Zoo Rating: Diergaarde Blijdorp

Diergaarde Blijdorp/

Rotterdam Zoo

 Rotterdam, The Netherlands

About the Zoo

Diergaarde Blijdorp, named after the Rotterdam district ‘Blijdorp’ opened its doors in 1857. By then, it only housed pheasants and waterfowl. Today, about 250 species of animals live in the zoo, which is about 28 hectares big.

1. Species

Blijdorp has quite some special species, for example, Asian lions, black rhinos, komodo dragons, visayan spotted deers, tufted deers, swift foxes, milky storks, painted storks and black-and-rufous elephant shrews. Other than that, they house common zoo animals like zebras, giraffes, elephants and tigers, but also some crowd pullers like polar bears.

Score: 8

2. Animal welfare

Blijdorp participates in 95 breeding programs, which shows the care for the animals in the zoo. They even manage some studbooks themselves. Next to that, all enclosures in Diergaarde Blijdorp are big, and are perfectly designed for animals’ needs.

Score: 8.5

3. Construction

Parts of the zoo are old, and might not all look too fancy. Though, Blijdorp is working hard to refurbish those enclosures. Other parts of the zoo look great, with the giraffe stall as a remarkable yet beautiful building.

Score: 8

4. Accomodations

There are quite some restaurants/food stands spread through the whole zoo, so walking to one will never be far. When it’s raining, there are some places to shelter, the Oceanium being the largest one of these.

Score: 7.5

5. Education

For the regular zoo visitor you’ll see some big signs and exhibit signs, but that’s where it ends in the area of education at the zoo.

Score: 6.5

6. Interaction

Diergaarde Blijdorp has some walkthrough enclosures, an aviary, and a big butterfly dome. Next to that, there also is a bird show.

Score: 7.5

Total Score: 7.7

Diergaarde Blijdorp is one of the more spectacular zoos in The Netherlands and one you should definately visit if you’re nearby. And even if you’re not, you should still try to plan a visit, because it’ll be worth the trip.

Gerben, 17/05/2014