Build of new animal enclosures at Burgers' Zoo
Friday, 24 August 2018
On Monday 27 August 2018, Royal Burgers’ Zoo will start demolishing several old mammalian enclosures and replacing them with modern animal housing for squirrel monkeys, coati and lemurs. The current animal shelters no longer meet the zoo's standard of sustainability and animal welfare.
Two new enclosures
Two new animal enclosures will be built on the area bordering the penguin enclosure, the elephant enclosure, the Park Restaurant and Burgers' Adventure Land. Visitors will be able to walk around both animal enclosures, and if the weather so dictates, the animals can also be viewed indoors. One enclosure will house ring-tailed lemurs and black lemurs, while coati and squirrel monkeys will be housed in the other. The Peruvian squirrel monkeys are new to Arnhem; the other three species already live at Burgers’ Zoo.
Sustainability and animal welfare
According to the standards of Burgers’ Zoo, the existing animal enclosures no longer meet today’s requirements. The accommodations were built in the sixties and are insufficiently insulated. Moreover, wear and tear have caused the ponds in the enclosure to become leaky. In today’s 2018, the requirements for the housing of animals in terms of animal welfare are very different than in the 1960s. Therefore, Arnhem’s zoo is replacing the existing accommodations with two modern, landscaped animal enclosures.
A lot to consider
Various permits have been obtained for the demolition and the construction work.
The sparrows and bats that live in the area are protected, and alternative shelter must be provided. Also, the breeding time of the birds and the hibernation of the bats had to be considered when planning the start date of the construction.
To relieve the pressure on the moat system the rainwater will be redirected to a sort of waterbed that can fill up in the event of heavy rainfall. The moats that separate the animals and the visitors are connected to each other. Gravity causes the water to flow from one moat to the next, so only the last moat requires a pump.
The steepest sections in the area will be removed from the route by creating a new path. Families with prams, wheelchair users and people with mobility problems, in particular, will appreciate this adaption.
