At the beginning of November several Moellendorff's snakes have hatched at the Serpentarium 
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.Serpentarium Blankenberge (Closed) Serpentarium Blanckenberge
- Thread starter vogelcommando
- Start date
It seems that the Serpentarium will close its doors before the end of the year. The rent is to high ( at the moment 6000 Euros a month but the group which is owner of the building is willing to drop the price to 4500 Euros ) but even with the cheaper rent its to expensive with only around 50.000 visitors a year. The KMPA which is running the Serpentarium ( and also the Zoo of Antwerp and Dierenpark Planckendaell ) is now looking if they can find another location the house the Serpentarium.
Luckily the Serpentarium still exist ( maybe found a solution to keep it open ?? ) but now the Serpentarium recieved 6 Cornsnakes, 5 Oriental fire-bellied toads and a pair of Red Tegus from Antwerp Zoo. These animals orginate from the now closed Aquatopia.
Several years ago a solution was found to keep the Serpentarium going, but unfortunately its curtains have now fallen for good. 
The small reptile zoo, which has been closed since the Covid-19 crisis began, will sadly never reopen as the Royal Society of Antwerp has decided to close the facility forever. The closure since Covid is cited as one of the reasons for the closure, along with persistent high overhead costs, challenging infrastructure, high costs needed to make the facility fully compliant with the conditions for a new environmental permit and an uncertain future.
Right now the search is on for new homes for the animals (reptiles, amphibians and some larger invertebrates). Some of the animals will be rehomed to Zoo Antwerpen or Zoo Planckendael, some will likely go to other zoos.
The small reptile zoo, which has been closed since the Covid-19 crisis began, will sadly never reopen as the Royal Society of Antwerp has decided to close the facility forever. The closure since Covid is cited as one of the reasons for the closure, along with persistent high overhead costs, challenging infrastructure, high costs needed to make the facility fully compliant with the conditions for a new environmental permit and an uncertain future.
Right now the search is on for new homes for the animals (reptiles, amphibians and some larger invertebrates). Some of the animals will be rehomed to Zoo Antwerpen or Zoo Planckendael, some will likely go to other zoos.
What a shame that this place is closing! The collection there was probably one of the better ones in Europe for reptiles and amphibians. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit in 2019 and here is the species list at that time:
Species list (89 species): Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman, Reticulated Python, Ball Python, Jungle Carpet Python, Green Tree Python, Rainbow Boa, Madagascar Ground Boa, Dumeril’s Boa, Black Mamba, Thai Monocle Cobra, Rhinoceros Viper, Nose-horned Viper, Great Lakes Bush Viper, Puff Adder, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Prairie Rattlesnake, Copperhead, Mexican Moccasin, Taiwanese Beauty Snake, Mandarin Ratsnake, Flower Snake, Four-lined Snake, Baron’s Green Racer, Florida Kingsnake, California Kingsnake, Cornsnake, Central American Milksnake, Green Iguana, Motagua Spiny-tailed Iguana, Eastern Casquehead Iguana, Desert Iguana, Green Water Dragon, Plumed Basilisk, Spiny-tailed Monitor, Veiled Chameleon, Panther Chameleon, Knight Anole, Chinese Crocodile Lizard, Northern Caiman Lizard, Blue Spiny Lizard, Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift, Mexican Beaded Lizard, Gila Monster, Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Argentine Black and White Tegu, Red Tegu, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Orange-eyed Crocodile Skink, Blue-tongued Skink, Shingleback Skink, Oriental Garden Lizard, Giant Madagascar Day Gecko, Pacific Web-toed Gecko, Leopard Gecko, Common Snake-neck Turtle, Florida Softshell Turtle, Big-headed Turtle, Giant Monkey Frog, White’s Tree Frog, Chinese Flying Frog, File-eared Tree Frog, African Clawed Frog, Sambava Tomato Frog, Cranwell’s Horned Frog, Malaysian Leaf Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Dyeing Poison Dart Frog, Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog, Budgett’s Frog, Cane Toad, Oriental Fire-bellied Toad, Axolotl, Red Piranha, Pacu, Blind Cave Fish, Olive-keeled Flat-rock Scorpion, Emperor Scorpion, Honduras Curly Hair Tarantula, Mexican Red-leg Tarantula, Mexican Red-knee Tarantula, Mexican Pink Tarantula, Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, Peruvian Purple Tarantula, Salem Oriental Tarantula, White-collared Tarantula, Metallic Pinktoe Tarantula, Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula and Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
