Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Zoo news 2025

[Paul.Haerle]

There’s a single Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) behind the scenes. Maybe from Avifauna where this species isn’t kept anymore.
Burger‘s Zoo is the only European public collection with this beautiful species. I hope they get at least a partner to breed this species, what shouldn’t be so difficult as there should be still some birds in private holdings.

 

[Haliaeetus]

4 Greater Roadrunners have hatched.
Burgers' Zoo on Instagram: "Ruilen is niet altijd huilen, tenminste, niet bij onze renkoekoeken! Renkoekoeken zijn niet heel makkelijk te houden en te kweken, daarom komen ze niet veel in dierenparken voor. Om deze soort in dierenparken voort te laten bestaan, worden de eieren vaak in een broedmachine uitgebroed en dus niet door de dieren zelf. Om de eieren, en daarna de jongen, door de ouders zelf te laten uitbroeden en grootbrengen, hebben de dierverzorgers nepeieren ingezet. Deze werden daarna weer teruggeruild en zo zijn er nu vier jongen van dit koppel te zien in de Desert! En ze zijn alweer met een nieuw nestje bezig!"

 

[Haliaeetus]

Birth of 1 Zebra.
Burgers' Zoo on Instagram: "Afgelopen week is er bij de zebra’s een veulen geboren! Het bijzondere aan zebraveulens is dat ze bij de geboorte al vrij groot en ontwikkeld zijn. Ze kunnen al snel met hun moeder meelopen en kunnen dan ook vrijwel direct mee de Safari-vlakte op! Een geboorte bij onze zebra’s is trouwens niet heel uitzonderlijk. Op de Safari leven meerdere harems (groepen) met zebra’s, en in die verschillende harems worden regelmatig jongen geboren."

 

[JamesB]

I am visiting for the first time in a few weeks, very excited!

Any particular tips from regulars? Also, where is good to eat at the zoo, are there many options?

 

[InvertTime]

I am visiting for the first time in a few weeks, very excited!

Any particular tips from regulars? Also, where is good to eat at the zoo, are there many options?

Theres 2 restaurant options. One is more focusssed on asian-like streetfood. and the other is basic zoo food like sandwiches and fries.
So really up to you as the menu will have similarities in both.

If the weather is hot: visit the indoor areas first. These heat up quick once the sun hit the roofs.
If it rains: just follow the route you were planning on taking. Almost every enclosure has some sort of roofing for guests near.

The giftshop is most busy after 3PM, the restaurants are at it's peak between 12:30 and 14:00

Take your time in the indoor areas to find smaller and more shy creatures.

Tip: Do not overhype the zoo in your head. It is often described as dissapointed when it has been overhyped by other people.
Mostly because the outdoor enclosures are far from spectacular compared to the indoorareas.

 

[KevinB]

I am visiting for the first time in a few weeks, very excited!

Any particular tips from regulars? Also, where is good to eat at the zoo, are there many options?

In the Bush make sure to do the smaller pathways in the upper area (on the right side when you enter), as you have a higher chance of finding some birds in that area.

In the Mangrove there is also a smaller walkway on the side you might consider taking.

Generally take your time in the ecodisplays.

There are some guides for Burgers' Zoo on this forum which you might be interested in:

Dutch zoo guides

 

[Mr Gharial]

I am visiting for the first time in a few weeks, very excited!

Any particular tips from regulars? Also, where is good to eat at the zoo, are there many options?

If you're visiting during the week, don't go on wednesday as it gets busy. Tuesdays and Thursdays are best. Personally, I think the park restaurant has better food than the Bush restaurant, but the Bush restaurant does have the added bonus of having a view into the greenhouse (not a great view, as it's mostly a wall of plants, but still cool).

Some parts of the zoo are a bit hidden, so I always suggest people take their time in the zoo and explore some paths even if they seem like dead ends. The Aardvarks, Asian leaf turtles and even the whole Ocean section are pretty hidden away in the Bush, and I always see a lot of people just skipping past the Desert's main enclosure because they see an exit sign and assume there's nothing more to see...

There are some guides for Burgers' Zoo on this forum which you might be interested in:
Dutch zoo guides

Thanks, Kevin
I do have a more updated version I can send if you're interested

 

[Mr Gharial]

With Summer vacation over I finally took another visit to Burgers' Zoo. I was quite excited because this is the first time I was able to see the new Coppery titis

Some news:

- In the Mangrove's mudflats, more Golf ball coral has been spread through the creek, this time also outside the Jellyfish area


- The new Coppery titis are a great addition. They do occasionally eat butterflies and have gotten quite good at it according to a guide, but they also eat a lot of tree buds meaning they won't have to trim as much as before.


- In the Desert, the Socorro doves in the Canyon aviary have dissapeared. The signage was removed and the nest was gone too. I assume the two parent birds have died, as I can't imagine any other reason for them to remove these animals.


