Rotterdam Zoo Blijdorp News 2022

Jurek7 said:
Even not talking that traffic jams and train delays happen most days of the year in the Rotterdam region.

The idea to being forced to arrive on a half hour slot is inherently against the idea of a relaxing family day in the zoo. A zoo is not the same type of entertainment as a cinema or a concert. It is one of more nonsense management decisions in the zoo world I know of.

I guess Blijdorp zoo wants to focus on being a local zoo for Rotterdam citizens who can travel by foot or a bicycle.
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I actually learned tonight that the time slots at Rotterdam only 15 minutes rather than half an hour. That is really narrow, even for people who live in or near Rotterdam. With red lights or traffic you might not even make that on bicycle. With strict enforcement I don't see a lot of people getting into Rotterdam Zoo, they must be implementing this somewhat loosely ...
 
Jurek7 said:
Even not talking that traffic jams and train delays happen most days of the year in the Rotterdam region.

The idea to being forced to arrive on a half hour slot is inherently against the idea of a relaxing family day in the zoo. A zoo is not the same type of entertainment as a cinema or a concert. It is one of more nonsense management decisions in the zoo world I know of.

I guess Blijdorp zoo wants to focus on being a local zoo for Rotterdam citizens who can travel by foot or a bicycle.
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Not sure what they are administratief and playing at. It is a bit over the top and certainly visitor unfriendly.
 
I understand that this doesn't exactly add anything to the zoo experience (apart from more balanced staffing perhaps) but at the same time Blijdorp has never really enforced the reservation times... If you're traveling from abroad you can always just give a quick call to the general service, honestly I'd be curious to hear what they have to say.
 
Blijdorpenaar said:
I understand that this doesn't exactly add anything to the zoo experience (apart from more balanced staffing perhaps) but at the same time Blijdorp has never really enforced the reservation times... If you're traveling from abroad you can always just give a quick call to the general service, honestly I'd be curious to hear what they have to say.
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I am very sorry, but it does not officially say anywhere that they will not strictly enforce these reservation times. Depending on how busy it is or what members of staff are working, one never knows whether they will. Officially all you have is the strict rules on the website - and legally it is also the only thing that is binding for the park, any phone calls or e-mails, let alone visitor stories, have anywhere near the same legal value.

For many foreign visitors, like myself, or even Dutch visitors from further away parts of the country, this time slot business adds a layer of uncertainty and extra stress that make a visit to a Dutch zoo very difficult, which I find very deeply disappointing.

Personally I don't really understand the reasoning of staffing, and 15 minute time slots are utterly ridiculous.
 
KevinB said:
For many foreign visitors, like myself, or even Dutch visitors from further away parts of the country, this time slot business adds a layer of uncertainty and extra stress that make a visit to a Dutch zoo very difficult, which I find very deeply disappointing.

.
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I hope that all zoos will eventually, and sooner rather than later, revert to normal admission without the need for all this pre-booking, timeslots etc. In the UK I think most zoos are still insisting on pre-booking, which makes it impossible to undertake a more spontaneous zoo visit, if you are governed by a compulsory booking system.
 
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Pertinax said:
I hope that all zoos will eventually, and sooner rather than later, revert to normal admission without the need for all this pre-booking, timeslots etc. In the UK I think most zoos are still insisting on pre-booking, which makes it impossible to undertake a more spontaneous zoo visit, if you are governed by a compulsory booking system.
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I hope so too, but Blijdorp has already stated, as have some attraction parks, that the time slots will be implemented permanently...
 
Pertinax said:
I hope that all zoos will eventually, and sooner rather than later, revert to normal admission without the need for all this pre-booking, timeslots etc. In the UK I think most zoos are still insisting on pre-booking, which makes it impossible to undertake a more spontaneous zoo visit, if you are governed by a compulsory booking system.
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The director of the Efteling last year said they will probably keep the pre-booking system in place. It allows the park to effectivly schedule their staff and visitors can avoid crowded days
 
No (Dutch) zoo will actually deny you entrance for being earlier/later than your time slot.
Stop worrying about it.
 