The collection there was probably one of the better ones in Europe for reptiles and amphibians. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit in 2019 and here is the species list at that time:Species list (89 species): Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman, Reticulated Python, Ball Python, Jungle Carpet Python, Green Tree Python, Rainbow Boa, Madagascar Ground Boa, Dumeril’s Boa, Black Mamba, Thai Monocle Cobra, Rhinoceros Viper, Nose-horned Viper, Great Lakes Bush Viper, Puff Adder, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Prairie Rattlesnake, Copperhead, Mexican Moccasin, Taiwanese Beauty Snake, Mandarin Ratsnake, Flower Snake, Four-lined Snake, Baron’s Green Racer, Florida Kingsnake, California Kingsnake, Cornsnake, Central American Milksnake, Green Iguana, Motagua Spiny-tailed Iguana, Eastern Casquehead Iguana, Desert Iguana, Green Water Dragon, Plumed Basilisk, Spiny-tailed Monitor, Veiled Chameleon, Panther Chameleon, Knight Anole, Chinese Crocodile Lizard, Northern Caiman Lizard, Blue Spiny Lizard, Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift, Mexican Beaded Lizard, Gila Monster, Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Argentine Black and White Tegu, Red Tegu, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Orange-eyed Crocodile Skink, Blue-tongued Skink, Shingleback Skink, Oriental Garden Lizard, Giant Madagascar Day Gecko, Pacific Web-toed Gecko, Leopard Gecko, Common Snake-neck Turtle, Florida Softshell Turtle, Big-headed Turtle, Giant Monkey Frog, White’s Tree Frog, Chinese Flying Frog, File-eared Tree Frog, African Clawed Frog, Sambava Tomato Frog, Cranwell’s Horned Frog, Malaysian Leaf Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Dyeing Poison Dart Frog, Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog, Budgett’s Frog, Cane Toad, Oriental Fire-bellied Toad, Axolotl, Red Piranha, Pacu, Blind Cave Fish, Olive-keeled Flat-rock Scorpion, Emperor Scorpion, Honduras Curly Hair Tarantula, Mexican Red-leg Tarantula, Mexican Red-knee Tarantula, Mexican Pink Tarantula, Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, Peruvian Purple Tarantula, Salem Oriental Tarantula, White-collared Tarantula, Metallic Pinktoe Tarantula, Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula and Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
What a shame that this place is closing!
Species list (89 species): Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman, Reticulated Python, Ball Python, Jungle Carpet Python, Green Tree Python, Rainbow Boa, Madagascar Ground Boa, Dumeril’s Boa, Black Mamba, Thai Monocle Cobra, Rhinoceros Viper, Nose-horned Viper, Great Lakes Bush Viper, Puff Adder, Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Prairie Rattlesnake, Copperhead, Mexican Moccasin, Taiwanese Beauty Snake, Mandarin Ratsnake, Flower Snake, Four-lined Snake, Baron’s Green Racer, Florida Kingsnake, California Kingsnake, Cornsnake, Central American Milksnake, Green Iguana, Motagua Spiny-tailed Iguana, Eastern Casquehead Iguana, Desert Iguana, Green Water Dragon, Plumed Basilisk, Spiny-tailed Monitor, Veiled Chameleon, Panther Chameleon, Knight Anole, Chinese Crocodile Lizard, Northern Caiman Lizard, Blue Spiny Lizard, Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift, Mexican Beaded Lizard, Gila Monster, Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Argentine Black and White Tegu, Red Tegu, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Orange-eyed Crocodile Skink, Blue-tongued Skink, Shingleback Skink, Oriental Garden Lizard, Giant Madagascar Day Gecko, Pacific Web-toed Gecko, Leopard Gecko, Common Snake-neck Turtle, Florida Softshell Turtle, Big-headed Turtle, Giant Monkey Frog, White’s Tree Frog, Chinese Flying Frog, File-eared Tree Frog, African Clawed Frog, Sambava Tomato Frog, Cranwell’s Horned Frog, Malaysian Leaf Frog, Blue Poison Dart Frog, Dyeing Poison Dart Frog, Yellow-banded Poison Dart Frog, Budgett’s Frog, Cane Toad, Oriental Fire-bellied Toad, Axolotl, Red Piranha, Pacu, Blind Cave Fish, Olive-keeled Flat-rock Scorpion, Emperor Scorpion, Honduras Curly Hair Tarantula, Mexican Red-leg Tarantula, Mexican Red-knee Tarantula, Mexican Pink Tarantula, Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, Peruvian Purple Tarantula, Salem Oriental Tarantula, White-collared Tarantula, Metallic Pinktoe Tarantula, Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula and Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.
Thank you very much for reposting this comprehensive and very interesting species list, Snowleopard.
The facility was small but I did like it, and you are right the collection was pretty impressive.
So sad that due to Covid the closure likely cannot go along with developments in Antwerp of Planckendael, say for example improved and/or new terrarium facilities in Planckendael.
It is not like the closure of this small facility is a massive disaster for the zoological community and zoo fans, but it is always disappointing when facilities have to close before their time has come.
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