- The Ultramarine grosbeaks in the Canyon aviary have also moved out, but there were a lot of animals active in the main hall so I assume they were simply released into the Desert.

- The big palm tree near the terrace seems to be nearing the end of its life. Not because it's dying, but it's growing against the roof and will likely be cut down soon. A lot of the tupper leaves have already been removed and now the tippy-top is already against the glass...


- The North American porcupine was very active, which was surprising. It walked around grunting at the bottom area of the enclosure, it was a real sight to behold!


- After about 4 years of walking around with maps and species cards for the Bush I finally, for the very first time, spotted the Rose-bellied bunting in the Bush. I also saw the Grosbeak starlings for the first time and the Yellow-headed geckos in the Mangrove for the second time. That and the active porcupine made this a very lucky visit!



With that, I'm only missing 7 animals before I've seen every single free-roamer in Burgers' Zoo (Ruddy-breasted seedeater, Scaled pigeon, Paradise tanager, Kenya variable sunbird, Asian house gecko, Montserrat whistling frog, Lyle's fruit bat)

 

[Paul.Haerle]

In the Desert, the Socorro doves in the Canyon aviary have dissapeared. The signage was removed and the nest was gone too. I assume the two parent birds have died, as I can't imagine any other reason for them to remove these animals

Maybe because of their aggressive behaviour during breeding? Socorro Doves are one of the most aggressive doves/pigeons; they killed for example Crimson Rosellas (which are very defensive too) during they breed.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Maybe because of their aggressive behaviour during breeding? Socorro Doves are one of the most aggressive doves/pigeons; they killed for example Crimson Rosellas (which are very defensive too) during they breed.

This is their breeding aviary, they've bred in here a bunch of times before. Always accompanied by at least one passerine

 

[GiratinaIsGod]

With Summer vacation over I finally took another visit to Burgers' Zoo. I was quite excited because this is the first time I was able to see the new Coppery titis

Some news:

- The new Coppery titis are a great addition. They do occasionally eat butterflies and have gotten quite good at it according to a guide, but they also eat a lot of tree buds meaning they won't have to trim as much as before.)

I hope they eat this Stick insects which are a pain in the ass in the mangrove display

 

[KevinB]

Burgers' Zoo plans to create an Indonesian seagrass meadown habitat tank in the former flashlight fish tank, within living seagrass and suitable fish from Indonesia. It is not yet known when the tank will be completed.

Burgers’ Zoo verbouwt aquarium voor nieuw biotoop: ‘We houden van een uitdaging’

 

[jwer]

Visited Burgers’ yesterday. The bush was as green and lush as ever, the difference with either Emmen’s greenhouses and especially Emmen’s Rimbula (large one) is just striking. I’m still wondering what the difference is. If it’s just age, or primate pressure or soil or something else.

I also loved the mangrove, in which the greenery is developing nicely just as well (and is younger than Wildlands?). And the mudflats are a true gem in the zoological world.

Other then that, I felt the zoo is getting more and more devoid of life and the collection is going down and down and it’s getting on my nerves. The whole bird section (including icons as brush-turkey, hyacinth macaw and even king vulture of which Burgers holds or held the ESB), bighorn sheep, golden jackal, reindeer, dusky langur, blue duiker, corsac fox, bongo, pygmy hippo, dik-dik, any crocodillian, the list is endless. The number of exhibits with the same species is also highly on the rise. Very little has returned, except the passarine collection that is lovely but takes a good deal of searching.

This visit was the first time I felt The Ocean was hit. The first big exhibit, walking down into the water felt empty. The main tank felt very empty with guitarfish and leopardshark absent (where they just hiding?) and the “shoal tank” was also quite devoid of life (loosing the bowmouth obviously didn’t help). Although the coral tank also looked a bit less populated, it’s still an utter gem though.

We’ve talked about Blijdorp going down, but the pace in which Burgers is loosing species is also quite alarming. We’ve come to a point where they can’t loose any more species or there’ll be no more zoo left.

I could still live in the Bush though. My favourite place in the zoological world.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Visited Burgers’ yesterday. The bush was as green and lush as ever, the difference with either Emmen’s greenhouses and especially Emmen’s Rimbula (large one) is just striking. I’m still wondering what the difference is. If it’s just age, or primate pressure or soil or something else.

This is both age and design. The Bush' trees have the age to grow air roots and really fill up the air space. Rimbula has multiple areas that take away from the plant space. The elephant enclosure, the much broader paths, the Rimbula river, the restaurant seating, etc, etc.

Additionally, Rimbula only has a single, broad path. While the Bush has many thin and weaving paths that are close together. This makes the Bush feel much bigger than Rimbula

I also loved the mangrove, in which the greenery is developing nicely just as well (and is younger than Wildlands?). And the mudflats are a true gem in the zoological world.

