ZOO Antwerpen Future projects (2009 - 2010)

[Gorilla Gust]

Are you talking about a house or outside pen?

Outside...

@ Jelle, the final masterplan has to be still made. They are going to announce it this month, but further we don"t know anything, exept the fact that there are going to be a lot of temporay cage's the next years...

Oh, the lions will get there new exhibit a year later, they are first building the temp. exhibits for the Girafs and Okapi's...

 

[Hippo]

The Antwerp Zoo has introduced some of their future projects:


2009
The monumental 'Small Mammal Building' becomes the 'Congo Peafowl Building' combining a section for the public and a modern breeding centre.

The situation on February 9, 2009:

 

[Hippo]

2010
In 2009 the zoo will start with the construction of a new enclosure for lions, meerkats ans yellow mongoose at the current 'Grand Enclosure' for camels and donkeys. It will be ready in 2010

Yesterday, the Antwerp Zoo has started to rebuild this area. A new group of lions will arrive for this project and it will be ready by the summer of 2011.

For a video (in Dutch), see : De leeuwen in de Antwerpse zoo krijgen tegen 2010 een nieuw verblijf - ATV.BE

 

[Writhedhornbill]

How is the congo peafowl building coming along?

 

[Hippo]

How is the congo peafowl building coming along?

It's already complete.

Here you see the map:

One of the enclosures:

On the outside:

 

[forumbully]

I still think those colourful bars in front of the building are UGLY!!!
and they create a lot of reflection on the windows.

other than that, it's become a nice setup.

completely unrelated to this.
I would like to rectify something for Marc:

Also the space for Coati's was not that large as in Antwerp.

the coati's in hagenbeck have more space than the elephants in front of them!!! in fact they have the most space in the entire Hagenbeck zoo!

not that difficult if you can get out of your enclosure...
they can be seen more often in the big trees around the enclosure than inside.

 

[Hippo]

After a long time, I'm back to post some pictures of the current projects.

The new African lion exhibit:

December 6, 2009: The former domestic animal exhibit pulled down

March 3, 2010: Beginning to build up the lion exhibit

April 6, 2010: The river under the bridge

May 29, 2010: The first rocks and viewing point

June 24, 2010: The indoor enclosures

August 21, 2010: The river between visitors and lions

 

[Hippo]

Behind the ‘Moorse Tempel’ (the stables for okapi’s) will be build three temporary exhibits. One for okapis (the Zoo will have then 4 exhibits), one for babirusas and one for the dik-dik.

March 19, 2010: The beginning

April 28, 2010: A shelter for the okapis

May 30, 2010: New stables for little animals

August 6, 2010: The new okapi exhibit

 

[Yassa]

Why are they building only temporary exhibits? Sounds like a huge waste of money.
What is the future plan for this area? And what is planned on the rest of the extension side (I guess the demolition of the old houses is now complete).

 

[Hippo]

Why are they building only temporary exhibits? Sounds like a huge waste of money.
What is the future plan for this area? And what is planned on the rest of the extension side (I guess the demolition of the old houses is now complete).

First: they must be correct with the Belgian regulation in a limited time. (this was for okapi's, giraffes, lions, etc.).

Second: the real masterplan for the extension side was a year ago not ready. If it is correct, in the future there will come a big island for chimps, a giraffe enclosure and an exhibit for (young) elephants (bulls). This will come on the extension side and the old Great Apes House, the penguin pools, etc. will be demolished for that.

But every day the plans change, like in every zoo/company, so I'm very exiting to see what and when will be there !

All the recent not temporary projects like the renovation of the Aquarium building, the new lion exhibit, ... are pretty good in my eyes.
And all the temporary projects are good for the next 5 years or so.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

What will happen to the dikdiks and babirusas once the final plans are in place. Is it known yet where these exhibits will have their final location?

I would say dikdiks would much fit a giraffe enclosure as companions ...
The babirusas ... why not keep them with the anoas?

 

[Hippo]

What will happen to the dikdiks and babirusas once the final plans are in place. Is it known yet where these exhibits will have their final location?

It is not known by me yet.

The babirusas ... why not keep them with the anoas?

There are plans for it in the future.

 

[DDcorvus]

The babirusas ... why not keep them with the anoas?

Is that safe? I know Anoas can be quite hot tempered.

 

[Hippo]

Amsterdam Zoo have/had plans to do it. But I'm not sure if it was successful.

 

[Philipine eagle]

Amsterdam Zoo have/had plans to do it. But I'm not sure if it was successful.

Amsterdam keeps their anoa together with celebes crested macaques and this works very well for the moment.

And Antwerp keeps it's crested macaques in a very small exibit; another missed change.

I don't know about the combination babirusa-anoa-crested macaque, this sure needs a large and varied enclosure.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Amsterdam keeps their anoa together with celebes crested macaques and this works very well for the moment.

And Antwerp keeps it's crested macaques in a very small exibit; another missed change.

I don't know about the combination babirusa-anoa-crested macaque, this sure needs a large and varied enclosure.

On that rare occasion I do comment.

The combi anoa-crested macaque works well. The status of the pan-European babirusa import is yet in the clouds ...