Planckendael ZOO is offering the slender-horned gazelle, one of the most critically endangered gazelle species in the world, hope for a secure future. The ZOO has been supporting a vital breeding programme in Tunisia’s Sidi Toui National Park by providing financial aid, sharing its expertise in population management, and donating several of its own carefully bred and raised animals.
The aviary of the future is located in the very heart of the City of Antwerp, at the edge of Antwerp ZOO. ‘We have 23 species of birds flying about in our Savannah Aviary, all of whom we can check up on individually due to our recall training,’ explains Jan Dams, Curator of Birds and Animal Care Coordinator. Thanks to months of training and the expertise built up by the zookeepers, each species now recognises a specific signal that prompts it to spread its wings and fly straight to its carers.
It is, of course, something completely different. Our scientists often venture beyond their familiar laboratories and typical zoo environments, but they seldom put themselves in the spotlights at an international film festival. In the Dutch city of Nijmegen, two of our experts enthusiastically joined the panel discussion following the viewing of a documentary on the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo.
Worldwide coral reefs are under pressure and so are the animals that live in them. Two Antwerp rays have been shipped to Hong Kong, so their bloodline can keep the threatened population genetically healthy. Shipping them was not an easy job.
The family Barbary macaques, brought to Planckendael ZOO in 2019, display the same behaviour as in the wild. This is evident from close observation and scientific analyses. The animals were rescues from an illegal breeding centre.
It appears that Sulawesi is not as old as it was previously believed to be. Four million years ago just the central part of the island was above water; it was only two million years ago that the rest of the island was formed. This has been revealed by animal DNA analysis.
Zoos sometimes exchange animals. This is always preceded by a process of careful thought. Such aspects as genetics, gender, age and character are taken into consideration. Introductions into new groups happen at the animal's own pace.
Antwerp ZOO & Planckendael ZOO collaborate with Utrecht University in a scientific quest to develop a vaccine against herpes in elephants. In our own lab our researchers are also seeking to identify symptoms that trigger the virus.
In the summer of 2019, two Eurasian black vultures from Planckendael ZOO were released into the wild in Bulgaria. The species is critically endangered. These reintroductions are aimed at restoring the population throughout southern Europe and have proved quite successful so far.
Animal welfare is high on our agenda, that’s why we have our own animal welfare scientist. Her job is to initiate, develop and conduct zoo-based research projects aimed at better understanding the welfare state of the animals in our care.
First ever pair of black vultures to adopt two chicks at once. Scientists from Antwerp ZOO & Plankendael ZOO have also succeeded in analysing DNA from dried out blood vessels in a hatched egg shell of a black vulture.
Penguins, and other birds, see differently to us. Thanks to installing special lighting, the sexually mature penguins at Antwerp ZOO are now able to see the purplish areas on each other's beaks. This should result in better matched pairs and encourage breeding success.