Usually the zebras at The Netherlands’ Burgers' Zoo give birth in peace in the stables at night. This time, however, the animal caretakers witnessed a delivery at the end of the afternoon. Mother and baby are doing well. This is the third zebra born this year at Burgers' Zoo: more will follow. On the Safari's vast savannah grounds at the Arnhem animal park lives a large herd of Grant zebras, usually counting more than twenty animals. Every year, several foals are born and every year zebras leave for other zoos, that's why the number of animals changes regularly. One of the animal caretakers managed to film the birth, so we can now share these special images with you.
Arnhem, 10 February 2022 - On Thursday morning, 10 February 2022, under the watchful eye of its mother, the three-month-old square-lipped rhinoceros calf made its first acquaintance with giraffes, zebras and antelope on the savannah plains of Burgers' Zoo. The male calf was born on 26 October 2021 as the eighth young from the experienced mother and is the fourteenth rhino birth in the Arnhem Zoo since 1977. Burgers' Zoo is one of Europe's most successful breeders of square-lipped rhinoceros.
Burgers' Zoo's young manatee is doing well and we have good news. Officials know the gender of the youngest sprout of the Mangrove.
To determine the sex of a manatee, the distance between the opening of the erogenital opening and the anus of the animal is examined. With male manatees this opening is located in the middle of the abdomen, far from the anus. While female manatees have this opening is at the end of the abdomen, close to the anus and tail.
Burgers' Zoo had to wait a while until zookeepers could take a good look at the belly of the young manatee. There was some uncertainty for a while, but they can now state with full conviction that the young manatee is a female.
That is very positive news for the breeding program that includes these manatees. Each animal is very valuable to zoos in Europe, but at the moment there are significantly more males than females. With the arrival of this young manatee, it is possible that a new bloodline can be set up.
Arnhem, 30th December 2021 – A West Indian manatee was born at Royal Burgers' Zoo on Thursday, December 30th at 09:18am. Father, mother and calf live in the Mangrove at the Arnhem zoo. There are only nine European zoos with manatees, housing a total of 39 animals—24 bulls, 14 cows, and Arnhem's new addition.
Calves are more than welcome
As there are only 39 of these extraordinary mammals in Europe, calves are more than welcome as part of the European West Indian manatee population management program. Bulls are clearly in the majority, so it would be excellent news if the calf turned out to be a female. With the calf's birth, there are now three manatees living at Burgers' Zoo.
Expensive boarders
Manatees are very demanding in terms of their environment and are expensive boarders. Together, the two adult manatees eat around 60–70 kg of food per day. Endive is their main food source—the large mammals eat around 18–22 kg of endive per adult per day. They also eat bok choi, celery, Chinese cabbage and alfalfa every day, along with a varied supply of spinach, broccoli, chicory, lettuce, Swiss chard and kale. The calf’s father was born at ZooParc de Beauval in France and is almost 20 years old, while the mother was born at Odense Zoo in Denmark and is almost 8.5 years old.
Deadly boat propellers and fishing nets
West Indian manatees are mammals, so they regularly need to surface to breathe. Manatees in the wild are often fatally injured by motorboat propellers when they lift their heads above the water to breathe. When a manatee gets stuck in a fishing net, it will die from suffocation. Fortunately, countries around the world are increasingly listing manatees as a protected species. The IUCN Red List classifies the animals as 'vulnerable'.
The baby Sri Lankan Leopard at Royal Burgers’ Zoo in The Netherlands has been vaccinated for the second time against cat flu and has been dewormed. Thanks to this booster, the animal is now immune to this common feline disease and hopefully also preventively rid of any worms.
At the age of about three months, the youngster can get acquainted with its mother for the first time in the large outdoor enclosure. Until then, the young can continue to grow in the pleasant warmth of the indoor enclosure thanks to mother's milk.
In Arnhem, The Netherlands, one of the Royal Burgers’ Zoo’s animal caretakers has compiled outstanding video of the very first time their newborn rhino went outside with its mother. Bordering the warm stable lies an extensive outdoor stay behind the scenes. The young calf explores and investigates with great curiosity. Mother takes an easy mud bath, as the young rhino carefully explores its new world.
Monday morning 18 October 2021, Burgers’ Zoo veterinarian Henk Luten vaccinated a six-week-old Sri Lankan leopard against feline panleukopenia and cat flu, dewormed it and microchipped it. The leopard is a female. There are 77 Sri Lankan leopards living in zoos worldwide, 38 males and 39 females. It is estimated that between 200 and 400 leopards still exist in the wild in Sri Lanka.
The six-week-old Sri Lankan leopard was touched by human hands for the first time on Monday, 18 October. The cub will receive a second vaccination at the age of about nine weeks, after which it will be immune to feline panleukopenia and cat flu. Not long after the second vaccination, the cub will be introduced to the enclosure for the first time under the watchful eye of its mother.
Arnhem Rhino Breeding Program Proves Highly Successful
On Tuesday, 26 October 2021, at 3:00, a healthy-looking square-lipped rhinoceros was born at Royal Burgers' Zoo
Royal Burgers' Zoo remains one of Europe's most successful breeders of square-lipped rhinoceros. The latest addition to the Arnhem crash was born in the heated enclosure on Tuesday, 26 October at 3:00. The experienced mother has birthed a total of eight calves, her latest being the fourteenth rhinoceros to be born in Arnhem since 1977. A total of 295 square-lipped rhinoceros live in 75 European zoos—127 bulls and 168 cows.
The most plentiful but endangered
Of the five rhinoceros species in the world, the square-lipped rhinoceros is the most plentiful in the wild. However, every year, dozens to hundreds of animals fall prey to poachers, who are particularly interested in the valuable horn. The population of square-lipped rhinoceros in all European zoos is currently 295 animals. With fourteen rhinoceros births since 1977, Royal Burgers' Zoo is one of the main purveyors to the population management in European zoos.
European population management programme
Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands coordinates the European population management programme for square-lipped rhinoceros. The best matches between animals are made using DNA research to maximize the genetic variation within the population. Under this programme, animals are moved to and from zoos with square-lipped rhinoceros throughout Europe.
Livestream of the birth
The birth of the rhino calf could be followed live thanks to a livestream from the rhinoceros enclosure: https://tinyurl.com/ys6v9njx. The mother is highly experienced and has successfully raised seven calves, which helped the birth go smoothly. Mother and calf will stay in the cosy, heated enclosure for the first few weeks, regularly going outside for fresh air in the adjacent, off-exhibit enclosure. Visitors can watch 24/7 live footage of the mother and calf in the rhinoceros enclosure.
Royal Burgers' Zoo achieves groundbreaking international breeding success with fiddler crabs at the Mangrove
Arnhem, The Netherlands, 16 September 2021 - As a crowning achievement, Royal Burgers' Zoo released the first five homebred fiddler crabs into the public arena at the Mangrove on Thursday 16 September 2021. Breeding fiddler crabs is a very meticulous, delicate process that is globally still pioneering. The tiny larvae eat tiny animal plankton and require precise water quality, temperature and water movement.
Royal Burgers' Zoo achieves groundbreaking international breeding success with fiddler crabs at the Mangrove
Arnhem, The Netherlands, 16 September 2021 - As a crowning achievement, Royal Burgers' Zoo released the first five homebred fiddler crabs into the public arena at the Mangrove on Thursday 16 September 2021. Breeding fiddler crabs is a very meticulous, delicate process that is globally still pioneering. The tiny larvae eat tiny animal plankton and require precise water quality, temperature and water movement.