(; ), officially Rotterdam Zoo, is a
zoo located in the northwestern part of
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
. It is one of the oldest zoos in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, and has been operated by the ("Royal Rotterdam Zoo Foundation"). Divided into several zoogeographic regions, the Blijdorp Zoo boasts 562 species. It also has a shop, multiple cafes, and an information centre.
The zoo is a member of the
Dutch Zoo Federation and the
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) is an organisation for the European zoo and aquarium community that links over 340 member organisations in 41 countries. EAZA membership is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe that compl ...
. In 2007, it celebrated its 150th anniversary.
History
In 1855, a garden was set up for pheasants and waterfowl in the center of Rotterdam, near the Kruiskade. It was a success and on May 18, 1857, the 'Rotterdamsche Diergaarde' was opened as a sequel. The first director was the animal trainer Henri Martin. The same year the 'Vereniging Rotterdamsche Diergaarde' was founded. In 1932 it was decided to reorganize the zoo. In 1937 it was decided to move the zoo to a new location. The zoo exchanged land with the municipality: the municipality received part of the old zoo for free, the rest they had to pay for. In exchange, the zoo became the owner of two-thirds of a new site in the
Blijdorp district, while one-third of the new site had to be leased at one guilder. On October 26, 1938, the 'Vereniging' was dissolved, and the 'Rotterdamsche Diergaarde Foundation' was established. The Rotterdam Zoo moved to its new location prior to the
bombing of Rotterdam in World War II, which destroyed most of the city centre. The original zoo had been heavily damaged in a bombing two days prior to the Blitz, but it had not been touched by the main bombardment on May 14, 1940. Some street names, such as (‘Zoo Lane’), still recall the old zoo. The new zoo at Blijdorp was rebuilt slightly to the north, where it opened to the public in its current location on December 7, 1940. The new zoo was designed by Dutch architect
Sybold van Ravesteyn, who designed the
central railway station of Rotterdam as well. In 2001, Blijdorp became almost twice as large when it opened a new western part, which includes the
Oceanium aquarium. In 2007, the zoo was declared a .
In May 2007 the zoo appeared in the news when
Bokito, Blijdorp's
silverback gorilla, escaped from his enclosure and seriously injured a female visitor. Before the attack, the woman was a regular visitor of the zoo (on average 4 times per week) and claimed to have a special bond with Bokito, regularly touching the glass between her and the gorilla, making
eye contact with him and
smiling at him.
In October 2010, the city of Rotterdam decided to reduce its yearly funding of Blijdorp from nearly 4.5 to about 0.8 million euro until 2015. The zoo and its supporters protested the decision, claiming it is unclear if the zoo can continue to operate with the reduced budget.
In March 2014, the zoo made headlines when a giraffe licked a former zoo cleaner whose last wish was to revisit the zoo, as he was dying of terminal brain cancer. The video went viral worldwide quickly.
In 2019 a conservation centre (Dutch:''Natuurbehoudscentrum'') was opened with the first animals being
Lesser Antillean iguanas brought over from a plane from
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses ...
with Dutch prime minister
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...
.
Breeding programs
Diergaarde Blijdorp participates in about 70
breeding programs and
studbook
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...
s, and coordinates a number of these, including the international breeding program for
red pandas,
EEPs for
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
,
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...
,
red-crowned and
Siberian crane,
Visayan warty pig and
Egyptian tortoise, and the ESB (European Studbook) for the
crowned pigeons.
Botanical garden
Blijdorp also houses a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
and manages both the Dutch National
Bromelia Collection and the Dutch National ''
Primula'' Collection.
Oceanium
The Oceanium is an aquarium that opened in the zoo in 2001. The Oceanium lies in the expansion area of the zoo, which includes a new entrance and parking area, and was the biggest project to date for the zoo. The area around the Oceanium was home to projects depicting
the Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...
. However since 2020, Blijdorp wanted to designate this area to tropical Africa.
Animal list
Asia
; Chinese Garden:
*
Tufted deer (''Elaphodus cephalophus'')
*
François' langur (''Trachypithecus francoisi'')
*
Eurasian otter
The Eurasian otter (''Lutra lutra''), also known as the European otter, Eurasian river otter, European river otter, common otter, and Old World otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to Eurasia and the Maghreb. The most widely distributed member o ...
(''Lutra lutra'')
; The
Amur
The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer Manchuria, Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ...
:
*
Greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'')
*
White stork
The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...
(''Ciconia ciconia'')
*
Amur leopard (''Panthera pardus orientalis'')
*
Northern hawk-owl (''Surnia ulula'')
*
Dalmatian pelican (''Pelecanus crispus'')
*
Great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo'')
; Malaysian Forest Edge & Asia House:
*
Visayan warty pig (''Sus cebifrons'')
*
Visayan spotted deer (''Cervus alfredi'')
*
Lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus'')
*
Fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'')
*
Banteng (''Bos javanicus'')
*
Blackbuck
The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources.
