Animals & science
Stories
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Family secrets revealed: DNA analysis identifies the father of chimpanzee Zabari
How do you work out who fathered a baby chimpanzee when there are five adult males in the group? And why does it matter? A single hair sample and DNA analysis not only establish paternity, but are also crucial for breeding policy, parentage studies and genetic management in the European breeding programme. Find out how genetic material is collected, analysed and interpreted at Antwerp ZOO.
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A hat trick of hope: three rare merganser chicks on a mission
Antwerp ZOO has successfully raised three Chinesemergansers. Breeding this striking and endangered duck species is rarely successful in European zoos, making this a truly exceptional achievement.
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Support for mythic Przewalski’s horses endangered by floods in Kazakhstan
After decades of preparation, Przewalski horses - the last remaining wild horses on Earth - are returning to their original habitat in central Kazakhstan where they had been extinct since the 1960s. That reintroduction was jeopardised this spring by unprecedented flooding: the Uly Zhylanshik river rose five metres due to sudden thawing, linked to climate change. The reintroduction centre was badly damaged, but the animals and their keepers remained unharmed.
Upcoming events
18th Annual ZOO Research Symposium
On the 14th of November, the Antwerp ZOO Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC) will hold its annual ZOO Research Symposium at ZOO Antwerp.
EAZA Animal Welfare Forum
The EAZA Animal Welfare Forum connects professionals to improve animal welfare through evidence, research and practice during workshops, presentations and other interactive sessions.
Blog
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Does sex help against stress? In bonobos, it certainly does
How do you deal with stress? Are you going for a quiet walk in the woods, a yoga session, or are you going to dive into a creative hobby? Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Short-term stress is actually part of a healthy live, provided you are able to deal with it. Animals, like humans, have rich emotional lives and sometimes experience stress, and bonobos have their own solution to deal with that: SEX!
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Environmental enrichment can improve the welfare of vultures
Can giving new things to explore improve the welfare of vultures? That’s the question we set out to answer in our latest study at Zoo Planckendael. In this new research, we tested whether giving zoo-housed vultures different types of environmental enrichment can encourage natural behaviours and improve their welfare.
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How monitoring vulture welfare can improve their breeding success and conservation
Breeding centres play a vital role in the species' survival, producing young vultures for reintroduction to the wild. However, for these centres to be successful, the welfare of the birds must be a top priority. Good welfare directly influences their ability to breed and raise offspring, which in turn affects the species' conservation efforts.