Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Zoo news 2023

Mr Gharial said:
This just reminded me I've forgotten to give my own update from my visit three weeks ago... whoops.

The Eastern Superb fruit-dove can again be seen in the Bush. I saw one in the caiman region.
View attachment 655298

One of the viewing areas to the "new" Leopard enclosure has been decorated
View attachment 655300

The Pipefish aquarium in Ocean has gained signage, which is easily missed by visitors...
View attachment 655299

Both the Hog deer and the Prairiedogs are finally getting more comfortable in their enclosures. The Hog deer are no longer glued to the back fence, and some of the Prairiedogs can be found on some of the highest ledges of their enclosure.

Other than that, I sadly agree with Lintworm. BZ is currently one of the furthest-behind zoos when it comes to new developments. I believe only Artis and Blijdorp have done less in recent years.

I'd say Artis' lagging behind is forgivable, as they've been busy refurbishing their aquarium since forever. Wildlands has their new Monkey island Beekse Bergen has the new elephant valley and the refurbished rhinoceros plains. Amersfoort is about to start their new Chimp enclosure, and are probably instantly going to build something to replace the old one. GaiaZOO has redesigned and reconstructed their vulture aviary, and both Zie-Zoo and Avifauna are currently busy doing the same thing. And finally, both Aquazoo and Ouwehands are currently building a whole new themed region.

Since the new Desert upgrade, which I see as Burgers' most recent big addition, there hasn't really been anything new except for the ant poles. Also no announcements, no building sites, nothing in sight that could give us any indication of something new.

Of course, we're used to this from Burgers' Zoo. They're pretty good secret-keepers when it comes to new developments, which is why we had to essentially act like spies when it came to the new Desert enclosure... But it'd still be nice to at least know they're planning something...
Click to expand...
They also had the Bush restaurant renovation. Which for us is less interesting cuz no extra animals However, I do expect it was expensive and it also needed an upgrade.

But something new would always be nice! And to be fair a (few) new species cannot hurt.
 
Honestly what is bad about not having major constructions going on every year?
Just an example: The Efteling (amusementpark) is currently building left and right and people are complaining about it. So why can't a zoo decide to just work on small things for a while. As they have announced to work on a mysterious project for 2024.

Just relax, sit back and enjoy what is there. We know Burgers' loves to change its ecodisplay collection every now and then.

The Orangefronted Fruitdoves are no longer in the bush for example (already for a while, that is false info by Gharial).
Also to respond to Lintworm on the signage in Ocean, there's too many species to list. So the major species that are visible are often listed. It would be a lot of work to monthly order new signage for the ecodisplays such as the Bush and Ocean.
 
InvertTime said:
Honestly what is bad about not having major constructions going on every year?
Just an example: The Efteling (amusementpark) is currently building left and right and people are complaining about it. So why can't a zoo decide to just work on small things for a while. As they have announced to work on a mysterious project for 2024.

Just relax, sit back and enjoy what is there. We know Burgers' loves to change its ecodisplay collection every now and then.

The Orangefronted Fruitdoves are no longer in the bush for example (already for a while, that is false info by Gharial).
Also to respond to Lintworm on the signage in Ocean, there's too many species to list. So the major species that are visible are often listed. It would be a lot of work to monthly order new signage for the ecodisplays such as the Bush and Ocean.
Click to expand...

Although I don’t mind Burgers’ strategy of building something large every few years and then leaving the park alone for a few years if that is what it would do. The annoying thing for me is that the park is not left alone, but in the meantime the collection is slowly downgraded without any replacement.

And concerning signage I can understand the motivation for the Ocean, but a park should be able to create proper signage for for what is basically a large aviary (the Bush). Imo there are not that many species and they do not shift that often that it would be impossible. Sign’s can also be re-used when species move to other exhibits within the park, or when species return to the Bush. If zoo’s claim they exist to educate the public, then I feel the least you can do is tell them what they’re looking at.
 
Spoke with a guide today. She revealed that the Orange-fronted fruit doves should still be present in the Bush, along with the Eastern Superb fruit doves.

