Have you considered fitting in the tiny place in The Netherlands with Greater Grisson? I think it's almost on the route between Rotterdam and Arnhem (I've been studying for my trip too
).A Few General Questions?
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Have you considered fitting in the tiny place in The Netherlands with Greater Grisson? I think it's almost on the route between Rotterdam and Arnhem (I've been studying for my trip too
).
Have you considered fitting in the tiny place in The Netherlands with Greater Grisson? I think it's almost on the route between Rotterdam and Arnhem (I've been studying for my trip too
That would be De Paay - it's scheduled in!
(very carefully scheduled in, in fact, as it's not open every day)
We have a tentative plan for a busy but not too chaotic 7 day schedule that gets in most of the 'central belt' of Dutch zoos as well as the major ones in the Eindhoven region, plus one day in Germany for Osnabrueck and, if we have time on the way back, Rheine. We've most of us done most of the zoos before, so it's not necessarily a rush to get to every path of every zoo and as a result there's a fair bit of doubling up (we're planning on Apenheul first thing then the rest of the day at Arnhem for example).
EDIT: Rotterdam has a full day though. Some things you can't compromise.
It's odd; in my mind Apenheul isn't 'full of apes', it's 'full of monkeys'.
Now I am sure that a proper Dutchie will correct me, but I think Apen does mean monkeys. Apes (great apes) are mensapen.
That would be De Paay - it's scheduled in!
(very carefully scheduled in, in fact, as it's not open every day)
Obviously your planning's better than mine, I'd not noticed that, back to the drawing board
.We're basing in Arnhem and plan to do most of the "essential" Dutch zoos (Rotterdam, Arnhem, Apenheul (promoted when they got our big-nosed friends) and Harderwijk (my wallet's crying already)) and a sprinkling of smaller places with obscure species (Best, Epe, NOP). We may squeeze in De Paay (the logistics are difficult) and one other (not decided upon yet, posisble Rhenen).
We're not doing Amsterdam (to done as part of a long weekend in the city sometime) or Emmen (too far, not enough unique sepcies, probably do in future with some German zoos in the area).
When you going?
I believe the German Affen and the Dutch Apen both refer to apes and monkeys as a whole, but I could be wrong.
My point was Brum and Pertinax were talking (tongue-in-cheek-ly!) about Apenheul as a land of nothing but apes (and Proboscis Monkeys), which is not how I see it at all!
Obviously your planning's better than mine, I'd not noticed that, back to the drawing board
We're basing in Arnhem and plan to do most of the "essential" Dutch zoos (Rotterdam, Arnhem, Apenheul (promoted when they got our big-nosed friends) and Harderwijk (my wallet's crying already)) and a sprinkling of smaller places with obscure species (Best, Epe, NOP). We may squeeze in De Paay (the logistics are difficult) and one other (not decided upon yet, posisble Rhenen).
We're not doing Amsterdam (to done as part of a long weekend in the city sometime) or Emmen (too far, not enough unique sepcies, probably do in future with some German zoos in the area).
When you going?
End of May - getting the overnight ferry on the 28th and staying near Apeldoorn - coming back on the second day of the 2-day jubilee bank holiday. Our list and logic is very similar - we're also skipping Artis and Emmen for much the same reasons. We've been quite adventurous with the doubling-up (and occasionally tripling-up) as the journey times are not high and the collections are mostly old friends that we have a good idea how long they will need - you can also do quite a lot by looking which places open early (or late - Arnhem's open til 7pm if I recall so even if we don't get there 'til 2pm we still have 5hr to see the zoo!).
Shame (it's not coincidental), we're going mid April just after Easter (which apparently doesn't mean school holidays over there) we're going slightly longer with a couple of "rest days" included. Our "doubling up" options are a little more restricted than yours as it's our first visit to the area, I've also closely reviewed opening hours, except De Paay obviously
(you usefully will get slightly longer at some places in May rather than April).
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
That's interesting- I've never heard of a Zoo open til' 7pm or later...
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Confessions of a Zoochat moderator..
Maguari, as I understand it, German affen, Dutch apen and English apes are all pretty imprecise definitions of non-prosimian primates. Germans refer to gibbons, orangs, chimps and gorillas as being menschaffen, Dutch (as you say) as mensappen and in English we used to employ the term anthropoid apes - which as you'll see is essentially the same thing. Quite when this got discarded I don't know; did it follow suit when gibbons were hived off into a separate family?
One of my best zoo-going pals had an elder brother at Leicester University in the early 1970s. Said brother had neither motor car nor interest in animals, but he took his youthful teenage sibling, at his own expense, by public transport to Twycross so the latter could see the Proboscis Monkeys then onsite.
I think that episode just about defines the word "kindness" for me...
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
I don't know if you've been to Holland, Jordan: in late May the fact that they're an hour ahead of us means it stays light very late indeed.
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
Arnhem is a bit 'different' they allow Dogs too which is fairly unusual.
It's odd; in my mind Apenheul isn't 'full of apes', it's 'full of monkeys'.
