Planckendael Zoo Planckendael News 2025

They got 1,1 Asian Wolly-necked Stork (1,0 from Cottbus, 0,1 from Neuwied). They could move in the aviary near the Asian Lions if it’s completed.

Could someone please give a current species list for the aviaries? Thanks
 
They got 1,1 Asian Wolly-necked Stork (1,0 from Cottbus, 0,1 from Neuwied). They could move in the aviary near the Asian Lions if it’s completed.

Could someone please give a current species list for the aviaries? Thanks

I am planning to make and post a species list for the aviaries once the renovated aviaries are completed.
 
The baby Gibbon is a boy.
ZOO Planckendael on Instagram: "Kleine gibbon Aiki zal geen blondje blijven! Bij de geboorte ziet elke kleine gibbon er hetzelfde uit: met een lichtbeige vacht. De eerste twee jaren kleurt die langzaam zwart om dan, als ze zo’n vier jaar oud zijn, hun uiteindelijke volwassen vacht van beigebruin voor een vrouw en zwart voor een man te kleuren. Ondertussen weten we wat hij bij Aiki uiteindelijk zal worden... Zwart! De verzorgers hebben kunnen zien dat Aiki een jongen is. Hij zal dus uiteindelijk op vader Nakai gaan lijken. Die is altijd in de buurt, maar voorlopig zijn moeder Paquita en Aiki vooral op elkaar gefocust. Ben jij het gibbongezin al gaan bezoeken? #ZOOplanckendael #witwanggibbon #gibbon"
 
I am planning to make and post a species list for the aviaries once the renovated aviaries are completed.
I visited today and I hope you don't mind that I give the species list for these two new aviaries.
1st aviary signage (nearest to the lions): Asian Woolly-necked Stork, Little Egret, Brown-eared Pheasant (was in Demoiselle crane aviary), Baer's Pochard, Nicobar Pigeon.
2nd aviary signage: Oriental Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Pied Imperial Pigeon, White-winged Duck, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Himalayan Monal (not seen).

I shall post some pictures of them soon.
 
  • The Guanaco and Vicuna have switched enclosures.
  • The Mara walktrough is closed off for now, perhaps for breeding reasons.
  • The Red River Hog stable is nearing completion and seems to open up to the Bongos, which is nice as there was some confusion whether they would be housed with the Somali Wild Asses. The latter is also back onshow in their enclosure, but the Ostriches are not.
  • I did not see any Wrinkled Hornbills anymore and the sign was removed.
  • In the Elephant keeper talk they talked about Kanvar not actually having mated with any of the Cows. At the moment he is not really showing any interest in them. They are hoping it will change soon.
 
I visited today and I hope you don't mind that I give the species list for these two new aviaries.
1st aviary signage (nearest to the lions): Asian Woolly-necked Stork, Little Egret, Brown-eared Pheasant (was in Demoiselle crane aviary), Baer's Pochard, Nicobar Pigeon.
2nd aviary signage: Oriental Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Pied Imperial Pigeon, White-winged Duck, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Himalayan Monal (not seen).

I shall post some pictures of them soon.

When I visited on Saturday I saw the brown-eared pheasants in the Demoiselle crane aviary, so they must have been moved today or they now have them in two aviaries.
 
They got 1,1 Asian Wolly-necked Stork (1,0 from Cottbus, 0,1 from Neuwied). They could move in the aviary near the Asian Lions if it’s completed.

Could someone please give a current species list for the aviaries? Thanks

I am planning to make and post a species list for the aviaries once the renovated aviaries are completed.

I forgot to comment on this earlier this week, but last weekend the signage for the recently opened new aviaries was not yet present and signage for the other aviaries in the Asian section had not yet been updated. As I am not certain whether they have completed moving birds around yet, I will wait until later this year to make a species list for the aviaries.

I visited today and I hope you don't mind that I give the species list for these two new aviaries.
1st aviary signage (nearest to the lions): Asian Woolly-necked Stork, Little Egret, Brown-eared Pheasant (was in Demoiselle crane aviary), Baer's Pochard, Nicobar Pigeon.
2nd aviary signage: Oriental Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Pied Imperial Pigeon, White-winged Duck, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Himalayan Monal (not seen).

I shall post some pictures of them soon.

I forgot to mention earlier this week that I also saw a male golden pheasant in the first aviary, the one with the woolly-necked storks. This species is currently signed for the pigeon aviary inside/outside the greenhouse. I also saw two Asian azure-winged magpies in the woolly-necked stork aviary, which are not currently signed for any aviary to my knowledge (although formerly for what is now the pigeon aviary and before that for the Demoiselle crane aviay).

A few more things I noticed during my visits last weekend:
  • I saw the bank mynas again in the pigeon aviary between the entrance and exit of the orangutan greenhouse. They were in there briefly in 2024 too, but I did not see them during winter and spring. This species was not (yet) signed.
  • The octagonal terrarium in the Australian terrarium hut, formerly home to blue-tongued skinks and later on to Children's pythons, has been furnished again and has gotten a heat lamp again. There was no signage and I did not find any inhabitants yet. Judging by the furnishings the inhabitants will be a ground dwelling species that likes to hide in logs or bark.
  • I saw a juvenile Black-crowned night heron in the African aviary.
  • I saw a juvenile White-faced heron in the Australian aviary.
 
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Lioness Lorena died in late July at the age of 15. She already had health issues and had suffered neurological problems before. A new lioness will be sought for the young male Yarzar, who now remains at Planckendael with his father Jari, an older male.

https://www.gva.be/regio/antwerpen/...jd-we-zoeken-een-nieuw-vrouwtje/81877666.html

Zoo Planckendael, the Antwerp Zoo Foundation en the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) have signed an agreement to co-manage the Lomako Yokokala Nature Reserve in Bas-Uélé and Tshuapa provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is an area of about 3,600 km² with a population of about 4,000 bonobos. The partners will be deploying rangers to patrol against illegal logging, poaching and other threats, and will also be running projects to benefit the local human population through financial grants.

ZOO Planckendael gaat natuurpark in Congo met grote bonobopopulatie mee beheren | VRT NWS: nieuws

https://www.gva.be/regio/antwerpen/...obo-s-op-het-terrein-beschermen/81789987.html

ZOO Planckendael gaat bonobo’s in Congo beschermen via uniek akkoord

Lomako Bonobo Project (Congo) | Antwerp Zoo Foundation
 
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Lioness Lorena died in late July at the age of 15. She already had health issues and had suffered neurological problems before. A new lioness will be sought for the young male Yarzar, who now remains at Planckendael with his father Jari, an older male.

https://www.gva.be/regio/antwerpen/...jd-we-zoeken-een-nieuw-vrouwtje/81877666.html

Zoo Planckendael, the Antwerp Zoo Foundation en the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) have signed an agreement to co-manage the Lomako Yokokala Nature Reserve in Bas-Uélé and Tshuapa provinces, Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is an area of about 3,600 km² with a population of about 4,000 bonobos. The partners will be deploying rangers to patrol against illegal logging, poaching and other threats, and will also be running projects to benefit the local human population through financial grants.

ZOO Planckendael gaat natuurpark in Congo met grote bonobopopulatie mee beheren | VRT NWS: nieuws

https://www.gva.be/regio/antwerpen/...obo-s-op-het-terrein-beschermen/81789987.html

ZOO Planckendael gaat bonobo’s in Congo beschermen via uniek akkoord

Lomako Bonobo Project (Congo) | Antwerp Zoo Foundation
I didn’t know you could keep a father with a possibly mating son.
 
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