Wildlands opened 2016, Mangrove 2017.

Other then that, I felt the zoo is getting more and more devoid of life and the collection is going down and down and it’s getting on my nerves. The whole bird section (including icons as brush-turkey, hyacinth macaw and even king vulture of which Burgers holds or held the ESB), bighorn sheep, golden jackal, reindeer, dusky langur, blue duiker, corsac fox, bongo, pygmy hippo, dik-dik, any crocodillian, the list is endless. The number of exhibits with the same species is also highly on the rise. Very little has returned, except the passerine collection that is lovely but takes a good deal of searching.

The bird and free-roamer collection is amazing right now, but that isn't as visible as the enclosure animals. I wasn't too upset with the Golden jackals and Reindeer leaving, but it is a shame they both got repeat species filling the enclosures. And just like those two, the Caiman exhibit has been empty for a really long time now with no replacement animals. Even a repeat species (like the Yellow-spotted amazon river turtles) would be a fine temporary solution. Same goes for the site of the former pheasantry. I get that it had to be shut down, but they could've left some of the outer aviaries up, or temporarily expanded the wallaby habitat.

This visit was the first time I felt The Ocean was hit. The first big exhibit, walking down into the water felt empty. The main tank felt very empty with guitarfish and leopardshark absent (where they just hiding?) and the “shoal tank” was also quite devoid of life (loosing the bowmouth obviously didn’t help).

Yeah, removing the barracudas to make room for the Bowmouth and the Bowmouth then dying so quickly after was really a downer. The guitarfish and leopard shark should both still be there, but they can hide in the back quite easily.

We’ve talked about Blijdorp going down, but the pace in which Burgers is loosing species is also quite alarming. We’ve come to a point where they can’t loose any more species or there’ll be no more zoo left.

I still think Burgers' is doing a lot better than Blijdorp. I honestly way prefer Burgers' zoo's slow progress and quiet emptying, over Blijdorp's stagnation, with crumbling buildings and outdated exhibits. Desperate to constantly build new things despite not having funds and the new builds not being made to last more than a decade.

 

[Paul.Haerle]

The whole bird section (including icons as brush-turkey, hyacinth macaw and even king vulture of which Burgers holds or held the ESB)

But I would say Burger's makes almost the most of the conditions for birds. The bird curator could perhaps add a guan/chachalaca species, two or three lorikeet species, some estrilid finches (e. g. parrotfinches) and some more African bird species (I would wish Great Blue Turaco, African Golden Oriole, Bruce‘s Green and Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Blue-headed Wood Dove and Douple-toothed Barbet) for the Bush and Western Bluebirds and Horned Larks for the Desert; more possibilities I can‘t imagine for now

 

[Jessica Hogervorst]

According to a FB post by Pairi Daiza, a male cheetah called Safari has been sent to Burgers' Zoo to pair with their current female.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Went for another visit today. Not too much news to share but I had some chats with guides which revealed a few things:

- The Redtail catfish in the bush has died, which is a real shame as it was a magnificent animal. I kind of hope they'll get another amazon giant for the capybara pool as the Pacu's aren't very visible from above and it was always a treat to see the more elusive catfish.

- The Scaled pigeons were only out in the Mangrove for a very short time, one of the female was hand-reared and was too friendly with the visitors (I personally never even saw the Scaled pigeons but to be fair I didn't visit during the vacation). The birds were moved behind the scenes and the zoo hopes to breed them and release the offspring into the Mangrove instead.

- Not sure if this was already known but the two Coppery titis are actually father and son.

- A while back there was only a single male Indigo bunting in the Mangrove, but this year there are multiple pairs with their own territory. One of the pairings have a nest rather close to the path.

- The White-eared catbirds in the Bush haven't actually died, due to their rarity they were moved to a different facility so they can attempt breeding in a more controlled setting. So there's still hope for this species in Europe.

 

[Paul.Haerle]

- The White-eared catbirds in the Bush haven't actually died, due to their rarity they were moved to a different facility so they can attempt breeding in a more controlled setting. So there's still hope for this species in Europe.

They both moved to Bird Paradise in Singapore, where the last male moved too some years ago, (according to ZTL; if it’s wrong please correct me) and they were probably the last ones of their species in whole Europe.

 

[Mr Gharial]

They both moved to Bird Paradise in Singapore, where the last male moved too some years ago, (according to ZTL; if it’s wrong please correct me) and they were probably the last ones of their species in whole Europe.

The last pair in Burgers' zoo only moved out last year, if it wasn't earlier this year
I misread your message...

In that case, I hope they do better there

 

[FBBird]

This is their breeding aviary, they've bred in here a bunch of times before. Always accompanied by at least one passerine

I suspect they only go for similar sized birds, small Passerines wouldn’t be on their radar