It stands up to high at the sh ...
(''Antilope cervicapra'')
*
Wreathed hornbill (''Aceros undulatus'')
*
Indian eagle-owl (''Bubo bengalensis'')
*
Bali myna (''Leucopsar rothschildi'')
*
Crested partridge (''Rollulus rouloul'')
*
Black-naped fruit dove (''Ptilinopus melanospilus'')
*
Roti Island snake-necked turtle (''Chelodina mccordi'')
*
Amboina box turtle (''Cuora amboinensis'')
*
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large reptile of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo (island), Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Dasami, and Gili ...
(''Varanus komodoensis'')
*
Indian cobra (''Naja naja'')
; Asian Swamp:
*
White-naped crane (''Grus vipio'')
*
Demoiselle crane (''Anthropoides virgo'')
*
Sulawesi crested macaque (''Macaca nigra'')
*
Little egret (''Egretta garzetta'')
*
Black-headed ibis (''Threskiornis melanocephalus'')
*
Painted stork (''Mycteria leucocephala'')
*
Milky stork (''Mycteria cinerea'')
*
Woolly-necked stork (''Ciconia episcopus'')
*
Black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax'')
*
Pied imperial pigeon (''Ducula bicolor'')
*
Fulvous whistling duck (''Dendrocygna bicolor'')
*
Green peafowl (''Pavo muticus'')
; Mongolian Steppe:
*
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel (''Camelus bactrianus''), also known as the Mongolian camel, domestic Bactrian camel or two-humped camel, is a camel native to the steppes of Central Asia. It has two humps on its back, in contrast to the single-humped drome ...
(''Camelus bactrianus'')
*
Pallas's cat (''Otocolobus manul'')
; Taman Indah:
*
Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis'')
*
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...
(''Elephas maximus'')
*
Indian python (''Python molurus'')
*
Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus'')
; Tiger Creek:
*
Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a population of ''Panthera tigris sondaica'' on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, where the Bali tiger, Bali and Javan tigers are extinct.
DNA sequencing, Sequ ...
(''Panthera tigris sondaica'')
; Other animals:
*
Red panda (''Ailurus fulgens fulgens'')
Europe
*
Finnish forest reindeer (''Rangifer tarandus fennicus'')
Africa
; Gorilla exhibit:
*
Western lowland gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
(''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'')
*
Black and rufous elephant shrew (''Rhynchocyon petersi'')
; Congo:
*
Crested guinea fowl (''Guttera pucherani'')
*
Guinea turaco (''Tauraco persa'')
*
Okapi (''Okapia johnstoni'')
*
Red river hog (''Potamochoerus porcus'')
*
Eastern bongo (''Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci'')
*
Northern carmine bee-eater (''Merops nubicus'')
* Several other bird species
; Savanna:
*
Reticulated giraffe
The reticulated giraffe (''Giraffa reticulata'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'') is a species/subspecies of giraffe native to the Horn of Africa. It is differentiated from other types of giraffe by its coat, which consists of large, p ...
(''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'')
*
Chapman's zebra (''Equus quagga chapmani'')
*
Greater kudu
The greater kudu (''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') is a large woodland antelope, found throughout East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory (animal), territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas d ...
(''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'')
*
Common ostrich
The common ostrich (''Struthio camelus''), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa. It is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus ''Struthio'' in the ratite group ...
(''Struthio camelus'')
*
Marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumeniferus'')
*
Hamerkop (''Scopus umbretta'')
*
Grey crowned crane (''Balearica regulorum'')
*
White-backed vulture (''Gyps africanus'')
*
Rüppell's vulture (''Gyps rueppellii'')
*
White-headed vulture (''Trigonoceps occipitalis'')
*
Hooded vulture (''Necrosyrtes monachus'')
*
Spotted hyena
The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...
(''Crocuta crocuta'')
*
Serval
The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and ...
(''Leptailurus serval'')
*
Yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata'')
*
Black-headed weaver (''Ploceus melanocephalus'')
; Crocodile river:
*
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the eastern, southern, and ce ...
(''Crocodylus niloticus'')
*
West African slender-snouted crocodile (''Crocodylus cataphractus'')
*
Sudan plated lizard (''Broadleysaurus major'')
*
African spurred tortoise (''Geochelone sulcata'')
*
Pancake tortoise (''Malacochersus tornieri'')
*
Rock hyrax (''Procavia capensis'')
; Others:
*
Western plantain-eater (''Crinifer piscator'')
*
Superb starling (''Lamprotornis superbus'')
*
Crowned lapwing (''Vanellus coronatus'')
*
Pygmy hippopotamus
The pygmy hippopotamus or pygmy hippo (''Choeropsis liberiensis'') is a small Hippopotamidae, hippopotamid which is native to the forests and swamps of West Africa, primarily in Liberia, with small populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Co ...