Numerically you are correct of course, there must be many more Monkeys than Apes at Apenheul- its just the Apes are the most noticeable species(perhaps).
Prior to last summer Whipsnade opened til 7 on Sundays & Bnk hols from May-early September. But in 2011 they changed normal closing to 530 & the late opening on those days became 6
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Interesting that somebody else [Apart from myself] fails to see the interest in Gorillas- Although when they call and a baby is playing, I do love that. Orang-utans and Gibbons don't seem to bother me, groups of Orang-utans at Chester and Blackpool do interest me quite a lot with Chester holding four animals at the least in both sub-species, pending what mood there in put on an interesting display. Gibbons are also another crowd pleaser in my view, there call goes right through you!
I'll go now, Pertinax won't be pleased.
Just a thought, noting that two younger posters have both confessed to finding gorillas comparatively uninteresting: is it possible that their present abundance in the UK has actually robbed them of some of their charisma?
Interesting concept but I rather doubt it. I think it is just a personal preference thing.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
It would be interesting, nonetheless, to swap notes about what species posters find exciting, and which they get blase about.
Amongst mammals, Black Howlers, virtually any colobine, a family group of gorillas, Giant Anteaters, Clouded and Snow Leopards, Asiatic Lions, Dholes, Indian Rhinos, Vicunas, Okapis, Bongos and Scimitar-horned Oryx were the stuff of legends in the mid '70s, when I was cutting my teeth, and I still get excited about seeing them now.
Conversely Rhesus and Pig-tailed Macaques, Vervets, Caracals, Brown and both black Bears, Grant's Zebras, Guanacos, Hog Deer, Common Eland, Blackbuck and Barbary Sheep are these days comparatively thin on the ground in the UK, yet because they were such a staple of zoo visiting in my teens, they don't tend to attract my interest.
Do other posters share similar quirks?
Amongst mammals, Black Howlers, virtually any colobine, a family group of gorillas, Giant Anteaters, Clouded and Snow Leopards, Asiatic Lions, Dholes, Indian Rhinos, Vicunas, Okapis, Bongos and Scimitar-horned Oryx were the stuff of legends in the mid '70s, when I was cutting my teeth, and I still get excited about seeing them now.
Conversely Rhesus and Pig-tailed Macaques, Vervets, Caracals, Brown and both black Bears, Grant's Zebras, Guanacos, Hog Deer, Common Eland, Blackbuck and Barbary Sheep are these days comparatively thin on the ground in the UK, yet because they were such a staple of zoo visiting in my teens, they don't tend to attract my interest.
Do other posters share similar quirks?
My interest is in most areas if I'm fair, and i did think about typing the orders that held interest for me, but then I realised I'd have to list every order
. I think there's a difference between which species I like, and which species excite me. For example, I would get far more excited over seeing an unusual wallaby species than a black rhino or Sumatran orang, but it doesn't stop the latter two being my favourite species, far above wallabies. So, rather than listing the orders where I can find an interesting/unusual species, I will list what are genuinely my favourites:
Most carnivores [except pinnipeds] - mainly bears, Jaguars, small cats, mustelids and mongooses.
Orangutans and gibbons.
Most hoofstock, including the rhinos, tapirs, hippos, duikers, oryx and other antelope [less so deer and horses].
Reptiles - Any
Absolutely....mammals; Gorillas, Sumatran Orangutans, Bonobos( but not Common Chimpanzee), Sumatran, Black and Indian Rhinos (but not Whites), hippos, old World monkeys particularly Geunons, Langurs, Geladas and Hamadryas Baboons (but not any New World Monkeys) Okapi, Asian antelope & deer, most Equids, Wild Dogs and Wolves, birds; Toucans, Hornbills, Parrots and Waterfowl. Reptiles And Fish have very limited appeal for me.
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I had always wanted to see snow leopard and went to Marwell in 1978 mainly just to see one after seeing them on the BBC Nationwide SOS appeal, I got a major bonus when we wandered into the old stable yard quarantine area and I saw my first Asian Lions too! They hadn't been advertised anywhere.(i know they have since been found to be impure but at the time it was great) These species still hold an interest even though they're much more common now.
Okapi have always been a favourite, I had seen them at Bristol,but remember being pleased when London got them.
Asian Rhinos, Hippos & apes (not really chimps though) have always held an interest too.
The Polar bear feed at London was always the highlight of my visit.I hd not seen one since Chester in 1991 & my daughter (then 9). never had so we made a 2 day trip to see Mercedes before she left Edinburgh
I've always preferred mammals, but apart from fish I have become more interested in other classes as time has gone on
Okapi have always been a favourite, I had seen them at Bristol,but remember being pleased when London got them.
Asian Rhinos, Hippos & apes (not really chimps though) have always held an interest too.
The Polar bear feed at London was always the highlight of my visit.I hd not seen one since Chester in 1991 & my daughter (then 9). never had so we made a 2 day trip to see Mercedes before she left Edinburgh
I've always preferred mammals, but apart from fish I have become more interested in other classes as time has gone on
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