A fourth male markhor has arrived and joined the three males that moved into the mountain exhibit in 2023.
ZOO Antwerpen - De drie markhors kregen er een nieuwe...
ZOO Antwerpen - De drie markhors kregen er een nieuwe...
ZOO Antwerpen Zoo Antwerpen News 2024
- Thread starter KevinB
- Start date
Rüppells vultures already have an egg laid on 10th of January. It's swapped and in the incubator. The other couple is less moniterable because they build there nest away from the camera. The hooded vultures are not expected to succeed since the female is a little to aggressive towards the male.
Source:Mijn ZOO
The subscription website.
Source:Mijn ZOO
The subscription website.
Three Mergus squamatus (scaly-sided merganser) are on show.
Does anyone know the timeline for the 'Skywalk' project? I saw, via Facebook, that several of the old big cat outdoor exhibits have been demolished. Will there be additional animal enclosures added or will the development consist only of a visitor pathway near the entrance? Will anything be finished in 2024?
The skywalk refers to the walkway on top of the new gift shop building and from there to the former sea lion building. This area has been closed since the jubilee complex closed.
From what I've read they have only just started working on the area again, for sure no new exhibits will be done this year, and probably not in 2025 yet either.
Could you perhaps let me know what Facebook sources you saw?
Thanks @KevinB! There's a number of zoo-themed Facebook groups that I belong to and one of them is called Historisches aus Zoos und der Zoologie. There's often some great historical photos from bygone years, but yesterday someone posted 6 brand-new photos of the semi-demolished predator terraces at Antwerp Zoo.
African lion male Nestor will soon move from Zoo Antwerpen to Bellewaerde on the recommendation of the studbook holder. He is genetically important within the Northern lion subspecies population. With lioness Tasa, he already had six cubs, making this combination well represented. At Bellewaerde, he will start a new group with lionesses Maya and Numa who will come from a Czech zoo.
Lioness Tasa and their two sons Whisker and Xesar and two daughters Xabi and Xira will stay in Zoo Antwerpen. All lionesses will receive a hormone implant so they do not go into heat. This way, the zoo expects both males will not start a fight over the lionesses.
Source: message on members website, posted in Facebook group
Lioness Tasa and their two sons Whisker and Xesar and two daughters Xabi and Xira will stay in Zoo Antwerpen. All lionesses will receive a hormone implant so they do not go into heat. This way, the zoo expects both males will not start a fight over the lionesses.
Source: message on members website, posted in Facebook group
GalenMarek
Well-Known Member
Do you know when Nestor will leave the park?
An exact date has not been given, but he is moving sometime next week.
Planckendael has had two flamingo species, one of which was the group of American flamingos temporarily held from Antwerpen Zoo (so what is up)?
A group of Chilean flamingos moved into the exhibit at Antwerp, according to Zootierliste a group moved from Planckendael to Antwerp.
Planckendael also still has Chileans, because only part of the group left for Antwerp, as well as the American flamingos originally from Antwerp that will be staying at Planckendael for now, and also still a few lesser flamingos.
I seriously have my reservations. The various (sub-)species should be kept as wide apart from one another as is physically possible (it is fine for lesser Phoeniconaias minor and Europeans Phoenicopterus roseus (that occur sympatrically in flocks on the East African natron lakes)! However, where this concerns American Phoenicopterus ruber ruber and Chileans Phoenicopterus chilensis are involved ... I would stay far away from it.
Why did they not take back the Americans to Antwerpen?
Further concertino the lesser flamingo at Planckendael: I think that for the lesser flamingos (how many left?) the small aviary along the Grevy zebra paddock should be extended or the flock increased. How many birds do they have anyway? Also, I would like to see the lesser flamingos to stay and become the focus of future more intensive breeding along with the Chileans in another part of the park).
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I don't know why the American flamingos aren't returning to Antwerp for the time being and why they moved some of the Chileans. No official reason for this was given as far as I'm aware. Planckendael does have substantially more space both indoors and outdoors, but I don't know whether that has anything to do with it, or whether it might be for breeding purposes.
With regards to the mix of American and Chilean flamingos, both species bred last year and to my knowledge no hybrids occurred, the Chileans started nesting later than the Americans. I do understand the concern about geographical ranges, however Planckendael's South American aviary has always housed some species that are from northern rather than southern South America.
The remaining lesser flamingos haven't been in the African aviary for several years, but rather have been kept in the American aviary with the two other species, for some reason. I don't know how many are left exactly, but no more than six if I'm not mistaken. If they wanted to breed this species they would need an additional large aviary in the African continent with a much larger group, which I wouldn't be against, but I don't really see it happening. The African aviary was recently renovated but remained the same size, so I don't see an expansion happening soon. I would personally advocate moving these animals to a group in another zoo.
Thanks alot @Kevin for all the helpful comments. Much appreciated!
I did not know they only may have 6 lesser flamingo's left. Are these old and non-breeding birds .. (I never heard of any hatchings or breeding behaviour in the old - in my personal view - rather crowded and inept aviary)?
Relating to mixing
all flamingos in one flock ... it may be good for convenience and husbandry management purposes, but not from a potential conflict zone for interbreeding or crossbreeding. I am certainly a little less off on the non zoogeographical correspondence of the 3 species of flamingos (south-eastern USA and Carribbean (Americans), the high Altiplano and Andean salt lakes (Chileans) and the lesser (exclusively East Africa Natron lakes and surrounds).
All very well that both the Chilean and American flamingos have different breeding cues and different breeding seasons (which has been by and large a given since the Chileans by habit nest in the off-season in the northern hemisphere and very much still seem to follow their southern hemisphere photo-period when coming into breeding mode (meaning when our summer is almost on its last legs..., the Chileans get settled!
We should not put the cat on the hot tin roof ..., just in case. I am not sure if the EAZA/EEP have already specifically handed out guidelines over flamingo management, but I see the tendency among a good number of accredited zoos now increasingly focussing on just the one species (in order to prevent any chances and issues with interbreeding and cross-breeding and production of hybrids (as these do occur ..., I am afraid).
Re hybridisation: A recent example was Tierpark Hellabrunn, Muenchen where ... QUOTE [a large flock of flamingos was genetically tested - they claim it was a world first .... (oh no....) and the flock turned out to consist of 55 Europeans, 2 Americans and a whopping 37 hybrids (it was not mentioned what interbreeding mixes they found in the text). This zoo then sent off their 2 Americans (probably fairly easy) and all the hybrids to an unknown new location.] UNQOUTE
(BTW ... not literally ... but anyway all appreciation to @JurassicMax!)
(See for source and further details the Zoochat Tierpark Hellabrunn ("Munich Zoo News") thread post by @JurassicMax - thank you very much - no. #147).
I expect our esteemed fellow Zoochat contribuant poster @Jana as the expert on Phoenicopteriformes will have more to say on this.... hybridisation potential as well as general flamingo management and husbandry.
Unfortunately, there are still a good number of zoos that have issues with their flamingo locks and then put 2 or more flamingo species together in one flock ... in order to stimulate them to breed ... which I consider a result of inept husbandry and zoo exclosure management (all the factors for non-breeding in flamingos are rather complex). I do hope the TAG will soon ordain that accredited zoos prevent hybridisation and managing flamingos in multi species one flock. It flies in the face of modern day and age animal and husbandry management... (to put it rather plainly).
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There are only two lesser flamingos left. They are among the oldest animals in Planckendael, if not the oldest.
Too bad... I found them the most attractive flamingo species around. I suppose this underlines or confirms my suspicions that maintaining the lassers at Planckendael was never a success (and the exclosure sub par / non optimal for breeding).