epic journey. There are a couple of basic terrariums (one with at least 5 Bearded Dragons) and then two walk-through rooms. The first is, as usual, far too small and it contains a few Turacos (Ross’s and White-cheeked) and loads of butterflies. However, the path is so narrow that if someone stops to take a photo, and that is usually someone who is elderly and slow-moving, then 30 other people all patiently wait in line before shambling along like drunken zombies in the heat and humidity of a tiny butterfly house. The next room is a bit better, with a large pool with fish, some smaller birds, and a few Atlas Moths. This whole place is only for retired lepidopterists.
I then drove 45 minutes to my 5th and final stop of the day.
Zoo/Aquarium # 65: Dierenpark ZieZoo (Volkel, NL)
I liked ZieZoo, even though it has its grubby sections and the rain came down briefly yet again on this trip. Why did I like this tiny place? It’s aiming for progress and that is evident in every corner of the grounds. For those that are unaware, this zoo still has a small and mainly crappy chunk of exhibits on the original zoo property, but there are some rarities scattered about and I’m not sure that the existing zoo will remain as it is for much longer. I say that because in the past ten years ZieZoo has more than tripled in size and the zoo is now one of some substance. Bizarre exhibits, rare creatures, a mish-mash of styles and a slapdash of everything. It was a joy to tour this place at the end of another very long day. The new developments are mainly good, and much more spacious in size in comparison to the older part of the zoo. A lot of work still needs to be done, but there is also a ton of construction ongoing in the ‘new zoo’ section. This is another place to keep an eye on!
For at least the 6th time on the trip I had to park far down the street as many zoos simply don’t have their own parking lots as parking is at a premium everywhere in Europe. On a side note, the Province of British Columbia, only one section of Canada, is 25 times larger than the Netherlands. In B.C. there are only 5 million people while in the Netherlands there are 17 million in a space 25 times smaller. Therefore, parking is almost non-existent over here. Next to the parking lot down the street is a Wolverine exhibit, which was a pleasant surprise. The zoo has a very nice map, almost San Diego-like with its animal icons, and it is free! I had my wallet out ready to fork over more money, and they said that I could have a couple as they don’t charge for maps. I won’t list all of the animals in this zoo, but I’ll type out a list of the rarities.
Species that you don’t see every day in European zoos: Wolverine, Kowari, Ring-tailed Mongoose (the zoo actually has Ring-tailed, Banded, Dwarf, Yellow and Common Cusimanse – is Berlin jealous?), Parma Wallaby, Bat-eared Fox, Sarus Crane, American Black Bear (my first on this trip), Spotted Hyena (at least 4 in the largest exhibit in the zoo), Striped Hyena, Clouded Leopard, Chinese Dhole (more than a dozen in an active-looking group), Chacoan Mara, Bateleur Eagle, Rock Cavy, Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax, Tayra, White-lipped Peccary, Rocky Mountain Goat, Steller’s Sea Eagle, Siberian Weasel, Bush Dog, Plains Viscacha and Yucatan Squirrel.
I know some zoo nerds that could tick off a whole list of ‘lifers’ if they traveled to ZieZoo in the Netherlands. Book your flights now!
Just like the day before, I drove for approximately two hours and saw 5 small zoos. Easy peasy!
