ZOO Antwerpen Zoo Antwerpen News 2024

Kifaru Bwana said:
Yes, taking into western zoos' captivity is a very arrogant attitude to begin with
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This is no different than over 100 of breeding plans where animals have been traveling between zoos and countries all over the world for the last 50 or more years. And the concept of insurance populations is even older.

What is abnormal is the concept of forever responsibolity and special treatment of some countries.

Luckily, most countries are more open minded-, otherwise there would be no Arabian oryxes nor wisents nor other species which home countries allowed to export to save them.
 
Jurek7 said:
This is no different than over 100 of breeding plans where animals have been traveling between zoos and countries all over the world for the last 50 or more years. And the concept of insurance populations is even older.

What is abnormal is the concept of forever responsibolity and special treatment of some countries.

Luckily, most countries are more open minded-, otherwise there would be no Arabian oryxes nor wisents nor other species which home countries allowed to export to save them.
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Jurek, this relates to the Eastern lowland gorillas and the one individual of this species in Antwerpen (for yonker years) and all others well looked after in the sanctuary in DR Congo.
You are just taking this small part of my reasoning for not ever transferring the Eastern lowland gorillas out of DR Congo sanctuary out of context. Too easy ...!
 
Jurek7 said:
This is no different than over 100 of breeding plans where animals have been traveling between zoos and countries all over the world for the last 50 or more years. And the concept of insurance populations is even older.

What is abnormal is the concept of forever responsibolity and special treatment of some countries.

Luckily, most countries are more open minded-, otherwise there would be no Arabian oryxes nor wisents nor other species which home countries allowed to export to save them.
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First times have changed and taking animals from their range countries to Western zoos needs to involve those range countries. If DRC asks western zoos to take Eastern Gorillas and create a back-up population this would be fine (although still challenging), but consent is the key word here.
 
DDcorvus said:
First times have changed and taking animals from their range countries to Western zoos needs to involve those range countries. If DRC asks western zoos to take Eastern Gorillas and create a back-up population this would be fine (although still challenging), but consent is the key word here.
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Plus there are functioning ex situ facilities for the species close to their natural habitat in situ. That should be a double win for conservation authorities both the local and national ICCN and international groups like IUCN and NGO's and zoos ex situ!
 
I went to Antwerp zoo today, while I unfortunately can't bring any news on the 'Jubileumcomplex', i have seen some minor changes.
  • The outdoor enclosure of the chimpanzees is being remodeled, this is largely to urge them to go outside more. 3/4 of the climbing structures were removed from the enclosure.
  • The former enclosure of Elephant Shrews now houses White-headed Buffalo-weaver and Black-bellied Sandgrouse.
  • The bridge above the hippodrome looks very neat. Some branches were also added to the Marabou aviary to give the birds some more resting places. I have seen them make good use of them already.
  • There was a box of some sorts in the komodo dragon enclosure. I am not sure if it is a transport box or something else.
 
Understood, thank you Kevin, I’m just glad that they still have the black-and-rufous species for the time being.
 
A new season of the documentary series "Het Echte Leven In de Zoo" about Zoo Antwerpen will be broadcast on Flemish commercial TV channel VTM in 2025.

ZOO Antwerpen
 
DDcorvus said:
I'm very familiar with the political and economic reality of Central Africa and how difficult it is to work there. But we should also not pretend that African-led conservation is impossible. Ebola can be managed and centers can be protected. War can affect European zoos as well just think of what happened/is happening to the Saiga herd in Askania Nova. And if you want precedents of disease impacting endangered species the history of Eastern Gorillas in Antwerp is telling and there are endangered animals in European zoos where disease and veterinary management is problematic.

Taking the Eastern gorillas out of the orphanages to Western Zoos will be perceived as a colonialist intervention and will not help the conservation of the species in-situ. This is not like some of the Asiatic bird species that were sent to Europe at the request of the range country.

Plus where are you going to put them. There is no capacity to bring in enough gorillas to form a stable breeding programme, unless you want to send a large number of gorillas (Western or Eastern) to Asia.
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I totally agree! It is time to decolonise the minds of many zoo people. Conservation should be about cooperation with them, not taking from them, like we did for centuries with colonial rule.
 
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