She also mentioned that a lot of Asian fairy-bluebirds and Red-whiskered bulbuls were caught because they were breeding too quickly. Which is why the Bush has been feeling a little empty recently. A lot of red fodies have also been caught, as these are planned to leave the collection

The Edward's pheasant male has received a new female, meaning there's a couple again. I saw them both near the Aardvarks.

Biologists are looking into what to do about the Great Curassow female, she's getting even bolder and now even stealing things out of wheelchairs and baby strollers...

InvertTime said:
The Orangefronted Fruitdoves are no longer in the bush for example (already for a while, that is false info by Gharial).
Click to expand...
Just passing on what I heard, man...
 
InvertTime said:
Also to respond to Lintworm on the signage in Ocean, there's too many species to list. So the major species that are visible are often listed. It would be a lot of work to monthly order new signage for the ecodisplays such as the Bush and Ocean.
Click to expand...

I am not asking for monthly new signage and the one in the Bush is up-to-date. But there aren't too many fish to list in any tank, they just haven't made enough space to list them. I know the signage is better than average for an aquarium, but it should be basic to sign every fish on show and update that yearly. Now some very showy species aren't signed at all.


InvertTime said:
Just an example: The Efteling (amusementpark) is currently building left and right and people are complaining about it. So why can't a zoo decide to just work on small things for a while. As they have announced to work on a mysterious project for 2024.
Click to expand...

I am not saying they should be building left and right and I am fine with a major development every few years, though the pace is really low the past 15 years compared to 1988-2008, though that has its reasons. But the small developments they do are just mostly disappointing. There is some good stuff like the leaf-cutter ants and I like the refurbishment of the former bighorn sheep enclosure, something just had to happen there and it is now more attractive.

But the general trend is that areas that once had enclosures are now wildflower meadows or nothing and other enclosures are emptied of their former inhabitants to create just more enclosures of the same species already present. I don't see the need to create a second on-show leopard enclosure, if you have 2 perfectly fine cages back stage (which are larger when combined then the former jackal enclosure). Also if you want to have both a bachelor and a breeding herd of a deer, create an extra enclosure behind the scenes, there is ample space for that. But what we get is a reduction in the number of mammal species kept by 20% (of which some departures are wholly understandable, but they aren't replaced) and a clear increase in the number of mammal species seen in multiple separate enclosures.

For me that means the zoo is losing attractiveness and I hope that changes soon. It also can't be good economically as the longer you can keep guests in your zoo, the more they spend, but by decreasing your collection and the amount of space devoted to exhibits you will get them to spend less time....

Mr Gharial said:
Spoke with a guide today. She revealed that the Orange-fronted fruit doves should still be present in the Bush, along with the Eastern Superb fruit doves.

She also mentioned that a lot of Asian fairy-bluebirds and Red-whiskered bulbuls were caught because they were breeding too quickly. Which is why the Bush has been feeling a little empty recently. A lot of red fodies have also been caught, as these are planned to leave the collection
Click to expand...

Wouldn't trust this guide too much as most of this is old news. The superb fruit doves have been back for months. Most of the fodies have been caught out years ago and now there is indeed only male group left that is slowly aging. Same for the red-whiskered bulbuls, hundreds of those have been caught until 2022, but the past year it is just a load of males.
 
News from the Zie-Zoo (the zoo's digital Magazine):
- Three new iguanas arrived in Burgers' Zoo from Zooparc Overloon and have been released into the Bush

- The Ultramarine Grosbeaks in the Desert have had chicks for the first time in five years.

- After years of trying, Burgers' Zoo's Leopard sharks have finally laid fertilized eggs.

- For the first time, an Eastern Superb fruit dove chick has hatched in the Bush. Burgers' Zoo has had success with this species in the past, but so far it has only happened in the pheasantry.

- New Oriental blue-spotted maskrays have arrived in Burgers' Ocean. The pair has been released into the big Living reef tank. Burgers' Zoo already has this species, but those are present in the Lagune tank.

News from last week's visit:
- The Atlantic blue tang surgeonfish are back in the Mangrove.

