Games - Antwerp Zoo

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Antwerp Zoo is a zoo in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium located right next to the train station. It is the oldest animal park in the country, established on July 21 1843.

History

Since its foundation, the park is controlled by a society called De Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen (The Antwerp Royal Society for Zoology). The initial objective was to encourage zoological and botanical sciences. The first director was renowned zoologist and botanist Jacques Kets (November 10 1785-February 1 1865). He accepted this position on one condition: a museum had to be built to house his nature-historical collections. This building was inaugurated in 1844 by H.R.H. King Léopold I of Belgium. The predicate Royal was added to the name of the society on that occasion. Throughout the years it has tried to encourage wildlife preservation through activities and exhibits on a recreational, educational, scientific and cultural level.

In the first period of its existence, the area of the park grew from less than 2 hectares to more than 10 hectares. Notable buildings from that period are the Egyptian temple (1856) and the antelope building (1861) in Oriental style, which now houses the okapis.

The zoo has also a cultural function. Originally, concerts where held in the garden. Later symphonic concerts where organized. The museum building was demolished to build a concert hall. The museum was moved to the second floor.

After the second world war, the animal park was turned into a model zoo which conformed to new and modern scientific, educational, cultural and aesthetic standards. The animal compounds got more space and light. Buildings from this period include the primate building (1958), the big jubileum complex, established on the occasion of the 125-year anniversary together with the nocturama (1968), which houses the creatures of the night. The jubileum complex houses birds of prey and the sea lions. In 1973 a brand-new compound for reptilians was built and in 1978 a new building for smaller species of monkeys. The older primate building was renovated in 1989. To support its educational mission, the zoo started with group tours and special educational programmes called zoo classes in 1969. Around the same time, planetarium exhibits were installed.

On January 1 1983, the animal park was classified as a monument. Ten years later, its 150th anniversary was celebrated. In 1997 Vriesland (Freezeland) was opened. It houses subantarctic penguins and Alaskan sea otters. In spring 1999 the elephant compound was expanded. In 2003 a lot of animals, including hippos, tapirs and a number of swamp birds got a new home in Hippotopia.

Animals

Together with its sister park Planckendael, Antwerp Zoo houses over 5,000 animals of about 950 species. They get nearly 1.3 million visitors each year and have around 38,000 supporting members.

Most notable species in the park include:

Penguins: king penguin, rock-jumpers and Macaroni penguins
Sea lions with a special show
Crocodiles in the old reptilian building, built in 1904 and renovated in 1974

All the animals in the zoo and Planckendael combined, consume about 41 tons of fish, 52 tons of meat, 37 tons of apples, 36 tons of carrots, 128 tons of hay, 4000 litres of milk, 23,000 eggs and 10,000 loafs of bread.

The zoo used to have a dolphinarium, that was one of the most modern of its kind. Over the years, the infrastructure became too old and the society could not build a new one. At the end of the 1990s, the two dolphins were relocated to the Duisburg Zoo in Germany. The old aquariums now hold the sea lions, that are much less demanding.

Breeding programmes

Antwerp Zoo has played its role in preservation and breeding programmes for several endangered species like the okapi, the Przewalski horse, the Congo peafowl, the bonobo, the golden-headed lion tamarin, the European otter, and others. They take part in the European Endangered Species Programme.

Affiliated parks and domains

In 1952, the society in control of the zoo bought the nature preserve, De Zegge in Geel, because nature preservation is an important part of its mission statement. It is an area that spans 96 ha and receives international wildlife protection.
In 1956 the same society bought the Domein Planckendael in Muizen, near Mechelen. It covers an area of 40 ha and has become a full-grown animal park.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Antwerp Zoo ]

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