Blijdorp Opens New Aviary
Last Saturday was the day. With great interest, Diergaarde Blijdorp opened a new attraction: the African Jungle aviary. In this large enclosure, numerous African birds are given a home. Some of the animals have been confiscated by customs.
The enclosure, made possible in part by the Association of Friends of Blijdorp, consists of two interconnected aviaries. Each section has its own colorful inhabitants, ranging from the green turaco and the purple glossy starling to the main resident: the grey parrot.
What many people don’t know is that behind this cheerful, chattering parrot lies a lot of animal suffering. This bird species is the most traded bird in the world. Between 1981 and 2001 alone, more than 1.3 million were captured from the wild to be kept as pets. Even today, the global trade in grey parrots continues steadily. This contributes to the species being threatened with extinction. With the African Jungle aviary, the Rotterdam zoo is drawing attention to this problem.
In Diergaarde Blijdorp’s new aviary, the grey parrots have room to spread their wings again. The birds come from a French zoo, where they were increasingly joined by other confiscated counterparts by the French government. With their move to Rotterdam, the birds get the space they deserve. Spread across the indoor and outdoor enclosures, the total aviary covers almost 800 m² of floor space. The aviary's height is over 10 meters. A wonderful place for the numerous new residents of diverse plumage.
The new aviary was partly realized through a donation from the Association of Friends of Blijdorp. This association has around 5000 members with a passion for Diergaarde Blijdorp and supports the zoo with money and goodwill. In recent years, the association has contributed to the enclosures for tigers, elephants, okapis, flamingos, ring-tailed lemurs, and the Conservation Center. The association also supports Diergaarde Blijdorp’s conservation projects at home and abroad.
With the opening of the aviary, Diergaarde Blijdorp takes the first step toward the development of the African Jungle impact area. In the coming years, the area around the aviary will gradually take shape and be given an African theme.