(''Hexaprotodon liberiensis'')
*
Black rhinoceros
The black rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis''), also called the black rhino or the hooked-lip rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros native to East Africa, East and Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Moza ...
(''Diceros bicornis'')
*
Mhorr gazelle (''Nanger dama mhorr'')
*
Gelada (''Theropithecus gelada'')
Rivièrahal
*
Toco toucan (''Ramphastos toco'')
South America
*
Vicuña
The vicuña (''Lama vicugna'') or vicuna (both , very rarely spelled ''vicugna'', Vicugna, its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids, which live in the high alpine tundra, alpine areas of the Andes; the other cameli ...
(''Vicugna vicugna'')
*
Darwin's rhea (''Rhea pennata'')
*
Southern pudu (''Pudu puda'')
North America
; Prairie:
*
Plains bison
The plains bison (''Bison bison bison'') is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (''B. b. athabascae''). A natural population of plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone P ...
(''Bison bison bison'')
*
Black-tailed prairie dog (''Cynomys ludovicianus'')
; Arctica:
*
Polar bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can Hybrid (biology), interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear ...
(''Ursus maritimus'')
*
Arctic fox
The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small species of fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Tundra#Arctic tundra, Arctic tundra biome. I ...
(''Vulpes lagopus'')
*
Steller's sea eagle (''Haliaeetus pelagicus'')
*
Raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...
(''Procyon lotor'')
Oceanium
; Bass Rock:
*
Atlantic puffin
The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family (biology), family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin being found ...
(''Fratercula arctica'')
*
Common guillemot (''Uria aalge'')
*
Black-legged kittiwake (''Rissa tridactyla'')
*
Common eider (''Somateria mollissima'')
; North Sea:
*
European lobster (''Homarus gammarus'')
*
Nursehound (''Scyliorhinus stellaris'')
*
Small-spotted catshark (''Scyliorhinus canicula'')
*
Blonde ray (''Raja brachyura'')
*
Thornback ray (''Raja clavata'')
*
Herring
Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes.
Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...
(''Clupeus harengus'')
*
Atlantic mackerel (''Scomber scombrus'')
*
Thicklip grey mullet (''Chelon labrosus'')
*Different species of
wrasse
The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine ray-finned fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into nine subgroups or tribes.
They are typically small, ...
; Atlantic Ocean:
*
Nurse shark (''Ginglymostoma cirratum'')
*
Green sea turtle
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...
(''Chelonia mydas'')
*
Hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'')
*
Southern stingray (''Dasyatis americana'')
*
Great barracuda (''Sphyraena barracuda'')
*
Atlantic tarpon (''Megalops atlanticus'')
; Caribbean:
*
Green moray eel (''Gymnothorax funebris'')
*
Scribbled filefish (''Aluterus scriptus'')
*
Slender seahorse (''Hippocampus reidi'')
; The Antilles:
*
Desmarest's hutia (''Capromys pilorides'')
*
Plumed basilisk (''Basiliscus plumifrons'')
*
Red-bellied piranha
The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha (''Pygocentrus nattereri''), is a Type (biology), type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon basin, Amazon, Paraguay River, Paraguay, Paraná River, Paraná and Essequibo Ri ...
(''Pygocentrus nattereri'')
*
Black pacu (''Colossoma macropomum'')
*
Cuvier's dwarf caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'')
*
Cownose ray (''Rhinoptera bonasus'')
;
Falklands:
*
King penguin
The king penguin (''Aptenodytes patagonicus'') is the second largest species of penguin, smaller than but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin.
King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. On foraging trips, king pen ...
(''Aptenodytes patagonica'')
*
Gentoo penguin (''Pygoscelis papua'')
; Galápagos:
*
Galapagos giant tortoise (''Geochelone nigra'')
; Sea of Cortez:
*
Gila monster (''Heloderma suspectum'')
*
Colorado River toad (''Bufo alvarius'')
*
Fire salamander
The fire salamander (''Salamandra salamandra'') is a common species of salamander found in Europe.
It is black with yellow spots or stripes to a varying degree; some specimens can be nearly completely black while on others the yellow is dominant ...
(''Salamandra salamandra'')
*Fish
Other animals
*
Asiatic lion (''Panthera leo persica'')
*
Meerkat
The meerkat (''Suricata suricatta'') or suricate is a small mongoose found in southern Africa. It is characterised by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. The head-and-body ...
(''Suricata suricatta'')
*
Swamp wallaby (''Wallabia bicolor'')
Notes
See also
*
Henk Zwartepoorte
External links
*
Dutch Zoo FederationZoo MagazineMore complete list of animals
(mostly correct)
{{authority control
Botanical gardens in the Netherlands
Zoos in the Netherlands
Tourist attractions in Rotterdam
Buildings and structures in Rotterdam
Rotterdam