Chimpanzees at Burgers' Zoo ate no bananas
Thursday, 2 January 2025
Royal Burgers' Zoo is satisfied with the final tally for 2024: a total of 1,074,594 guests passed through its entrance gates—38,597 more than in 2023. The six eagle rays in the Ocean ate 1,319 kg of food: 249.5 kilos of herring, 52 kg of prawns, 457.5 kg of squid, 196.5 kg of mackerel, 162 kg of sardines and 201.5 kg of blue whiting. The Arnhem zoo saved 400,000 kWh of electricity, reached 20.1 million people on social media, garnered an average rating of 8.78, and sold 6,373 manatee plushies.
No bananas for chimpanzees in 2024, but lots of vegetables
The seventeen chimpanzees at Burgers' Zoo eat 41,027 kilos of food in a year: 6,864 kg of chicory, 9,100 kg of endive, 1,871 kg of turnips, 2,080 kg of aubergine, 1,820 kg of parsnips, 3,692 kg of tomatoes, 2,080 kg of cucumbers, 1,040 kg of green bell peppers, 1,560 kg of red bell peppers, 1,144 kg of celeriac, 676 kg of beets, 832 kg of eggs, 1,040 kg of carrots, 780 kg of broccoli, 1,560 kg of courgette, 52 kg of bean sprouts, 4,680 kg of pellets and 156 kg of grapes. 160,000 kg of hay entered the Arnhem Zoo in 2024: the four Asian elephants eat 67,160 kg of hay a year, and the four broad-lipped rhinos munch through 33,580 kilos in the same period.
Arrivals and departures
In 2024, 1,260 animals arrived at and departed from the Arnhem Zoo in 67 transports. A total of 741 Ocean-grown corals left for seven fellow public aquaria. Animals are donated to fellow parks—the receiving park only pays the transport costs.
Education a key objective
On an average day in 2024, there were 12.8 volunteers standing by to provide education for walk-in visitors. The daily number of volunteers fluctuates with the number of visitors throughout the year. Volunteers provided a total of 1441 guided tours and 9412 hours of info tables and info points in 2024. On 103 days of the year, day visitors could sign up for an educational activity that lasted at least one hour. Burgers' Zoo is proud of the 219 zoo guides from Stichting Vrijwilligers Burgers' Zoo.
Manatee plushies a big hit
Manatee plushies proved popular in 2024, and we sold 6,373 of them. The reception desk rented out 1,376 mobility scooters and 3,023 prams, and 193 “Lucky Losers” were reunited with their lost items. Visitors purchased 95,175 sandwiches, 37,639 muffins, 35,461 servings of apple pie, 26,562 dollops of whipped cream and 22,918 cookies.
Technical jobs
Burgers' Zoo's technical department carried out 2,487 technical jobs in 2024. A total of 400,000 kWh of electricity was saved, along with 60,000 cubic metres of gas and 500 cubic metres of water.
Staffing
Lastly, all the above was made possible by the commitment and dedication of a total of 275 employees who collectively worked 378,535 hours in 2024.