- Also in the Mangrove, some volcanic rocks have been placed to further separate the Jellyfish flats from the rest of the mudflats:
20231003_152406.jpg

- The Jellyfish tank in the Ocean was empty during my visit:
20231003_161910.jpg

- It seems like the Blue-legged hermit crabs may not have been doing too well in the Mangrove, as these can now be found in the Ocean, in the giant clam tank (between the Lionfish and the sharks):
20231003_162627.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 20231003_162627.jpg
    20231003_162627.jpg
    156.6 KB · Views: 36
  • 20231003_161910.jpg
    20231003_161910.jpg
    68 KB · Views: 36
  • 20231003_152406.jpg
    20231003_152406.jpg
    171.2 KB · Views: 31
Mr Gharial said:
- It seems like the Blue-legged hermit crabs may not have been doing too well in the Mangrove, as these can now be found in the Ocean, in the giant clam tank (between the Lionfish and the sharks):
20231003_162627-jpg.661489
Click to expand...

These hermit crabs have been kept in the small coral tank for many years, they aren't the same individuals as in the Mangrove, they are the same species though.

Mr Gharial said:
- New Oriental blue-spotted maskrays have arrived in Burgers' Ocean. The pair has been released into the big Living reef tank. Burgers' Zoo already has this species, but those are present in the Lagune tank.
Click to expand...

The Lagune doesn't hold any blue-spotted mask rays, there has been a singleton living there for some time, but that is quite a while ago. There is still a single Kuhl's mask ray in the Lagune, which is a species that was bred by the dozens since the world first breeding took place in Arnhem in 2001. A single mask ray has been in the coral reef for a while already, but good to hear to now have a pair again.
 
lintworm said:
These hermit crabs have been kept in the small coral tank for many years, they aren't the same individuals as in the Mangrove, they are the same species though.
Click to expand...

My mistake! I had never seen the Hermit crabs in this tank before, odd for BZ to include Caribbean crabs in their Indonesian aquarium, since they're usually quite strict about region accuracy.
 
Mr Gharial said:
My mistake! I had never seen the Hermit crabs in this tank before, odd for BZ to include Caribbean crabs in their Indonesian aquarium, since they're usually quite strict about region accuracy.
Click to expand...

This is Calcinus elegans which is an Indopacific species, so fits perfectly well in the Ocean. I am not sure if this is the same species that was introduced in the Mangrove too, but I thought it was.

The cave crickets in the Desert are an African species too, so these exceptions are not unheard of, especially when it comes to the smaller species.
 
lintworm said:
This is Calcinus elegans which is an Indopacific species, so fits perfectly well in the Ocean. I am not sure if this is the same species that was introduced in the Mangrove too, but I thought it was.
Click to expand...

The Mangrove holds Clibanarius tricolor, a Carribean species. But I couldn't tell the difference.

The North African cave crickets and West African fiddler crabs are the only exception, I think. Apart from two birds and two fish in the Desert and Mangrove, all of which still occur relatively close to the represented region.
 
MennoPebesma said:
A chimpanzee was recently born at Burgers' Zoo. Photos of the baby have been posted in a Facebook group. Burgers' Zoo itself has not yet announced anything.
Click to expand...

The zoo now has confirmed this news.
The young was born on the 30th of September to 31-year old female Tushi, I persume that the father is the male that arrived at the zoo last year. This would be the first (Western) common chimpanzee to be born in the zoo since 2011, right?
According to the zoo's website another female is also expecting to give birth soon.

Source:
Website of Burgers Zoo (17/10/2023)
 
JurassicMax said:
The zoo now has confirmed this news.
The young was born on the 30th of September to 31-year old female Tushi, I persume that the father is the male that arrived at the zoo last year. This would be the first (Western) common chimpanzee to be born in the zoo since 2011, right?
According to the zoo's website another female is also expecting to give birth soon.

Source:
Website of Burgers Zoo (17/10/2023)
Click to expand...

Small correction, this is the first young to be born in 17 years at the zoo.
The gender has also been revealed, the newborn is a male!

Source:
Instagram of Burgers Zoo (17/10/2023)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top