To end the discussion on timeslot reservations here is some news throughout the park after I asked a zookeeper (and did some observations) about some things:

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ø The renovated rock is looking gorgeous already. Recently they seem to have planted 2 Cedrus deodara which makes it look so much nicer.

ø There is a speculation going around of the tigers moving closer to the mountain animal rock (so likely the current banteng enclosure with a lot of changes?)

ø The kudu are planned to move out from the savannah, cause of the issues they are having with the giraffes. Instead the zoo will try to keep the ostriches with the giraffes, giving the zebra's an enclosure for themselves.
The male ostrich is refusing to breed, but time will tell if this means the end of the ostriches in the park.

ø And after asking the second gorilla enclosure is still on the agenda. It would be at the current classrooms and the playground in the africa bit. (Which is a shame as that playground looks amazing)
 
Anubite said:
To end the discussion on timeslot reservations here is some news throughout the park after I asked a zookeeper (and did some observations) about some things:

----

ø The renovated rock is looking gorgeous already. Recently they seem to have planted 2 Cedrus deodara which makes it look so much nicer.

ø There is a speculation going around of the tigers moving closer to the mountain animal rock (so likely the current banteng enclosure with a lot of changes?)

ø The kudu are planned to move out from the savannah, cause of the issues they are having with the giraffes. Instead the zoo will try to keep the ostriches with the giraffes, giving the zebra's an enclosure for themselves.
The male ostrich is refusing to breed, but time will tell if this means the end of the ostriches in the park.

ø And after asking the second gorilla enclosure is still on the agenda. It would be at the current classrooms and the playground in the africa bit. (Which is a shame as that playground looks amazing)
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These impacts with less animals to see for zoo visitors (a common complaint ...), less visitor appeal (also for repeat visits), less conservation outreach and more endangered species out in the cold (banteng, ostrich) is a hopeless road from which there is no return. This happens when financial and PR management arguments take over leaving conservation education and conservation ex situ to become accessory to the very validity of zoos in the modern global society and community.

I continuously have the feeling the zoo in Rotterdam remains on a road of decline with exhibits given over to species in multiple exhibits (gorilla, tiger, elephants) and less space for the most endangered or threatened species and a lack of diversity. Now, if a zoo is strapped for space I might understand, but given the expansiveness of the Blijdorp zoo I cannot buy into that rationale at all.
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
These impacts with less animals to see for zoo visitors (a common complaint ...), less visitor appeal (also for repeat visits), less conservation outreach and more endangered species out in the cold (banteng, ostrich) is a hopeless road from which there is no return. This happens when financial and PR management takes over and conservation education and conservation ex sit starts becoming an accessory.
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You're just a ray of sunshine and positivity arent you?
 
Blijdorpenaar said:
You're just a ray of sunshine and positivity arent you?
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I am a critical realist: We live in a day and age where zoos are very much needed institutions to help stem the decline of endangered species and biodiversity/habitat loss globally. The fact we are debating a Sixth Extinction Crisis is not just a fleeting thought, it is real and rather dramatic how it plays out (and with all the unforeseen environmental consequences that entails), yet as speakeasy for the environment we seem to continue to fail our environment.

That and that alone is my main motivation here to remain critical and feel sad to see practical management decisions in zoo environment lead to ever less diversity and less (threatened) species we succeed in saving. I am afraid I do see the same happening elsewhere in zoos and for sure it is common complaint from the general zoo visiting public one keeps hearing that they see less and much less in animals when visiting one (it is not my own invention) and it debunks the very existence an validity of zoos and really does not need to be that way.

As for the rest I refuse to digress to the level of jibes.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
He will lead a breeding group with at least 2 females confirmed.
A female Gasira (12, Koeln Zoo) and Uzuri (11-12?, Duisburg Zoo).
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Its a strange choice as his genetic line is very over-represented already. I can only think his long term/solitary circumstances, being stuck alone in Rotterdam, have overridden other considerations here-after his planned move to NZ was called off and as there is probably no recently-formed bachelor group anywhere he could be added to- though PD do have one themselves. So he gets to be a breeding male instead?:(
 
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