Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam

The Blijdorp Zoo has undergone a lot of changes the last couple of years. The animals have been moved out of the old and small enclosures and have been moved into bigger ones that resemble their natural environment. There's also an aquarium here that's really nice. There usually are some new born animals and if you get the feeding times, you'll have a really good day. There's a nice playground for kids and there are a few restaurants where you can eat and drink.

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Rotterdam Zoo, also known as 'Blijdorp' is one of the major Dutch zoos. You'll enjoy the many animals and the great addition: Oceanium!

Newly opened (2001): Oceanium.
In Summer 2000, phase 1 of the Oceanium in Rotterdam Zoo is opened to the public. This new ‘water world' is the largest project in the Rotterdam Zoo Master Plan that has been developed until now. Here, you can make a voyage of discovery starting at the Scottish coast of the North Sea and going across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. During the weeks to come, the voyage can be extended to include the coasts of South and North America. Oceanium will be officially opened in the couse of 2001.

The voyage through this ‘water world' begins off the coast of Scotland at Bass Rock, an island that harbours puffins, auks and guillemots. The next part of the trip means ducking under the surface. Strolling along the seabed, visitors can admire the many different underwater inhabitants of the North Sea such as bottom sharks, squid and schools of fish swimming in their large aquariums. Later this year, jellyfish will be pulsating beautifully through the water as well. After the North Sea comes a tunnel measuring 26 metres in length representing the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean where visitors can literally be surrounded by such inhabitants of the deep as Atlantic great white sharks, nurse sharks, hammerhead sharks and sea turtles. This gigantic basin is filled with three million litres of seawater. At the end of the tunnel (representing the deepest point of the seabed) is a whale and deep-sea exhibit displaying such things as a 17-metre-long model of a humpback whale. Next to this exhibit is a laboratory, open to the public, where visitors can see what it's like to be in a scientist's shoes. This laboratory gives an impression of what it's like to be behind the scenes in a professionally equipped marine biology laboratory.
The voyage of discovery is then routed through the sensationally coloured fish and corals of the Caribbean to a beach populated by turtles and fluttering multicoloured butterflies. At this point, the visitor might want to stop for something to drink at the typically Antillean outdoor café. Then, from the Caribbean, the voyage continues through the colourful reefs of the Sea of Cortez to the California coast where playful sea otters and the sea lions frolic in their spacious accommodations.
(text from website)

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this was the main reason me and my girlfriend(at the time) decided to go to Rotterdam as we were told it had a great zoo, it was a really good zoo but didn`t quite live up to expectation. We went in March and on a week day so it was nice a quite. Loads of animals to see as you can see from my photos.

The Bisons in Blijdorp Zoo seems to like their home. Just like last year they have given birth to some offspring.

Originaly Bisons live in north America at the end of the 19th century only a few hundred where left. Fortunalty they are on their way back now.

The prairie in blijdorp has opened in april 2002 and is about 6.200 square meters. There are no high fences between you and the animals but don't worry they can't get to you..

In Blijdorp they are located close to the aquarium.


Picture taken July 17 , 2004

The second week of december the Maned Wolfs got offspring. Three youngs where born. Althought these animals are called wolves they are really foxes. The mother is called "Loes" and their father is "Borja" which is recognizable by is wrinkled ear.

Mom was born in february 2001on the Jersey island and that is from Stuttgart and was born march 1995.

The three kids are called Gonzalo, Horacio, and Saul.

These animals have large legs, despite of these they are no fast runners. These legs are especially helpfull in the savanah where they live, it helps them to catch their prey in the long grass.


Picture taken 7 february 2004

With its visitor count of more than 1.5 million people a year (2003), the Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) is one of the biggest attractions in the Netherlands.

The Oceanium is the largest project of Rotterdam Zoo so far. In the summer of 2001 this "waterworld" was officially opened. The Oceanium was completed with the cold regions of the Falkland Islands: home of the beautiful king penguins.

But Rotterdam Zoo is more than simply a tourist attraction. Visit their website, and discover what the zoo has to offer and what Rotterdam Zoo places at the top of its priorities: nature conservation, recreation, education and applied scientific research.

To make your discoveries, just click. Lots of information as well as many zoo photos are available. And along the way, you're bound to encounter some special inhabitants. Meet ten of the most popular Rotterdam Zoo animals, for example. Or take a peek behind the scenes at the Zoo where you can learn a lot about its history and objectives.

Baby's and todlers 0 t/m 2 yrs: free
* 3 t/m 11 yrs: € 11,50
* 12 t/m 64 yrs: € 14,50
* 65+( met pas 65+): € 12,50

At the entrance of the Oceanium you will find Bass Rock.
This part of the Oceanium starts your trip at the Scottish north sea coast. On this picture you can only see the seagulls but there are more annimals to see. Inside the oceanium you can also have a look at Bass Rock where you can see the fish that are part of the daily menu of the birds inside Bass Rock... (savely kept in a separate aquarium.)


Picture taken January 2nd 2003 13:22

Giraffa camelopardalis

Is their full name, but they don't mind if you forget that, they are 4 to 5 meter of easygoing animals. In Blijdorp the are located in the old part at the other side of the railroad track from the Oceanium. There is a smal but high indoor home for these longest animals in the world. Once they are let outside you might see them lick the walls of their home with their half meter long tongue.

Despite the extreme length of their neck they have just 7 neck vertebra, ok they are a bit longer as ours...

Giraffes are animals the rechew their food just like cows do, the only problem they have is that it has to go up a long way from their stomache to their mouth. For this purpose they have a powerfull and muscular gullet to get it back up.

When a giraffe has to drink there are valves in their vanes to prefent the flooding of to much blood to their heads.


Picture taken may 18, 2003